Page 101 of Sometimes You Fall

“I appreciate it.”

The line goes silent for a moment before the boisterous voice of Timothy McDonald fills my ears. “Grady Reynolds! Gotta say, I wasn’t expecting a phone call from you today, or ever, really.”

“Usually I’m not in need of your services, Tim. But it seems things have changed.”

I hear paper rustle around through the phone. “Well then, what can I do for you? You got into some legal trouble, I take it?”

“Not exactly. It’s actually a friend of mine that needs your help.”

“I see. What seems to be the issue?”

And so I tell him, preparing for the worst obstacle that Scottie and I will have to face before we can truly move forward.

But I have to make sure that my family is taken care of—all three of them now.

Chapter eighteen

Scottie

“How was your trip?” Astrid asks as we walk through the baby boutique on the boardwalk that frames Carrington Cove. The reflection of the sunset off the water is breathtaking as I admire the view from inside the store. It’s Wednesday night and Chase is at Grady’s working on the Nova, so I figured it was the best time to meet up with Astrid and knock an item off my to-do list—registering for my baby shower.

Plus, I feel like I need someone to talk to about how I’m feeling, and Astrid is the first person that came to mind.

“Hello? Earth to Scottie.” She waves her hand in front of my face, breaking through my stare.

“Sorry.”

Her grin is assuming. “That good, huh?”

“If you’re implying what I think you are, that makes this conversation even more awkward.”

Astrid laughs. “Look. I know my brother has sex, all right? I mean, youarepregnant with his child.” She nudges my shoulder jokingly. “Grady has only told me that things went well, and I’m dying to know if that means you took anything that we talked about to heart.”

Sighing, I pick up a beautiful gray and teal blanket from the shelf, smoothing over the soft fabric with my hand while avoiding her eyes. “I did, and I’m…” I turn to look at her now. “I asked him to do something for me that only he can, and he delivered…multiple times.”

Astrid folds her lips in, trying to stifle her squeals. “Oh. My. God…”

I set the blanket back down and begin to walk away from her. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

She scurries after me to keep up. “Um, yes it is. This is huge. And, selfishly, I’m so happy that you’re trying to move forward, Scottie.”

Spinning to face her now, I say, “I’m terrified, but I can’t deny what’s there, Astrid. Your brother is the type of man you don’t let go of, and…” I glance around the shop, making sure there’s no one to overhear us. “I’m so horny.”

She chuckles. “Oh, yeah. I remember those days during the second trimester. Brandon was on deployment during my second pregnancy, so my vibrator became my best friend.”

“Well, I think mine is about to break.” We share a laugh. “But of course, it’s more than just about sex,” I say, sighing wistfully, thinking back to how this man has cared for me since he found out he was going to be a father, and how dedicated he has been to building a relationship with my son as well. Tears form in my eyes before I know it, and then Astrid’s smile falls.

“Oh no. What’s wrong?”

I wave my hands in front of my face. “I can’t even tell you what’s wrong. I have no control over my emotions right now, and I hate it.” Pulling a tissue from my purse, I dab under my eyes. “My feelings are all over the place, my body hurts every day as this little girl grows, and I’m feeling overwhelmed just being in this store right now.” My eyes move all over the shelves full of baby products, many of which I’mcompletely unfamiliar with because it’s been so long since I’ve needed any of this stuff.

Astrid rubs my shoulders and pulls me into her side. “Everything is going to work out, Scottie. There’s no reason to stress. You have a support system this time. Your family is here, Grady is fully committed, andI’mhere for anything you need.”

I hand her the scanner for the baby registry, which is the whole point of this visit anyway. “Can you just start scanning things, please?”

Keeping her arm around me, she guides me down the aisles as I gather myself. “Of course. You gonna be okay?”

Stuttering through a shaky breath, I reply, “Yeah.”

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