“If you stay awake all night you’ll be even crazier than you are now. Take a bath, get some sleep.”
“I’m sorry I’m acting psycho,” I said. “Thank you for putting up with me.”
“I love you, you psycho,” she said and hugged me. “And I’m going to be an aunt! Finally! I’m going to go buy every loud baby toy there is and a bunch of batteries to pay you back for that Baby Shark thing you got Max last year. I hope your baby gets up in the middle of the night and demands waffles just like he does. And plays with loud toys when you just want to go back to sleep.”
“Don’t put a curse on me. I’ve got enough drama right now,” I said and shooed her out so I could shower.
The whole time I was under the hot water, I kept thinking awful things. He’s going to be upset. He’s never going to trust me again. He’s never going to touch me again. I’ll be trapped in a heartbreaking, sexless marriage because I accidentally got pregnant from screwing my fake husband’s brains out for weeks. I was like my own episode of a Jerry Springer show.
22
Damon
In the morning, after a restless night, I checked my phone and saw I didn’t have any messages from Trixie. That didn’t sit right with me, and I decided to call her, just to see if she was okay. I was ready to dial when I got a message from her. Sorry I missed your call was asleep. You ok? Flight comes in at five.
I’ll pick you up, was all I replied.
Laura and the baby were fine, but we’d all been scared. No one more so than Brody.
I couldn’t get it out of my head, everything Brody went through last night. How horrible that fear would be. I couldn’t shake it. I worked out. I did some laundry and went to the library and took some lunch to my parents. They kept asking about her, about how her visit was with her sister. I didn’t know what to tell them. I just said she was having a great time, because I didn’t want to say, oh she didn’t bother to call me back last night. We were all relieved about Laura and the baby, and I could tell my mom hadn’t slept much either. She was going over to see them later and I said to let me know if they needed anything.
Later, I got ready and went to pick up Trixie. I felt grim, like I looked forward to seeing her but I was uncomfortable, too. Something about her not messaging or calling, about saying she was asleep and not bothering to call, just texting her flight info—it didn’t seem like her. It was inconsiderate, and she wasn’t an inconsiderate person. I knew her well enough to say that for sure. She was sometimes bashful and awkward, usually stubborn, but she wasn’t unkind. So I felt like something was off in my universe.
When she came out of baggage claim, she hung back a little like she was suddenly shy. I gave her a hug, kissed her briefly. I had missed her, but I knew stuff wasn’t right between us. She acted like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. The woman who usually stuck her hand in my back pocket whenever I put my arm around her was fidgety, diffident. I felt the unusual quiet. She wasn’t bursting with stories about Max or about Kiera. She wasn’t saying much of anything.
In the truck, on the long drive home from the nearest airport, I decided I had to tell her about Laura.
“The reason I kept calling you last night was they had to take Laura to the ER. She was bleeding.”
“Oh my God! Is she okay? How’s the baby?” I glanced over, saw genuine anguish on her face.
“She’s on bed rest for a few days, but they had a heartbeat and everything on the baby. Gave us a hell of a scare. Brody especially. I’ve never seen him like that, and I was there when his first wife died of cancer. This was just pure—agony.” I shook my head.
“I can imagine. I’m glad they’re both okay. I’ll make something for them to eat and take it over tomorrow. I’m sorry about not answering the phone,” she faltered.
“You said you were asleep. Must’ve been real tired,” I said.
“I was.”
“Did you have fun in Savannah?”
“Yeah. We stood in line at this mansion restaurant thing forever but it was worth it. So yummy,” she said, but her voice was hollow. “And we went shopping.”
“Doesn’t look like you bought much,” I said, observing that she’d just brought back the one suitcase.
“I got Max a Baby Shark hat and gloves. Kiera’s still pissed about the musical toy I got him for his birthday that plays that.”