All In: Playing the Fool (Gambling With Love) (27 page)

"
Lacy
? Oh my God. What are you doing here?"

"How about I show you instead?" she asked, and then her arms were around my neck and her lips were on mine. Fuck, I'd missed the taste of cherries.

When she pulled away I was still in shock. "Well, I'll have to say that was better than getting smacked, even though I deserved it."

"Yeah, you did," she agreed. "I was upset, and it felt nice to be angry instead of sad for a few minutes. But thank you for being there for me those first few days and during the funeral. I don't know if I could've handled it without you."

"I've missed you so damn much. And I'm sorry. About everything," I told her.

"I forgive you for everything, and I really missed you too."

"Thank you," I said in a relieved exhale. "And I promise I will never do anything to hurt you like that again."

"I know you won't," she said with a smile. "At least not intentionally."

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing in Greensboro?"

Lacy blinked rapidly and looked up to the ceiling. "I got a letter today. Well, I found a letter in my mailbox today. From my mom. She'd sent it right before…Anyway, she asked me to forgive her, and she helped me see what was right in front of me. How pissed I was at you and Joe was nothing compared to how much I missed you."

"I've been going crazy without you. Joe has too," I told her, dragging her body against mine. "You've been by to see him?" I asked, smelling his cologne on her.

"Ah, yeah."

"Since I can smell him on your skin does that mean you fucked him?"

"Yes. Twice."

"I'm glad you two made up. He's been a mess."

"You don't mind?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"No. I mean, I was okay with it before, but then losing you…Lacy I've told you I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. Even if that means sharing you." 

"Good," she said with a sigh of relief. "So Joe said you quit your job to work for Dylan?"

"Yeah I did. I had to let go of my pride and see it for the great opportunity that it was, not a handout."

"It is a great opportunity, especially if you'll be visiting Charlotte some?"

"I'd like to do more than visit Charlotte," I told her honestly.

"Really?" she asked, a beautiful smile lighting up her face.

"Really."

"I happen to have a very nice townhouse that I need help paying for on my own."

"Oh, so you're looking for a roommate?" I asked, so happy to have her back in my arms and back in my life. I'd do anything to be with her.

"Nope, I'm not looking for a roommate. I'm looking for a live in boyfriend. Maybe eventually, someday, a fiancé?"

"I think I might know someone who's interested," I told her with a smile.

"I was hoping so. I even bought a ring in case you said yes," she said with a grin while biting her bottom lip.

"Did you really?" I laughed.

"Yep," she responded, then started digging through her purse. "Ah, here it is."

Lacy's outstretched hand offered me a ring alright.

"Is that…is that a cock ring?" I couldn't help my laugh as I accepted the thick, clear plastic circle.

"Yes. I thought it was more our style, don't you think?"

"Definitely," I told her. "I can't wait to try it out with you."

She laughed then said, "I also brought a movie we can watch. It's short but really hot. Oh and it takes place on an elevator..." She barely finished her sentence before I was covering her lips with mine. Those were also the last recognizable words from her mouth that night. Chad and Joe had missed her too, and the three of us didn't let her get any sleep. 

Lacy

My cell phone started ringing in my purse, making me curse. Shoot, I thought I'd silenced it. Since I was at work I started to hit ignore, but at the last second decided to answer since it was an unknown Charlotte number.

"Hello?" I said quietly.

"Ms. Pierce?"

"Speaking."

"Hi, this is Stacy Walker at WYMF News Twenty. I was just calling to see if you're still interested in the reporter position for our morning show."

"Yes, yes, I am." I tried to respond without freaking out.

"Great. If you can come by the station tomorrow around nine a.m. then we'll start showing you the ropes, and you could be in front of a camera by early next week."

"Oh my goodness. Thank you so much."  

"Welcome to our team! See you then," the woman said then hung up.

I sat staring at my phone in shock and disbelief. I even scrolled through my call log to find the number, just to prove I hadn't imagined it. And there the incoming number was. Woo-hoo! I had a job. I was going to be on TV!

I couldn't wait to call Will and tell him the good news. Over the last few weeks he'd been moving his things in, finally making the townhouse feel like our home. Joe and Chad had already been down for an overnight weekend with us.

I sat my phone down on my desk and started typing up my notice so I could turn it in right away. I liked working in the legal field, and I hated to up and leave on short notice, but this wasn't what I loved doing. Journalism was.

I jumped clear out of my seat when my phone rang again.
Oh shit, they've changed their minds
, I thought. But when I looked at the screen I saw it was my doctor's office.
My doctor's office
?

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Lacy Pierce?"

"Yes."

"Ms. Pierce, this is Vicky from Dr. Miller's office. I was just calling to see if you're ready to reschedule the appointment you canceled a few weeks ago? For your yearly?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that, and the short notice." I'd canceled the appointment that I was supposed to have the day after my mom's funeral. "I'm actually living in Charlotte now, and just got a new job, so I'm not sure when I can get back to Greensboro."

"Okay, that's fine. But have you decided to use a different form of birth control or do you need Dr. Miller to call in a refill for a few more months of the NuvaRing prescription in the meantime? It looks like your prescription probably ran out a few weeks back."

"Oh fuck!" I exclaimed. "Wait when...when…what day did it expire?" I asked aloud to myself.

"When was your last period?" the woman asked.

"Oh shit," I muttered, not having the slightest idea when my last period was. Too much had been going on.

"You have been using another form of birth control, right?" she asked.

"Um, no," I responded, pulling up the calendar on my computer. Okay, when was my last period? I know! It started the week of exams. I remember because I was pissed at having to deal with cramps on top of studying for tests. So, that would be…eight fucking weeks ago? No, no, no. I was always on time! It must be the stress with my mom and all. Only...I don't remember taking the expired ring out.

"I'm a, ah, few weeks late," I told the woman. "Like four of them. But that's normal right? When dealing with a lot of stress?"

"Have you had unprotected sex in the last few weeks? 

"Y-yes."

"Then you should probably come on in here or go to an OBGYN there in town to take a pregnancy test."

"A pregnancy test?" I asked, unable to believe this was happening. I might be pregnant. Holy shit, whose baby would it be? My sluttiness was coming back to bite me in the ass.

...

Will

Lacy was already home when I pulled up in the driveway. Huh, that was unusual since traffic downtown usually held her up longer than my drive from the brewery.

I started heading inside until I saw movement inside Lacy's car. She was still in it, holding the steering wheel at ten and two, staring straight ahead like she was driving. I knocked on the passenger window and she jumped, suddenly snapping out of her trance. Something was definitely wrong.

When she didn't make any motion to get out of the car I walked around to the driver side and tugged on the door, which was locked. Lacy rolled the window down first before she figured out how to unlock the door. Finally I was in, pulling it wide open.

I crouched down to eye level with her and noticed her eyes were red, like she'd been crying.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You're sort of scaring me."

"I-I got a job," she muttered, still looking straight ahead.

"You mean you got offered a new job, like in reporting?" I asked.

She nodded and finally looked at me. "I start tomorrow for News Twenty."

"Lacy, that's great! Congratulations!" I told her, leaning in to give her a kiss. I knew she'd been worried about getting hired on somewhere. But wait, shouldn't she be happy? 

"Um, Lacy? Aren't you happy about the new job? This is what you wanted, right?" I asked. She nodded again. "Then what's wrong?"

She looked at me for several silent seconds, and my heart broke when a tear slid down her cheek.

"Will, I'm pregnant."

I think I inhaled all the air in the city when I gasped. "You…you're pregnant? How-how do you know?" I stuttered. "Are you sure?"

"I'm late so the doctor said I should take a test. It was positive."

"Wow. That's really…unexpected. But we can do this, you know? It's going to be okay, Lacy."

"I don't know who the father is," she sobbed into her hands. 

"Oh fuck!" I exclaimed when I started thinking it through. "It might not be mine? Oh my God. It could be, it might be Joe's?" I asked. "Oh fuck, or Chad's?"

Lacy's head barely nodded, and she started crying harder. "Or Zack's...I'm such a whore...I don't know who knocked me up!"

"Oh, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay," I told her, pulling her into my arms. "How soon can we find out?"

"After...it's...born," she said between hiccupping sobs. "The test...during pregnancy...too risky."

Wow, that meant months of her being pregnant, and not having any fucking idea if it's my baby or not.

I carried Lacy into the house and tucked her into bed after she went catatonic, then grabbed my phone to call Joe.

"Hey, Will. How's Charlotte?" he asked when he answered.

"Good. How's the new job?"

"So far so good. I think I'm going to like prosecuting criminals for a change."

"Glad to hear it. So um, what are you doing this weekend?" I asked, deciding at the last minute that I didn't want to do this over the phone.

"Ah, nothing I know of, why?"

"You want to come down here? Oh, and maybe bring Chad?"

Joe laughed. "Lacy wants another foursome, huh? I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe spend the night Saturday like last time?"

"Ah, yeah sure."

"Everything, okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Lacy has…a surprise for you."

"Damn, now I can't wait," he said, thinking I meant something naughty. Oh he was so going to lose his shit when he found, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him on the phone.

"Check with Chad and let us know, okay?"

"Sure. See ya, Will. Tell Lacy I miss her."

"Will do," I replied before ending the call. Stepping outside on the back patio I called Dylan.

"Will! Your sister said she's pissed at you because you haven't talked to her or your parents in weeks."

"Ah, sorry I've just been busy getting settled in and all."

"You okay? You sound…off," Dylan asked.

"No, I'm not really okay. Lacy's...we just found out...she's pregnant."

"What? Holy shit! Congrats! Jules, guess what. You're going to be an aunt!" he called out.

"Not necessarily," I corrected him.

"Wait, what do you mean? She is going to have the baby, right?"

"I think so, it's just, I may not be the father."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Fuck. That's...I'm sorry. So it might be…Joe's?"

"Uh-huh. But don't say anything because we haven't told him yet. He's coming down this weekend so we can tell him in person. It could also be Chad's or Zack's."

"Oh. My. God. You're serious?"

"As a fucking heart attack. There's only a twenty-five percent chance that it's mine. We should've been more careful, but hindsight's 20/20 and all that shit. I'm guessing Lacy had so much on her after her mom died that she missed a few weeks with her birth control ring thing, but I can't be upset with her about that. I just...I want it to be my baby, not one of theirs."

"Well, it's a simple test to figure it out right? Like a mouth swab?"

"I think so, but it's going to be a few months before we can swab the baby's mouth. Lacy said there's a way during pregnancy but it's risky, and I wouldn't ask her to take that chance just so we can find out now."

"Oh, damn."

"Yeah. This…there are no words to describe it."