I looked back up at Josh and frowned. “Amanda is going to see Brad today, so I better get it. ” I let out a sigh.
Josh grabbed his truck keys and then gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Hey, Amanda. Hold on real quick,” I answered. I looked Josh in the eyes. “I love you. Please be careful driving. ” I kissed him again.
“I’ll be back soon. I don’t think it will take me long. Are you staying here?”
“I have to run a few errands, but I won’t be gone long. I’ll be waiting for you,” I said with a wink.
The smile that spread across his face caused my knees to go weak.
He slowly backed away and turned to leave. “Be naked!” He walked down the steps and out to his truck.
I giggled as I watched him walk away. Damn, that boy has a nice ass.
“Hey, Amanda. I’m so sorry. Josh was just leaving to head back into Austin. ” I sat down.
“Did you tell him about the baby?”
“Uh…no, not yet. ”
“Oh Jesus, Heather. You can’t keep putting it off. Look at the situation I’m in now because I didn’t tell Brad the moment I found out I was pregnant. ”
My heart broke for Amanda. “What time are you going to see him?”
“I don’t think I can do it. I’ve pretty much gone through half this pregnancy without him here. What if he can’t give up the drugs? And, of course, there’s also the fact that he made out with that bitch. ”
“Oh, Amanda, please go. I know you’re angry, but you’ll always second-guess yourself if you don’t go. I know he hurt you, but I also know he is hurting so, so much. Ellie said Brad cries every time he talks to Gunner, and Brad always says how much he hates himself for what he has done to you. ”
Amanda was silent for a good two minutes. I heard her softly crying.
“I just love him so much…and I hate him so much, too, Heather. I gave up all my dreams for him. I went to work for his fucking mother even though I hate her, and I did it for him. I’ve changed myself, so I could fit into their stupid high-society life…all because I loved him so much. In return, he just pushed me away when he should have been pulling me in closer, so I could help him. How do I move past this?”
I took a deep breath in and let it out. Everything she’d said was so true. She’d had dreams of moving and living near the ocean, so she could work as a marine biologist. She’d talked about it since we were freshmen in high school. She’d given it all up to work as the office manager for Brad’s mom.
“I don’t know, sweets. All I know is…if you love him and he loves you, then you’ll find a way to make it through this. I think Brad was just as unhappy as you were, but he was too afraid to stand up to his parents. That was where the drug use came into play. I think he just wanted to find an easy way out…a way to forget. ”
“Yeah…well, I wish I had a way to forget the last six months of my life,” she said.
“I know, sweets. I know you do. ”
“Heather?”
“Yeah?”
“You need to tell Josh about the baby. I know you’re hoping he’ll get his memory back, but if you keep waiting…you’re going to be four months pregnant like I was. Then, you’ll have to figure out a way to tell him and also explain why you waited so long to tell him. ”
“I know. I almost told him right before you called. ”
Amanda took a deep breath in and let it out. “I just pulled up to the rehab center. I wish y’all were here. Oh god! What if his parents are here?”
I let out a laugh. “Amanda, you said you were just meeting with the counselor and Brad. Baby, take a deep breath and decide right now. Are you going to forgive him and stand by his side to help him through this drug problem? Or are you going to hold on to your anger, raise your child as a single mother, and walk away from the love of your life?”
“Okay…well, right now, I’m going with option two—anger and single mother. That pretty much sums up how I’m feeling toward him. When I see him, I might change my mind, but I seriously think I’m just gonna want to junk punch him. ”
“Good luck, sweets. I love you,” I said.
“Thank you, babe. I’ll call you after I leave. Plus, I want to know what last night was like. ”