She let him know she was fine, just tired and ready for a foot massage and a warm bath. If that was all it was, he would be more than happy to oblige her there.
The toilet water swirled and she stood, waiting the three minutes the package insert said to wait. She wasn’t stupid. She knew this could happen. If she was being honest, she hoped it would eventually.
She blew out a mouthful of air and flipped the test over—two pink lines.
Congratulations, you’re a fertile Myrtle. Or maybe you’ve just been railed six ways to Sunday every night for the last three weeks.
Her period was never late. She’d waited five days before using her outing with the girls as an excuse to sneak into town and pop into the drug store for someheadache medicine.
Addie and Evie were oblivious to the extra box she’d grabbed and snuck into her purse with the Ibuprofen.
She grinned and did a little dance. She knew Justin would be happy, too. He’d mentioned many times how much he wanted a family—but this soon? How was she going to tell him?
She entertained the idea of just coming out with it…Surprise!Or she could do something really cute, like all theinfluencers did on social media? She needed to clear her head first. She took the test and shoved it back inside the pocket of her purse. He would never find it there, and keeping her sweet little secret to herself for a minute felt right.
Her hand held the lower part of her abdomen as she spoke softly, even though the baby couldn’t hear and was probably only the size of a grain of rice.
“Hi, baby… I’ve always wanted you, you know? And guess what? Because my plans didn’t work out, you’re going to have the best daddy in the world.”
She left the bedroom and made her way to Justin’s shop, where he was pounding out a batch of shoes for the week. She stood in the doorway and watched him. He hadn’t seen her yet.
“I could stare at that arm porn all day.” She was feeling sassy and flirty after the news she’d just gotten.
“What the hell does that mean?” Justin lifted his eyes and chuckled as she started to walk toward him.
“You know…” she shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sideways smile. “Your bulging biceps and your corded forearms…not to mention that horseshoe shape on your triceps! It’s like a muscle tattoo.”
She ran the rest of the way to him and jumped. He caught her and began devouring her mouth. He bit her bottom lip like he always did before letting go and nodding his head toward the house.
“I could stop for some…lunch?”
She laughed and kissed him back.
“Not right now. I’ve got errands to run—but I’ll take a rain check for later.”
The whole way into town, her belly was flipping with nerves. She decided to go with the cutesy way of telling him. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her secret for long, and he deserved to know soon.
She pulled into the parking lot of Jensen’s Mercantile and parked toward the back. There were only a few cars around, but she liked it that way. Her Cutlass was an antique and needed the cushion of protection. Jensen’s had basically everything you’d find at a Walmart, but without the big box vibes.
She threw her bag over her shoulder and shut the car door. She was only halfway to the building when everything went dark.
She woke up in what she could only guess was the back of a van. It smelled new. The floor was carpeted. She could hear men talking, but their voices were muffled. She had a horrible headache, her hands were tied, and her mouth was taped—how long had she been passed out? She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. No one would hear her, anyway. How did this even happen? It felt like a very bad dream. Maybe she wasn’t awake?
But when the driver hit the brakes and the vehicle came to a stop, she knew it was no dream. Definitely a nightmare, but one she wouldn’t wake up from. The doors on the back of the van flew open, and light flooded in. Her eyes were still adjusting when two gigantic men reached in and pulled her out. They wore black sunglasses but were dressed like anyone you might see on the street.
They each held onto one of her arms and walked her toward a metal airplane hangar. She’d seen the private airport outside of town every time she drove past it and knew that was where she was. The sliding doors to the hangar started to open. She could see a small plane and a black car parked next to it. As they gotcloser, a man emerged from the fancy vehicle—it was a BMW. It wasn’t his personal car, of course, but it was his favorite, and the only brand he’d ever used.
“Did you miss me, sweetheart?” His voice was as smooth as the bitter whisky she once tried upon his insistence—and she’d hated it. She knew he was an asshole, obsessive and controlling—but holy shit, he really was a psychopath, too. Damnit, they’d all gotten too comfortable. Collectively, they had decided the rose on the hood of her car was a fluke. Even when she talked to Jenny all those weeks ago, he was still in Chicago! There weren’t any more passive-aggressive text messages from him, either. Who the hell had she gotten tangled up with? This couldn’t be happening.
“Oh, I’m sorry, you can’t talk back—your mouth is covered. Pardon my men. They lack a certain type of decorum.”
Max caressed her cheek with the back of his hand then ripped the tape off fast and furious. Blythe coughed and took in a big chestful of air.
“How did you find me? My note didn’t come across clear enough? You sick, twisted, son of a bitch.”
“Name calling? Blythe, sweetheart—very unbecoming of a lady. You won’t be able to use that type of language back home. My associates wouldn’t be very impressed.”
“You and your associates can take my language and shove it up your?—”
