Secrets Gone South (Crimson Romance) (27 page)

She shook her head and frowned. “No, Will. This is your home and your place of business. You’ve put your heart and soul into it. I’ll go. I am not taking your home.”

Somehow that made him hurt even more. If he couldn’t live with them, he wanted to envision them here. But she didn’t want that and this was best. “You never wanted to live here anyway. I’ll buy you a house. Whatever you want. I have the money.”

“One thing at a time. What if I decide to move? Relocate, far away?”

She was testing him. He shrugged. “You won’t. You moved here for a reason. But if you do, I’ll move, too. I’ll do what it takes to be where Avery is.”
And to see you, even if I can’t have you.

She rubbed the place between her eyes. “I wouldn’t put you in that position and there’s one thing I do know. It’s best for Avery to see you as much as possible.”

Relief went though him, though it didn’t do much to relieve the pain. “Can we do this without a legal agreement? Can we please just be reasonable? I’m going to want to see him every day. I’m going to want him to spend the night with me a lot. Can we just work it out as we go and not fight?”

“We can try,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why that can’t work.”

“I’ll still go to the Merritt Inn for a few nights, until we decide where you and Avery will live.

“No, Will,” she said quickly. “First off, there will be no
we
deciding where Avery and I will live.
I
will decide that.”

“That’s fair. As you said, I’ve already taken too many of your choices away.”

“I’ll go to Luke and Lanie’s for now. They’ve said from the beginning the farm was my home.”

That would be good. There would be warm family dinners and Avery would have playmates. They wouldn’t be alone. He nodded. “I’ll make sure Avery’s crib is there before bedtime.”

“No need,” Arabelle said. “They had to put John Luke in a toddler bed just last week so his crib is available. Besides, I want Avery’s room to be intact when he’s here with you.”

“Is there anything you need from me then?” Will asked.

“No. Not a thing.”

And that was the heartbreaking truth.

Arabelle was nothing short of shell-shocked. She’d gotten through the ride to town to pick up her car, the dropping Avery at Heavenly Confections, and the saying goodbye to Will.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said. “Let me know what I can do to help you move your things.”

Her things were not utmost on her mind. At least here at work she would be busy. She had an hour before her first patient but filling that hour would be no problem. She picked up a stack of messages that Cora had left for her but ended up looking at the wall rather than returning calls.

Why was she so upset? Wasn’t she getting what she wanted? To be free to make her own decisions and raise Avery as she saw fit—well, almost. Will would have input but she couldn’t deny that he also wanted what was best for Avery, so that was no problem. Of course, there was the inconvenience of finding a place to live and it wasn’t going to be easy telling people that she and Will had split up after such a short time. And everyone was sure to blame her since Saint Will could do no wrong. But that wasn’t what was upsetting her. It was the leaving, the tearing up of the little family she’d stumbled in to. She had just begun to feel at home in the woods, to feel like Will’s wife. Yet it had never occurred to her to ask to stay, to tell him she wanted to give it more time. His disposal of her had been so thought out and so absolute, it would have been pointless.

Besides, he couldn’t forgive her. Maybe she couldn’t forgive him either. For sure, she’d turned the sweet kind man he’d been into someone who lived on the brink of bitter. If he thought the marriage wasn’t good for her, it for certain wasn’t good for him. In turn, it couldn’t be in Avery’s best interest to live with them. Yes. This would be better. But right now, it hurt.

Kelly stuck her head in the door. “Dr. Avery—I mean Garrett?” Well, if that wasn’t cold water in her face.
Excuse me, world. I know you haven’t gotten used to my new name yet but I’m going back to my old one.
Or maybe she wouldn’t. Avery would remain a Garrett. Will could divorce her but he couldn’t make her take her name back. Though she should, shouldn’t she?

Kelly cleared her throat.

“Yes, Kelly?”

“We just had a walk-in and I thought you would want me to work her in since it’s—”

“Not Aspen Snow!” Please, Lord, anyone but her.

“No. Lucy Kincaid. I thought you’d want to see her as soon as possible since she’s your friend. So I put her in exam room one.”

Oh, great. Lucy was the empathetic type and would know something was wrong—and she just didn’t want to talk about it, wasn’t ready for anyone to know yet. Though she was going to have to tell Luke and Lanie if she expected to stay there. All she needed was for Lucy to figure out something was amiss and start calling in the troops. Then she felt ashamed. Her first thought should have been for Lucy’s health, though she’d looked fine last night.

“Thanks, Kelly.” To make up for her selfish thoughts, she quickly jumped up and made her way down the hall as fast as possible.

She needn’t have worried about Lucy cluing into her emotions. If she had expected to find a feverish, listless Lucy lying on the exam table, she would have been very surprised. Lucy was anything but lethargic and she wasn’t alone.

Lucy and Brantley Kincaid sat together on the exam table, entwined in each other’s arms, his blond head against her dark one.

They were swinging their legs.

“Oh!” Lucy squealed and they broke apart when Arabelle entered. Lucy was apple-cheeked and they were both smiling like their prize pig had won a blue ribbon at the fair. Brantley rose from the table but he didn’t stray too far from Lucy; he let his hand settle on the nape of her neck.

“Hello, Lucy. Brantley,” Arabelle said. “Lucy, you look … well.”

Lucy laughed. “Oh, I am! I’m almost a hundred percent sure I am!” And Brantley looked at her like she was the only thing in the world.

“Then I’m a little confused,” Arabelle said, opening Lucy’s chart. “You had a physical with Dr. Vines, junior right before he retired and everything was perfect. Are you experiencing some kind of problem?”

Lucy clapped her hands in front of her face. “I’m pregnant! Or I think I am.”

Brantley let his arm slip around her shoulders. “We’re almost certain.”

Arabelle closed Lucy’s chart and sat down on her stool. “I take it you two are happy about this?”

In answer, Lucy and Brantley just laughed and nodded.

In spite of the misery churning inside her, this kind of joy was contagious and Arabelle felt her smile bloom from the inside out. What if a world had existed where this could have been Will and her, so excited that Avery was coming? How different things would be.

She banished the thought. She had a job to do. “Did you take a home pregnancy test, Lucy?”

“Three!” Brantley answered for her but Lucy nodded. “All positive.”

“Well, those things are very accurate. It’s a safe bet you’re pregnant. But, Lucy, you do realize this is a general practice. We don’t deliver babies. Do you not have an OB/GYN for your pap smears and such?”

“I do,” Lucy said. “Dr. McGowan. But I couldn’t get in to see him until next week and I want a test today.”

“I can do the tests,” Arabelle said, “but, as I said, the home tests are very accurate and—” She was about to say she didn’t see the point but stopped herself. Who was she to tell them what the point was? She couldn’t even run her own life.

Brantley face went a little sober. “See, Arabelle, today would have been my mother’s birthday.” Lucy dropped her eyes and took Brantley’s hand. “Later today we’re going with my dad and grandmother to put flowers on her grave. Then we’re all going to dinner. We want to tell them then but we want to be absolutely sure.”

Lucy and Brantley locked eyes and the love and compassion that passed between them squeezed Arabelle’s heart. Everyone knew how Brantley’s mother and grandfather had died in a horrific car wreck together when Brantley was a teenager. Arabelle remembered her parents driving up from Montgomery for the funeral. Clearly, Brantley still grieved and Lucy hurt for him. How had he gotten past such pain to find this happy life he had?

“We’ve been hoping for this,” Lucy said and the sun broke out on her face again. “They would never say so but we know Miss Caroline and Charles are just holding their breath, waiting for this. It would be so special to tell them today.”

“But we can’t give it to them and then have to take it back.” The joy was back in Brantley’s face again.

Arabelle rose. “Then let’s get some blood and a urine sample. I’ll do a pelvic and then I’ll be able to tell you for certain what we all already know.”

And though Lucy seemed to be only about three weeks along, Arabelle was able to confirm the news that they wanted so badly. She sent them away ecstatic, after admonishing Lucy to avoid rare meat, blue cheese, alcohol, and unpasteurized dairy products.

Brantley and Lucy hugged her and then each other. “There are going to be so many people taking care of her that she’ll be sick of us all!” Brantley declared.

How nice. Every pregnant woman needed a little taking care of, even the ones who felt great the entire time. Arabelle had not been one of those and she’d finally had to call Sheridan, who’d dropped everything to fly to Switzerland.

She wished better for Lucy but, then, Lucy already had better.

• • •

“You’ve done what?” Luke came out of his chair.

At lunchtime, Arabelle had driven to the woods and packed a bag for herself and Avery. She had been half hoping to run into Will but his truck was gone. When she’d picked up Avery after work she’d asked Lanie if she could come over. And here they were—she, Luke, and Lanie sitting in what had always been her father’s study, but was now Luke’s. The kids were playing in the next room.

“I absolutely do not understand,” Luke said.

That makes two of us, brother.

Lanie sat beside Arabelle on the sofa, still wearing her lime green, gumdrop covered chef’s pants.

“What did he do?” Luke demanded. “Did he hit you? I’ll kill him.”

“Merciful heavens, Luke.” Even she could hear the weariness in her voice. “Don’t be a drama queen. Will didn’t do anything wrong. It simply wasn’t working out. We didn’t … suit.” She was making this up as she went. “You were right. We should have waited. Though we dated quite a while when I was in Atlanta, it’s not the same as living in the same town.”

“But things seemed to be going well. When we all came over for the Super Bowl, the two of you seemed so together.” She’d thought so, too. Must have been the good sex. But sex did not pave the road to happy. “I’ll get that adoption vacated. It won’t be easy unless he wants it but I know people.”

She was too drained for this. “I can assure you he does not want that and neither do I.”

“Oh, come on, Arabelle! How long has he been a father to Avery? A month? Six weeks?”

All Avery’s life, only he didn’t know.
“So you would have sent Emma back after a month? She wouldn’t have mattered after such a short time? Or John Luke?”

“That’s different,” Luke said.

“Enough, Luke.” Lanie held up a hand. “Leave her alone. I know you want to take some kind of action because that’s who you are. But right now, we just need to let her be.”

“I’ll start looking for a place to live right away,” she said.

“You will not!” Lanie said.

“Absolutely not,” Luke said. “This is your home, the same as it’s mine. We’ve told you from the first, you can stay here as long as you want.”

“Anyway,” Lanie went on. “You don’t want to rush. You want to wait and see … ” She let her voice trail off but Arabelle got the meaning. Maybe this was temporary. Maybe they had just had a disagreement and would patch things up in a day or two, if not by bedtime.

Well, Lanie could think that but Arabelle knew it wasn’t true.

“There’s something else,” Arabelle said.

Her brother and sister-in-law turned their eyes to her questioning.

“Will texted me and he wants to drop by and tell Avery goodnight. I said it would be fine. He’s going to want to see Avery often and I’m all right with that. If you aren’t, I’ll have to move and soon.”

Lanie nodded sympathetically but there was nothing in Luke’s face that led her to believe he was at all amenable. But he nodded and right now, that’s all she needed from him.

“I should start dinner,” Lanie said, rising. “What can I help you with, Arabelle?”

“Nothing. In fact, I’ll come help with dinner.”

That caused a wave of sadness to go through her. Though Will almost always made breakfast, they had fallen into cooking dinner together. No danger of Luke helping Lanie. He couldn’t scramble an egg—though he would do dishes.

“Not tonight,” Lanie said softly. “Why don’t you settle in?”

“Good idea,” Luke said. “I’ll take kid duty.”

There was really very little to settle but the thought of lying on her childhood bed right now was very appealing.

“Thank you.”

When she turned to go, Lanie and Luke enveloped her in a hug. All of a sudden she couldn’t breathe. Escape was all she wanted—to where she didn’t know.

John Luke had been moved down the hall to Luke’s boyhood bedroom. When Arabelle offered to move the crib into her room so the baby furniture could be stored, Lanie had blushed and shook her head.

“We aren’t going to break the nursery down just yet.”

Arabelle’s head shot up. How much could she be expected to endure? Watching Lanie live Carrie’s life was hard enough. Did she have to be pregnant again, too?

Having read her mind, Lanie shook her head. “I’m not pregnant. We don’t want to be right now. But when John Luke’s a little older, who knows? Meanwhile, we have plenty of bedrooms and it’s nice to have a crib available—especially now that Lucy has a baby coming. And Tolly and Nathan are planning children as soon as Kirby graduates year after next. Even if Luke and I don’t have another baby, the book club is always going to be in and out.”