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CHAPTER FORTY

Emerson

I pull into the parking lot and park in my designated space. Grabbing my bag, I climb out of the car feeling like I can barely breathe.

It all started at a little after nine, a group came in and instantly I was being labeled that girl .

The hushed whispers around the diner, customers pointing and then looking down at their phones. I had no idea what I was missing until Kathy waved me over.

“My customer just showed me this.”

A picture of me, from years ago, probably my senior year of high school. I was wearing a short flowing skirt and tight top and my hair was wild and crazy. I recognized it immediately. A nineties themed dance that Liz and I attended and ended up leaving early.

The picture was used in an article with a headline.

“A poor girl from Chicago finds the perfect way to ensure her future.”

The story went on with the exaggerated story of how I’d tricked Kelton, and in the end was now knocked up and demanding millions.

My heart ached, and I could barely see through the tears. I left work and spent the next three hours in my car crying until I had no more tears to shed.

Coming home meant facing Liz and if she hadn’t already seen the articles I’d be faced to relive it again. Then the reality that Kelton has most likely seen it hit me and I had my first panic attack in years, alone.

Walking up the sidewalk to our apartment I lift my hand to unlock the door, but before I can it opens. Standing before me is Kelton and I know he knows.

“Is it true?” he asks and I nod, my lower lip trembling.

“The pregnant part, yes,” I confess, hating that this is the way I’m being forced to tell him. “Not the gold digging, condom destroying part,” I add, feeling the tears fall over my cheeks. “I didn’t do this on purpose, I didn’t have some kind of hidden agenda to trap you.”

Kelton stares at me and then he shakes his head, reaches out and pulls me in close.

“Em,” he whispers near my ear. The way he is holding me his arms surrounding me as I am tucked in close to his chest, it’s almost like I am in my own little Kelton cocoon.

“I already suspected that. They don’t know us,” he confesses.

“People who print those things, and even those who feed those kinds of stories to the media, they don’t know us.

” I feel his lips skim over my forehead as he leaves behind a soft kiss.

“Not for a second did I consider anything in those headlines could be true, besides the baby part.”

Kelton continues to hold me, rocking slowly, gently rubbing his hands over my back.

“How long?” he asks, pulling me out of my comfortable bubble.

“What?”

“How long have you known?”

Pulling back, I nervously twist my hands in front of me as I explain.

“Shortly after we got back from St. Louis. I suspected, after feeling sick and not being able to shake the exhaustion I felt. I knew it was more than the trip after I slept for an entire day and I still couldn’t drag myself out of bed. ”

“So you went to the doctor?”

“No, I took a test I bought.” I leave out the part about Liz knowing. There wasn’t anything good that could come from him being reminded that he isn’t the first person besides myself to know.

I didn’t go to the doctor until Tuesday. They confirmed with a blood test and called me yesterday. I still don’t understand how anyone else found out.”

“Libby,” he says just as Liz emerges from her bedroom.

“And I’ve already messaged Sara about getting her shears. I plan on showing up on that bitch’s doorstep and carving out her eyes.”

“Then we’ll be in the headlines for an entirely different reason.”

“I’m sorry,” I offer with a shrug feeling so defeated. “I should’ve just called you but I didn’t want the news to come over the phone. I wanted to wait to surprise you in person. I never imagined it would play out like this.”

Kelton lifts his hand and drags his knuckles along my jaw. “I’m not upset,” he assures me with a smile. “We’ll fix this.”

His phone rings before I have the chance to ask how and he hurries to answer, walking toward the bedrooms to get a moment to himself.

“Are you okay?” Liz walks toward me, pulling me in for a hug. “This is all going to work out. Next week someone else will be in the headlines.”

“Meanwhile I will always be known as the girl that trapped the pro ballplayer into taking care of me and his surprise child for the rest of our lives. I’ve got a target on my head Liz, and that’s exactly what I didn’t want.”