Chapter 26

Iwas going to go to Macy's cabin just as soon as I got dressed. I waited until Jason had kissed me goodbye before slowly going to the shower and washing off the memories of our lovemaking. It was wonderful to wake up in Jason's arms and share the magic of the morning together. I wanted it to last forever, but I was worried what might happen when he found out about the baby. We had just barely said "I love you"—what if the pregnancy changed all that? I knew I should tell him. I knew that would be the first thing Macy would ask when I saw her later that day. And she was right. I just had to find the right time.

This crisis over Jason's soon-to-be ex was interrupting our relationship. I wondered what he had ever seen in her and whether he saw the same thing in me? She seemed distant and out of control. She was obviously violent and dangerous. Hiding out from her made me feel like a fugitive in my own town. I trusted Jason to handle it as soon as he could, but I wondered if that would be soon enough. What if she went after Jason instead of me?

With regret, I realized that I should have told him the news that morning. In the afterglow of sex, he might have been more receptive to the news. I resolved to tell him as soon as the current situation resolved itself. As soon as the ex-wife was in jail, or at the very least had left town, I would sit down with Jason and discuss our future. If he didn't want the baby, then we could part ways amicably.

I shuddered with the thought, hoping beyond hope that the news would make him happy. We could have such a beautiful life together, just like Macy and Dillon. We could babyproof the cabin, move all my stuff out of the second bedroom and create a nursery. With those thoughts in mind, I went to the kitchen to scrounge some breakfast.

I considered texting Macy to let her know I was coming but thought better of it. We were such good friends. I couldn't imagine she would have a problem with my visit. Even if Macy had to work, I could spend the day keeping Nicky and the baby out of Dillon's hair while he worked. It would be a good crash course in childcare, one that I would need seven to eight months in the future.

As I was working on my cereal, musing over nursery decorations, there was a knock at the door. Maybe Macy or Ava had come over. They were both certainly aware that I needed an extra layer of protection with Jason's ex in town. Without considering the danger, I got up and answered the call.

As soon as I opened the door to reveal the porch and the forest outside, I realized my mistake. Instead of a friend or even one of Jason's coworkers, the crazy lady from the grocery store stood holding a gun. I froze, releasing the door and backing up slowly. She followed me inside, her eyes on fire.

"Don't move," Angie swore.

"I'm not—" I began.

"Shut up!" Angie snarled. "You think you can come between me and my husband?"

I didn't want to risk angering her further by arguing, so I held my tongue. I watched in horror as she removed one hand from the pistol and used it to shake a cell phone out of her purse. She dialed a number that she knew by heart, one that I was coming to know as well. A moment later, Jason's voice on speakerphone broke through the cabin.

"This has to stop," he said.

"Shut up and listen!" Angie yelled. "I'm at your cabin with your whore."

"Lindsey?" Jason's voice shot up an octave, the worry crystal clear.

"I'm okay!" I shouted.

"She won't be okay for long," Angie threatened. "I've got a gun, so don't try anything."

"Angie, if you hurt her—" Jason complained.

"Get your ass over here," the crazy lady growled. "Or I'll put an end to this extramarital affair you're having."

"It's okay," Jason said, his voice suddenly soothing. "You haven't done anything that you can't come back from. I know that it was you who trashed our cabin, but we can let that slide. Don't make a mistake you're going to regret."

"I regret nothing!" Angie screamed. "Other than walking out on you. Give me a chance to prove that we were meant to be together."

"Alright," he lied. "I will. Just don't hurt her."

"If you're not here, alone, in ten minutes, I can't be held responsible for what I might do." She shut the door behind her, waving the gun at me.

I backed up toward the kitchen island, my thoughts racing.

"She means nothing to me," Jason said. I could hear an engine roar in the background, and I knew he was in his truck. "I was hurt when you left, and I was looking for comfort. As soon as I get there, we can be together again."

I knew he was telling her exactly what she needed to hear, but the words still hurt. I was pregnant with his child, and he was telling another woman that I meant nothing to him. I swallowed my pride and kept my eye trained on her weapon. She was just crazy enough to kill me, and though I'd thought that I didn't want children in the past, I desperately wanted to bring my little bundle of joy into the world. I closed my eyes, focused on Jason's voice as he kept talking.

"Just don't kill her," he was saying. "If you go to jail, we can never be together. I need you in my life, Angie."

The tactic was working. When I snuck a glance, I could see Angie beginning to relax. She strutted across the living room floor, as if Jason were her shining prince and he was coming to rescue her instead of me.

"I'm almost there," Jason said. "Tell me that she's alright and that we can be together."

"She's alright," Angie purred. "For now. I don't know what you see in her." She studied my face and my body, seeming to reject any indication that I might have something to offer a man.

"She's nothing," Jason assured her. "You're my wife. I'm coming to take you home."

A moment later, the sound of gravel crunching in the driveway alerted both of us to Jason's presence. He burst through the door, hands held high in the air, desperate for confirmation that he wasn't too late. When our eyes met, I saw that all the lies he had been telling her had been just that—lies. He had said whatever he had to say to make sure I was safe. Relief washed over his features as he eased his way into the cabin.

Angie stiffened, waving her gun frantically at me.

"I'm here," Jason announced. "You can let her go. It's just you and me now, Angie."

"Are you going to leave her?" Angie squeaked, her hands shaking on the trigger.

"Yes, yes," Jason promised. "You and me, we'll go back to Nashville and start our life over again."

"If you're lying, I'll kill her!" Angie fumed. Jason's words seemed to be having the opposite effect on her now that he was in the same room. I could see she wanted to believe him, but was it enough? Would she really pull the trigger in an insane bid to win him back?

"I'm pregnant!" I shouted, silencing the entire room.

Both Angie and Jason whirled. Angie's jaw dropped open, and something like betrayal flashed through her eyes. Jason seized the moment of indecision and leapt at her, yanking her off her feet and onto the ground. I jumped back behind the couch, scooting out of range as the two of them fought. I could hear Angie screaming bloody murder and scuffling sounds as Jason grappled for the gun. It was over almost before it began.

Jason raced around the couch, popping the lock on the pistol and sliding the clip free. He pocketed the ammunition, set the gun down on the couch cushion, and crouched beside me. I flew into his arms, exhaustion and terror emptying out of me in one long sob.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, pulling back to examine my face.

"No," I whispered.

On the other side of the couch, I could hear Angie stirring. Jason leapt to his feet again, returning to the invader before she could rise. He pulled out his own revolver, grabbed her by one arm, and dragged her to the couch. He thrust her down on one end, caring nothing for how she landed. Then he turned to me and helped me to my feet, leading me gently to the love seat. We sat on opposite ends of the living room, both of us trembling in shock.

"But you said—" Angie began.

"You have the right to remain silent," Jason cut her off. With his free hand, he pulled out his phone. "This is Detective Jason White. I have a 10-15 at my cabin. Request backup immediately."

"Copy that," Cheryl's voice shone through. "Officers en route."

"You got her pregnant?" Angie attempted to rise.

"Sit down!" Jason snarled. He didn't even look at me. I felt horror settling in my stomach. My secret was out and in the worst possible way. I tried to focus on my breathing and being grateful to be alive. Still, my fantasy life with Jason could have reached a shattering conclusion. There was no way to have an honest conversation with Angie in the room. I would have to wait until the crisis passed to explain myself.

"All this time…" Angie muttered.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," Jason advised her. "We're just going to sit here quietly until my backup arrives."

"You're good," Angie spat. "You had me thinking that you really cared."

"Of course I care," he said.

"For her!" Angie surged to her feet.

Jason pushed her back down. "I'm warning you."

"You don't love me anymore!" The crazy lady collapsed into great, heaving sobs.

Suddenly, I felt bad for her. It was obvious that in her deranged mind she had wanted to get back together with her husband. And I was the other woman standing in her way. The situation wasn't fair to any of us. Jason, who had left Nashville to try to escape the hell his life had become, was a victim in all this. I was supposed to be in love with him, and even I couldn't tell him the truth. The silence stretched us to the breaking point, punctuated only with Angie's gut-wrenching wails.

When the police arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief. Jason holstered his gun, allowing his fellow officers to remove the hysterical woman. As she was walked out, she shot him a look of pure hatred. Her mascara was smudged into raccoon eyes, her features swollen from the exertion.

Ryan waited on the porch to oversee the arrest before stepping inside to see if we were okay. "I guess I know where to find her," he said.

Jason smiled tightly.

"You, okay?" his partner asked.

Jason nodded. "Go book her. I'll be back in an hour."

Ryan looked at me, crossing the room to offer a friendly hand. I took it and squeezed, looking up into his gentle eyes. Whatever had gone on between him and Ava, I could tell he was a decent man.

"I'm sorry this had to happen," Ryan said.

"I'm okay," I sniffed.

"Take your time," Ryan told his partner.

Jason walked to the door to make sure Angie was in the back of the patrol car. He stood out on the porch for a long moment as the caravan of police officers drifted away down the hill. I waited on the love seat, working my hands together in a sweaty knot.

All I wanted to do was go to Jason, to wrap my arms around him, to find safety in his touch. But I had betrayed him just as surely as Angie had. I had kept the one thing from him that all men need to know when that event occurs in life. I had deprived him of making a decision. For selfish reasons, my lies had compounded his stress. I could only wait and hope that he would forgive me.

When he came back inside, he wasn't angry. He sat down next to me without speaking, gathering me into his arms. I sobbed, burying my face in his chest.

"It's okay," he whispered.

I nodded and sniffled. The adrenaline was leaking away, and I could feel my body going limp. My heart was pounding. He just held me for a long time, the silence between us heavy with regret.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked finally.

"I didn't know how you would react," I said stupidly.

"I love you, Lindsey," he said after a pause. "But I don't know what to think."

I collapsed into another sob. I really had broken this lovely thing we had between us. My failure to communicate had ruined his trust. I was desperate to know whether he wanted our baby, whether he wanted me. But he refused to tell me. Instead, he let me cry. When we had been sitting together for half an hour, he handed me his phone.

"Call Ava and Macy," he told me.

I accepted the phone with shaky hands and made the call. Macy was in his contacts, and I asked her to call Ava and spread the news.

"I'm okay," I told my friend as she gasped in surprise.

"Will you come sit with Lindsey?" Jason asked.

"Of course. We'll be right there," Macy promised.

"I'll stay with you until they come," Jason said, putting away the phone. "Then I'm gonna go back to work."

"Do you have to?" I whined. It disgusted me, but I couldn't keep the pleading out of my voice.

"I need some time to think," he said. "And I have to sort out my divorce and get her the help she needs."

Of course, he would still feel protective of his wife. Of course, he wouldn't want her to suffer at the hands of the system. I understood only that he was a good man and that I had injured him. We waited together until Macy showed up with Dillon and the kids.

Jason stood to greet his friend, and Macy replaced him at my side. I fell into Macy's arms with the same unashamed remorse that I had shown to Jason. Macy wrapped her arms around me, making soothing sounds.

"There, there," she crooned.

Jason and Dillon went out to the porch, leaving Nicky and the baby with us in the living room. Nicky drifted closer to the love seat, touching my knees with childhood concern.

"Is she okay, Mommy?" the little boy asked.

"She's gonna be fine," Macy promised. "She just needs us to cheer her up."

"I can draw a horse," Nicky said.

I laughed, wiping away my tears. "I think I have some paper in the office."

"I'll get it," Macy said, rising to her feet. "Nicky, tell Auntie Lindsey about our trip to the farm."

I turned my focus to the eager little boy as he climbed up onto the spot his mother had vacated. He treated me to a rambling dissertation about farm animals while Macy collected what art supplies she could. Dillon returned to the living room without Jason, studying me for signs of stress. I gave him a watery smile.

A moment later, Ava burst through the door, and my circle of friends was complete. I collapsed into sobs.

"Jason—I told him…" I tried to get out.

"Sweetheart, can you take Nicky into the bedroom and see if there are any cartoons on?" Macy asked Dillon.

"Sure." Dillon picked up Nicky.

"Hey!" the boy shouted indignantly.

"Come on, let's give the girls some room to talk," Dillon said, putting his son on his shoulders.

As soon as they were gone, Macy and Ava turned on me. I was still sitting on the love seat; I hadn't moved since the incident. Macy sat next to me, holding my hand. Ava was crouched in front of me, staring up with supportive eyes.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. "When she was in here waving the gun around, it sort of came out. I told them both I was pregnant."

"How did he respond?" Ava asked, coming up out of her crouch to sit opposite us on the couch.

I shook my head. "Badly."

"You can't know what men are thinking," Ava said.

"He's probably hurt that you didn't tell him before," Macy surmised. "Let the shock wear off, and you'll get your true reaction."

I sniffled. Before I met Jason, I had been eager to have the cabin to myself. Now, all I could think about was that he wouldn't be with me every morning to share the sunrise. I had messed up, and my baby would pay the ultimate price.

"Don't think about it," Macy saw the way my thoughts were going. "Do you have any ice cream in the freezer?"

I nodded.

"Well, let's get it out." She surged to her feet, mothering me like a pro. We got out a deck of cards and played gin rummy for hours until Macy had to take her real kids home. Dillon and Ava stayed, ignoring my assertions that I would be fine. Dillon set up his computer in our office and did his thing. Ava and I fell into our normal routine of gossip about the hair salon and its owners. Everything seemed comfortable for a time, but throughout it all there was a nagging doubt that I would never experience my happily ever after with the one man I had come to love more than anything else in the world.