At First Touch (The Malone Brothers) (18 page)

Live on her own. Away from Cassabaw. From Emily. From Eric.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“W
HAT
DO
YOU
MEAN
, you’re leaving?”

Reagan and Emily sat on the veranda of the Windchimer. The hour was early, the sky lightening in anticipation of the rising sun. It was the end of the second week of September, and the mornings were a little cooler, and Reagan had slipped on a lined windbreaker, a pair of jeans and her favorite old sneakers. The sounds of the sea rolling in as it met land, the waves breaking and the gulls screeching settled over her. All familiar, all things she relished in life.

They were things she’d miss terribly.

Reagan reached for her sister’s hand and found it, and held it between both of hers. “I don’t want to be dependent, Em. On you or anyone else. I want to make it on my own, and for the first time since the accident, I really feel like I can.”

“This is because of Eric and Celeste, isn’t it?”

Reagan sighed. “Partially.” She turned her face to the ocean and felt the sun’s warmth there. “I don’t want to constantly be reminded of what I almost had by encountering them, sis. It hurts. No matter that Eric’s nobility caused his decision. It still hurts and I...just don’t want that constant reminder.”

“What’s the other part?” Emily asked.

“Well,” Reagan began. “You’re about to be married, big sister. The very last thing I want to be is a third wheel in a newlywed home. Eeesh.”

“You wouldn’t be!” Emily insisted. “Matt loves you dearly. I love you dearly.”

“And I love you both dearly, too,” Reagan argued. “But you both need your privacy. You need time alone, to experience life and go through all of those wonderful things together. Not have a little sister just down the hallway.”

“But—”

“My mind’s made up, Emily. I’ve already found a place, in Caper’s Inlet,” Reagan confessed.

“Caper’s Inlet? That’s over an hour away!” Emily said in frustration. “How on earth have you found a place? I’m not saying you’re incapable sister, but how?”

Reagan draped her arm over her sister’s shoulder and rested her head there. “Well, I’ve actually almost found a place. Mrs. Sails from the art gallery found a place she thinks I might be interested in. I was going to ask you to check it out with me, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Do you want me to be happy, too?” she asked.

Emily sighed. “Of course I do.”

“Then accept this,” Reagan said softly. “Say you’ll check it out with me?”

Again, Emily audibly sighed. “Okay, baby sister. I will.”

“And tell me what the sunrise looks like, will ya?”

Emily hugged Reagan fiercely, and kissed her on the temple. “My independent baby sister. Always so determined.” She kissed Reagan again and sighed. “There are lots of clouds on the horizon, just above the line of sienna that’s the sun trying to scream its arrival. The water is full of whitecaps. And there are dozens of sandpipers running all over the place, poking their long beaks into the sand.” She gave a light laugh. “Their little legs are going ninety miles an hour, or so it seems. And can I visit you at your new place?”

Reagan laughed. “Of course you can. We will have sleepovers, all the time.”

“Pinkie promise?” Emily’s hand found Reagan’s.

“Pinkie promise,” Reagan agreed, and hooked her pinkie around Emily’s.

As they sat there, though, Reagan’s thoughts strayed to what it’d be like to live totally alone. Not have her sister by her side on a daily basis. She’d done it in the air force, but now it would be tougher. Not impossible, just more challenging. Probably a little terrifying.

She’d just have to suck it up and prove to herself and the world she could do it. Because the alternative would be living on the same small island with a man she’d accidentally fallen in love with. And it was a man she couldn’t have.

* * *

“C
ELESTE
? D
ID
YOU
hear me
?”

Eric watched as she lifted her face, the illumination of her cell phone giving her a greenish color. She flashed him a smile. “Sorry. What’d you say?”

“I asked about your appointment with your doctor. It’s today, right?” he asked again.

Her eyes darted to her phone, then back to him. “Um, no. That’s Thursday.”

Eric sighed and rubbed his jaw. She’d told him the appointment was today. He’d marked it on the calendar in his cell. “Is everything all right?” he asked her. “You’ve been...distracted. Pretty much since you’ve been here.”

She gave a small snort. “Well, of course I’m distracted, silly goose. Look at the size of this belly I’m lugging around!” She rubbed her stomach. “It’s not as easy as I make it look, Eric.”

Eric wondered how to approach the next topic. He knew the outcome wasn’t going to be a good one, no matter how distracted she’d been. But he’d heard a few things around town that disturbed him. His own heart was in turmoil. And it was time to confront her.

“Celeste, why are you telling people we’re engaged? That we’re planning a wedding, getting a big house?” he finally asked point-blank.

Her eyes flashed, and she lifted her chin. “Where did you hear that?”

“Does it matter?” he said. “You know we haven’t discussed any of that, and that we’re waiting until after the baby is born.” He shook his head, rubbed the back of his neck. “Why?”

She pushed off the sofa, the T-shirt she wore stretching tightly over her swollen belly. “Because it’s embarrassing to be waddling around here, knocked up and without a husband, that’s why!” she said angrily. “I thought we’d get married right away, as soon as I got here and you saw my condition, and you haven’t even brought it up!”

Celeste’s face was red with anger, and Eric held out a hand. “Calm down, Celeste, just calm down. You show up and drop a bomb in the middle of my life, and that after you broke off our previous engagement, and you thought I was supposed to just drop my life to fit your needs?”

“Yes!” she spat.

“Well, I did,” he said calmly. “My whole life had to change, and I did it so this baby wouldn’t have to suffer a broken home. But I have to be honest with you, Celeste. Something’s changed between us. Maybe it’s me that’s done the changing. Either way,” he continued, “I can’t live a lie. I want to be a part of my son’s life and do everything in my power to be a great dad, but I don’t think staying together is the right decision to make.”

Celeste’s jaw dropped. “You’re...breaking up with me? I’m pregnant, Eric! How could you think to do that?” She began pacing, anger radiating off her. “It’s because of that girl you were seeing, isn’t it?” She turned on him, finger pointing. “You’ve been sneaking around behind my back seeing her, haven’t you?”

Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, Celeste, I haven’t,” he said calmly, then met her angry gaze. “But yes. I still have feelings for her, and they’re not going away.” He shook his head. “I can’t live like that. And you shouldn’t want to.” He didn’t tell her that he was pretty sure she didn’t live like that. She was on her cell 24/7. With someone. Constantly.

Her dark gaze met his. “I just didn’t figure you’d do this, Eric Malone—”

Suddenly, Celeste glanced down, a puzzled look on her face. She looked up at him.

“What is it?” Eric asked. Dammit, he should’ve just kept his mouth shut for now.

“I think my water just broke,” she said. “And my stomach feels tight.”

“Let’s get to the hospital,” he said, dismissing the discussion for now. “I’ll grab your bag, just wait here.”

In moments, Eric had the overnight bag Celeste had packed over his shoulder, and Celeste in the front seat of his truck, and they were racing to the hospital. He made a quick call to Matt to let his family know.

When he finally pulled into the King’s Ferry hospital’s emergency room parking lot, he cut the engine, ran around and helped Celeste out, grabbing her overnight bag. Inside, Eric led her to the admissions desk.

“Her water broke about twenty minutes ago,” Eric said.

“Hi, sweetie,” an older woman said, leaning over the desk to smile at Celeste. “Who’s your OB?”

Celeste flashed Eric a quick look, and he saw fear there. “I...don’t have one.”

Eric’s mouth dropped open, and he looked at her. “But I took you to her office, Celeste. You—”

“I lied—ouch!” she yelled as another contraction began.

Eric felt the color drain from his face.

“We’ll get the on-call, honey, don’t you two lovebirds fret. Now, I’ll need some information,” the woman said.

Through bouts of screeches and growls, Celeste gave her information, ending with the fact that she was still on her parents’ insurance and supplied a card and her driver’s license. Eric was in stunned, angry silence.

What else had she lied about?

Finally, a nurse appeared and escorted Eric and Celeste to the third floor, and led them to a birthing suite. There they settled in for a long, long day. Eric didn’t question her—not now, not while she was in labor. They hadn’t taken Lamaze classes. They’d done very little other than buy a baby seat, baby clothes and a little basket thing for the baby to sleep in beside the bed. He was in unknown territory when it came to babies, and he felt useless and like just another piece of furniture in the room.

At one point, Eric went to the waiting room to see his family. Matt, his father and Nathan were there. Emily had taken Jep home because by then it was pushing 9:00 p.m. Nathan was reading some women’s magazine. Matt and Owen were talking, sipping on coffee.

Eric scrubbed his jaw, then the back of his neck. He flung himself into the chair next to Nathan.

“Well?” his father said. “How are things?”

Eric shrugged. “Going slow.” Then he looked at them all. “She lied to me. About having a doctor here.” He shook his head. “I took her to one appointment and she insisted she’d just run in by herself, that they were only taking her blood pressure.” Again, he shook his head. “What was she thinking?”

“Something else is bothering you,” Matt said. He didn’t ask what, he just made an observation and expected Eric to take his cue.

“I told Celeste earlier, before she went into labor, that our situation wasn’t working out,” he started. “It just isn’t. It’s not right, and I don’t see it getting better.” He looked at his family. “Whatever we had before is so gone—”

“I’m looking for Celeste Tanner’s family?”

All four Malones looked at the doorway at the same time. Eric studied the guy; tall, sandy-colored hair cut short, a frantic expression on his face.

“Who’s asking?” Eric rose, walking toward him with curiosity.

The guy’s wide blue eyes held fear. “Jesse Morgan. Her boyfriend. Well, her ex-boyfriend.” He gave a half grin—one that looked scared. Unsure. Proud. “She’s having my son. And I’m hoping to convince her to come back home with me.”

Eric simply stared, unable to speak. Boyfriend? He’d never seen the guy before, so he must have happened after their breakup. Fast after it. Behind Eric, he heard a soft swear that he knew came from Matt. That explained who Celeste had been on her cell with constantly over the past week or so. She’d told him she was texting friends. Girlfriends. But why? If she was with this guy, why hadn’t she just told him? Left? Why had she even come to Cassabaw to find him? None of it made sense, and he felt like the biggest idiot alive.

What else had Celeste lied about? Despite Matt’s warning, he never thought Celeste would stoop so low as to allow him to believe the child was his. Yet here he was, and that was happening. This guy just claimed the baby was his. Jesus Christ.

He supposed he’d find out later. Not that it mattered much now. A paternity test would be done, just to make sure.

Eric inclined his head. “Come on, I’ll show you to the birthing suites.”

“Thanks, man,” Jesse said, clueless.

At the doorway, Eric glanced over his shoulder at his dad and brothers, shook his head, took a deep breath and escorted Jesse to Celeste’s room.

When Eric pushed open the door, Celeste’s eyes rounded when Jesse appeared before Eric. She burst into tears as Jesse hurried to her and wrapped his arms around her and she around his neck, sobbing. The nurse standing at the sink washing her hands shot a curious glance at Eric, who could do nothing more than shrug.

What a damn mess this was.

Just as Eric was easing out of the door, Celeste’s voice stopped him.

“Eric, please come here,” she said.

Eric stopped, staring at the wall, unsure what to do. He was humiliated, although not heartbroken. And man, did he hate being lied to.

“Please?”

With a heavy sigh, Eric turned, his face solid stone, and walked over to Celeste and Jesse. Wordlessly, he looked at the girl who had once stolen and crushed his heart.

“I’m sorry,” she said amid tears. “Jesse and I—we’d gotten into a fight and I ran to the only person I knew who would take care of me.” She stiffened as a pain began to come. “I...didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t know what to do. Then we made up, and I was already here, and he had no idea I’d come to you. I’m...sorry. So sorry.”

Eric simply gave a nod, then turned and left the room as a contraction took over her. As he walked back to the waiting room, his anger and emotions itched beneath his skin like so many fire ants biting.

As he walked in, his dad and brothers all stood, and Matt met their questioning gazes. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he blew out a frustrated breath. “Jesse’s the father, they got into a fight and she ran here knowing I’d take care of her. They made up, she felt shitty and didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know anything about me. Paternity test will be done once the baby is born to make sure, and I’m ready to get the hell out of here.”

“Damn, bro,” Nathan said, slapping his shoulder. “Damn.”

Without waiting for his family, he turned and headed out the door. He’d pick up his meager belongings from the rental house, then head back home. Shame and embarrassment raced through him. He’d been taken for a fool. Again. He now knew that paternity test would prove it, too. He wasn’t the father. He’d been used. And he’d jumped right in to save the day, no questions asked.

Yeah. Shame raced through him all right.