Page 8

8

Salem

Rome had gotten up before the sun, kissed me, and told me to stay in bed until he got back.

Yesterday, we’d come home from our time out on his property, and he brought me straight to the room. He even had our dinner brought up to us. I’d loved being in here with him, but it was after nine now, and I was getting hungry. If he wanted to come lock us away for more when he got finished with what he was doing, then I would come right back to bed. But I couldn’t just lie in it all day, waiting on him.

I took my time showering and getting dressed in case he returned, but when he wasn’t there when I finished, I went on down to the kitchen. Goldie and Nina were whispering over by the stove, neither of them looking happy about whatever it was they were talking about. I glanced around to see who was in the room, but only Butch sat over on one of the sofas with a cup of coffee, looking at his phone. Nine was early for this bunch.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but also in need of food, I walked quietly to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

“Oh, good morning, Salem,” Nina said when she spotted me, but there was something off in her tone of voice. Not her normal, teasing lilt that warned me she was going to pry into my sex life.

I smiled at her, but it faltered when her concerned gaze met mine. That was odd. What was going on?

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation,” I said apologetically.

Goldie waved a hand and shook her head. Her smile was a little too bright and forced. “You didn’t. Not one bit. We needed some good company. God knows we ain’t had any this morning.”

“I can hear you,” Butch called out from across the room.

“I wasn’t whispering,” Goldie called back, then turned to walk over to the oven. “Let me get you something to eat,” she said and began to make herself busy.

Nina was still studying me closely and realized it, then blinked, smiled, and went to grab a plate. “Yes, sit down, and we will get you all fixed up.”

“Y’all sure don’t go fussing over me like that,” Butch told them.

Nina rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “And we ain’t gonna start,” she shot back at him.

Although they were trying to make things light, there was tension in the air. I’d walked in on something. They were trying to cover it up, but I caught the grim look on Nina’s face when she turned toward the stove.

What had happened? Was it why Rome had left so early? Was everyone okay?

Butch looked calm and relaxed though. If someone was hurt, he’d not be sitting here…would he?

Wanting to ask, but also not sure if that would sound nosy or not, I pulled out a stool and sat down. Normally, I would go behind the counter and make my own plate, but they seemed to want something to do. I watched them glance at each other several times with looks that didn’t sit well with me. Twice, Nina’s eyes flickered to me, and she’d paste on a fake smile that didn’t meet her eyes when she saw I was watching her.

Had I done something wrong? Or was I going to be sent home?

Goldie took my plate from Nina and made her way over to me. “I was gonna make apple dumplings this morning, but we are out of apples. I gotta make a run to the grocery. Anything you need? I can pick it up for you.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

Another smile that didn’t meet her eyes.

It felt as if we’d gotten close enough that I could ask them what was wrong, but I hesitated when picking up my fork. The mood in here was so off that I didn’t know if I could even eat now. When silence continued, I glanced back at Butch and then at both of the women, who were trying to stay busy, but I’d helped them enough to know that they had it all done and were just creating things to do. They were avoiding me.

Putting my fork down, I decided to just ask. No reason to continue the awkwardness.

“Did I do something?” I figured I’d cover that first.

Both women turned around abruptly, wide-eyed and looking upset.

“Oh, no,” Goldie said, walking over toward me.

“Not you, honey. Sorry if we are acting strange. Just some things in the club that are…upsetting, is all.”

“But it’s not you. Definitely not you,” Goldie added emphatically.

“We’re just working through it,” Nina said, then smiled again.

This time, I noted sympathy in her eyes. What was that about?

“And you’re sure that this news has nothing to do with me?” I asked her point-blank.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then glanced over at Goldie.

“It’ll take more than Jars and Brick to keep him from killing you both,” Butch called out from the sofa.

I scrunched my nose and looked back at him. He wasn’t even looking this way. He was still staring at his phone. Who would kill them?

“Shut up, Butch, if you want to ever eat in this kitchen again,” Nina snapped at him.

“I’m just warning ya to keep your mouth shut, is all,” he said with a shrug. “Ain’t my concern.”

“That’s right; it ain’t, so stay out of it,” Goldie told him, then shook her head, as if exasperated. “Ignore him. We do.”

I waited for one of them to answer my question, but they both said nothing.

“The fact that you aren’t saying anything means this is about me,” I finally said, watching their expressions.

Both were worried, and no fake smile was covering it up. Goldie fidgeted with her apron, and Nina looked frustrated as she chewed on her thumbnail.

The door to the kitchen swung open. Both their gazes shot up, and the alarm was clear on their faces. Hoping whoever it was would answer my question, I turned to see Nixie strutting into the kitchen, wearing a short hot-pink dress that hugged her body. Her makeup was already done, as if she were about to go onstage, although I figured she’d most likely just gotten offstage a few hours ago. Her eyes locked on me, and hatred flared in them.

This was expected. She’d been glaring at me for weeks. Ever since Rome had taken me to his bed the first time. She made no attempt to hide her loathing of my existence. I’d overlooked it because she was young, and if I’d lost Rome, I would be upset too. Heck, part of me hated her because she’d slept with him. I didn’t like knowing she’d been with him sexually. But most of the strippers who littered the place probably had. It was something I had been dealing with.

“Since when do you eat breakfast?” Nina asked her.

The unwelcome tone of her voice made me feel bad for Nixie. The other woman didn’t flinch though, like I would have.

She smirked. “I do now.”

“Well, it ain’t ready,” Goldie said. “So, go…go somewhere else.”

I knew the two of them didn’t like Nixie, for my sake. They had both had a Nixie in the past before they married their husbands. But this was a little much. They’d never run her off before.

“Why does she have a plate then?” Nixie asked, her gaze dropping to the plate in front of me and then back at them.

“Because she helped make it,” Nina lied. “Now go on and come back when it’s ready.”

Nixie rolled her eyes and cocked out a hip, then placed a hand on it. “I think I’ll wait here. Or are you gonna pick me up and carry me out?”

Nina’s eyes flared with anger, and Goldie grabbed her arm, as if to stop her from climbing over the counter and attacking the woman.

This was getting out of hand fast—and all because of me. I started to open my mouth to say something to ease the situation when Rome came walking through the door with a scowl on his face, also directed at Nixie. Then his gaze swung to mine, and it didn’t soften, but a flicker of panic in his eyes made me tense.

What was going on?

He stalked toward me, cupped the side of my face with his hand, then pressed a kiss to my lips.

“Oh God, please. They won’t feed me, and I’m going to get nauseated faster than normal if you start that,” Nixie drawled.

Rome’s entire body tensed, and his hand went to my waist. He placed it there, as if he were holding on to me. Then he lifted his head and looked at the women across the bar. “Ladies, would you mind sending breakfast to my room for us?”

Nina nodded, looking relieved as she grabbed my plate. “Sounds like an excellent idea.”

Goldie spun around and went to get another plate. “You two run on along, and we will get right on it.”

“Let’s go, Angel Face,” he said near my ear.

I wanted to demand that he explain what was going on, but I decided it was probably best that I did that in the privacy of his room. Standing, I glanced over at Nixie again. She was watching us with a mix of pain and anger in her eyes.

Had she been in love with Rome?

Her eyes met mine, and a smug smile curled her lips. “Is that your plan?” she asked, shifting her attention to Rome. “To keep her locked away and hope no one tells her? It’s gonna get hard, you know. Since, just thirty minutes ago, you told me in the library that you’d be there for me and the baby.”

The world around me stopped spinning. Noise silenced, except for a whooshing sound that circled inside my head. Then…it hit me. The boulder slammed against my chest, made up of agony and grief.

een Years Ago

Sitting nervously in the small room the nurse had brought me to, I twisted my hands in my lap. The glass of orange juice sat on the table beside me, and I stared at it.

When my name had been called in the waiting room, I’d stood up and then lost my balance as my vision began to tunnel. An older man behind me caught me as I started to go down. I blinked, and two nurses were taking me from the man’s arms. He told them that they needed to take me back immediately. I didn’t know him and wanted to thank him, but I was too weak.

I was placed in a wheelchair and asked if I could hold a cup, and when I nodded, a nurse handed me the orange juice. I drank half of it, and it helped some. Once they had my vitals, they had left me here and told me to lie back on the bed. But I didn’t want to lie down. I was scared I’d close my eyes and not wake up. There had been so much blood.

I shivered at the reminder of the mess I’d woken up to this morning. A pool of blood had stained the sheets and coated my thighs. I was sure I’d never been this terrified in my life. Or this alone. And that was saying a lot with the father I’d lived with until I was fifteen.

Rome hadn’t called, texted, or even shown up to see me since walking out of my dorm room a month ago. I’d made it by going through the motions. School, work, eat, sleep, repeat. My weight had dropped considerably, and I had known I needed to see a doctor, but that was intimidating. I should have gone. This was my fault. Even my wrists were too thin. They looked fragile, as if they might snap under pressure. I couldn’t blame it on morning sickness either. I’d not had that. I just hadn’t wanted food. The heaviness that weighed down on me and the hollowness in my chest were making it hard for me to simply get up in the morning and function. Much less eat.

As I reached for the glass, my hand trembled, and I dropped it back to my lap. Anxiety, fear, and heartache were all there, taking turns attacking me. Sucking any life out of me that was there. It had been a month, and there was no relief. It wasn’t getting easier. If anything, it was getting worse.

The door opened, and the nurse from earlier entered with a male doctor. He looked young to be a doctor, but his white coat suggested that he was. He gave me a warm yet sympathetic smile. I had been getting that look a lot lately.

“Miss Gray,” he said, “I’m Dr. Kent.”

I watched him walk over to stand a few feet in front of me, but he said nothing. I waited for him to tell me what was wrong with me. Why was I bleeding to death?

“We are going to do an ultrasound to be sure, but before we do that, I want you to be prepared. I’m almost positive you miscarried. You’ve lost a lot of blood. Who drove you? Is someone in the waiting room who could come back with you?” His tone was kind.

Tears burned my eyes. I’d known that, hadn’t I? When I woke up and saw the blood, deep down, I’d known. But accepting it meant losing the only thing I had left of Rome. His baby. One that I didn’t know how I would take care of. I was in college on a full scholarship. I lived in a dorm and couldn’t afford housing myself. I made a little over two hundred dollars a week, and I was sure babies cost more than that. Still…it was mine and Rome’s.

I shook my head when I realized he was waiting for my response. “I, uh…I’m alone.” My words were barely above a whisper.

“You drove yourself here in this condition?” he asked, his brows drawing together in a frown.

I nodded. I’d had no choice. My roommates were all gone to classes or work, and I had no one. The friends I’d made, I had all but lost them this past month, withdrawing and not responding to their calls or texts.

“I see,” he said and cleared his throat. “Is there someone you can call? You’re not in any condition to drive home, and this is tough. You need someone here for you.”

A small sob escaped me as a tear rolled down my face even though I’d tried hard to hold it in. I shook my head.

He blew out a sigh, then nodded. “Okay. In that case, we will need to admit you at least for today and overnight until we are sure you won’t collapse if you get up and walk. The blood loss, along with dehydration and lack of nutrition have wiped you out. You’ve not been eating much, I assume, from your urine sample. Your body is showing signs of starvation.”

Another sob. This was my fault. I’d done this to our baby. I should have been eating and drinking water.

I dropped my head into my hands, covering my face as my shoulders shook.

A hand touched my back. “Here you go,” the nurse said gently.

I looked at her. She held out a tissue for me. I took it and tried to choke out a thanks , but couldn’t.

“Go ahead and order her a room,” I heard the doctor tell her while I cleaned up my tears and tried to stop crying.

This wasn’t helping anything. I was making it worse. I couldn’t afford to stay here—or at least, I didn’t think my insurance covered that.

I sucked in a breath and cleared my throat. “I can’t pay to stay overnight.”

“I can’t allow you to leave in this condition. It’s not safe. It shows you have insurance,” he added, looking down at the clipboard in his hands. “I’ll see what I need to file in order for the insurance to cover it. Don’t worry about that. Right now, you need to focus on you. Getting yourself healthy.”

He looked at me, concern etched all over his face. That didn’t help matters.

“And there is no guardian or perhaps…the father you could call?” he asked hesitantly. “I don’t want to push, but you need someone right now.”

I sniffled and dropped my gaze to my hands. “No. My guardian is dead, and the father…he…doesn’t want to see me.” Saying that aloud was a harsh slap in the face. Knowing it was easier than admitting it.

“All right. Well, we will take care of you, I promise. You’re going to be fine.”

“Thanks,” I whispered, not wanting to see the pity on his face. I continued to stare at my hands as they twisted the tissue.

I had been so scared of being a mom. Having a baby. Afraid of what would happen to my scholarship. But I’d wanted it. He or she. I would have had a piece of Rome with me in a little life. One who would love me and not leave me. One who would want me. But I had lost it. Just like I had lost him.