When Least Expected (12 page)

“The night I got the papers from the lawyer, I read over them and then went to see Jimmy,” she whispered. He had to lean in closer to hear her. “I didn't understand why we were getting divorced when we hadn't tried everything. Jimmy told me it was a mistake. He said something must have happened at the lawyer's office and they sent out the papers by accident.

“It made sense to me, so I believed him. I went home that night expecting a call the next day, or another letter saying it was a mistake, like Jimmy said.

“A week went by and my attorney contacted me, explaining they had gotten their copies. I realized then it wasn't a mistake. Jimmy was wrong. I don't think he was ever wrong before.

“He never spoke to me about you again after that night. He never mentioned your name or told me when he saw you. I think he knew it hurt too much, and he was saving me from that pain. But part of me wondered if he was saving himself, too. Did he ever talk to you about me?”

He swallowed and nodded. “Yes. Every time I went to see him, he talked about you. Not so much about how you were doing, but he would talk about times from before. It felt like he was twisting the knife. Trying to make me feel it when I was so set on keeping it out.

“The only time I ever took Meeghan to his place, he was polite and talked to her like she was his favorite guest. Then, when she got in the car, he pulled me to the side and told me to never bring her to his house again. Not that I would have anyway. It felt so wrong.

“I thought I would punish him or try to force him into accepting my new life by not going to see him anymore, but he wouldn't have it. He showed up at my apartment to visit and kept talking about you.”

“He probably wasn't helping my cause,” she said with a smirk.

“He was making sure I didn't forget how you made me feel.” He got up and adjusted the newly hung painting, tilting it to the left to make it level. “I didn't stop loving you, Lex.”

He heard her quick breath behind him.

“I left because I couldn't see you hurting anymore. I couldn't see how disappointed you were while trying to be brave and hopeful, when all I did was fail you over and over again. I left because it was easier than asking you to give up.

“After I left, I felt relieved. No pressure, no heartache, no seeing you in pain. I realized you were better off without me.

“I filed for divorce and started dating Meeghan right away in the hope you would hate me. Because I sure as hell hated myself. I thought it would help you move on if you saw I had. But I wasn't really moving on. I was just deluding myself. That's why I broke up with her after I saw you at my sister's. Because that night I knew you were still part of my family, and she never would be.”

“I thought you left me because I was broken and couldn't give you what you wanted.”

“Lex.” Tears came to his eyes and he didn't bother to hide them. “That's not true. You gave me everything. I'm so sorry I never told you before.”

“I never thought you would leave me. It was the one thing in my life I thought I could be absolutely sure of. Even when things got crazy, I thought it would be fine because you would be there. We would get through it together.

“Then, when I started to drown and I needed you to throw me a rope, you handed me a boulder instead.”

More tears flooded his eyes as he stroked her back and brushed the hair out of her face. When she looked up at him, he leaned down and kissed her.

He had kissed Lexi thousands of times, but this kiss felt like their first. The nervous tension. He moved closer to deepen the kiss, and she backed away, crushing what was left of his soul.

“I have a boyfriend, Ian.”

Right. He had forgotten all about him.

“Do you still want to have a boyfriend?” he asked, hoping the other guy didn't matter.

“Whether I want to or not, I have one. I don't do this.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” Her father had been unfaithful and it had destroyed her mother's life. She would never consider cheating on anyone.

“I'm glad you told me what you were thinking back then, but the thing is—I don't trust you now, Ian. Whether you left for me or for you, the fact is you left. What would keep that from happening again?”

He didn't have an answer—yet. He was making headway in his therapy, but he was far from ready to make promises.

“Thank you for hanging the painting.” She stood up and just about fell over. He reached out to catch her before she hit the floor. She was as white as a sheet.

“Lex?” He touched her clammy cheek while she blinked up at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy.”

“Again? Maybe I should take you to the hospital,” he suggested with worry in his voice.

“No. I'll be okay. I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow anyway.”

“How many times has this happened since you fell?” he asked.

“Twice.”

What was wrong with her? He tugged at his hair. He didn't have any right to take care of her, and her new boyfriend was a doctor so she didn't need him. He felt helpless.

“Do you want me to take you to the doctor's tomorrow?” he tried.

“No, thanks. I think I just overdid it today. I'm kind of tired.”

“Sure. I'll go so you can get some rest.” He kissed her forehead. “Be happy, Lex.”

“You too.”

He left knowing he would never be as happy as he had been when he lived there with her.

He might learn how to live on his own and deal with being alone, but he would never be happy without her.

Never.

A
s Lexi walked into Nichole's office the next afternoon, she felt like a weight had lifted.

She and Ian had finally talked out their issues. She'd finally got the closure she needed. As much chemistry as they had, it couldn't make up for the lack of communication.

Lexi was ready to move on with Jeremy—or give it a shot anyway. She would always love Ian, and as wonderful as it would have been to fall into bed with him again last night, she knew what the morning would bring.

More doubts, worries, and silences until he left again to escape.

She couldn't live like that.

She pulled out her phone and sent Jeremy a text that said Y
OU
'
RE STAYING WITH ME TONIGHT
.

Then she followed Nichole down the hall, feeling content to be making the first step in picking up the pieces.

She hadn't known Nichole long. She was best friends with Cooper, Lexi's divorce attorney and Roslyn's new fiancé. She was funny, and as she started asking questions, she seemed very capable and professional. Good. Lexi wanted to get her health problem worked out so she could move on to better things.

“I'm sorry I went a little crazy the last time we went out,” Nichole said.

“What do you mean?” Lex didn't understand the problem. She hadn't gotten wasted or anything.

“I was going on and on about wedding stuff. Afterward, I realized that was really insensitive. You and Riley are going through divorces. The last thing you want to hear about is my dress and flowers.” She frowned as she wrote something on Lexi's chart.

“I'm really happy for you, Nic. Honestly, it's easier to be happy now than it was when we went out.” Lexi smiled. “It helps to be dating a hot doctor.”

“Spill. Who is he and where does he work? I'll have him checked out through the nurse's network. Those nurses are better at digging up dirt on someone than a private detective.”

After discussing her new boyfriend as well as her medical issues, Lexi was checked over and sent for a blood test. She waited in the waiting room, wiggling her leg until she was called back into the examining room for the results.

“Well,” Nichole said with a big smile, “you're pregnant. Congratulations!”

Alexis blinked. Maybe more than once, she couldn't be sure. Then she shook her head.

“That's not possible. There must be some mistake.”

“No mistake. Tests don't lie.” She was still smiling at Lexi.

“But I can't
get
pregnant. Especially not with the only person I've had sex with. We tried to get pregnant for two years and couldn't. Now you're telling me it just happened by accident?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Lexi shook her head again. “There must have been a mix-up at the lab or something. I can't get pregnant,” she told her again, wanting this cruel trick to end.

“Lie back on the table and we'll take a look,” she said as she rolled out an ultrasound machine. “Do you know when you might have conceived?”

“Uh.” Her mind was still reeling from this possibility. “The end of April.”

“So this isn't the hot doctor's?” Lex shook her head. “You'd be about eight weeks. When was your last period?”

Lexi opened her mouth to answer and couldn't. She couldn't remember. When Jeremy had asked, she hadn't given it much thought.

After a year of mapping out every gynecological move her body made, she had ditched the calendars and gone with the who-cares approach.

“I don't know.”

Nichole raised her brows. “Has it been a while?”

“Maybe.”

She watched as the doctor adjusted her clothing and smeared some jelly on the apparatus before placing it to her stomach.

Lexi's eyes were glued to the screen, part of her restraining the hope, the other ready to say
I told you so
.

The room was filled with a quick whooshing sound, and Nichole pointed to the screen.

“No mistake at the lab.”

“I'm pregnant?” Lexi said, more in amazement than doubt now. There was proof. She could let the hope and joy run unfettered. Tears of happiness ran down both cheeks. “I'm pregnant! Oh my God!”

For about thirty seconds she was on a bit of a high from the news, then the Type A part of her brain kicked in.

“Is everything okay? Is it healthy?” Wouldn't this be worse? To feel this joy and then have something go wrong? “I think I had a few sips of alcohol at the bar last week.”

She quickly flashed through the last eight weeks. What had she done that could have harmed the baby?

“Everything looks perfectly normal. The baby's heartbeat sounds strong.”

Lexi pointed up to the ceiling. “That's a heartbeat?” she said, listening closer to the whooshing sound.

“Yes.” More tears fell as Lexi listened in amazement. “I'll print out a picture.” Nic patted her shoulder. “If you need to talk, we can call the other girls.”

Lexi realized she was in a hell of a situation, dating someone who wasn't the father of her baby.

The father. Ian. How was he going to feel about this?

She swallowed and took the picture, staring at it for a long time.

Their baby. They'd made a baby.

“Everything looks good, Lex, but I'm going to classify this as a high-risk pregnancy so I want you to see your OB-GYN every two weeks. It's more of a precaution than anything else. I'll have a starter pack of vitamins at the desk for you when you check out. Congratulations.” Nichole gave her a hug.

“Thank you! Thank you so much,” she said as she continued to stare at the photo.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

Lexi got dressed and left the office in a fog. Every movement felt like she might jostle the tiny creature and it would disappear.

She pulled the photo out and looked at it six times on the way home. At every stop sign and every stoplight.

When she pulled in the driveway, she didn't know what to do first.

Should she call Ian right away, or Roslyn or Kelly? Or—

Jeremy.

Oh. Hell.

Just hours before, she'd been content to move on with Jeremy, but now everything was different. She was having a baby with Ian. This changed things. Immensely.

She decided to wait to talk to Jeremy first. He was her current boyfriend so he deserved the respect of being told of the change in her situation first. Plus, he would probably be the easiest.

He would also most likely be angry at her for wasting his time.

Then she would tell Roslyn and Riley. They would be able to give her some great ideas on how to break the news to Ian. And once Ian knew, they could tell Kelly and the rest of the family together.

It was all working out perfectly in her head.

She should have known nothing ever went perfectly for anyone.

Especially her.

 

Dr. Younger was already waiting at the picnic table when he got there. Her office shared a parking lot and a small park with a bunch of other professional buildings. She'd called and suggested it instead of the diner because it offered more privacy, and it was a beautiful day. He brought them coffee and set hers down in front of her before he maneuvered his legs in under the bench.

They were in the middle of Ian's list of goals when he heard someone say his name.

“Hey, Cooper,” Ian greeted the man as he closed the door of his BMW and walked closer.

“I thought that was you. Hi, Suz.” Cooper addressed Dr. Younger as a friend. Maybe Ian wouldn't need to tell him he was in a therapy session. Let him think they were just two people having coffee.

He'd gone to school with Cooper. They'd played football together. He'd always thought Cooper was an okay guy until he ended up being Lexi's divorce attorney.

Not that he'd pressed for anything Ian wasn't willing to give. Ian wanted to give Lexi everything. Cooper was still an okay guy, but knowing Cooper was the one who had finalized the end of his marriage made him a little bitter. Good thing he was already in a session so he could address that, too.

“Hi, Cooper. Beautiful day, isn't it?” Dr. Younger said, looking up at the sky, not mentioning anything about him being her patient.

“It is. Too bad I have to go back inside. Enjoy!” he said and waved as he walked toward his own building.

“Small world,” she said, and they laughed at the situation.

When he was done with the session, he went home, happy to see the truck with the Roanoke Restoration and Reconstruction logo on the side.

Ian sat down on the porch next to Dalton. Sam was also visiting. He worked for Dalton and had stopped over a few times when they were in town. Therapy with the guys after actual therapy.

“You look like hell,” Dalton said, handing Ian a beer.

“I want my ex-wife back, but she has a boyfriend.”

Sam whistled and shook his head, while Dalton chuckled.

“Let me go get something stronger.”

“I don't want something stronger. I need a game plan on how I'm supposed to get her back.”

Dalton and Sam looked at each other. Neither of them had been married so it didn't seem they were going to have much to offer.

“Sometimes,” Dalton looked down at the floor and sighed, “we don't get the girl we want.”

Ian swallowed and looked out over the yard, not seeing anything. Of course he knew that was true. He wasn't a complete idiot, although his current predicament might prove otherwise.

What should he do?

He couldn't run to her house making promises. He'd broken all of his previous promises and she didn't trust him anymore.

She was dating a surgeon who seemed to care about her. Maybe they could have kids together. She would have the life she wanted and he would have . . . nothing.

He had been dealing with being alone, but now he knew he was kidding himself. The only reason being on his own was remotely tolerable was because all this time he'd assumed it was temporary.

Now that it was possible this loneliness might be a permanent fixture, it felt unbearable. He needed to do something.

Something drastic.

He met Dr. Younger at the diner the next week. They discussed his plan, and she gave him the guidance he paid her for.

She patted him on the arm. “You're making a lot of progress. It's good to go after what you want. But you need to be willing to face disappointment. It might not work out the way you plan.”

He nodded. “I'm willing to take that chance. I've already made a huge mess of my life. It can't get much worse.”

“That's exactly what we like to hear our patients tell us,” she said sarcastically with a laugh.

Ian was still laughing when his eyes landed on the woman walking toward their booth.

“Ah, shit.” Why couldn't he catch a break?

Kelly stopped and smiled down at them.

“Hello there, little brother.”

“Hey.” He wasn't sure what would be worse, having his sister know he was in therapy or letting her think he was having lunch with a woman. If Kelly knew he was in therapy, she would tell his mother, and she would want to know where she'd gone wrong. If she was to blame for his unhappiness.

“I should be going,” Dr. Younger said. “You can have my seat.” She stood, and Kelly sat down across from him. “Give me a call. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will,” he said as he watched her leave. Then he turned to his sister, who was giving him a smug smile. “You won't speak a word of this to anyone.”

“What's going on?” After he made it clear it wasn't any of her concern, they had a nice lunch together.

The next day he drove up to the cabin to meet the Realtor. It was time to get the wheels in motion. Something needed to be in motion or he was going to start sinking, and once he started sinking, he was afraid he would drown.

Memories of that weekend with Lexi swamped him the second he walked in the door. There was still a lingering scent of sticky buns in the air, mixed with the other familiar smells he had grown to love.

Before he had time to open all the doors and windows, a car pulled up.

The woman looked like she was dressed to sell a fifty-story high-rise instead of a modest cabin in the woods of Virginia. Her heels were very high, and Ian worried a tour through the soggy backyard would have her stuck there until fall.

“Mr. Montgomery.” She smiled and held out her hand. “I'm Naomi Jenson.”

“Yes. Thanks for coming.”

“So you're looking to sell this or rent it?” She got right to business.

“I guess I'd like to know how much I could get for it, and I'll base my decision on that.”

“All right, well, I can tell you the housing market is making a small rebound; however, vacation home sales are still suffering from the struggling economy.”

“Sure, I understand. I inherited it from my uncle.” He had no money in it. The only thing he'd invested were memories.

Another vehicle pulled up. A truck.

“I hope you don't mind, but I had my inspector come out so we could check the property over thoroughly.”

“I don't mind.”

They started inside. Rich, the inspector, checked the plumbing, heat, and septic tank, and then went up in the crawl space and down under the house.

“Real solid,” he said finally as he tucked his pen into his clipboard. “Needs a new roof. It's not leaking or anything yet, but any buyer is going to want it done. Some other odds and ends, nothing major.” He turned to look at Naomi.