Page 80 of Small Town Sizzle

I flip through a few more entries, reading snippets about her preparing for the baby—shopping for onesies, choosing names, talking about how much she already loves her child. The more Alex grew inside her, the more she believed that she could be a good mom. She’d kicked her addictions during the pregnancy; she could continue this streak outside of his birth.

September 15th

I’ve made my decision. I know I said it before, but this time, this time, it was the last straw. He swore to me that he’d gone to rehab and…I went back, and things were so amazing for a few days. And then, when I had planned to tell him, I caught him sneaking a glass of whiskey in the kitchen when he thought I was gone. When I called him out on it, he was so hateful.

I was so horrible back to him, though. I told him that he was too blind and stupid to see that I was the only person in theworld who hadn’t quit on him no matter how hard he tried to push me away and he laughed.

I left.

I’m not going to tell him. It’s not worth it—not for me, and certainly not for this baby. He’s not ready to be a father, and I’m not going to put my child through the pain of watching someone try and fail to show up for them.

But I need to write it down. I need to say it somewhere, even if it’s just here. I’m not going back to Garrett McAllister. He’ll never know he is the father, and that’s okay. I tried. I really did. I pray that someday he gets over himself enough to be the good man I know he can be, but now isn’t the time, and I won’t allow myself or my baby to deal with that. He’s the reason I know I can do this because if I can survive walking away from my best friend, I can survive anything.

“NO!” I scream as I throw the journal against the wall. “No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening.”

Bile rises in my throat, and I sprint to the bathroom. Tears fall down my cheeks, and I press my hands to my temples, trying to make sense of it all. Megan’s words echo in my head, and suddenly, everything feels too big, too overwhelming. I don’t know what to do with this information.

All I know is that my life just got a lot more complicated.

I’m in love. I finally meet the man of my dreams and…he’s my nephew’s father. How is this possible? How…what did I do that caused the universe to play such a cruel joke on me?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Garrett

“Mom certainly had big plans for this place,” I say as I look around at the way the gymnasium has been transformed.

“She always had big ideas,” Ethan chuckles as he grins proudly. “She loved this place so much. She’d be thrilled that you’re here helping out with it.”

“Yeah,” I mumble.

“She’d also be thrilled that you and Maya have hit it off.”

“Is nothing a secret around here?” I chuckle.

“No, especially not when we’re the ones babysitting the kids when you take her on a date.”

“Those kids were the reason she said yes.”

“I’m aware of that, too,” he laughs. “She’s a damn good woman, bro. I’ve also never seen you this happy before.”

I nod and am about to respond when my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, expecting a text from one of the contractors I’ve been working with, but instead, it’s from an unknown number.

“I have information about Plum Lane. I can help shed some light on things. Let me know if you’re interested.”

I freeze, reading the text again. I had put some feelers out in a few Facebook groups asking for information. Looks like it paid off.

I glance around the gym, my heart pounding a little harder. Ethan is engrossed in some plans. I type back quickly.

“Who is this? Can we talk?”

“Not over text. I’ll call you if you’re serious.”

I exhale, debating for only a second before I respond. “Call me in twenty minutes.”

“Hey, Ethan! I have a call I need to be on. I’ll swing back over when I’m done!”

I don’t wait for a response, just hurry to the parking lot. I climb into my car and steer toward the office. Once there, I wave at Laura while she’s on the phone as I hurry inside and shut the door behind me.