Keeping Her (The Lexington Series Book 2) (20 page)

My mother turned and left. Erica shut
and locked the door then wrapped her arms around me. I let myself cry on her
shoulder. When I let her go I walked to the kitchen to get some water to help
calm me down. I grabbed a glass out the cabinet and opened the fridge to get
the water pitcher when a pain shot through my stomach. It was so painful and
sudden the glass dropped from my hand and shattered to the floor. Erica was
right behind me looking concerned. I tried taking deep breaths when another
pain tore through me. I clutched onto the counter and closed my eyes trying to
focus. There was another cramp and then I felt wetness. I closed my eyes and
prayed that my water didn’t break. I was only 7 months pregnant. It was too
soon. I opened my eyes and what I found was much worse. Erica followed my gaze
and gasped.

Landon

“Come on Max put your back into it! Get
that sucker!” Nick screamed.

Max was the only one hooking fishes
today, they weren’t large but they were something. He was doing a hell of a lot
better than us. The fish were either taunting us by skipping us and going
straight for Max or he was the fish whisperer. This would be his six fish. He
and Nick got it reeled in and he brought it over and hung it right in my face.
If I hadn’t reacted quickly he would’ve smacked me with it.

“Check this out Landon. This is the
biggest
one today. I’m the best fisher ever!” he told me.

I laughed and ruffled his hair. “I
believe you bud. You have the fish to prove it.”

He went to put the fish with the rest
he caught when my phone rang. It was Lucy. “Hey babe.” I answered.

“Landon its Erica, hurry we’re at
North French hospital. Something with the baby.” Erica rushed out.

Everything stopped and I froze. I was
sure I didn’t hear her right. “You’re at the hospital?” I asked to make sure.

“Yes, hurry. We’re in the emergency
room.” She told me and disconnected.

I turned to Nick as I started
gathering our stuff. “Nick we have to go. Something is wrong with Lucy and the
baby they’re at the hospital.”

Nick paled. “What’s wrong?” he asked
jumping into action.

“I don’t know.” I confessed then
looked at Max. He was shaking and looked scared. I knelt down to his level and
rubbed his arm. “It’s ok little man. Everything will be fine, ok?” I asked.

He nodded but didn’t look sure. To be
honest I wasn’t sure either, I just knew we needed to get there. We had the car
loaded and were on our way in less than 10 minutes. I went as fast as I could
to get there. When we entered I went straight to the front desk and gave Lucy’s
name and they gave us her room number. My heart was pounding so hard it was the
only thing I could hear. I entered the room slowly afraid of what I’d find. I
looked in and saw Lucy’s face. Her eyes were closed and her head was back. She
looked completely exhausted. I tried to swallow but there was a huge lump in my
throat. Nick and Max entered the room ahead of me and she opened her eyes. She
gave me a small smile. I continued to scan her slowly until I reached her
stomach. There were white circles pasted to her in different spots, but her
stomach was still round and full. I let go of the breath that I’d been holding
and the sounds started to filter in. I heard the baby’s strong heartbeat fill the
room and some of the tension in me drained. I walked forward towards the edge
of the bed.

Max grabbed Lucy’s hand. “Are you
ok?” he asked. He still looked scared and worried.

She smiled and patted the bed for him
to climb up. He got in the bed next to her and laid his head on her breast.
“I’m fine Maxamillion.”

He put his hand on Lucy’s stomach and
lifted his head to meet her eyes. “Is my little brother ok?” he asked. Lucy
didn’t answer but Max’s eyes went wide. “Was that him?” he asked her in wonder.

She laughed and nodded. “Yes, he was
telling you he was ok.”

Max grinned at her and said, “Make
him do it again.”

She shrugged. “I can’t
make
him do it. He does it when he feels like it.”

Max laid his head on her stomach and
whispered loudly. “I’m Max. I’m your big brother and I’ll teach you how to
color.” I guess the baby kicked again because his head snapped up and he held
his cheek that was against her stomach and fell into giggles.

Lucy rubbed Max’s hair. “I think he’s
talking back to you.” She told him. Max put his head back against Lucy’s breast
and she massaged her hand through his hair. He kept one hand on her stomach, I
guess to feel for more movement. I won’t lie like I wasn’t a little jealous but
I knew he needed it to ease his fears. Max talked her ear off about the fish
and made me hand over my phone so he could show her pictures. I was itching to
talk to her but I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to have that conversation in
front of Max. After about an hour, Erica grabbed Max to take him home leaving
me and Nick there.

As soon as they were out of earshot I
got close to Lucy and grabbed her hand. “What happened baby?” I asked.

She sighed. “My mother happened.”

I frowned, “what do you mean?” I
asked.

“My mom came by today about her
wedding. She never heard back since she sent the invite. Well, initially she
was talking about me being a bridesmaid before she realized I was
really
pregnant. Then she started throwing insults. She got to me and we went back and
forth a bit. It ended with her slapping me and being thrown out the house. I
started having pains afterwards and I was bleeding so we rushed straight here.”
she explained.

My blood pressure shot through the
roof. My hands clenched at my sides. “She
touched
you?” I asked.

She nodded and turned her head
revealing her cheek on the other side and that’s when I saw the red welt on her
face. Her mother didn’t just hit her she tried to hurt her it looks like. I
began counting backwards in my head to get a grip on myself. She seemed to
watch us to see if either of us would blow up. When we didn’t she continued
talking.

“Anyway, the doctors said it was the
stress that triggered it. I went into preterm labor, they were able to stop it
and I will have a prescription to take that will keep him in where he belongs.
I’m going to have to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy though.”
She replied sadly.

I cupped her face in my hands. “What’s
wrong baby? The baby is going to be fine.”

“I know. And that’s my main priority,
but school starts back up in a couple of weeks or so. I won’t be able to go if
I’m on bed rest.” She informed me.

Nick crawled in bed next to her and I
wanted to deck him. He kissed her temple and rubbed her stomach. “It’s ok
sunshine we’ll be there to help. I’m going to miss your cooking but I’ll pick
up the slack.”

Lucy groaned and looked at me with
pleading eyes. “Please don’t let him cook for me. You don’t hate me that much
do you?” she begged.

I chuckled. “It’s alright baby, don’t
cry I won’t let him feed you.” I cooed.

“Oh, you don’t cook either!” she
stated pointing an accusing finger at me.

“I wouldn’t dare. I’ll talk to your
doctor and see when we’re getting out of here.” I told her.

“Please make it ASAP I am so sick of
hospitals. I don’t want to be back here unless it’s a happy moment.” She
pouted. I wanted to bite her lip but I refrained.

Lucy

The doctors were strict. I was to
remain in bed as much as possible… keep moving around to the bare minimum and take
the prescription as they said. Avoid stress at all costs and lastly, no sex… of
any kind. Landon looked ready to pass out when they gave that stipulation. I
had already figured as such from my initials talks with the doctors, but when I
spoke to him initially I decided to drop only a few bombs on him at a time.

It’s been exactly three weeks since
we arrived back home from the hospital and things have changed. I tried not to
let it bother me but come on… I’m sitting here in bed every day all day I have
nothing
else
to do but think. Landon seems distant and I feel like he’s keeping
secrets. He has a lot of time that’s unaccounted for, and when he’s here in the
room with me he’s on the computer, in the shower, or on his phone. And when
he’s doing things it’s like he wants to make sure I can’t see what he’s doing.
He hasn’t even touched me. I know what the doctors said but even when were just
cuddling he would usually just rub me or something, that all ended. He keeps
our physical contact to the bare minimum and sometimes when I try to get close
to him he pulls away. It’s driving me mad because I know he’s a freaking rabbit
and the way he’s been acting has me suspicious and it’s also bringing out all
of my insecurities.

When he left for school I was going
crazy in my mind. Is he grossed out by how big I am now? Is he regretting this
now that we’re closing in to the end? Or is my mother right… does he not want
me anymore? I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I won’t let my mother ruin
this. What I needed was normalcy. I missed cuddling with Landon, joking with
Nick, playing with Max. Even Nick treated me like I was fragile. He seemed
hesitant to even make me laugh these days I hate it. I made up my mind that
today things were going to change. I sat in bed thinking of all the things I
could make that would be easy and required little effort and standing on my
part. I finally made up my mind and headed down to the kitchen. I sat down
while I got things prepped. It wasn’t my normal style but I was adhering to the
rules. I took my time because it would be a while before anyone got home. Nick
and Max arrived first just as I put the chicken on to bake and was getting the
mashed potatoes ready. Max hopped over to me and thanked me profusely for
cooking. Nick even cracked a few jokes about how he’s been food deprived. This
is what I missed. Their excitement boosted my confidence and I knew I was doing
the right thing.

I was just taking the chicken out the
over when a voice boomed behind me, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?”

I was so startled I ended up dropping
the pan on the floor and all of the chicken scattered around. I looked down at
the food in horror. I slowly turned around to face Landon and he was standing
behind me. His fists were clenched at his side, his jaw was ticking and his
face was red. I swallowed hard. “I was just making something to eat.” I said in
a soft voice.

He narrowed his eyes. “Why? You know
you’re not supposed to be doing this shit. You don’t fucking listen. Don’t you
give a shit about what will happen to the baby if you don’t listen to the
doctor?” he practically yelled at me.

I shrunk back a little. “I didn’t do
anything. I wasn’t standing up or anything for a long time. I made sure to make
something that wouldn’t require that… I just wanted to you know…” I trailed off
because I didn’t know how to express myself.

“Just fucking go back to bed and I’ll
clean this shit up.” He muttered running a hand through his hair. “I bought
food I’ll bring you something when I’m done fixing your mess.”

My eyes burned with tears this was
not at all what I was expecting. I pulled in a deep breathe to control my
emotions and I met his eyes. I shook my head, “don’t bother. I’m not hungry.”

“Lucy….” He began but I shook my head
again.

“No I was just cooking for you guys I
don’t want anything. I’ll just head to bed.” I told him. I had to keep my voice
steady to cloud the emotions rolling through me. He sighed but didn’t say more
and I turned and headed upstairs. I saw Nick turning the corner I guess to see
what the commotion was but I couldn’t meet his eyes. I wrung my hands the whole
walk to the room to keep myself preoccupied so I wouldn’t cry. Not yet. When I
got to our room I turned off the lights and got into bed. I cried for a while, at
least until I ran out of tears. A couple of hours later I heard the garage and
a car leave. I didn’t get up to check. Nick had come to check on me sometime
around nine and I pretended to be asleep. That’s when I knew it was Landon who
had left. I stayed awake in bed in the dark for hours. At some point I heard
Landon get home and come into the room. He got in bed and I smelled him. He
smelled strongly like liquor and cheap perfume. I looked at the nightstand to
see it was 2am. I thought I was done crying, but somehow more tears produced. I
cried silently into my pillow. He didn’t reach for me or acknowledge me. He was
snoring almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

I’m not sure how long I stayed up
last night crying, but when I woke my eyes were sore and puffy and it was 11 in
the morning. I texted Naiyla to get my mind on something else, surely she would
have something
else
to talk about. After she expressed how much she
missed me and wanted to see me I decided to take her up on her offer. I was on
bed rest anyway I mean I can freaking do that anywhere with a bed. I packed up
a bag and set it to the side. When Nick got home I asked him if he could give
me a ride to see Naiyla. He seemed weary at first but I assured him I just
needed some girl time. Since I’m on strict orders I might as well just hang for
a few days. I had to give him my best impression of puppy eyes for him to
agree. I hopped in the shower and threw on a large t-shirt and some sweat
pants. I made sure to grab my medicine and a few other little things.

I was zipping up my bag when Landon
came in. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“Out.” I told him as I looked around
the room to make sure I had everything I needed.

“Out where?” he asked. I could hear
the agitation in his voice but I decided to ignore him altogether.

I walked to the door and screamed
out, “Nicholas, the queen is ready!”

“Yes dear.” I heard him respond and I
snickered. He would respond to almost anything. I sat down on the foot of the
bed to wait for him. He made me promise earlier to wait for him so he could
carry my bag.

Nick came into the room and arched a
brow. “What are you taking?” he asked.

Landon had been standing against the
wall with his arms crossed since he’s walked in. “Where are you taking her?”

Nick turned to him to answer but I
cut him off. “Out.” I said again and stood. I walked towards Nick and pointed
to the bag I packed, “that one young man. And make sure you handle it with
care, my things are fragile.” I told him in the best English accent I could
conjure.

He saluted me and swept up the bag.
He made sure to bang it hard against two of the walls on his way out. I rolled
my eyes and kept going. We had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when I
heard steps thundering behind us. I rolled my eyes and kept going.

“Lucy, where the fuck are you going?”
he demanded.

I kept walking like I couldn’t hear
him. Nick sped up his steps like he was trying to stay out of the upcoming
confrontation. Little did he know, there wouldn’t be one. Oh no. I kept walking
feigning ignorance. I got towards the front door and he caught up and circled
me stepping in between us. “Don’t act like you don’t hear me. Where do you
think you’re going Lucy?” he asked.

I looked down at my nails thinking of
which color I could paint next. I looked up at him with a bored expression and
rolled my eyes. “Out.”

He narrowed his eyes. “This is how
you going to play it Lucy? Seriously? You can’t just be up and around like shit
is ok because it’s not.”

“I’m going out. Didn’t the doctor say
stress is bad? Well this conversation is stressful, so excuse me I’m doing what
the doctor said.” I told him.

He gave me a long look before he
moved out the way and I exited the house. Score one for Lucy! We headed over to
my old dorm and Nick walked me all the way
into
the room. Once he was
satisfied there was indeed a bed still there big enough to accommodate me he
left. Naiyla made a cozy little setting in the living room. It was a bunch of
blankets and pillows put together comfortably in front of the TV. She had moved
the couch and table out of the way. I went over and made myself comfortable.
She walked to the fridge before she turned to me.

She threw her hands on her hips and
asked, “So is Landon fucking up or smothering you?”

I laughed. “More of the fucking up I
would say.” I told her.

She nodded and opened the freezer.
“That sounds more like cookies and cream than pistachio. I have spoons and ice
cream and chick flicks. Game on bitches.” That made me laugh while she came
over with the goods and I sighed.

“I can go for some reruns of
Pretty
Little Liars
or
Gossip Girls
?” I offered.

She smiled. “Girl we can do both!
You’re here for a few days. Shit if we are really committed maybe some
90210
?”

I gave her a shit eating grin and
hugged her. “Where have you been all my life?”

She giggled, “So where should we
start?”

I thought about it for a second
before I gave her a devilish grin. “I could use my dose of the sexy Chuck Bass.
Jesus the man has more swag than can be bottled and some Serena and Blair drama
should definitely outrank my own.” I suggested.

Naiyla laughed. “Gossip Girl it is.”
I cheered. We spent the night indulging in drama and ice cream. We eventually
passed out there on the floor.

Naiyla didn’t have class the next
day, so we hung out and ordered Chinese food. It was very relaxing to just be
able to sit around and laugh. Yes, back at home I stayed in bed but it wasn’t
the same. They were too afraid of everything that they weren’t themselves
around me anymore. The normalcy I was craving is what Naiyla was providing. I
didn’t hear from Landon until that night. I considered sending his call to
voicemail but decided that was too childish.

I answered right before it went to
voicemail. “Hello?”

“Lucy…”

I waited for several seconds but he
didn’t say anything else. I felt a headache coming on already. “Yes?” I
prompted him.

He cleared his throat. “Are you
coming home?”

I sighed. “No.”

This has got to be one of the most
awkward conversations we’ve ever had. It kind of feels like we don’t know how
to act towards one another. “Why?”

I rolled my eyes since that was an
easy question. “Because I don’t
want
to… I’m fine where I am.”

He sighed in frustration. When he
spoke again the annoyance couldn’t be mistaken. “And where are you?”

That pissed me off. How dare he act
like I’m the problem here? “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I muttered. Sure it was
petty but he was definitely bringing out the worst in me right now.

“Yes I would actually.” He snapped.

“Right well good luck on that. Look I
really need to go.” I told him and hung up before he could respond. I tossed my
phone to the side not bothering to put it on vibrate. If there was one thing I
knew about Landon is when he’s fed up and being stubborn he’s going to try a
power play in an unusual way. This was one of those times. I knew he wasn’t
going to call me back and that was just fine with me.

Naiyla gave me a sad look. “That bad
huh?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes. It got that bad when
he screamed while he scolded me then sent me to my room like a child. Then went
out all night and came back smelling like a bar and cheap hoochies.”

Naiyla’s eyes widened. “Jesus fucking
Christ girl what is going on?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. I wish I
knew, but it’s been like this for weeks. You know how he is… since when does he
ever give up on anything that easily? He doesn’t give a shit it seems like. He can’t
even stand touching me anymore.”

She frowned. “Are you sure that’s the
issue? I mean, I know that boy is crazy about you. I don’t know how he could go
straight cold turkey like that. Are you sure you’re reading this correctly?”

I rubbed my temple. “I sure hope I’m
not.” I admitted, and we ended the conversation there.

I stayed with Naiyla for two weeks,
and during this time I mainly spoke to Nick with his daily calls to check in.
Landon only called me once more and asked where I was and if I were coming
home. When I told him I wasn’t sure he just hung up on me and never called
back. It hurt that he was giving up, but I couldn’t blame everything on him. I
mean I wasn’t reaching out to him either and I left without speaking to him. I
just wouldn’t be able to take it if he confirmed my suspicions. I know it’s
stupid but I’d rather remain blissfully ignorant. Naiyla had met a guy and I
decided that it was time for me to head back home. I wouldn’t be selfish and
continue to monopolize her time and place. She insisted that I didn’t need to
go but it wouldn’t be right that she wouldn’t be able to pursue a relationship
because she has me there.  I packed up my stuff and waited for Nick to come get
me. My palms were sweating the entire ride back to the house and Nick kept
throwing me worried glances. He asked me a few times if I was alright. I told
him I was but I don’t think I was convincing. Nick pulled into the garage and I
saw that Landon was home. I should’ve suspected that because Nick didn’t have
Max with him.