Page 77 of Sometimes You Fall

His eyes find mine as we come to the steps that lead to the wraparound front porch. “Sometimes the unexpectedcanwork out, Scottie.” Before I can say anything in response, he presses a soft kiss to mylips—something he keeps doing, even though I told him not to—and then leads me up the steps and to the front door where people are walking in and out of the house, moving between the tables and chairs set up on the sand under a white tent and the living room of the magnificent beach-front property Willow now owns.

“You’re here!” Astrid shrieks as she emerges from the kitchen, glass of wine in hand, and quickly closes the distance to where Grady and I stand.

“You act like you didn’t just see us last night,” Grady tells his sister as she pulls me in for a hug.

She swats at his chest. “Don’t be an ass, Grady.”

“How many glasses have you had already?”

She glares at her brother. “This is my first one, thank you very much.” She sticks her tongue out at him, drawing a burst of laughter from me. Turning her attention back to me, she says, “I’d offer you a glass, but…”

I rub my belly just as Grady does the same. God, he’s so eager to touch our growing child and to show me affection that it’s messing with my head.

I wish he would just fucking listen like I asked him to.No touching. Just friends.

But I can’t seem to find the words to tell him to stop either.

Because you don’t want him to, Scottie. Duh!

“It’s okay. I mean, I certainly miss alcohol, especially in social situations like this, but it’s just one of those sacrifices I know is temporary.”

She nods. “Right. Once you hold that little baby, every ache, pain, and missed glass of wine is all worth it.”

I reach down to stroke my bump again, feeling those bubbles grow stronger with each passing day.

Last night, I had a dream about the baby. We were in the hospital and I was holding our child, who had light brown hair and blue eyes just like Grady. I couldn’t tell if we had a daughter or a son, but the way this man looked at me—like I had given him everything he’d ever wanted in this life—made me cry in my sleep. I glanced down at our child for one second to admire the human we created, but when I looked back up, he was gone—vanished into thin air. And then he never returned.

It woke me up from a dead sleep, the torture of my worst fears slashing through one of the most incredible moments of my life.

It’s part of the reason I wish I could have that glass of wine to take the edge off the anxiety I feel racing through my body—because the closer Grady and I get, the more I feel like he’s going to change his mind. It’s what Andrew eventually did, and I didn’t want to accept it. I kept blaming myself, believing thatImust be the problem.

I know now that he was a selfish narcissist, and I didn’t do anything wrong. But I swore to myself I’d never trust another man again.

I just didn’t think Grady would be the one I’d want to let in. Add on my mother and grandmother meddling last night, and well? My entire body is antsy for more than one reason right now.

“Come on,” Astrid urges, pulling me by the hand over to the kitchen where a group of women are standing. The house has a mostly open concept except for one wall that separates the kitchen from the living area. There’s a wide cutout in the wall that allows you to peer between rooms. The cabinets are dark navy with white marble countertops, the hardwood floors are classic and stained in a light oak shade, and all of the décor is in shades of blue and white, with pops of teal scattered throughout. The nautical vibes make me wish I had a home this close to the ocean to enjoy serenity like this.

“You’re just going to steal my date from me?” Grady calls after her, but the title he gave me is catching me off guard more than Astrid is right now.

“I’ve got her. Go grab a beer. The boys are outside playing cornhole.” She waves him off as we reach the kitchen and she places her wine glass on the island. “Do you want something to drink?”

I admire the display of food spread across the counter and island, including a tiered stand of cupcakes that I know Astrid had to have made. “Um, water would be great, thanks.”

“We have water with cucumber and lemon in it if you want that?”

I scrunch up my nose. “No thanks.”

Giggling, she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and hands it to me. “That didn’t sound good, I take it?”

Twisting the cap off, I take a sip of water. “No, unfortunately. I’m usually all about stuff like that, but this baby wants nothing to do with fruits and vegetables, which is really frustrating when you’re supposed to be eating healthy foods, you know?”

A woman standing beside me inserts herself into our conversation. “God, when I was pregnant with my son, all I wanted was chocolate ice cream, so I definitely understand that struggle.”

“Apple fritters have been my obsession lately, especially the ones from Astrid’s bakery.”

Astrid beams proudly as the woman to my left extends her hand. “I’m Shauna, by the way.”

“Scottie.”

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