Page 35 of About Time

My veins fill with ice, and it’s hard to breathe. “How?” That’s all I can say. One word, but she knows what I’m asking.

It’s even more apparent how much this is worrying her by the fact that she doesn’t make a joke. Instead, she shrugs. “I have no idea. I took my pill on time, every day. I haven’t been sick, or on any meds that counteract them. She said sometimes it just fails for no apparent reason.”

“Why don’t they put that on the package?” I wonder aloud.

She lifts one shoulder. “They’re only ninety-nine percent effective when used perfectly.”

“Fuck,” I draw out.

That’s the wrong thing to do because she pulls back in. I reach toward her and take her hand. “No matter what, I’m here for you.”

“That would be a first,” she mumbles.

I’m about to respond when the doctor walks in. He’s got a sympathetic look on his face, and I know what he’s going to say. I’m going to be a father.

That part I’m okay with, happy even. The part that bothers me is that Hattie is going to be a mother, and I can’t let her fall victim to the same thing that traps so many young women in Harriston.

I give up trying to pretend I’m okay without her. This is different because now she needs me. I can make sure this change will be a positive one in her life.

I don’t pay much attention to the other things the doctor is saying. My brain is in full planning mode even as she is discharged. We’re silent as we make our way back out to mytruck. Once we’re inside I put the key in the ignition and then stop.

“Let’s get married,” I say.

She’s shaking her head before I’m even done talking. “Don’t, Charlie. You didn’t want to be with me before, and I won’t be with you just because we’re having a baby.”

“You don’t understand, Doll. I never stopped wanting you.”

Her eyebrow raises. “Could have fooled me. It felt like you forgot about me the moment you walked out my door.”

I turn to face her. Her face is highlighted by the street light I parked next to. There’s so much pain there, and I thought I was protecting her. I stroke her face with the back of my fingers. “I’ve messed up so much. I never meant to hurt you. I thought I was protecting you, but now I see I did the opposite. All I managed was to hurt us both. I was already losing my battle to stay away from you, I want to be with you for you.”

A tear slides down her face, and I brush it away. “Okay,” she whispers.

I crank the engine and hit the road. When I get to the intersection where I can either turn for home or hit the highway, I choose the highway.

“We can be in Reno by morning.”

She gives a slight tip of her head. That’s all the confirmation I need to take the exit.

Chapter Fifteen

Charlie Present- Age 53

As soon asI finish telling the guys about the night I found out Hattie was pregnant Griffin stands suddenly, kicks his camp chair out of his way, and heads toward the woods. I start to go after him, but Donovan puts his hand on my shoulder keeping me in place.

“Let him cool off. You’ve kept all of this under wraps for over twenty years. He tells you everything, and you’ve held back an entire life from him. He’s going to be mad for a bit, and you’ve got to let him,” Donovan says.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Scott offers and heads in the direction Griffin went.

“I know why I haven’t told this story to everyone, but why doesn’t everyone know how close you and Hattie used to be?” This is something I’ve been wondering for years, but it was like we’ve had an agreement never to bring up the past.

Donovan doesn’t talk for several seconds. He stares at the fire and pokes one of the logs with a stick. Glowing embers float away every time he disturbs the log.

He takes a deep breath and turns his head to face me. “When she left town she didn’t just leave you. You’re right, I was her best friend, but when she took off she forgot me. That’s been harder for me to set aside than I wanted everyone to know.”

There’s a gasp behind me, and we both turn to see Hattie with her hand over her mouth. Even in the darkness, the flicker of the bonfire is enough to show her eyes have filled with tears.

“You never said anything,” she says in a shaking voice.

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