Embracing Us (Embracing Series) (10 page)

We all spent the next
day at the park, the kids had a blast. I have to say so did the adults. I was the only one who couldn’t ride the rides. We’re all so tired we stayed another night. We checked out of the hotel this morning and are headed home. I’m so glad to see that Megan and Kade are getting along so well. They would make a cute couple. She always talks about cowboys, that would be her a good cowboy. He’s a P.I. and a Marine. Holy hotness, and he’s an Ellis and all of them are good men. Including my new best friend, Ashton. Now I need to find him a new woman, Christa is on drugs, I know she is. That bitch is crazy, I still haven’t told Ashton about the money she asked to borrow.

After the conversation Liam and I had last night, I’m still so confused, I know he doesn’t
want Evan to know, but it’s not fair to him. Or baby bean if he is Evan’s. I’m going to have a few days to think about it and get Nikki’s opinion. She will be completely honest with me and that’s what I need. The baby will be a month old when she gets married. I really hope that we all can get through this and remain civil. I know Liam doesn’t want me to communicate with Evan but he has moved on, and I can’t just forget about him and everything we shared.

I’m putting him in my past
. Hell, I did it for three years. I thought about him daily all three years, but now I know my place is with Liam. Evan is a friend, and will remain that no matter what happens with all of us. He saved me when I lost Liam, and I will forever be grateful for him and his friendship. I’d hoped that once we found Liam, my feelings for Evan would just fade away. Ha… Who the hell was I kidding? I think they got even stronger, all that time I thought about him. I missed what was right in front of me. My husband the man of my life, swept me off my feet so long ago, the man that would give his life for mine. That’s who I should have been thinking about.

I
stand in the lobby
at San Francisco International airport waiting for Nikki, and all the memories of coming here waiting for Liam, or flying home from New York, come flooding back in. I feel a single tear stream down my cheek. I must’ve been lost in thought, I didn’t even see my friend walk up to me.

“Lila…
Hello… What are you daydreaming about?”

“Nik
ki, oh God, I’m so happy to see you. I’ve missed you so much.” I say as I hug her tightly. I did miss her, I loved hanging out with her and shopping and just being us. She’s the only person, other than Addison, that ever really clicked with me. I had other friends but not like the two of them.

“Lila, y
ou’re pregnant? When in the hell were you going to tell me? I just saw you like three months ago, we talk every day, and you couldn’t tell me?”

“Nik
ki, it’s not that. Let’s go and I will explain. Whatever I tell you has to stay between the two of us, please do not tell Brody.” I say please like I was begging, my friend to keep my secret for now.

“Umm
… Okay, you must fill me in on what the hell is going on. I will wait till we are someplace sitting down. Why the hell did you run away?”

“T
here is a lot we need to talk about. You want to go see your nieces first or go someplace and talk?” I was hoping she says talk, because I was ready to get this all out and I know she was ready to hear it.

“Li
la, as much as I love the twins, I need to know what the hell is going on with my best friend.”

“Okay, let
’s grab lunch, I’m starved. Baby bean has me having all these weird ass cravings. You in the mood for some Coney Dogs?” She looks at me with a strange look and busts out laughing. “Okay quit laughing, it’s either that or Japanese noodles. So which is it?”

“It doesn’t matter
, sweets. Whatever you and did you say baby bean, want.”

“Yep, that’s what we are calling him for now. We haven’t decided on a name yet. So he is just baby bean.”

“How far along are you anyways? You can’t just be a couple months.”

“Nope
, I’m six months, almost seven. So he will be a month old when you get married, hopefully I will have my figure back by then.”

“You should have it back, we will just get your dress in your regular size and we can always have it altered if needed. But I’m sure you will go back to your sexy body.” She
laughs.

“Ha
… Ha… Thanks, doll. So Coney’s??”

“Yes, hotdogs
are fine…blah”

“You just made me the happiest pregnant woman ever. Baby bean thanks you
, too.” I say laughing.

I
drive to the restaurant. I can tell she has all sorts of questions running through her mind. I’m  ready to answer them, I haven’t talked about this with anyone other than Liam. So this will help me and my decisions a lot, I hope anyways. We pull into the restaurant parking lot, she looks at me and smiles before getting out.

Once inside we take a booth in the corner away from everyone else. The waitress
comes and takes our drink orders, I need a sweet tea. I know I shouldn’t, but I order one anyways. Just a little caffeine wouldn’t hurt. We order our food and I look at my friend and say, “You ready to ask your questions or should I just tell you everything?”

“Okay
my first question is, why did you sleep with Evan unprotected? Or at all, I told you to be careful. I wasn’t meaning go have an unprotected sex filled weekend with your ex. I know you haven’t told me you have, but I know you and I knew once you saw him, you would. Does Liam know?” she asks as she takes a huge gulp of her Diet Coke.

“I’
ve told Liam, everything. He knows about Evan from day one. Nikki, I don’t know what I was thinking. I saw Evan and well, I needed him. I love Liam with everything I am, but I loved Evan, also. I say loved because I’ve put him in my past now, and that’s where he will stay.”

“Lila, is the baby Evan
’s?”

“Not sure,
I’m not going to have the test done. He is Liam’s I can feel it.” I didn’t want to tell her Liam, didn’t want me to have it done.

“Lila, if the baby is Evan’s he will want to know
. You can’t keep it from him. Were you not taking your pills?”

“I know, but I can’t right now. No
, I stopped taking them because Liam wanted another baby. Well we both wanted another one, and when I had sex with Evan twice that weekend, I forgot all about not being on the pill.”

“Twice?? Jesus, Lila…”

“Nik, I know. I saw him and all the old memories came flooding back, I couldn’t help myself. I was drinking and I danced with him, and inhaled his scent, he sang to me, and that made everything in me want him even more. I needed him, and I knew it was wrong. I can honestly say at that moment, I was only thinking about fucking him and nothing else mattered. I’m over him for good this time, I’ll talk to him when I see him, but that’s it. Nothing more.”

“I hope you have learned your lesson. You know I’m on your side, no matter what. I’m not sure what to say. I can’t believe you of all people aren’t sure wh
o your baby daddy is. These two men have turned you around completely.”

“I know, I never thought I would be in this position. But I did what I did
, and now I have to deal with the outcome. Now let’s talk about the wedding.”

I can’t believe what my
best friend just told me. She is keeping something huge from another important person in my life. Lila is my best friend and I would do anything for her. But she is asking me to keep a secret from my fiancé’s best friend also. This baby has to be Liam’s, there will be hearts broken and life changes if it isn’t. Evan is happy with Tatum, he finally has moved on after Lila crushed him. Brody and I always worried about him, he’s happy now and this could hurt them all.

“Okay, my friend lets go look at dresses. I hope I find something I like, my mother and I have looked in every bridal shop in O
hio, Pennsylvania, and New York. I haven’t had any luck.”

“New York? When did you go there?”

Shit, do I tell her about Evan? Well I guess I should, just get it all out. She says she doesn’t care what he is doing and she is married so it’s really none of her business.

“Lila, we spent a week with Evan and Tatum last month. She’s Zanders sister and Evan’s fiancé
e. Super sweet lady. She has been through a lot, she has always been in love with Evan, but she was in a bad relationship with some psycho”

“I know who she i
s. She’s Audrey’s best friend, also. I’ve seen pictures of her. I’m really glad he is happy now. Let’s go to the dress shop, shall we?”

Damn it
, she is pissed
. I can tell by her demeanor that she doesn’t like that he has moved on. I can’t stand either one of them right now. I’m stuck in this awkward position. I have enough problems of my own without having to deal with all this. But they are my friends and that’s what friends do right? We let our shit go to help them. I need to tell her what’s going on with me, but I can’t right now. She can’t handle it.

Brody and I have been trying to get pregnant, and aren’t having any luck. We both have been tested, and I have to have more test done. He checked out fine, but I on the other hand have some things going on. We will overcome it just like we have everything else. He is my knight in shining armor or leather I shall say.

I met Brody when Lila and I were studying at NYU, he and Evan are best friends. I really liked Brody and he was a blast to hang out with. But I still had feelings for my ex-boyfriend, Cam, he was, well I thought, my first love. We broke up when I moved to New York, and I was okay with that. I knew I would meet other people and he would as well. It had been months since we spoke and I missed him a lot, the only problem was, that I had already started seeing Brody.

The time I had been spending with Brody was great, and he is was amazing in bed. The things he did to me, made my toes curl.
It had never been like that with anyone before, not even Cam. The closer Brody and I got, the less I thought of Cam. That was until he started calling more and then he flew out to visit. That made me miss us together.

My mother was having a hard time paying for my tuition, and I
saw that as my ticket back home and back into Cam’s life I ran. I left poor Brody, he had no clue it was for Cam though. I went about it the wrong way I know. It was childish and selfish. I should have just been honest with Brody, as he has always been with me.

It had been several months since I’d been back in Ohio and Cam and I was back together going strong
. We were both attending OSU, I lived at home and we spent whatever time we could together. I would text and talk to Brody here and there, never mentioning Cam. Well one weekend Brody decided to surprise me with a little visit.

But he was the one who got the surprise, by seeing me with Cam.
I felt so bad, and I knew then how much Brody did love me. What I had with Cam, never measured up to the time I had with him. He was my happily-ever-after, I broke things off with Cam, but of course it was too late.

Brody was already screwing every whore at NYU. He was honest and told me about them. I decided then I would do whatever it took to get my man back, and I did. It took
me a while, but I got him. We were back together for about a year, and he moved to Ohio, then he took me to Hawaii and proposed. It was super romantic.

I had no clue he was going to propose, hell I thought we was just going to live together forever.
When he moved to Ohio, I knew he was serious about us. He loves his family and being in New York was hard on him, but then to move to Ohio was a huge step for him. He is working for a great law firm and is actually getting ready to start his own firm. I’m content teaching at OSU. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“Nikki, this is the dress
shop I was telling you about. It’s called Jewels, they have every designer from here to Paris. Anything you want they have it. I’m so excited, the only thing is my belly is going to get in the way of me trying on anything.”

“You can still try on, I want your dress to be different than the other girls. Maybe yours will be purple and there’s yellow. Will that work?”

“Sounds good to me. I don’t want to look like big bird”

“Oh hush, you would not look like big bird. You will have your figure back by that time anyways.”

We looked through all the dresses and I found the one I wanted, I knew when I saw it, it was for me. It’s white, trimmed in a soft lilac. It’s strapless with a short train. The front gathered around the bust area, where it has very fine lilac pearls. The matching veil is trimmed in the same color, it literally makes me gasp, when I take it off the rack.

“Li, this is it. I have to try this on. Come help me.”

“Oh Nik, it’s beautiful. The girls will think their aunt is a princess. Which you are, my friend. I love it. Brody is going to cry when he sees you in it.”

“I love it. Oh my G
od! I have to get it! What does it look like on me? Are my boobs too big for it?”

“Not at all
, sweets, you look amazing. Damn it, I’m sorry these are happy tears. I promise.”

“Oh, Li, why are you crying?”

“You just look so happy and beautiful.”

I lean in and
give her a hug, she’s so sweet. Although she is going through all this, she still wants to help me with the wedding. We are getting married here in California. There is a vineyard that I’ve always been fond of and when Brody said he didn’t care which state we marry in, I knew it was going to be here. The vineyard sits on a mountain, it has acres of beautiful land. There is a gazebo that the entire wedding party will be standing under. The reception will be at the vineyard as well.

“I love you
, Li,” I say as I kiss her cheek.

“I love you more bitchbag.” She
says as she snorts.

“Now I need to find the perfect shoes, and we are trying some dresses on you, I
saw the one I wanted for the other bridal party also.”

The wedding party
is going to be small. Lila is my Matron of Honor, and my sisters, Casey and Carina are my Bride’s Maids. Evan is the Best Man, and Zander and Mason will be his Groomsman. We aren’t sure how everything will play out with the whole Lila, Liam and Evan, Tatum situation. But they are our best friends. They have to behave on our special day.

We plan to have our bachelor and bachelorette parties the night before the wedding. I hope that Brody will be able to get Liam, Ashton
, and Evan all together. Brody knows that Ashton was my first. He isn’t too thrilled with the idea of having him included but Ashton has changed, and he and I are friends.

“Lila
, this color looks great against your complexion. I can’t believe you are having another baby.” I can feel the unshed tears welling in my eyes.

“Aww, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, I’m just remembering seeing you in that hospital bed, not knowing if and when you would wake up. We are so lucky that you are here.”

I’m
so thankful for my friend, I don’t know what I would have done without her. I can’t let her know what’s going on with me, not now. I will tell her when the time is right, I don’t need her to get upset and ask questions that I have no answers for. Hell, I haven’t even told Brody all of it. I hope that it’s taken care of and I won’t have to tell them at all. I know they will all be upset with me once they find out.

“Nicole Paige, there is some
thing going on with you. Are you pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you keep that from me?”

“Good
God, no, I’m fine and I’m not pregnant. We have been trying but haven’t had any luck yet. We both have been tested and everything checked out fine for the both of us.” I say, knowing I just lied to my best friend. She will fucking kill me herself when she finds out I’ve lied.

“Oh well, you look kind of pale. I just thought maybe with the emotions and the paleness you were.”

“I do feel a little sick, I think it was from the flight. What do you think of theses dresses for my sisters?” I ask trying to change the subject. I did feel a little nauseous, I think it’s the meds the doctor put me on.

“Love that dress, that’s it. They will look great on your sisters and they will be the ones to look like bananas and big bird.” Lila
laughs as she nudges me.

“Keep laughing and you will be in yellow also.”

“Ugh… Fine they will look great in that color. I love the lilac that we have chosen for me. Should I just get this in my normal size and then we can alter if need be?”

“
Yes, great idea, Li. I think I’m shopped out for the day.”

“You and me both. I need to lay down, when do you want to get the massages?”

“Now would be great, do you think they can fit us in right now. My entire body needs it. They do pedicures too, right?”

“I’ll call, I’m sure they can fit us in. Heck
yes, they are the best in town.”

Lila
calls the massage pallor. I decide to call Brody and see how he was doing. I miss him already. He has a case he has been working on for months and it is taking away from us.

“Hey baby, how are you?”

“I’m good, glad you made it safe. Look Nik, there is something I wanted to ask before you left and didn’t get a chance too.”

“Is everything okay love?”

“Yes, I’ve been offered a job in Alabama. Evan and Zander are starting a firm there and they want us to join them. What do you say?”