Page 72 of Rebels and Roses

“Yes, I knew. But he’d been clean for months. Once I told him that I was pregnant, he promised to stop. And he did. He was that excited about the baby. He always wanted us to have a babyas soon as possible. He dreamed of being a father. That’s why I stopped using birth control a few months into our relationship. I knew he was going to make the most wonderful dad in the world.”

I’m flabbergasted. Am I looking at this through my own cynical, been there done that world view? Have I been hurt too many times by useless, asshole men that I can’t see the forest for the trees?

Jane had to remind herself that Cassie was young. Young and inexperienced enough to trust a man who said he was single and then he wasn’t. Young enough to trust a man who was an addict to say that he was clean. And young enough to trust a man just a few months into a relationship that if she got pregnant, he’d stick around and be father of the year. Even when she knew that he was still tied to another woman.

Had Tom even been looking for a job in Chicago? Was he even planning to move? He hadn’t mentioned it to Cooper, but he’d only been in town a few days. He certainly hadn’t been ashamed of seeing two women, but he also hadn’t announced that he’d gotten both of them pregnant - within a few months of each other.

What was Tom’s endgame here? How had he pictured this all going? Jane couldn’t make heads or tails of this. When it all blew up in their faces, had Tom planned to simply walk away and start with a new woman?

“Now that Tom is gone, I’m worried about how I’m going to pay for everything,” Cassie sighed. “I was hoping to stay at home with our kids until they started school, but I’m going to have to go back to work pretty much right away. This wasn’t what we planned at all. Luckily, a few friends have been buying me things as gifts, but it’s not going to be the same.”

At least Erica came from money. After her baby arrived, she wouldn’t be concerned about keeping the lights on and the price of food and gas.

“Is this your apartment?” Cooper asked. “Did Tom help with bills?”

“He did help,” Cassie replied. “I’m hoping he had life insurance or maybe a 401K. Do you know if he did? I was planning to reach out to his employer to ask.”

That might be awkward, considering Tom worked for Erica’s father. It also didn’t sound like Cassie knew that Tom had any family. Had he lied about that, too?

“I don’t know,” Cooper answered. “Did Tom talk about money? About his plans when the baby came?”

“He always said that everything would be taken care of. That we’d have no worries. He said there would plenty of money to live on and have fun. He said that I’d never have to worry about money again.”

Those were bold statements from a guy who was in debt and spent every penny of his yearly trust fund allowance.

“I just have to ask again,” Cooper said. “Are you sure Tom was clean these last months? There was no sign of drug use?”

“None,” Cassie replied in a firm tone. “I noticed the difference right away. When he was using, he wouldn’t sleep hardly at all. Since he quit, he slept great and was all around calmer. He wasn’t wanting to party every night. He was almost a homebody.”

“Just one more question, and we’ll get out of your hair. Did Tom ever talk about feeling like he was being followed or watched?”

“No. No, not at all. Did he tell you that?”

“He mentioned something about it,” Cooper admitted. “I just wondered if perhaps he’d said something to you, too.”

“No, he didn’t. He did say something about his employer not being happy about his working from home when he was with me here in Chicago, but he was planning on changing jobs, so he said it didn’t matter.”

They thanked Cassie for her time, and Jane saw Cooper slip a piece of paper into the young woman’s hand. When they were back in the car, she had to ask.

“Did you give her your phone number? Should I be concerned?”

“No, you should not. With you, I’m a one-woman man. A happy one. I gave Cassie the phone number of the Kemp family attorney. If the baby is Tom’s, the family should take care of it. She shouldn’t have to struggle just because Tom used questionable judgment in almost every aspect of his life.”

“Questionable judgment? I think you’re being kind. He had piss poor decision-making skills. All I could think as I listened to that woman’s story was that someone should take Tom out behind a barn and kick the shit out of him. It also made me wonder how many other women have or are having Tom’s baby. Was this some sort of fetish? It’s weird. But it might explain why he spent all of his trust fund and was in debt. Drugs and babies get expensive. Flying all over the country to see naive young women isn’t cheap either.”

“If I’d known what he was up to when he was staying at my place, I might have done it myself,” Cooper said. “I don’t know what he was thinking either. When I called him out on seeing two women, he said it wasn’t a big deal.”

“He knew they were pregnant. This is so…bizarre. I’ve never seen anything like this. It explains why he was trying to stay clean, but it doesn’t explain why he fell off the wagon that night. Why was he so determined to party?”

“I think his paranoia was getting to him,” Cooper replied as they walked down the block. It was a beautiful sunny day. “Then when Fiona arrived, it seemed to put him into overdrive.”

“He had good reason to be paranoid,” Jane said. “If he was lying to so many women, he should have been terrified. Tom’s behavior was creepy.”

“I’m going to call the Kemp family attorney. Give him a head’s up about Cassie. And Erica.”

“And maybe more?” Jane added.

“Yes, that, too. He’s a good guy. Hopefully, he’ll be able to help them.”

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