Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
She clasped her hands together. “That would be amazing.”
I grabbed my jacket. “I’ll be back.”
Wasting no time, I climbed down the ladder to my truck and headed to the pharmacy. The ride over there was a blur. The entire way, I said a silent prayer that the test would be negative.
I got there just in the nick of time, before they were about to close.
Unfortunately, the old man at the counter was a family friend. I cleared my throat. “Evening, Mr. Hayes.”
He looked at me funny when he saw what I was purchasing. “Something you want to tell me, Brock?”
“Nope. And there’s nothing you’re gonna tell anyone about this, either.” I slipped him a fifty-dollar bill. “Catch my drift?”
“I saw nothing.” He winked, placing the money in his pocket.
I got in my truck and raced back to Sierra with the test. Thankfully no one had screwed with my ladder, and it was still there.
After I texted February, she opened the window as I climbed up.
“Got the last kit on the shelf. Can you believe it?”
“Wow,” she breathed.
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll stay with you until we know.”
“I’d better get this over with.” She read the back of the box. “After I pee on the stick, I have to wait three minutes.”
“I’ll be here waiting.”
“Thank you, Brock. Truly.” She placed her hand on her chest. “Gosh, my heart is beating so fast right now.”
“Go get it over with, Red. No sense in putting it off.” My heart can’t take it.
February disappeared to the bathroom, leaving me alone in her room.
The wait was excruciating. My mind kept catastrophizing. If she turned out to be pregnant, the chance of us working out would be nil. This situation would’ve been tough long-distance without a baby in the picture. But with a baby? Next to impossible.
I thought back fondly to earlier tonight when my biggest problem had been whether she was faking an illness. I would’ve given anything to go back to that time.
I checked my phone. It had been five minutes. She had to know by now. The fact that she hadn’t come out wasn’t a good sign.
Fuck.
She’s pregnant.
I know it.
I had to think fast. What will I do?
I still wanted to explore this.
That was my truth.
I must’ve been fucking crazy.
But if that woman came out here and told me she was having a baby… I wasn’t going anywhere—I knew it in my gut.
Well, damn.
You learn something new about yourself every day.
I need to know if I’m losing my mind.
Where the fuck is my dog when I need him?
I paced.
The door burst open.
“It’s negative!” She beamed.
I let out all of the air I’d been holding. “Oh, thank fuck!”
CHAPTER 11
* * *
February
“Hey, Trinity.” I popped my head into my therapist’s office a few days later. “Do you have a minute?”
She smiled. “Of course. Come on in.”
“Is it too late to add names to the guest list for tomorrow? For family day?”
Trinity shook her head. “Not at all. How many people would you like to add?”
I nibbled on my lip. “One. But I’m not even sure he’ll come.”
“That’s not an issue. The guest list is just for security purposes, so reception knows who they should let in. Who do you want to add?”
I took a deep breath. If saying his name freaked me out this much, maybe it wasn’t a great idea to invite him after all. “You know what, I think I changed my mind.”
Trinity smiled warmly. “The purpose of the one-on-one counseling sessions we do during family day is to help you mend relationships before you go back home. If you’re struggling to decide whether you should even invite someone, a session might do some good.”
I blew out two cheeks full of air. “It’s my dad. We’ve been estranged for a long time.”
“Well, the decision is obviously yours. But letting out pent-up emotions and clearing the air can be cathartic. You and I have talked a lot about the different work stresses that contributed to you coming to Sierra Wellness Center, and that makes sense because those are the issues you’ve dealt with recently. But sometimes the things we don’t deal with on a day-to-day basis can weigh just as heavily on our mental health.”
I sighed and nodded. “Okay. Can we add Joseph Shaw to the guest list?”
“Of course.”
I filled out a form before leaving Trinity’s office and then headed to one of the small telephone-lounge rooms. Since we weren’t allowed to have cell phones, there were several places we could go to make phone calls in private. They all had comfy chairs and couches. I’d only used the rooms for work calls so far, so I hadn’t noticed the box of tissues on the end table. Might need those for what I’m about to do.
I hadn’t seen my dad in more than a decade. And it wasn’t because he was a great distance away. As far as I knew, he still rented a house in Queens, a twenty-minute train ride from me in Manhattan. I stared down at the phone, thinking how much I’d changed recently. Three weeks ago, I would’ve never imagined that this place might actually help me. I’d only come to Sierra because my board of directors had forced my hand. When they’d suggested I might be having a nervous breakdown, I’d laughed at them. These days, though, I wasn’t so sure they were wrong. Maybe it was the pregnancy scare, or maybe it was the hormones—I’d finally gotten my period this morning—but I felt like I should keep pushing myself to find peace. And that meant it was time to fix things with my father.