Page 28

CHAPTER 28

MIRIAM

My phone begins to ring not even ten minutes after the guys leave my apartment. I’m still standing in the spare room, staring at eleven boxes labeled as peepee teepees. What the hell are those?

I answer the call without checking to see who it is. “Hello?”

“ Miri, it’s Tate. I just wanted to double check that you’re actually okay with what just happened. I know Ez can be a lot, but ? — ”

Cutting him off, I offer reassurance. “I’m fine. Promise. It was weird, and he’s seriously got to stop violating my space or we’re going to have some issues, but this was actually pretty sweet.”

He sighs, relieved by my reaction. “ Thank you. It’s his way of showing you he’s sorry. ”

Picking up another item Ezra stacked on the spare bed, I smile to myself. “Did you know he bought pacifier clips, but no pacifiers? And they’re all camo colored.”

With a laugh, I hear his worry seep out of his words. “ I’m not surprised. When you were with us that weekend, did you get an opportunity to talk with him alone? ”

“A bit. He told me you two grew up together and joined the army together. Rangers, right?” Tossing the clips down, I continue to look at everything and wonder how the hell I’ll ever use it all.

“ Yeah. We were neighbors from when we were single digits in age. I didn’t want to play with him at first because he was older and bigger, but the guy never stopped showing up. He, uhh… well, his home life wasn’t the best. ”

I pause, suspecting that Ezra’s childhood may not have been what some would consider normal, but I’m not sure if I should ask. Instead, I choose to the decision to learn his story in his hands. “I’m not sure I can imagine. I’d be willing to hear him if he wants to share at some point in the future. What about you, Tate? What’s your story?”

“ Mine? ”

“Yes. Yours . Or did you call just to talk about Ezra?” I push some of the baby items to the side so I can lie on my back on the bed. Running my eyes over the ceiling, I wait for him to respond. He seems surprised and starts out awkwardly.

“ I was an army ranger, then used my training there to get certified as an EMT. Been doing that ever since. ”

“I knew all that. What else? You seem pretty easygoing most of the time, like you’re just enjoying life and rolling with the flow of things.”

He huffs out a laugh. “ Hardly. I’m enjoying life now because it’s simple. It hasn’t always been. ”

I know his words weren’t meant to affect me, but they do. Looking down at my stomach, it dawns on me that this is going to change Tatum’s life drastically, especially if he’s the father. “Maybe not so simple now, huh?”

My question is soft and I don’t mean to sound self-deprecating. He’s quick to back pedal. “That’s not what I meant, Miri. Not even a little.” Blowing out a breath, he continues. “ Ezra’s life wasn’t easy from the start, but mine was for a bit… until it wasn’t. ”

“Do you want to share or just leave it open-ended?”

“ I don’t mind, but it’s part of Ez’s story too. ” He waits for me to stop him and when I don’t, he shares. “ So, I said we were neighbors. Long story short, his parents were drug addicts and alcoholics since before he was born. What he went through, I’ll leave to him, but when we were just barely teenagers, his dad overdosed and died. His mom, who’d never been alone in her life, started relying on my family for support. ”

I close my eyes, hurting for Ezra. It must have been a horrible time for him, but I know this is going to get worse because Tatum hasn’t shared his part yet.

“ After a while, my dad became the one who assisted his mom. She drew him into the world of drugs and my dad became angry, abusive, and unfaithful to my mother. Shit got bad real quick. My mom became a shell of herself, and both Ez and I suffered from all of their mistakes. That’s why we left when we did. The moment I turned eighteen, we were gone. ”

Taking a deep breath, I roll to my side and cradle my head with my arm. “I’m sorry your story took a bad turn, Tate.”

“ I found my way again. It took a bit, but here we are. Also, I was serious about lunch, Miri. I know we haven’t moved past the issues from before, but I truly think spending time talking it out and getting to know each other is the way to work on that. I’d also like to get to know you more. ”

“Because I might be having your baby.”

He chuckles. “ Sure, we can use that excuse for now. ”

I shake my head, not really believing we’d be having this conversation if it weren’t for Ezra dragging me to that cabin again with news of my pregnancy. “I challenge you to prove me wrong. I’m not sure when lunch would work, to be honest. Free time is hard to come by these days. Maybe dinner at some point, but those are typically rushed.”

“ What about when you have your next appointment? You’ll have to take time from work then. Just put in for the afternoon that day. I’ll feed you and we can go window shopping at the mall and walk off our meals. ”

Chewing on my lip, I express what I’m most concerned about. “It’s not a date, Tatum.”

I can hear the smile he’s sporting as he teases, “ Sure, we can use that excuse for now. ”

“You sound like a parrot.”

“ So, we are settled for our not-really-a-date date? ”

Laughing, I nod, then say, “Fine. I’ll let you know if something changes. I’m going to go and figure out where to put all this stuff. Would you tell him I really do appreciate the thoughtfulness of his shopping spree?”

“ I’ll let him know. Get some sleep, Miri. Bye for now. ” Tatum hangs up before I can say goodbye. Setting my phone down, I continue to lie on the bed for a bit longer until my nervous energy gets the best of me.

Climbing to my feet, I stack all the boxes in the closet, then grab my apartment keys and head out the door. Giving Susanna a quick call, I ask if she’s free for a visit. Thankfully, she’s bored out of her mind because tonight’s her night off at the piano bar she performs at. All of her guys work there as well; Chester and Theo own it together. While on the phone as I rush outside, I freeze when I come face to face with Richard.

“Let me call you back, Susu,” I say without looking away from him, then hang up and frown. “Did you all move to my town and not let me know?”

He tilts his head to the side in confusion. “Of course not. I tried calling, but it kept going to voicemail and I needed to talk to you. Do you have some time?”

“I was going to visit a friend.” I don’t miss the way his face turns to irritation, but he schools himself quickly.

“Would you accept a ride so we can talk?”

“No, but you can walk to the bus stop with me.” Without giving him a chance to disagree, I start walking the four blocks to my stop and after a moment of hesitation, he jogs to catch up. We walk silently for the entire first two blocks before I can’t stand the silence anymore. “Richard, talk.”

“Sorry. I’ve been thinking a lot since your appointment and I have a few concerns I’d like to address.” He’s all business and serious. As much as I want to poke at him, after my unexpected visit from Ezra and Tatum, I’m pretty done with confrontation.

I peek at him and ask, “What’s your biggest concern?”

“The long distance. You’re living close to two hours away from all of us. No matter who the father is, it’s going to create problems, particularly because you don’t have reliable transportation.” Without giving me a chance to interject, he keeps going as if he’s prepared his entire speech. “I’m aware that you’re only recently pregnant, but have you considered how you’ll get around once the baby is born? The bus is hardly a safe way to travel with an infant. Not just because of dangerous people who could be lurking around, but germs are a real concern.”

“Richard, I’ve—” I don’t get a chance to say anything else because he keeps going with all the reasons I shouldn’t use public transportation.

“What if there’s an emergency? Not one which would require you to call emergency services, but if you need to go to a walk-in clinic late at night or you run out of something for the baby. The bus doesn’t run all hours of the night here. I checked. It stops at ten in the evening. I also calculated bus fare and how much you’re presumably spending every day between jobs and school. If you put that money into a reliable vehicle, and I helped with a down payment, it shouldn’t be too much more of an expense for you to maintain in the long run.”

Not ready to discuss my finances with a man who thinks I’m dirt, I clench my jaw and grit out, “What’s your other concern?”

He’s been staring straight ahead the entire time he gave me his speech, but finally he turns to look down at me. “It comes back to the first thing I said. The long distance. I know you have a full-time job here and you’re going to school, but have you…”

He trails off, then changes his wording to make his question more palatable. “Would you consider making a move to be closer to us? I’ve got my practice, which I can’t move. Kevin obviously can’t move either, since he’s running the police station there. Tatum, I’m sure, wouldn’t have difficulty transferring, but you never know if the medical field is hiring or overstaffed. Ezra, well, I’m sure he’d drop everything to move here, but you don’t have national forests within driving distance. I checked on that too.”

The longer he talks, the more my anxiety rises. I haven’t had a chance to even breathe, let alone consider logistics of any kind. There’s nothing I can say at this very moment because my mind is whirling. Fuck . I just fucking told them about the baby. This entire time, I’ve been making mental plans to do this on my own up until now.

We slow our walking as we approach my bus stop, so I check my watch and softly curse when I see I have another ten minutes until it arrives.

“What do you think, Miriam?”

I lift my head, tired and overwhelmed by the info dump he just dropped on my shoulders. “What part in particular? The one where you want me to drop a bunch of cash and buy a car? Or the part where it’s my responsibility to leave everything I’ve been working toward behind to move closer to my baby daddy?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying.” I’m not trying to be aggressive, but I’m firm. “Richard, I need to consider all of my options before any decisions are made. I hear what you’re saying, so I will take your ideas as options, but it’s not as easy as just saying okay .”

Shifting around so he’s standing right inches away from me, I crane my neck to watch him. “It’s a lot of information, but it’s not a tough decision. Not if you really think about it. We’re here, you’re there.” Pointing at my stomach, his words are harsh. “That baby has to be a priority over your stubbornness and pride.”

I’m seething now, wanting nothing more than to take him down a peg. “At some point, Richard, you’re going to realize that I’m not unable to survive on my own, whether it’s financially or emotionally. I’m a very smart woman and I only told all of you about this baby out of courtesy. Do me the same and stop assuming I need you. We don’t.”

He seems affronted by my accusation, his head jerking back as if I’ve slapped him. “I don’t think you’re incapable of providing.”

“But you do, Richard. You’re standing here telling me I need to make changes in my life for your convenience and for the sake of this baby.” Moving away from him, I put space between us so I can breathe without his aura suffocating me. “I think you need to take some time to wrap your head around this entire situation, read a book on all the great things hardworking women have done for this world, then try to put yourself in my shoes and experience what I have from the moment you first greeted me until this very moment.”

I turn my back on him to step near the curb when I see the bus arriving a few minutes early. Thank the good Lord for my luck .

“Get back to me when you realize you’ve been a monstrous dick and want to apologize. Maybe then I’ll be open to relocation discussions.”

The brakes on the bus screech as it slows to a stop, and I step inside without looking at Richard or hearing another word from him. It’s not until we’re pulling away that I crane my neck to look at him.

He’s standing on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. At least I’ve given him something to think about. I don’t need him or his help to make my life better. He’s the one who should feel lucky if I let him stay in my and my child’s life.