Carry You Home (Carry Your Heart #2) (2 page)

When the timer on my phone chirped at me in my hand, everything went a little numb as I stood on shaky legs and shuffled over to the counter. I blew out a deep breath, that watery feeling thickening my throat again as I peered over the counter.

Two lines.

Diagnosis? Knocked up.

I shuffled aimlessly backward until my back hit the wall, my heart pounding like a jackhammer in my chest.

Oh shit.

Holy mother of ever-loving shit.

Panic crept up through my throat and squeezed it tight. We were only 22-years-old. We had no business being parents right now, at least not by choice. Not to mention the fact that I could barely scrape together enough money for rent and my tuition. God, I didn't even have my own health insurance to pay for having a baby, let alone actually raising one.

My hands shakily groped for my phone and skimmed to my favorites with my finger hovering over Caleb's number. No. I wasn't ready for that yet. Besides, he was on the road right now and wouldn't be able to talk to me even if I wanted him to. So I hit Skyler's number instead.

The phone rang twice and then Skyler's deep, husky voice answered, "Hey, sweetie. What's up?"

I gulped. "Hey, Skyler. Um, have you heard from Caleb yet?"

Of course she hadn't heard from Caleb yet today.
I
hadn't heard from Caleb yet today. I just needed to kill some time.

"Uh, no," Skyler replied slowly and I could already hear the suspicion in her voice. Great. "Have you? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. I mean, at least I think it is. We would've heard something by now if it wasn't, right? I was just trying to figure out what time I should plan on getting dinner going since I know we're going to meet up at the clubhouse first and—"

"Isabelle, I'm gonna stop you right there," Skyler cut in abruptly. "What is this really about? Are you okay? You're scaring me here, sweetie."

I pushed out a deep breath. I had to say it out loud now and then there would be no taking it back.

"I'm pregnant."

It all came out in one whoosh, so fast that I wasn't sure Skyler would even be able to understand me. I glanced at my screen to make sure the call hadn't dropped or something. Nope, Grandma was still there. Oh God.
Grandma.

"Oh," Skyler finally whispered through the phone. "
Oh!
This is...I can't believe it! This is the best news I've heard in a long time!"

If only the feeling was mutual.

As if she could sense my thoughts, Skyler abruptly changed her tune. "Wait a minute. You don't sound okay. But it's gonna be, Isabelle. I promise you that. This is all gonna be okay, sweetie."

"I don't think I'm ready for this," I choked out and shook my head furiously.

"Honey, first of all, where are you right now?"

"I'm at my apartment."

"Okay," she told me in probably the most reassuring tone she could muster right now. "Good. When did you find out?"

"Just now," I managed to croak out.

"That's what I figured. Now, I understand what you're feeling," Skyler reassured me. "Trust me, I really do. I couldn't even walk I was so shocked when I found out I was pregnant with Caleb. I wasn't even 18 yet and I was an idiot and I thought my life was over and that I'd stolen Connor's right along with it. But he just took everything in stride. He was there for me. He married me. He built a life with me that we lived together until the day he died. So trust me when I say that Caleb is cut from the exact same cloth his father was and after the initial shock wears off, he's gonna do the same thing Connor did."

She paused just for a moment, probably to make sure I was listening.

"Caleb is gonna be all in, Isabelle," Skyler went on softly. "I know my son and I know he's more serious about you than he's ever been about anything in his life. Maybe it's happening sooner than you thought it would, but it's happening now whether you're ready for it or not. You two will figure everything out. You just have to give it a little time to settle."

I nodded slowly and found myself laughing shakily, in spite of the situation. All the tension in the room quickly evaporated and for the first time in about a week, I felt like I could finally breathe.

"You feeling better now, Isabelle?"

"Yeah," I pushed out roughly, but a slow smile still crept across my face. "I'm feeling better. I'm sorry. I just freaked out there for a little while."

"I think that's a completely normal reaction," Skyler chuckled. "And I think that as soon as you get a chance to bring Caleb in on this tonight, you'll be feeling a lot better too. You're just freakin' out now 'cuz you're all alone in your apartment right now, but you're not really alone, sweetheart. You know that, right?"

I exhaled one more time just for good measure. "I know."

"I just can't believe it. I'm gonna be a grandma! Thank you for telling me! So, I'm the first one to know even before Daddy then? Aw, I can't wait, Isabelle. I just can't wait!"

A laugh somehow strangled itself from my throat and despite my initial panic attack, I could feel all my anxiety slowly slip away. And the craziest thing of all? I could feel myself smiling at the word
daddy
.

"Oh, I can't wait to order a little Horsemen onesie for my grand-baby...and stuffed animals. Caleb's favorite was always this ratty little teddy bear that he used to carry with him everywhere. I wonder where that thing went. I bet if I could find it and wash it about a million times, I—"

"Sky," I laughed. "Slow down. There's gonna be plenty of time for all that."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm so just excited. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to keep quiet about this when I see him at the clubhouse today."

"You're going to have to," I instructed warily. "So what do I do now?"

It was the first of many questions swirling around, but for now, it seemed like the most imperative one.

"Well," Skyler laughed. "I think you need to just rest. You still sound so tired and worn-out, honey, and I don't want you stressing yourself out. Just lay down. Get some rest. We'll schedule you a doctor's appointment tomorrow and when Caleb gets to the clubhouse, I'll tell him you weren't feeling well and send him your way after he's out of church."

"He's going to be kinda upset if he doesn't see me at the clubhouse right away, you know."

"Yeah, well, he'll get over it as soon as you bring him up to speed on everything. He'll have his undies in a bunch anyway because of tonight..."

"Wait a minute, what?"

There was a long pause on the other end before I finally heard, "Oops."

"Oops, what?"

"Oops, I can't tell you," Skyler told me pointedly. "I'd really like to live long enough to at least hold my first grand-baby, you know?"

"Okay..."

"Don't worry about anything, Isabelle. Like I said, this will all work itself out."

Even if Skyler obviously knew something I didn't, my best bet was just to focus on resting and feeling better. So after I hung up and settled into my bed, I pulled the covers around me and hugged Caleb's pillow, inhaling deeply to try to get a little whiff of that musky, citrusy scent that lingered in his pillow.

He would be home in just a few more hours and then, when I mustered up the courage, I'd give him the news that would completely alter the course of our lives from here on out.

I was having a baby...Caleb's baby. A soft smile spread across my face as a hand drifted down to cover my stomach.

Okay, so maybe I wasn't as completely at peace with it as I wanted to be, but like Skyler said, everything would work itself out.

And besides, finally having a good, peaceful night's sleep next to the father of my baby sounded really good right about now.

Caleb

With the shop's parking lot in sight, I blew out the breath I felt like I'd been holding since I pulled out of this place a week ago.

Finally.

Home honestly never looked so good. This last run had been a rough one for a couple reasons, but being away from home was easily the hardest part. The entire ride back from Pittsburgh to Claremont just dragged and dragged with each mile feeling longer than the one before it and I hadn't been able to keep the grin off my face since we passed city limits.

The second my bike came to a stop in the parking lot was the second nerves slammed right through me. Tonight was about a month in the making, with some meticulous planning on my part and a lot of help from my mom and now that it was finally within reach, any hint of cold feet just needed to be shoved away. I'd already come this far and all I had to do now was follow through.

But as I swung my leg over the side of my bike and scanned the parking lot for that shiny blonde hair and those long, tanned legs, I just couldn't find her. Immediately, my instincts shot into overdrive as my mind worked through all the possible scenarios to explain why she wasn't here in the crowd of people who'd gathered in the parking lot to greet us. Wouldn't I have a text message on my phone already telling me what was up? It wasn't like her to just not communicate like this and now all the scenarios running through my head took a turn for the worse. My phone was in my hand before I could stop myself and I'd already flipped it open with my finger poised over Isabelle's number when some waving to my left caught my eye.

"Caleb!" my mom called out to me, still waving to me even as she approached me. "I think I know where you're heading, but everything's fine."

She pulled me into a quick hug and pecked me on the cheek. That didn't do anything to calm my nerves.

"Isabelle called me about two hours ago and said she wasn't feelin' well."

All the air in my lungs whooshed out in relief. I knew it was stupid to automatically assume the worst, but what else was I supposed to think?

"I told her to just get some rest," my mom went on with a smirk that made me a little nervous. "The best thing for her right now is just to sleep and she sounded pretty worn-out."

"Yeah," I nodded slowly. "She mentioned she hasn't been sleeping too good."

Now, all my worries shifted and my mind sifted through the conversations we'd had this last week. Even though I hadn't been able to see her, she'd still sounded dead on her feet. The fatigue in her voice...she'd mentioned being stressed about getting ready for the semester showcase. She'd taken on way too much over these last few months and I could only imagine that me being gone this last week hadn't helped.

"She's fine," my mom put her hand on my cheek to my attention again. "Just head over to her apartment once church is done. Besides, this way you can make sure everything's ready for tonight without her getting any hints, right?"

I blew out a breath. Knowing that she was sick, maybe I should just—

"I know what you're thinking, Caleb," my mom told me pointedly. "And I think you should go ahead with your plans. Trust me, you won't be sorry."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

She just shook her head and wrapped an arm around me. "I'm so proud of you. I really am. Everything is starting to work out, isn't it?" She must've seen the way my mouth dipped down and jumped to change the subject. "So, everything all set then?"

"I just gotta run to the safe in my dorm," I shrugged. "That's all I gotta do. I got the keys and the paperwork in my bike. After church, I'll be all set."

"That's what I figured," she grinned back at me. "Just as a heads up, she's makin' you dinner tonight too."

My lips pulled apart in a wince. I figured she'd planned something like that and my stomach churned a little.

"She really is a horrible cook, isn't she?" she mused.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, Ma," I shot my hands up in the air in defense. "My ol' lady's cooking is the bomb."

Better to be safe than sorry, you know? I'd have to be hog-tied and dragged for a few miles before I'd ever admit out loud that Isabelle's cooking was the worst food I'd ever had in my life.

My mom just arched an amused eyebrow my way, clearly knowing my game, and shook her head. "Whatever you say. Just let her rest until you get to her apartment, okay? I know you probably wanna call to check on her, but she's fine."

Huh. That was different. And weird as hell. She was trying a little bit too hard to keep from smiling and a little too hard to keep me from calling Isabelle. Luckily for her, I needed to get my ass to church more than I needed to find out what she was up to.

Besides, even though I just wanted to hop back on my bike and speed over to Isabelle's apartment, I needed to get paid first. In light of all these monumental steps I'd taken in my life recently, picking up that money-filled envelope was as important now as ever.

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"Alright, alright," Marcus pounded the gavel to call church to start. "Let's make this quick, huh? It's Friday. We all got places to be. First of all, we gotta talk about what happened on this last run," his eyes settled on me as he spoke, "Caleb, why don't you give us the run-down."