6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Scottie

“What the hell is going on?” I stare down at my handcuffed son, trying to wrap my head around this. My lungs are barely taking in air, but I’m certainly wide awake now.

When Chase asked if he could hang out at his new friend Jared’s house, I was so damn excited that he was making friends that I didn’t think twice before agreeing. I never imagined something could go wrong—so terribly wrong.

I was also ecstatic thinking about the fact that I could go to sleep before eight o’clock without feeling guilty for not spending time with my son. The exhaustion and persistent nausea have been wearing on me all week. It was all I could do to make it to Friday.

And now, as I stand in the same space as Grady, the other issue I’ve been avoiding looms over me, reminding me that I have to tell him my news eventually. But tonight is definitely not the time, given our current circumstances.

“Ma’am, your son was caught trespassing, breaking and entering, and vandalizing Mr. Reynolds’ business tonight.” The officer explains what transpired since he didn’t get a chance to on the phone. As soon as I heard that my son was being arrested, I cut him off and asked for the address, shaking with nerves as I raced toward Grady’s Garage.

I already knew that avoiding Grady was no longer possible, but this is not how I envisioned our reunion going.

“Chase Matthew Warner! Have you lost your damn mind?”

“It wasn’t my idea!” he yells, as if that excuse is going to get him anywhere.

I pull my robe tighter around my body and peer around at the destruction in the garage. “That’s funny—because you’re the only one in handcuffs right now, so how the hell are you supposed to convince me that someone else is responsible for destroying Grady’s car?”

Chase’s eyes dart to Grady and then back to me. “You know this guy?”

Grady grunts, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. “Ha. Yeah, we know each other.”

“Shit,” my son mutters, hanging his head.

“Watch your language and start talking,” I demand.

With his eyes still focused on the ground, Chase begins to mumble. “Jared said he wanted to take me and the other kid somewhere, have us prove that we wanted to be on the team.”

“What team?” Grady interjects.

“The baseball team,” I answer for my son as Grady huffs out a breath.

“Of fucking course,” he grates, running his hand through his hair as he starts to pace the floor. But I can only track his movement from the corner of my eye because my main focus is my kid and how badly I want to strangle him right now.

“So they convinced you to break into the garage and vandalize a car?” I shriek, my voice echoing off the walls of the garage. “And you just listened to them? ”

“What’s the other kid’s name?” The officer chimes in.

Chase’s eyes dart to the side, but I bend down, grab his chin, and force him to meet my gaze. “Tell the officer right now before this gets even worse for you, kid.”

“Trent. Trent McDonald,” he mutters.

“And Jared? What’s his last name?” The officer scribbles on a notepad.

“Brown,” Chase says as I release his chin and stand up straight again. But as I do, a wave of dizziness hits me, and I feel myself starting to sway.

“Whoa, Scottie.” Grady grabs me before I fall, holding me in his arms.

And God, he smells good. Like soap and sweat. His scent—it’s one of the few things that hasn’t instantly triggered my nausea.

Absolutely not, little one. I refuse to be one of those pregnant women who eats soap or craves dirt. Get it together.

Rubbing my stomach, I let Grady guide me over to a chair. “Are you all right?” he asks, concern etched on his face.

I peer up at him, wondering how on earth I’m going to get through this.

One thing at a time, Scottie .

“Yeah, I just got up too fast.”

“Mom?” Chase calls out to me, pleading with his eyes. My son doesn’t do this shit. Sure, he’s a teenager and makes stupid choices more often than not, but this is beyond stupid. This is illegal.

I look up at Grady. “I’m so sorry about this.”

“Which part?” He folds his arms across his chest and glares down at me.

“Not here,” I say soft enough that he can hear me, but quiet enough that Chase can’t .

Grady glances over to my son but returns his gaze to mine quickly, giving me a curt nod. His eyes, they’re full of anger. I’m sure he’s pissed about his car, but I’m also not so na?ve to think that some of that anger isn’t reserved for me.

The officer clears his throat, breaking through our moment. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know what you want to do, Grady. Do you want to press charges?”

I stand from the chair, placing a hand on his chest. “Grady, please. I know you’re pissed, but this is my kid. I promise, we’ll pay for the damages, but—”

“I don’t know.” His jaw clenches as I wait for him to continue. “I think we all need to cool off and maybe we can sit down and talk tomorrow,” he says, cutting me off.

My shoulders fall as I sigh with relief. “I’d appreciate that.”

The officer nods, scribbles another note on his pad, then proceeds toward my son, unlocking the cuffs from around his wrists. “You’re free to go home with your mother tonight, son, but this isn’t over. You’ve just had your first brush with the law, and if I were you, I’d be hell-bent on making it your last. Otherwise, you and I will get to know each other very well, and I’m not someone you want to be friends with.”

Chase stares at the ground and nods.

“Thank you, officer.”

“Frank Davidson, ma’am.” He reaches out to shake my hand.

“Scottie Warner. And again, thank you for calling me.”

“Of course.” He tips his chin toward Grady and then leaves the three of us alone.

“Grady…” I start, but he shakes his head at me and starts he ading for the door.

“Warner,” he mumbles, shaking his head. “Definitely not Scottie Daniels anymore.”

“Warner is my married name.”

He glares at me. “I’m putting the pieces together, Scottie.”

“Look, I know it’s late, but…”

“I meant what I said, Scottie. I need…” He winces as he looks back at me. “I need some time to wrap my head around this.”

Knowing better than to push any further, I swallow down my rebuttal and gesture for my son to follow me out to the car. Chase launches from the floor and stands behind me. “Can I come by tomorrow then?” I ask.

Grady doesn’t meet my eyes, but I can see the strain in his muscles as he clenches his fists. “Yeah, that should be fine. What time?”

“Probably the afternoon.”

“You know where I live,” he says, and in that moment, I feel like it’s a dig, a reminder that I’ve been in his home, in his bed, and I left without saying goodbye.

But there will never be a goodbye between me and Grady because, no matter how much I wish I could let him be, that’s virtually impossible now that I’m carrying his baby.

***

“Give me your phone.” The second we walk through our front door, I face my son head-on.

Chase hands over the device willingly. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this mess, Chase.” And you’re not the only one who has things to fix here. “I’m so disappointed in you.” He nods, not daring to argue. “You broke the law tonight, and you’re not even fifteen! Do you realize that if Grady decides to press charges, this could follow you around for years? This could affect your entire future!”

“But you said that you know him, so can’t you talk to him? Get him to cut me some slack?”

“Slack?” I shriek. “Just what do you think he should do, Chase? What if I didn’t know the man whose business you broke into? Huh? What would you propose I do then?” He shrugs, avoiding my eyes. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I say, “Look, it’s late. I need sleep and a level head to even begin to think of how I want to handle this. But just know, you are grounded until you’re eighteen.”

His head pops up. “Eighteen?”

“If you’re lucky. Now go to your room.” I point down the hallway, and he wisely obeys, walking to his room and shutting the door behind him.

As the door clicks shut, I let out a long, shaky breath, the reality of the night sinking in. Heading back to my room, I shut myself inside and enter the bathroom, studying myself in the mirror.

I’m twenty all over again, holding my stomach as I take in a few deep breaths, wondering how on earth I’m going to handle this. Nothing prepares you for being a parent, and I sure as hell have never had to deal with anything like this with Chase. Sure, he has problems putting his laundry in the basket instead of on the floor right next to it, his room smells like rotten feet no matter how much Febreze I spray, and his idea of communicating most of the time is rolling his eyes or grunting. But he’s a good kid.

This was supposed to be a fresh start for us. Instead, I feel like we came in full throttle, only to run headfirst into a brick wall. And to top it all off, now I’ll have another child to raise and wonder what kind of trouble they’ll get into. How am I supposed to navigate all of this on my own ?

I should have guessed I was pregnant weeks ago, but with the move, my mind was focused on other things. I didn’t even realize I missed my period, and the nausea didn’t start right away, same as when I was pregnant with Chase. With him, all of my symptoms started later in the first trimester and lasted well into my fifth month. Here’s hoping this pregnancy is easier, but given my age, I’m even more nervous about what to expect.

I have one child with a man I can’t stand, a child who thought breaking the law to fit in with his new friends was a good idea, and another on the way with a man that can barely stand to look at me right now. And if Andrew finds out about this? I don’t even want to think about how he’ll react and what he might do.

History is repeating itself, and I’m the fool who thought I’d learned from my past.

Tomorrow I will talk to Grady, ask for forgiveness for me and my son, and let him know that he’s going to be a father. I will stand my ground, assure him that nothing between us has to change, and then we can just both move on with our lives.

I’ve done this before, and I can do it again. Only this time, I’m not going to let my heart get involved. That’s how I got in trouble in the first place, and the last thing I need is heartache on top of everything else.

***

Just after three in the afternoon, I pull into the driveway of Grady’s house and shut my car off. Chase is under the supervision of my mom and Gigi while I’m gone so I don’t have to worry about him getting himself in trouble again. I haven’t told them what happened last night yet, but they know something’s up since Chase looked like a puppy dog with his tail tucked between his legs when I dropped him off, and he’s without a cell phone.

Grady steps out the front door just as I stand from the car, and god, he looks good .

Wearing a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, his light brown hair freshly cut, and his feet bare, he stares at me as I make my way to his wraparound porch and climb the five steps that lead to the front door. His arms are straining against the sleeves of his shirt, those biceps that I remember biting into as he made me come so hard I nearly passed out.

“Hi,” I say, trying to gauge his mood and forget about our hot night that led to me being pregnant.

“Hey.” He holds the door open so I can enter the house and follows me inside.

In daylight, I can finally take in his home. The night I spent here was fully in the dark, so I couldn’t appreciate the home he’s built for himself.

The walls are a light gray and the décor features shades of blue, ranging from sky blue to navy. A plush gray couch and matching recliner stand out in the living room, facing a massive television that takes up nearly an entire wall. Framed articles from his baseball career hang proudly on the walls around the space. Through an opening in the wall, I glimpse the kitchen through that separates the two rooms, and a hallway to my left leads to his bedroom—a place I remember all too well.

“Scottie?” he says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“I asked you if you’d like something to drink.”

“Oh, sorry.” I push my curls from my face. “Sure. Water would be great, thanks. ”

He nods and heads for the kitchen, bringing me back a glass of ice water, gesturing for me to sit on the couch as he takes a seat in his recliner to my right.

I take a sip, set the glass on the coffee table in front of me, and then meet his eyes. “Grady, I’m so sorry. Again.”

“For which part?” His words are curt, and I know he’s referring to my leaving without a word, but I have to handle the matter with Chase first.

“About last night. Believe me, my son will be suffering the utmost punishment from me, and we will pay for all the damages, but I’m begging you, please don’t press charges.”

Leaning forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs, he stares at me. “I’m not going to press charges, Scottie.”

A sigh of relief leaves my lips. “Thank you.”

“I remember what it was like to be fourteen and wanting to fit in. But this situation is more complicated than that.”

“What do you mean?” Does he know about the baby? How could he know? I haven’t told anyone yet, not even my mom.

“Your son said that these boys are on the baseball team?” he asks.

“Yes…”

“Well, I’m one of the new coaches.”

My stomach drops. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Leaning back in the recliner now, he begins to rock. “The new coach reached out to me back in December, right before…”

Our night together . I nod, but don’t say anything.

“I wasn’t even entertaining the idea, but then you suggested it, and I…”

“I’m glad you decided to coach, Grady,” I tell him, offering a small smile. “It’ll be good for you. And the boys. They’ll learn so much from you.”

Silence stretches between us and then he finally asks, “Why didn’t you tell me you were moving back, Scottie?”

I sigh and lean back into the couch. “Because I didn’t know I was until about three weeks ago.” His brow furrows, but he doesn’t say anything. “Carrington Cove Elementary was looking for a new assistant principal and my mom called me about the job. It’s not uncommon for administrators to change schools mid-year, and life down in Georgia has been taxing lately, so…” I rub my palms on my jeans. “My son and I needed a fresh start. Then, not even a few days in…”

“He went and got himself in trouble,” he finishes for me.

“Yeah.” Sitting up again, I stare right into his eyes. “Can Chase work off the damages, Grady? Please? I don’t want to just write you a check. I want my son to learn something from this. He needs to think long and hard about the consequences of his actions so he never thinks about doing something like this ever again.”

Grady clears his throat. “Yeah, I think that could work. The yard needs some help. He can pull weeds, organize scraps, stuff like that. Maybe I can make him scrub engine parts, get some grease under his fingernails.”

I glance at his hands, remembering how they felt on me, callused from hard work. I’d never been touched possessively like that. He ran his hands over my curves like he was tracing the lines of a classic car—and I felt every ounce of appreciation of my body in his touch.

“Perfect.” Relief rushes through me. “And he’ll be working off his debt at my house as well.”

“But at practice...”

“Don’t take it easy on him there, either. Make him run, do push-ups. I don’t care if he throws up.”

The corner of his mouth tips up. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? ”

I shrug. “Like I said, I want him to regret every second of his choice.”

His smile falls. “This means we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other,” he says, as if the words pain him.

Staring down at my lap, I nod. “Yeah, we will.” Lifting my gaze, I see him staring at me. “But, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

“Now you want to talk? You usually just disappear without a thought,” he spits out, and the anger he’s been reining in finally comes out. I could see it in the tick of his jaw, but Grady has always been good at keeping his composure.

“That’s not fair, Grady,” I whisper.

He stands from his chair, placing his hands on his hips. “Really? You’re going to talk to me about fair?”

I launch myself from the couch so I’m standing now too, facing him. “What do you want from me?”

“I want to know why you left without saying goodbye, damn it!” His voice booms through the room.

It startles me, but I hold my ground. “Because it was just supposed to be one night.”

“You really only wanted one night with me, Scottie?”

Shaking my head, I look off to the side. “I didn’t expect to see you again, Grady. And when I did, I just…”

“You just thought, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen that guy in seventeen years, and he looks like a good lay.’”

“No. That wasn’t it.”

“Then what? Was the sex not satisfactory?”

My hands start shaking from the adrenaline running through me, but I give him a steely gaze. “You’re being an ass. ”

He points a finger at me. “And you’re lying to me. There’s a reason why you ran that night, and I’m pretty damn sure I know what it is, but I’m wondering if you have the guts to tell me.”

Throwing my hands up in the air, I reply, “What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to admit that it meant something to you, and you ran because you were fucking scared!”

His words feel like a slap, the impact of reality hitting me all at once.

Because he’s right. That night did mean something, but it doesn’t matter now. Everything changed when those two pink lines appeared.

“Grady…”

He closes the distance between us, holding me by the upper arms and lowering his voice. “One night, Scottie? You honestly thought that one night was enough?”

“We shouldn’t have even had that, Grady,” I manage to squeak out.

“Why?” He drags his nose up the side of my face, his breath hot on my skin. And my entire body comes alive.

God, how can this man have this effect on me? He’s my friend, was my friend for years. And one night together completely changed how my body responds to him?

It was just sex, two consenting adults in it for a good time.

It wasn’t supposed to mean anything.

You’re so stupid for even thinking that it wouldn’t, Scottie .

“Because I’m pregnant, Grady,” I whisper, letting my admission float out in the space between us.

He freezes, his chest rising and falling so slowly in front of my eyes that I’d think he stopped breathing if I didn’t see the evidence for myself.

Taking a step back, he releases my arms and I gaze up at him, his expression unreadable. “You’re what? ”

I clear my throat and declare with more assertion this time, “I’m pregnant.”

Grady barely blinks for a few beats. “Um…how?”

Blowing out a breath, I turn away from him and begin to pace the room. “Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same question, but you know, condoms don’t always work.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “Jesus. I, uh…”

“I know this is a lot.”

“You think?” He turns to me, his brows halfway up his forehead. “When did you find out?”

“Just this week. Something was off with me. I threw up a few times, and then finally realized I missed my period.” I shake my head, palming my face. “I should have known sooner, but life was crazy with the move and new job, and...”

“Okay.” He blows out a breath, nodding slowly, absorbing this new information. “So what now?”

“I called Dr. Rivera. I have an appointment next week.” Given my age and the fact that I’m already eleven weeks along, they wanted to see me as soon as possible. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m sorry that the timing of all of this isn’t better, but I wanted you to know. You deserve to know.”

Grady takes a seat in his recliner again, staring off into space. “Scottie…”

“Don’t worry, Grady. I’m not asking for anything from you.” His head snaps to meet my eyes. “My focus is on Chase right now, and we can figure the other stuff out later.” The longer he looks at me like I’m a stranger, the more eager I am to leave.

Reaching for my purse, I toss it over my shoulder and head for the door. “Look, I need to go.”

“Scottie!” he calls after me .

I turn back to face him for a moment. “Take some time, Grady. We can talk again soon.” And then I open the door and race out to my car, needing some space so I can break down in private. I tear out of his yard as the first few tears begin to fall, and my hands continue to shake as I grip the wheel.

“Why are you crying, Scottie?” I say to myself, signaling to turn onto the main road so I can get back to my son and deal with my family.

Why am I crying?

Because telling Grady he was going to be a father and seeing his reaction was a lot harder than I thought. Not only did I turn his life upside down, but he looked at me like I was just a figment of his imagination.

What did you expect, Scottie? And besides, you don’t want anything more from him, right?

I guess I just figured the next time I had a child, things would be different. I would be in love. The child would be planned and prayed for.

I never imagined going through the same experience twice. And honestly, after Chase turned ten, I sort of assumed that I was only meant to have one kid.

I love my son and having him forced me to grow up and view life very differently. But nothing could have prepared me for this—for encountering a man from my past who awakened the old me, the girl who was good at having fun, disregarding consequences, and living in the moment.

Looks like I channeled her a little too well—because now I’m in a predicament that I’m unequipped to handle. I’m not sure what I want, and nothing prepared me for how Grady makes me feel.

All I know is that I refuse to let my heart get involved this time .

I can handle this on my own, and that’s the way it has to be—because Grady has the ability to destroy me, and I can’t crumble again. There’s no way I’d survive it twice.