Forsaking All Others (From This Day Forward Book 2) (15 page)

With Lauren in the room, everyone seems to lighten up a bit. Once she got Rose, the nurse, laughing—we were in the clear. Rose asked me questions about the baby and even asked if I had any special requests for ultrasound pictures. I asked if she could get the baby’s foot and she happily obliged.

“Do you feel that?”

I looked over at Lauren, “Feel what?”

She pointed at the screen, “That. Do you feel the baby doing gymnastics in there?”

I laughed, “Not quite yet. The baby is only the size of a lemon.” I stared at the screen longingly. Hopefully soon, I would though. That would make everything seem real.

Dr. Harper comes in soon after and looks over everything. “Well Elizabeth, everything looks good so far. Are you feeling better?”

I smile, “Once I remembered the medication, things were much better. I feel great now.”

“I’m going to send you down to the lab for those tests—cfDNA and Quad screening. We talked about it a little the last time you were here. Is that still something you want to do?”

It hits me out of nowhere. I’m making all of these decisions without David. It’s incredibly selfish to do that to him.
I’ve got to tell him the truth.

I agree to the testing and Lauren joins me in the lab downstairs, both of us in a more somber mood. I look over at her worriedly checking her phone and pacing the small waiting area.

“Laur—what’s going on with you? Did something happen?”

She stops and bites her bottom lip, “I-uh-I’m not sure. I’m still trying to figure that part out. I overheard Jess talking to someone in her room about testing and blood samples—it might not be anything, but I think she was getting labs for a paternity test today. Something just doesn’t feel right though.”

I take my hand and massage my temple, trying to ward off the headache that just popped up. “How did you overhear that? Were you spying on her?”

Lauren breaks eye contact with me and looks down, “No. I couldn’t find the bathroom. I got lost.”

I snort, “You couldn’t find the bathroom we had literally just come from?”

“Nope. Got lost—Jesus, where is a lab tech when you need one? Shouldn’t they be stabbing you with needles right about now?”

I wince, “When you put it like that, I’m not really sure I need these tests done.”

She sits down next to me and grabs my hand. “Sorry. So, I lied. I just wanted to know what she was doing. I don’t trust her—and can we take a minute to ask ourselves why you look more pregnant than she does? Isn’t she like two months ahead of you?”

Feelings of inadequacy bubble up, “Good genes? The body of a supermodel? I don’t know—take your pick.”

She continues, ignoring me. “That’s just it. She isn’t showing at all. I’ve researched this and she should be showing—she’s gotta be over twenty weeks pregnant by now.”

I interrupt her musings, “How exactly did you research all of this?”

She looks at me seriously. “Google. You can research anything using that.”

I purse my lips to keep from laughing, “You Googled pregnancy bellies? That’s…that’s interesting, Lauren.”

“Don’t take my word for it—look it up yourself. Not one person I saw had a flat tummy. Geez—are they going to come get you soon? I really want to have lunch sometime today!”

I laugh, “Are you sure you’re not the one who’s pregnant here?”

After what feels like an eternity, they call me back. The lab technician takes a lot more blood than I was expecting before promising me results within a week.

I briefly wonder how long it’ll take for the results of the paternity test to come back.
How much longer will I have to hold my breath, waiting for a verdict?

I’m home.
Just a few months ago, I didn’t know if I’d be able to say that ever again. Of all the things I missed, I think being in my own bed with my wife mere inches away was at the top of the list.

She insisted on helping Landon find Katya the day after I moved home and I had to grit my teeth to keep from losing my shit. I was going to have to trust her if I wanted this to work—didn’t mean that I had to sit at home while she went though. I showed up and joined the damn search party as well. I was even nice to Landon—by nice I mean that I didn’t hit the asshole in the face when he talked to her.

Beth never said it, but I think it meant a lot to her. So, every weekend since I moved home, we walked the streets and went door to door to find a missing woman, for a man that I detested.
Tell me that’s not true love.

She looks so much more relaxed than I remember seeing her in the past year. I have to remind myself that it’s because we aren’t leading double lives anymore.

I don’t want to be naïve, but it feels like we’re still in some “honeymoon phase.” We’re rebuilding our life together, but on a foundation of glass. I get the feeling that we’re on borrowed time and it won’t be long before everything shatters beneath our feet.

I’ve just walked in the door from a long day of work and giving samples for that damn paternity test. I want nothing more than a hot shower and a cold beer.

Beth is sitting on the couch with her back to me, watching some cooking show. I set my thermos of water down and she startles.

“Hey! I didn’t even hear you come in. You’ve got to watch this. They’re doing a barbecue contest. People from all over the world come set up in a parking lot to compete.”

I walk over and sit down next to her. Her long hair is down and she’s already washed the makeup off of her face. I note the fact that she’s “borrowed” yet another of my t-shirts—something she seems to be doing daily now.

She doesn’t break eye contact with the screen, “Doesn’t it look delicious?”

I can’t take my eyes off of her, “Yeah.”

She turns to me, “You’re not even looking at the television.”

I smile, “I know. I saw something better that I’d like to eat.”

The blush instantly creeps up her neck and face as she looks away. I’ve tried to keep myself in check since moving back in. Alan didn’t feel that either of us was quite ready to jump back in with both feet. I admit that I didn’t agree with him, but I want her forever this time. I don’t want anything coming between us again. Watching her react to me like she does makes me second guess that decision though.

I’m going to need a cold shower.

Not like I haven’t taken about a thousand of those recently.

I’ve got an idea though that I wanna run by her. “Beth, what if I took you to Galveston this weekend? We could see my mom…just get away from it all, yeah?”

She blinks as if she’s still trying to clear her head from my previous comment and it takes everything in me to keep my face blank.

“Like where we got married?”

I place my hand on her knee and run my thumb lightly across her skin, the room is crackling with the electricity between us.

“Yeah, thought it might be good for us.”
And I secretly hope that once we’re there, you see how perfect we are together and call off the divorce.

She smiles so big her eyes crinkle, “I’d love that. When can we leave?”

I kiss her forehead, “How about Friday morning?”

She agrees and my heart could burst with everything I feel for her. I’m going to need some ice cubes to add to my cold shower. My attraction to her was increasing with every day, so why did I continue to feel that it wouldn’t last?

I can’t believe we’re doing this
. We are taking a road trip to the place that could potentially hold even more memories for me, the place where I became Elizabeth Greene. It’ll also be the place where I tell him that he’s going to be a father…again (possibly).

What if he runs?

I mean, the man could potentially be the father of two kids soon. That’s the kind of news you get right before you go to the store for milk, only to never be seen or heard from again.

I close my eyes and rest my head against the window of his truck, the sunlight beating through onto my face. I wonder how different our lives would be right now if we’d just kept our vows to each other.

David’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, “You comfortable?” He gestures to the thermostat.

I nod, “I’m good. Um…I do need to pee again though.”

He laughs, “Again? Has your bladder always been this small or do I have memory loss now?”

I chuckle nervously. We’ve had to stop every couple of hours since we got on the road at six this morning. I can’t help it that this baby insists upon tap dancing on my bladder.

“Sorry. I drank a lot of water.”

He laughs and taps the navigation screen to look for a nearby gas station. I pull my empire waist dress away from my body in an effort to hide the little bump that seems to be hell bent on making its presence known.

David finds a gas station to refuel at while I relieve my bladder and purchase more snacks. If anything, he’ll probably attribute the belly bump to my recent eating habits. I found that eating often helped a lot with the nausea that is somehow still hanging on.

We drive a couple more hours before reaching Louisa’s house mid-afternoon. My eyes are barely staying open at this point, so she gives me a warm hug and sends me upstairs to rest in David’s old room. I wrap myself up in the navy plaid comforter and fall easily into a deep sleep.

When I wake, I can tell that it’s early evening by the way the sun is coming in through the bedroom window. I roll over and look at the clock—six thirty? I can’t believe I slept that long. I stretch out my limbs and enjoy the moment until I hear a quiet knock at the door.

“Beth? Dear, are you doing okay?”

I prop myself up on a pillow just as she comes in. “I’m sorry to sleep so late—I guess my early morning caught up with me.”

She smiles and her gaze drifts down to my stomach where my bump is out in full force. I quickly pull the comforter up, but not before she sees.

“I was a lot like that when I was carrying David. If I wasn’t throwing up, I was sleeping. That may explain why he’s an only child.” She laughs warmly until she sees my look of shock.

“Louisa, it’s not—you can’t—he doesn’t know.” My eyes plead with her to understand what I’m asking here.

She climbs onto the full-sized bed next to me and takes me into her arms. “I know you two have had your problems, but I’ve seen the way you look at each other. It’s not all that different from how my John looked at me. You’ll figure it out, I just know it.”

I start weeping openly at her words and she rocks me in her arms as though I’m a child. It’s exactly what I’ve needed since discovering the truth. When I received condemnation from my own mother, I needed someone to help shoulder this burden. I try to compose myself in fear of David hearing me.

“Shhhh…let it all out, sweet girl. I sent David to the store so I’d have some time alone with you. I made sure to add a few items that are always impossible to find so he should be gone a while yet.”

I smile up at her through my tears, “How did you know? About the pregnancy, I mean.”

She cups her hand under my chin and looks right into my eyes, “I suspected when David told me you ended up in the hospital a while back. The minute I saw your face though, it confirmed everything. You’ve got this glow about you—I know people always say that, but it’s true.”

I wipe my eyes and hug her tightly, “I’m so scared to tell him. How much did he tell you about what happened?”

She sighs, “I know everything—including what Jess is now claiming. I don’t want to believe it’s true though. How could he have made a child with her when he’s so over the moon for you?”

I start crying again and can’t answer her question. It’s too cruel to think about it. Why didn’t we see how much we loved each other before it came to this?

She continues to cradle me in her arms, “This is my fault, Beth. I relied on David too much after John passed.”

“No! That’s not true.”

She hushes me, “It is. I took him away from you. John was so worried about you two. He felt that David worked too much and he was concerned with how you were handling everything on your own. I knew that and I selfishly wanted him here. It’s not right.”

She chokes up and I grip her tighter in my arms, wanting to take her pain away. I try to think of the words I could say to try and fix the situation.

There aren’t any.

We sit in silence, letting our pain mingle with the tears.

“Do you know what it is yet?”

She gestures to my belly.

“No, it was still a little too soon. I do have some pictures in the pocket of my purse. I’ll grab them.” I push the comforter back and climb out of bed. Louisa watches my every move, her eyes still bright with tears.

I pull them out of the hidden pocket in my purse and hand them over. Her hand goes to her mouth as she studies each one and more tears begin to fall.

“Beth, don’t you think the profile looks—”

“Like David’s?” I finish for her.

She nods and goes back to admiring them before looking over at me again, “Would it be okay to, I mean would you mind if…”

She trails off as she searches for the right words and I grab her hand, placing it firmly on my abdomen. She nods again as if to let me know that’s what she was trying to communicate. She places the pictures back on the bed and adds her other hand to my stomach.

“What a precious gift this is, Beth.” She continues to stare reverently.

I place my hands on top of hers, “You’re not going to tell him are you?”

She breaks eye contact with the bump and looks up at me, “Never. You’ll tell him when you’re ready. And Beth? He is going to be thrilled.”

I smile.

I hope you’re right, Louisa. I hope you’re right.