Something Forever (17 page)

“I’m taking tomorrow off.”

“Are you serious?”

“It’s Monday. It’s my busiest day. And yes, I would ditch work to hang out with a friend whom I won’t be able to see for another who knows how long.”

“You can always fly to Los Angeles.”

“Keith is a dear friend of mine, but it will be a while before I visit him.”

“Here you go,” the waitress said, placing our plates in front of us, then left.

“Well
...if you ever do come to Los Angeles, you can stay with me.”

Tanner’s eyes grew wider. “Really? How about Matthew?”

“He has his own place.” My tone came out flat and uncaring.

“You make it sound like you’re already broken up
, and you haven’t even spoken to him about whatever situation you’re in. You should just tell me now because my curiosity is killing me.”

With a deep intake of breath, I told him about my dilemma. Not just that, I told him about Amber and Tessa.

“Oh, Becky, Becky...you need to tell him, girl. That’s not fair to him.”

“Don’t make me feel guilty, Tanner. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I think you’re afraid. You’re running away. I could’ve asked you to go to China and you would be willing to come with me. You’re a runner.”

“A what?” I laughed.

“When things go wrong, you try to pretend it didn’t happen. You would say or do anything to block out the pain. And the further you go away from the situation, the easier it is for you to deal with.” He rested his hand on mine. “Regardless, it will still be there, waiting for you.”

Tanner
was right, yet I didn’t want to hear it. I pulled my hand away. “I just need a few more days.”

“To do what?
It’s not going to go away.”

Tears started to form in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in front of Tanner. I needed my friends. What the hell was I thinking? “I know it won’t go away.” My irritation level was rising. “Do you want me to stick around or what?”

Tanner gave me a crooked smile and leaned back into his chair. “Sorry. I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” I sighed.

“Eat your pasta before it gets cold.” He pointed to my plate with his fork.

I took a big gulp of water. “You eat yours,” I sneered playfully.

Tanner was very sweet and caring in his own way. I loved the way he listened and gave me advice like a good friend would. That only made me miss Jenna, Kate, and Nicole even more. However, sometimes I wished Tanner would keep his mouth closed and his opinions to himself.

Chapter 2
2

Becky

It took one
hour on the train to get to Paris, then we took a cab to his apartment. I felt a rush of excitement flow through me for being at a place I’d always dreamt of being. It was so surreal that it felt like a dream.

Tanner’s place was cozy and neatly in order. The furniture was elegant and modern with
a few paintings on the wall. What I liked most about his place was the nice view of the city. It reminded me of Matthew’s place, so I walked away from the window.

“This room is all yours, Becky.
” Tanner pushed the door wider. “If you’re not sleepy, we can talk more if you like.”

“I’m really exhausted. I’ll see you in the morning
.” I smiled. “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Sleep in as long as you like. I
’ll give you a tour of the city when you feel up to it.”

“Thanks.”

With that, he closed the door behind him. After I took a shower and got ready for bed, I opened up my laptop and checked my email and texts. Not wanting to be rude, I had turned it off during dinner since it was beeping like crazy. I had forgotten to turn it back on.

Jenna texted me
asking how I was doing and when I was coming home. I hadn’t told her the exact date of my return. Matthew was asking me the same questions.

Becca, I’m home. I’ll be waiting for your return.

I’m staying a couple more days with a friend.

I’m not happy.

I’ll be home soon. We need to talk.

Yes, we do. You should be here right now.

Sorry. Just need to clear my head.

O
kay. I’ll be waiting. I love you.

I turned off the phone and went to bed.

Matthew

Three simple words. Three words she could not text back. I had a very bad feeling she wasn’t coming home, and that thought turned my stomach inside out. There were many scenarios I could have taken. One, beg her to come with me to Australia. Two, surprise her in London by showing up. Neither one of them seemed like it was a good idea at the time. Feeling utterly lost, confused, and not knowing what to do, I decided to head to my best source once again.

“Hello, Jenna.
My beautiful sister-in-law.” I sat on her desk.

“Matthew.”
She looked surprised. Her cheeks flashed some color when she gave me a shy smile. She hadn’t seen me walk into the room. Frankly, I was surprised to see her there at this hour. Everyone had gone home.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better. I can eat well now.”

“Do you know if I’m going to have a nephew or a niece
?”

“We’ll know next appointment.”

“That’s great.” I paused a bit. “So...what’s going on with Becky? Have you heard from her?”

Jenna squinted her eyes and
bit her bottom lip. This was a sure sign she was hiding something.

“Haven’t you heard from her?” She looked worried.

“Yes, but I don’t think she’s planning to come home in couple of days like she said she would. I think there is something else going on that you’re both not telling me.”

“Matthew
, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wish I knew what was going on with Becky. I’ve been so sick lately that I hardly had time for her. I feel so bad. And now she’s beyond my reach and all I get is ‘I’ll talk to you about it when I get home.’ The time difference doesn’t help either. And I need to pack up. Max is coming to take me out to dinner. I was waiting for him.”

“
Hmm...you, too? She told me the same thing.” I stood up and walked across the room. “Maybe I should go visit her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Jenna said that way too fast.
She grabbed her bag and started to head to the door.

Jenna wasn’t telling me everything. I had to find ou
t what it was. “Does Becky go by a different name?”

Jenna stopped moving and turned to me. “What do you mean? Why would you say that?”

“I called the hotel Becky told me she was staying at.” I took a step toward her. “There is no Becky Miller or Becca Miller or Rebecca Miller. There is no Miller. I thought the receptionist was an idiot, so I called again and spoke to the manager.”

Jenna’s face turned white
and it looked like she’d stopped breathing. “Oh.” That is all she said.

“Jenna. Where is she?” I stood in front of her, blocking her way
. “Please. I’m in love with her and I know she loves me...or at least I thought she did.”

“She does,”
Jenna murmured under her breath. “I think I know where she is, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Where?” I snapped her out of her daze. Her thoughts
were running wild. I could tell from her eyes staring straight ahead.

“With Tanner.”

“With whom?” My tone raised a bit and Jenna twitched. I didn’t mean to scare her.

“Tanner was one of Keith’s groomsmen. He lives in Paris.”

My eyes grew wide and my jaw muscles became tight. “That’s not too far from London.” I gave Jenna a quick hug and a kiss on her cheek. Then I started heading out the door.

“Matthew, where are you going?”

“To get Becca back and to kick someone’s ass.”

“Matthew
!” The tone of Jenna’s voice stopped me in my tracks. Whoa. This was the first time I’d ever heard her pissed off like that.

I
swung back around, and answered her in my sweetest tone to calm her down, “Yes, my sister-in-law?”

She
blushed a little, probably not believing she practically yelled my name in anger. “You don’t know where Tanner lives. And please don’t do anything foolish.”

“I have Keith’s contact
information, and don’t worry, I’m only going to scare the shit out of Banner for stepping in my territory.”

“I don’t recall saying his name is Banner. It’s Tanner.”

I curled my lips and twitched my brows to show Jenna that I was being playful. “Banner, Manner, Fanner...whatever. I don’t care what his name is.”

“Oh my God! You’re just like Max,” she squealed, laughing.

“Who’s like Max?” Max entered and slapped my back lightly as a show of his affection. “Of course he’s like me. He learned from the best.”

“Of course,” I said, humoring them both. I walked away when I saw Max hugging Jenna. God
, I missed my Becca.

Jenna

I debated whether to call Becky and let her know that Matthew might be on his way. Shoot...who was I kidding? Matthew was on his parents’ plane to Paris; there was no doubt about that. All I had to say was...it’s about time.

Dr. Howard saw
patients every other Saturday. Max and I were happy to make an appointment on one of them. It was difficult to arrange an appointment with his tight schedule.

“The baby’s heart is strong,” Dr. Howard said, smiling. “Everything looks great. Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”

I turned to Max for an answer. He gave me that sexy smile, but he seemed uncertain. “Why not? This way we can prepare the nursery. We’ll just keep our family in the dark.” He released a short, wicked laugh. That sound was too adorable, too hot, and my mind reeled with naughty thoughts.

Dr. Howard laughed with us.
Pulling out a gadget, he poured some type of gel on it while I glanced at Max and gave him a smile. His hand tightened on mine when Dr. Howard lifted my gown. I thought Max was going to punch him.

As if Dr. Howard could
read his mind, he said with a chuckle, “I always get the same expressions from the husbands.”

“It’s fine, Dr. Howard. I have no problem with it a
s long as you keep your mind to yourself. I’m just joking.” Max chuckled, but I knew he wasn’t.

Dr. Howard laughed
, too. “Just keep your eyes on the screen.”

My heart skipped a beat and my stomach fluttered from the sight of seeing our baby on the screen. Max’s facial expression softened
; I thought I heard him release a soft coo. His fingers slipped through to make a fist with mine. I felt his love for the baby and for me.

“Baby, open up. Your mommy and daddy need to see if you’re
a boy or a girl,” Dr. Howard sang. He moved the gadget to the left. “Jenna, move to your right a bit.”

I did
as instructed. Max helped me turn.

“There
...right there,” Dr. Howard muttered. “Can you see?” He pointed to the screen.

Max and I leaned in.
Wow!

After we said
our good-byes to Dr. Howard, I got dressed. We set up the next appointment and left, feeling giddy and fulfilled, for our Lamaze class.