Текст книги "Cherished"

Автор книги: Kelly Elliott

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

“Whoa…wait. He wanted to be more than friends?” Ari asked.

“Yes, but I kept telling him I wasn’t ready. Then, I started to figure out that maybe it wasn’t Scott who was with Chelsea. Like I said, I think a part of me always knew. Anyway, that was the day I called Scott and my dad when the storm came in. I called Scott first and told him I needed to talk to him. When I called him again later, I told him where I was. Then, everything started falling into place—how I had been feeling so bad and I hadn’t had my period. I took a test in the middle of the damn tropical storm, and that was when I found out I was pregnant—on Christmas Eve. I told Trey, and he tried to tell me he would take care of the baby and me if Scott didn’t want to. It was a terrible night because the phones had gone out, and I couldn’t get a hold of Scott. I ended up sleeping in Trey’s lap the whole night, and—”

“What?” all three of us called out again.

Ari stood up. “Jesus H. Christ, Jessie. You say you don’t have feelings for this guy, but when you find out you’re pregnant with another man’s child, you sleep in the guy’s arms all night long, and then you lead him on even more by kissing him good-bye.”

I looked at Ari as Ellie stood up.

“Ari, stop this. Stop yelling at her,” I said.

“No, this is bullshit.” Ari looked down at Jessie, who was crying again. “You need to figure this shit out and figure it out fast. You clearly have feelings for Trey.”

Jessie started shaking her head.

“Yes…yes, Jessie, you do. What happened between you and Scott this morning?”

Jessie wiped the tears away. “He asked if I was sure I really wanted to move in, and then he brought up Lark seeing me kiss Trey. I got mad and asked if he had Lark spying on me. Then, the guilt from me kissing Trey good-bye hit me like a brick wall, and when Scott reached to touch me, I pulled away. I don’t know why I pulled away.” She began sobbing hysterically. “I just feel so dirty, knowing I kissed another man and let him touch me where only Scott should be touching. Oh my god, I’m so confused.”

She looked up at me, and my heart broke.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Jessie, if you truly didn’t have feelings for this Trey guy, you wouldn’t be sitting here, saying you’re confused.”

“No! No! I want to be with Scott. I love Scott. I’m not sure what in the hell it is. I think I’m feeling guilty more than anything. I don’t have feelings like that for Trey! I want to have this child with Scott. I want to move in here and raise her together. I don’t want anyone else!” Jessie screamed out.

Then, she stopped suddenly. “Oh god.” She put her hands down to her stomach.

I jumped up and looked at Ari and Ellie. “Jessie?” I said.

She slowly stood and then leaned over. “Oh my god…no…please, God, no,” Jessie barely whispered.

Ellie bent over and looked at Jessie. “Jessie, tell us what’s going on, honey.”

“I have a pain…in my stomach.” Jessie tried to take a deep breath.

I looked up at Ari. She was standing there, frozen.

“Ari, call Scott and have him meet us at the hospital. I’m taking her to the hospital here in Mason,” I said.

“My mother is working there today,” Ellie said as she took Jessie’s arm and helped her out to my car.

After we put Jessie in the front passenger seat, I turned and looked at Ellie. “She’s gonna be fine. She’s probably just experiencing cramps.”

Ellie looked white as a ghost, and Ari was crying.

“Ari, you know this. You know you can have cramps early on in the pregnancy,” I said. I looked at Ellie and touched her arm, causing her to jump. “Ellie…I need you to drive. Ari can’t drive, sweetheart. Can you drive, Ells? Follow me to the hospital, okay?”

Ellie turned and looked at Ari. She looked back at me and nodded her head. I quickly walked to the driver’s side of my car and got in. I looked at Jessie, who looked scared to death.

“Heather…what’s wrong? Am I going to lose the baby?” She began to cry.

“No, you’re not.” I took off and headed to the hospital.

The whole way, I prayed to God that I hadn’t just lied to Jessie.

I burst through the hospital doors and began looking around for one of the girls. Jeff was right behind me. We had stopped at Garrett and Emma’s place to drop off Luke and Grace, and then we’d headed straight to the hospital.

My hands were shaking, and I didn’t see Ari, Ellie, or Heather anywhere. I walked up to the nurses’ station. I was just about to ask for information when I heard Heather’s voice.

“Scott.”

I turned and looked at her. I tried to read her face for any signs. I was so scared that Jessie had lost the baby. Heather smiled that sweet smile of hers and walked up to me.

“She’s fine,” Heather said.

“The baby?” I felt tears building in my eyes.

“The baby is fine also.”

I let out the breath I had been holding and collapsed into Heather’s arms. “Oh, thank God. Oh, thank you, God.”

Heather pulled back and looked at me. “She just had some cramping, which is normal.”

I looked at Heather, confused. “Cramping?”

She nodded her head. “Just think of it as her body’s way of trying to get ready for what all is about to happen. Her hormones are in overdrive, and then add in the stress of everything on top of that. She just needs to try to de-stress.”

My face fell, and my knees felt weak. I caused this…oh my god.

Heather must have read my face. “You didn’t cause this, Scott. Please, just calm down, and try to relax before you go in the room. Ellie, Ari, and Sharon are in there.”

I nodded and took a few deep breaths. “Where is she?”

“Come on, I’ll take you to her room. They aren’t planning on keeping her in the hospital, but they wanted to get some fluids into her.”

I stopped outside the door. I couldn’t move. I was frozen in place. Heather took my hands in hers and smiled.

“What if she leaves me for him?” I whispered.

I saw the tears in Heather’s eyes as she shook her head.

“She won’t because she loves you so much, Scott. She. Loves. You,” Heather said, stressing each word.

“But she cares about him, Heather. How do I know she’s not going to be thinking about him, wondering what if she hadn’t gotten pregnant?”

“Oh no, Scott, don’t think that way.” Heather wiped a tear away.

I smiled and took another deep breath as I opened the door. Everyone looked up, but the only person I saw was Jessie. The moment her eyes met mine, I wanted to run to her, to grab her in my arms and tell her how much I loved her. But I couldn’t.

Sharon smiled and nodded. “Well…looks like dad is here now. Come on, girls. Let’s give them some time alone. I’ll be back, Jessie, in a few minutes. The IV drip is almost done, and then I’ll get that out of your hand. Then, we can get you ready to head home.”

As they all walked by, they each gave me a strange look.

Was that pity I saw in their eyes?

The moment the door shut, Jessie smiled at me. “I’m sorry if you were scared. The doctor said it’s normal to feel cramping, and some experience it more than others. Hopefully, it won’t last long.”

I looked at the IV bag.

“I guess they thought I was dehydrated or something,” she said with a weak smile.

I came and sat down on the bed. She reached for my hand, and when she touched me, I felt that familiar zap run through my body.

“I was so scared, Jessie. I don’t know what I would have done if…” I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

“I know. I was scared, too, but everything is okay.”

I looked her in the eyes. “It will always be in the back of my head, Jessie, and I’m always going to wonder.”

I watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“I don’t love him,” she whispered.

I nodded. “Well, I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

She looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“He’s heading to Mason.”

“Who’s heading to Mason?”

“Trey,” I whispered.

“What? Why? How do you know this? Oh my god, did you ask him to come here?” She tried to sit up.

I just looked at her. “No, I didn’t fucking ask him to come here. He said he got my number from the hotel clerk, the one you borrowed the phone from to call me. He called me and said he was coming to Mason.”

She shook her head. “Why?”

I stood up and ran my hands through my hair. I walked to the window and looked out. “Because he said he loves you, and he thinks you love him, too. He’s not giving up unless he knows this is what you want.”

“Scott, you have to know I love you,” she said as her voice broke off.

I turned and smiled at her as I nodded. “I know you do, baby. I know you do. I love you, too, and I’ll do…I’ll walk away if…”

I felt a tear run down my face as her eyes widened in surprise.

“If you decide that you need time…I’ll wait for you. I’ll always wait for you.”

“Need time for what?” she asked.

“Jessie, I know you’re confused. I could tell by your reaction this morning when I went to reach out for you. You have feelings for this guy, and you need to figure out just what they are before we can even talk about our future together.”

She began shaking her head. “No…no, Scott. I don’t need to figure out anything. I know what I want and whom I want. I just need time to forget about him, and—”

I sucked in a breath of air.

“No! Wait…that’s not what I meant.”

I walked up to her, leaned down, and gently kissed her on the lips. She reached up and went to grab on to the back of my neck, but I pulled away.

“I love you, Jessie.”

She was crying, and a part of me was dying inside, knowing that I was the reason she was crying.

“I love you, too, Scott.”

Sharon walked back in the room and started to take the IV out of Jessie’s hand. Sharon began to give Jessie some paperwork on prenatal care, a prescription for prenatal vitamins, and her discharge papers.

Sharon smiled and said, “Now, go home and get some rest. Just take it easy for a few days. Eat some fruit and veggies and drink lots of water.”

Jessie smiled and nodded her head.

We walked out of the room and into the lobby. Ari, Ellie, Heather, and Jeff all jumped up.

Ari walked up and gave Jessie a kiss on the cheek. She whispered, “I’m sorry for being such a bitch.”

Jessie smiled. “No. You were being honest.”

Ellie and Heather each gave Jessie and then me a kiss on the cheek. We all walked out together, and Jeff and I talked a little bit about the New Year’s Eve party we were throwing at Gunner’s place.

I got into the car and looked over at Jessie. “Do you want to stop and get the vitamins now or later?”

She looked at me and gave me a weak smile. “Later? I’m just so tired.”

I nodded, and I started driving.

As Aaron and Jenny’s house came into view, I noticed Jessie sit up a bit straighter.

She looked at me. “Why are you bringing me to my brother’s? I don’t want to go there. I want to go home. I just want to go home and go to sleep.” Then, her face dropped. “Do you not want me at your house?”

“What? Of course I do. I just thought you might want to be at Aaron’s, especially if…if he’s coming to town to see you and all.”

She turned and looked out the window. “I would rather stay with you, and I don’t care that he’s coming to town.”

“Okay,” I said as I pulled out of Aaron’s driveway and headed home.

The short drive to my house was a silent one. When we got to the house, I got out, and by the time I got around to the passenger side, Jessie had already gotten out of the truck. She was making her way to the front door.

We walked in, and I set my keys on the table. I took my wallet and phone out and set them down as well.

She looked at me and smiled. “Will you lie down with me? Please?”

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. What if Trey comes to town and talks her into leaving with him? I’ll be alone…again.

“I, um…I have a ton of work I need to catch up on, and then there’s this party we’re planning, so I need to take care of some things for that.”

Her smile faded as she nodded her head. “Of course. I understand.” Then, she turned and headed for my bedroom.

Two hours later, and I was still sitting at my desk…with nothing done. I got up and walked outside and down to the barn. I walked up to the stall where the new filly was. I smiled as I looked at her name on the door—Jessie Girl.

I turned and sat down on a hay bale, and then I put my head in my hands. I’d never felt so torn in my life. Does she love him? Her eyes had told me that she didn’t, but she had feelings for him. That much I could see in her eyes.

“What are you doing out here?”

I looked up and saw Gunner standing there, leaning up against the barn door.

“Thinking.”

I’d forgotten Gunner had mentioned that he was going to come by and pick up a horse today.

He slowly nodded and started walking toward me. “About what?”

“If I’m doing the right thing,” I said as I watched him take a seat across from me.

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Talk to me, Scott.”

I let a small laugh come out as I shook my head. “He had the fucking nerve to call me and tell me he’s coming here…to fight for her. That motherfucker. She’s pregnant with my child, and he thinks he’s going to take her from me.”

“What are you planning on doing?” Gunner asked.

I looked over at him. “I’m going to let her make the decision on her own. I’m not going to force her into anything…even if it kills me in the end. I won’t hurt her again…ever.”

“She loves you. You have to know that.”

“I do,” I said as my voice cracked.

“Don’t just give up on her, Scott. Don’t push her away again by thinking that what you’re doing is helping her because it might end up hurting her. She needs to know that you will fight for her and your child. Don’t let this prick just come walking in here, so he can try to convince her what happened on the island is worth walking away from the love of her life. From what Ellie and Heather told me, Jessie is scared to death that you’ll walk away from her again. She is filled with guilt about what she did with this character. Don’t let her think, even for a minute, that you’re pushing her away. Because she just might find her way back into this guy’s arms.” Gunner raised his eyebrow.

I stood up and thought about how sad she’d looked when we pulled up to Aaron’s and then when I didn’t go lay down with her. She’d looked almost…devastated.

“Where is she now?” Gunner asked.

“Sleeping.” I thought about how she must have felt as she walked back to the bedroom alone. I turned and looked at Gunner.

He stood up. “When will he be here?”

“Not sure. I’m assuming he’s on his way.”

Gunner walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders as he looked me in the eyes. “Go to her, Scott, right now. Don’t even let that fucker put a single doubt in her mind. Ellie truly believes that Jessie only cares for Trey as a friend. Don’t push her away.”

I thought about Jessie telling me about the day Trey had touched her…kissed her body in places where only I should be kissing. I felt the anger build up inside me, but then I remembered her telling him to stop, telling him she loved me and how it’d felt wrong. She thought I’d cheated, and she hadn’t given up on our love.

I won’t give up on our love either.

“Sorry, Gun…but I have to leave you to fend for yourself.” I turned and walked away from Gunner.

I started to make my way back up to the house. I found myself jogging, and then I burst into a full-on run. I ran up the back steps and into the house. I stopped and took a minute or two to catch my breath. That was when I heard Jessie talking to someone. I slowly walked down the hall that led to my room and stopped to listen.

“I’m not really sure why you felt the need to come here, Trey. No…there is nothing to talk about. I care about you, I won’t deny that, but only as a friend. At first, I was confused because that day…that day, I think a part of you captured my heart, but it was for all the wrong reasons. I wanted you to make me forget about the pain and hurt I was feeling. We weren’t going to make love, Trey. We were going to fuck the hurt away.”

I closed my eyes as I listened to her talk about that day. I balled my hands into fists, and I wanted to hit the wall.

“I love him…from the very beginning, I told you that I loved him. I never gave you any reason to think I didn’t love him. Yes, I know. Okay.”

Fuck! What are they talking about?

“Meet me at Willow Creek Café at seven thirty. That gives me thirty minutes to meet you. I need to let Scott know. Yes, I will.”

She’s going to meet him? I leaned my head up against the wall and tried to take deep breaths. Why is she going to meet him?

“Yes, that’s the place. Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can find Scott and let him know. See you in a few.”

I turned and quickly walked to my office where I sat down behind my desk. I felt like I was going to throw up. When Jessie walked in, I stood and walked over to her. I pulled her to me and kissed the living shit out of her. She instantly brought her hands up and pulled on my hair as she let out a sweet, long moan.

God, I love her so much. Please don’t leave me, Jessie. Please.

I was just about to say something to her when she said, “Scott…please make love to me.”

“What? Right now?” I asked, knowing she had to meet the fucker.

She smiled and nodded her head. I reached down and picked her up. I carried her over to my desk where I sat her down on it. She had a skirt on, and the sight of her beautiful legs about drove me mad. I sat down in my chair and placed my hands on her legs. I slowly moved them up toward her panties. She threw her head back and let out a moan.

I hooked my fingers in her panties and whispered, “Lift up, baby.”

She lifted herself off the desk, so I could take off her panties. I set them aside as I stood, and then I started to take off my jeans. She smiled when she saw I had no underwear on. I sat back down in my chair and watched as she licked her lips and made her way onto my lap.

“Fuck…” I whispered as she slowly sank down onto me.

I threw my head back and let out a moan as she ran her tongue along my neck and then up to my ear.

“I love you,” she said as she started to ride me fast and hard.

I grabbed on to her and looked into her eyes. In that moment, I knew what she was doing. She was proving to me how much she loved me and who was number one in her world. She had no idea that I knew she would be late for meeting that fucker, and I didn’t even care at this point. All I knew was that the girl I loved more than life itself was making love to me in my office while whispering over and over how much she loved me.

“Oh god…Scott!” she called out as she held on to the armrest of the chair and leaned back.

I could almost feel her tighten on my dick as she began to come.

“Yes…oh god, yes.” She snapped her head forward and looked into my eyes.

That was when I lost it. “Jessie…” was all I could manage to get out.

She leaned over and began kissing me. I moaned into her mouth while every ounce of my love poured into her body. She rested her forehead against mine as she tried to steady her breathing.

“Baby, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too,” she said, still trying to catch her breath.

I thought she would get up and move, but she stayed there. I was still inside her, and she let out a small moan as she moved her hips against me.

“I don’t want to leave. I want to stay this way forever,” she whispered against my neck.

I let out a laugh. “It would be kind of hard to deliver a baby with my penis in the way.”

She giggled. “I hate the word penis,” she said as she looked at me and winked.

“Then, maybe we should come up with a list of different words for penis,” I said, raising my eyebrows. That could be a fun evening.

Her smile dropped, and she looked at me with tears building in her eyes. “Scott, I don’t want you to ever again doubt my love for you. My whole heart belongs to you and only you. It always has, and it always will.”

I love her so damn much. “Jessie,” I said softly, “baby, I love you so much. You have no idea how much I love you, and I will fight for you until the day I die.”

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You don’t have to fight for me. You already have me,” she said with a smile.

I leaned up and gently kissed her.

She looked into my eyes and said, “I need you to go somewhere with me.”

I nodded. “Okay. Where?”

“I need you to go with me to Willow Creek Café.”

Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting that.