Page 23 of Against All Odds (Ember Falls #3)

seventeen

Violet

“ Y ou’re pregnant,” the doctor says as she sits in the chair across from me.

I blink, my mind completely blank for a half second before it catches up. “What?” The word escapes out like a breath. “No.”

I can’t have a baby.

This must be some kind of horrible joke. Or they made an error.

“I’m guessing this is unexpected?”

She can say that again. “Are you sure this isn’t a mistake? I just had sex like six days ago. Isn’t it too soon?”

“When is the last time you had your period?”

My head shakes back and forth as I do the math. Oh, God, I haven’t had a period since I got home from my trip.

It’s been almost two months.

“This can’t be happening,” I say frantically. I’m not in any freaking place in my life for a child. “Can you run another test? Maybe there’s another reason I’m feeling this shitty. The flu or maybe something else?”

That’s the reason I’m here. I kept getting sick. I vomit, feel nauseated all day, and yesterday was the worst. I couldn’t keep anything down, so I came here, hoping for some answers or ideas.

The doctor puts the file on her lap and her hands on top of it. “I’m afraid the test will show the same thing. I can tell this is upsetting.”

I laugh once. “I’m pregnant with my husband’s baby who’s now engaged to the girl he cheated on me with, and I’m sleeping with my ex while waiting for my divorce to go through. Yeah, upsetting is a good word.”

Instead of censure or judgment, the doctor looks sympathetic. “Do you have a support system in place? Family or friends who are around?”

“No, I’m ... I mean, I have a few friends in Ember Falls, but ... God, I’m going to have to tell him.”

And I don’t even know which him I mean. I have no idea how Dylan will react, but I can only imagine Everett will be absolutely done with me.

She reaches out, resting her hand on mine. “Take a few days, Violet. I recommend that you talk to your friends, and you have options. Just know that, okay?”

I nod. Because what else is there to say?

Although, for me, it doesn’t feel like options. In theory, I wanted a baby. I thought about a family and that was my plan. My choice is to raise this baby or give him or her up for adoption, and I don’t want to do that either.

So, really, it’s option one.

“Good, you’ll want to follow up with an OB-GYN soon.”

“Right. Okay.” My chin trembles, but I hold back. I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to feel anything.

“Okay. I’ll have the nurse bring in a list of doctors in the area,” the general practitioner says softly and then rises, leaving the room.

The nurse returns with the list, and I somehow manage to walk out the door and make it to my car.

As I sit in the seat, the tears I was able to hold back in the office begin to stream down my face. I move my hand to my stomach, resting over the child that’s growing inside.

I’m pregnant. I’m going to be a single mom.

And I have no idea what our future looks like.

I don’t even know if I will be a good mom, but I’ll try. Then there’s the money, where we’ll live.

God, then I have to consider whether Dylan will want to be a part of this. Will he even care? Not to mention that this baby will create an entire media circus, and once again I’m going to be thrown back to the wolves.

Despite all the uncertainty, I’m firm in the fact that I want this child. I may not know any of the answers, but I know that I will do whatever I have to. I don’t know that I’ll ever have another chance to be a mother, and, regardless, this child will be loved.

“I’ll protect you,” I promise. “I’ll figure it out and we’ll be okay.”

Before driving home, I glance down at my phone, where there are two text messages.

Ana

How did the appointment go?

Everett

Are you feeling better? Did you go to the doctor to see what’s upsetting your stomach?

My stomach roils, feeling the mix of pregnancy and sorrow. All my life had to fall apart at one time? I couldn’t have it spaced out a little more? Or maybe not at all?

You know, that would’ve been great.

I was finally starting to feel more like myself. Everett and I were having fun, and there wasn’t anything I had to worry about other than just the next time we’d be together.

I wish I could undo every decision I made.

I should’ve stayed in California, not come back and seen him.

Sure, it would’ve been awful, my life would still be in this mess, but at least I wouldn’t have another layer to take care of.

I wouldn’t know what it feels like to be absolutely adored, worshipped, and cared for.

Now I need to give that up and get my shit together.

Not that I have a clue what that looks like, because it all feels so uncertain.

I take a deep breath. One thing at a time, Violet.

I text Analeigh first, letting her know I’m going home to rest and I’ll talk to her later.

My best friend is amazing and I love her, but right now I can’t handle her reaction. She was good dealing with the cheating because she could be a maniac, but this ... no, I need sane and rational.

Then I reply to the reason I’ve started to smile again.

I’m okay. Do you think we could have dinner or I can just come over later?

Everett

Sure, I have practice with the boys so do you want to come around eight? I know that’s a late dinner.

I’d like to put this off for as long as I possibly can, but I want Everett to know, and I unfortunately need to tell Dylan. God knows that’s going to go over like a lead balloon.

I stare at my phone, my nausea not because of the newfound pregnancy this time. It’s all nerves from having to talk to Dylan.

My lawyer suggested that we pause the divorce finalization. She was almost giddy at the idea that we could finally get some real compensation. She also thinks paternity needs to be established, so she suggested maybe even holding the divorce off for a year and keeping the information from Dylan.

I can’t do that. I wasn’t with anyone else until a few days ago. I don’t need to wait to be sure.

Not only that, but that’s what his mother did.

Dylan didn’t meet his father until he was eight, because she was angry at him.

In the end it hurt him, and his father had to battle to get visitation.

So when we’d talk about our fictional children, their names, who they might look like, he would always talk about how he wanted to be there through it all.

How he wouldn’t be like his father.

Gail reiterated that talking through the lawyers would be better, but I can’t. I may hate him in so many ways, but I can’t rob him of this, and he deserves to know the truth.

Before, when I thought about telling him we were going to have a baby, I had plans to wrap up a onesie and that we’d be so happy.

Everything was a dream.

This is a nightmare.

I’m going to bring a child into this world in the middle of a divorce because their father is a cheating asshole who is now engaged to his mistress.

Great.

But no matter how I feel about this situation, it’s the reality I’m choosing, and I need to face it.

I exhale deeply and press the number on my phone to call him.

It rings, and rings, each one causing my anxiety to spike higher and higher. Finally, right when I’m about to hang up, he answers.

“Violet.”

“Hi, Dylan.”

“What do you want?”

He isn’t making this easy with his attitude. “Believe me, I wish this was a phone call I wasn’t making, and it’s actually against the expressed wishes of my lawyer, but I thought you deserved the right to know.”

He’s quiet for a few seconds and then clears his throat. “Know what?” he asks with what almost sounds like concern.

“I’m pregnant.”

This time the silence is much longer, and I actually pull my phone down to look at it. Maybe I lost service.

Nope, the clock is still moving, so I continue to tell him what I do know.

“I was feeling shitty the last few days, nothing out of the ordinary, and then I got sick at work, thought maybe I was coming down with something, so I went to the doctor today. Turns out I’m not sick.

I’m probably about two months or so pregnant. ”

“I have to ask . . .”

“Don’t ask, Dylan. Don’t ask if the baby is yours.

Do not do that to me. I didn’t cheat on you.

” Regardless of the legal status of our marriage, we are not married.

We are not a couple. We are no longer anything but strangers who legally are tangled.

So whatever has happened in the last few days does not hold any bearing on this.

“Okay, so what do you want from me?” he asks, almost detached, and I blink.

“What?”

“What do you want? Money? Is this a way to get more out of the divorce? The very generous settlement I offered isn’t enough? Now you have to have a baby to ruin the life I’m building?”

There is so much to unpack there, and I take a few seconds to try to make any of the things he said make sense.

First of all, the settlement was an absolute joke.

He offered me $200,000 for our $7 million home and to pay off my student loans.

Not that I want to take an unfair amount of money, but there’s no way I was going to take that when I also contributed to building our life.

I paid for things when he was out of work. I took care of us, and now that I know there’s a baby I have to think about, there’s no way I’d accept that. We finally agreed to split the sale of the house in half, or he can buy me out.

What I’m more focused on is the part about me ruining his life. I’ll start there.

“I shouldn’t be surprised by anything you say at this point, but here I am, once again just completely baffled.

I didn’t think this was going to go over with you being overjoyed, but I didn’t think you were going to accuse me of trying to ruin your life considering not once did I ask for a damn thing.

I’m letting you know that you’re going to be a father because I know what that meant for you.

As for the money, I don’t even know what to say to that. Do you not want to help your baby?”

“If it’s even really happening and this isn’t just some ploy to ruin my new life.”

I laugh out a huff. “Do you really think I’d make up a baby to what? Win you back? I don’t want you back. If you think for one second that I’m happy about this, you’re even more of a narcissist than I ever believed. The baby is real. It’s yours.”

He lets out a long sigh. “I can’t have a baby now.”

“And you think this timing is great for me?”

“I’m happy, Violet. I found someone who sees me and loves me. She’s not trying to change me and turn me back into the weak man who was struggling. She loves my fame and revels in it.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t give a flying fuck that you’re happy. I’ve been perfectly happy here as well.”

Seriously, the last couple of months of my life have been amazing. I have friends, freedom, Everett ...

“I’m going to have to talk to Whitney. We’re building a life, and I don’t think she wants a kid right now.”

I struggle to breathe. Who the hell is this man?

“You’re going to have to talk to Whitney?

” I ask, praying I didn’t hear him correctly.

“And ask her what? You’re going to have a child, Dylan.

This baby isn’t contingent on your fucking mistress.

Do you get that? I’m going to have a baby in about six or seven months and .

.. you’re going to ask for permission?”

“No, Violet, I’m going to ask my fiancée if she wants to be around this or if we keep this quiet. I need to talk to my team. Don’t tell anyone until I have an idea of how to handle it. I don’t need the press getting wind of it and tearing me down more.”

I drop my head, my heart going with it. I didn’t expect him to be happy. I just didn’t think he’d be this much of a piece of shit. “So you’re worried that the baby will ruin your image?”

“Of course I am. I don’t need this right now. I’m doing my best to fix what you refused to help with, and this will just make it worse. And you plan to keep the baby?”

“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Right. Are you doing this to punish me? You can’t want this baby. We’re in the middle of a divorce, and we aren’t exactly on the best of terms.”

It’s always about him.

I really don’t know how to reconcile my feelings. They’re all over the place as I go from anger to utter despair.

“I’m aware of the current state of our life, but that doesn’t change anything.

You do whatever you need to do with your team, but regardless, I want this kept out of the press.

This baby isn’t going to be used for your benefit, and I swear to God, Dylan, if you do anything to leak this, I will go on my own press tour and expose anything I can.

If you don’t want to be a part of this baby’s life, that’s perfectly fine.

I’m not asking you for a thing, not money, not co-parenting.

I just didn’t want to be like your mother and keep this from you.

You do whatever you need to, and I’ll do the same for me and the baby. ”

Then I hang up and curl into a ball and sob.