Forsaking All Others (From This Day Forward Book 2) (19 page)

Do you know how much a taxi from Beaumont to Houston costs? A little over two hundred dollars and one emergency credit card later, I’m sitting in the airport waiting on Lauren to find me a flight.

Me:

Any luck? I’m here.

Lauren:

Well, there are a lot of people flying here today.

I’ll keep trying.

Me:

Okay.

I tear up again and that familiar tightening in my chest becomes more noticeable. I already scared the poor cab driver with my hysterical sobbing, I really don’t want to lose control in a crowded airport. They might not let me on a flight.

I lean over and hug my knees, focusing on the patterned tiles.

Deep breaths

In and out

I give up and pull some medication from my purse—I can’t even remember the last time I needed it. I’m about to pop one when I read the label:
Consult with a physician if you are pregnant or nursing.

I sigh, putting everything back in my purse.
Guess it’s back to knee hugging and deep breathing.

I close my eyes and try to visualize something peaceful, but all I can think of is David.

When I open them again, there are a pair of familiar work boots standing directly in front of me.

I look up and there he is. It’s as if I conjured him with my mind. “What are you doing here?”

He kneels down, “Did you really think I’d leave you behind, Beth?”

I bite my lip as my eyes well up again, looking anywhere but at him when I answer. “I don’t know. I figured after you got the results, you’d be leaving soon. I couldn’t bear the thought of you with her, so I ran. It’s the only thing I seem to be good at doing!”

“What about growing our baby in the middle of absolute chaos? You seem to be doing a phenomenal job there.”

My head jolts up, “You know? Did Lauren or your mom tell you?”

He laughs, “Baby, you’ve thrown up more in the last month than in the entire time I’ve known you, you’re more emotional, and you have the sexiest baby bump I’ve ever seen—I put all the pieces together this weekend.”

My mouth is dry, “You-you’re not mad?”

He reaches out and rests his hands on my knees, “No, I wish you would’ve told me when I ran into you at that doctor’s appointment back in August, but I get why you didn’t. None of that matters anymore, because you’re mine forever now.”

“What about Jess? And the results?”

He gives me a sad smile, “I don’t know, Beth. Lauren seems to think it might be fraudulent based on a conversation she overheard between Jess and a nurse.”

I put my head back down in despair, “Forgery? David, it seems like a longshot. How is Lauren planning on proving this?”

He spins his wedding band around his finger, focusing on the floor, instead of me. “I don’t know—I don’t have a fucking clue how any of this works out!”

I glance around to make sure no one’s heard him. The last thing I need is to end up on a “no-fly list.”

I cock my head toward the sliding doors. “Let’s discuss this outside, please.”

He grabs my suitcase, “Let’s discuss it in the truck, while we drive back home.”

I shake my head, “Oh no you don’t. I need to wrap my mind around all of this, David. I don’t know if I can stomach sharing special events with Jess for the rest of our lives.”

He grabs my hands, “You told me you were calling off the divorce. Are you telling me you’ve changed your mind?”

I focus on the arrivals/departures board in front of me, “I-I don’t know. I said that before—before we knew for sure it was yours.”

He laughs sardonically, “So, what was all that the other night then? More lies? Jesus Beth, can’t you be honest with me about anything?”

I’m about to lay into him when a family of four walks past. Instead, I walk away from him and out into the humidity that is Houston.

David follows me, “Beth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I get that you’re under a lot of stress and I’m not making this any easier on you. I just wanted you to choose a life with me, regardless of the test results, but that’s not fair to you.”

I suck in a ragged breath, I’m not sure if it’s the humidity or panic attack that’s causing me to feel like I’m breathing underwater. “David, I want a life with you—this weekend has been the best reminder of why we should be together. On the other hand, knowing that I would have to share you with Jess—who seems hell-bent on sticking her claws into you—it feels impossible. That, and I’m worried about what diseases you picked up while knocking her up.” It’s a cheap shot and I regret the words almost instantly.

He grabs onto my wrists so hard that I cry out in pain, “I have never been with anyone, but you without protection. Did I fuck up? Yes! Am I going to have to live the rest of my life knowing what I did to you? Yes!”

He growls the words through clenched teeth before letting me go abruptly and walking away. I think he’s going to leave until he stops and leans his head against the building.

He’s trying to keep himself in check.

I want to stay where I’m at and pout, but I know I’ve hurt him just as much as he’s hurt me. I walk over to where he’s standing, ignoring the curious looks of those around me. “David, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I wish there was some sort of guarantee you could give me that you’re not the father.”

He hastily wipes at his eyes and turns around to face me.
I made David Greene cry?

“I can’t give you that, baby. You’re gonna have to choose me as is.”

I swallow hard, a million thoughts racing through my head. I tune them out and finally answer him with my heart, “You, as is, is a hell of a lot better than not having you at all.”

I’d wanted a fairy tale my entire life, but when given the chance, I’d take a harsh reality with no secrets over a night of dress up any day.

He holds his fist up to his bottom lip, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I quit trying to reign in my emotions and let my tears flow freely, “I’m saying I want you to be my husband—” I run a hand along my baby bump, “—and the father to this little person, regardless of what that paternity test shows. I have to trust you on this…and I’m slowly learning to do just that.”

David wraps me up in his big arms, showering my face with kisses, “I love you so much Elizabeth Marie Greene, and I will do everything in my power to prove it to you for the rest of our lives.”

I slept most of the ride home, David’s hand resting on my head. Whenever he stopped for gas, he would wake me for a bathroom break and to buy snacks—he seemed to think I constantly required food—something I wasn’t correcting at the moment.

We arrive back to our house after dark and as we unpack, I finally ask the question that’s been on my mind since we left the airport. “David, what would you have done if I would’ve refused to come with you?”

He places some clothes in the dresser and turns back to face me, “I would’ve thrown you over my shoulder and carried you out. I told you, you’re mine forever.”

I smile, “Yes, but what if I wasn’t willing to call off the divorce?”

He laughs, “Beth, I would’ve done the same thing. Lauren and Mike gave me some interesting news this morning.”

I give him a “go on” look, “I would’ve filed a motion for an emergency hearing, where I would’ve requested a pregnancy test,” seeing my confusion, he continues, “Apparently in the great state of Texas, a judge cannot grant a divorce when the woman is pregnant. So, looks like you’re stuck with me.” His confidence wavers a bit toward the end and he actually seems unsure of himself.

I laugh incredulously, “Are you kidding me? So my plans to drug you in order to flee to the nearest courthouse are all for naught?”

His smile returns, “Would you have hated me for it?”

I bite my lip as I decide how to best answer him, “I’ve tried to hate you since that night, but I can’t. You’re like a poison in my bloodstream, and at the same time—my oxygen. I don’t know how to be Beth without David.”

He drops the clothes in his hands, “Fuck—I mean shoot. I did some research and at fifteen weeks, the baby can start to hear outside the womb. I’ve gotta clean up my language.”

My eyes fill with tears, “You know how far along I am?”

David runs his hand over his beard and I can tell he’s deciding how to answer me. “I did the math and I may or may not have called up Dr. Harper to confirm that.”

I gasp, “The important job you got?—that was it wasn’t it? Beating out the other guy because you got your bid in first?” I’m leaning over, wheezing with laughter now.

“Dam—darn it, Beth. I was so effing proud that you were carrying my baby, but I wanted you to tell me when you were ready.” He tosses a pillow at me, “Stop laughing—it’s not funny!”

I continue laughing until tears pour down my face, “I’m sorry—I can’t get over the fact that you compared getting me pregnant to getting the bid on your dream job. I thought you were awfully excited about it.”

He comes over to me and wraps his arms around my waist, and drawls, “I’m torn between wanting to strip you down and get in there real nice and deep-like or treating you like you’re made of glass and not touching you for the next twenty-five weeks.”

I feel as if the air has been sucked from the bedroom and I answer breathlessly, “The first choice. Definitely the first one.”

Then I throw caution to the wind and jump into his arms. He pulls my shirt up, placing a sound kiss on our baby, “Okay, twist my arm—but tomorrow, we’re going down to the courthouse and withdrawing those divorce papers.”

I quickly agree before reaching for the button on his jeans, “Whatever you say, Mr. Greene.”

“So you wish to withdraw the petition for divorce?” The county clerk ignores me and focuses solely on Beth.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The clerk spends the next few minutes looking up our file. “Here we go, Elizabeth Marie Greene and David Michael Greene. Looks like he never filed a response, so we’ll just need you to fill out a form to dismiss everything.”

I smile cockily, I can’t help myself—I’ve been given everything I wanted. I don’t even care.

Beth is busy signing the required documents when we hear a commotion near the front doors.

“Let me in. I have information the court must hear!”

I move until my body is shielding Beth’s from whatever the hell is taking place near us. She puts down her pen and turns in confusion. “What’s going on?”

I shake my head, “Not a clue—stay here.” I make my way to the front doors and there’s Lauren—in a stand-off with several other people.

“David!” She sounds out of breath, “Thank God! I was just about to call my boyfriend,
Detective Mike Sullivan
, to sort this out.” She eyes one man suspiciously.

The whole thing is so ludicrous, it makes me laugh. “What seems to be the problem here?”

The man getting the death glare from Lauren answers, “This woman barged into the courtroom and demanded to be heard. No one knew who she was or why she was there though.”

I look over at Lauren, who is studying the ceiling intently. “Laur?—what the hell?”

She pants slightly from being out of breath, “Well, you were meant to be in the court making your grand stand. That’s what I told you to do, so I assumed you listened. It would’ve been much more dramatic!”

I look at the man restraining her, “She’s here for us.”

He gives me a puzzled look, “You’re sure? She seems kind of unhinged.”

Lauren clears her throat, “I can hear you.” She looks back at me, “Where’s Elizabeth? She’s going to want to hear this.”

I thank the man and lead Lauren away from the crowd, “You could’ve gotten arrested pulling that shit. What the hell were you thinking?”

She smiles, “I thought it’d be like one of those courtroom dramas, where the key witness rushes in at the eleventh hour with information that could turn the case around.”

I roll my eyes, “You watch too much television—you know that?”

She slaps my arm good-naturedly, “Let’s get this show on the road, Dave!”

Beth is just finishing up when we arrive, “Lauren, what are you doing here?”

Lauren gestures to the chair, “You’re going to want to sit down for this.” She looks over at the clerk, “If you weren’t already sitting down, I’d suggest you do so as well.”

The clerk ignores her completely and goes about her paperwork.

Lauren leans over, still trying to catch her breath. “Laur—you okay?” Beth pats her on the back.

“Yeah,” she wheezes, “I may have run a bit farther than I’m used to. Just give me a sec—I’ve got a side cramp.”

I sit in a chair and begin restlessly tapping my fingers along the armrest, “Sometime today, Lauren.”

Her phone dings and her eyes brighten once she sees it, “Okay, our guest is walking in. We can begin.”

She leaves and comes back with a woman I don’t recognize. I look over at Beth and it’s obvious she knows her.

“Rose?” Beth asks questioningly.

The woman, Rose, nods, “Hi Elizabeth.”

Lauren interjects, “Okay, here we go—I did some digging after we hung up yesterday, David. I kept running into dead ends until I thought to go visit our new friend, Rose. Turns out, Rose had been doing some digging too. There were a lot of record inconsistencies with the chart of Jessica Davis. She’s been seen regularly in the recent months, but never by a doctor on staff. There’s only been one nurse to see her every single visit—”

I interrupt, “Carolyn?” It was the only nurse we ever saw.

Lauren nods, “Carolyn Brandon. Last week, I overheard Jess offering Carolyn money—I initially thought she was looking to have an abortion, but something didn’t make sense.”

I circle my hand, growing impatient, “Wrap it up, Lauren. What did you find out?”

Rose answers, “Jessica Davis is not pregnant, nor has she ever been.”

I drop my hand weakly and Beth makes a small sound of surprise before asking, “But the paternity test?—how?”

Rose continues, “I’ve gone back and reviewed everything. It appears that Carolyn was paid an unknown amount of money to disclose patient information and to forge the test results.”

I look up, “If that sample for the paternity test didn’t come from Jess, then who did it come from?”

Rose smiles and looks over at Beth, “The blood sample used in the paternity test came from your wife, Mr. Greene. The lab confirmed it this morning.”

I stand up suddenly, “That means that—”

Beth gets up and walks toward me, tears flowing freely down her face, “That means that we’re having a little boy!”

I pick her up in my arms and note that the clerk who wasn’t interested in us a minute ago is now leaning over her desk, completely absorbed.

I look over at Rose, “So, what’s going to happen now?”

“Well, besides there being a huge HIPAA violation—both women will be charged. Jessica will be hit with lesser charges of solicitation to tamper with medical records while Carolyn will be facing tampering charges along with falsifying medical records. Paternity fraud charges will most likely be added in as well. I think it’s safe to say that you won’t be bothered by either one of them anytime in the near future.”

Lauren is grinning like a cat who just caught a canary, “Did I come through or what?”

I grab her arm and pull her into our impromptu group hug, “You did better than I could’ve imagined.”

Rose smiles, “I’ve got to go, but Lauren has all of my contact information. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.”

I look down at Beth, who is laughing and sobbing simultaneously. I kiss her on the lips, “We’re having a little boy, Beth.”

She wraps her arms around my neck, “I feel like I’m dreaming right now.”

I smile at her words.

I’ve felt like I was dreaming since she agreed to stay with me yesterday—even without knowing what today’s outcome would be.

I feel like the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive. I don’t know it yet, but my luck’s about to take a turn for the worse.