Page 76 of Love, Lies, and Celtic Knots

The recruiter looks me up and down, then nods. “You got a specialty in mind?”

“SEALs,” I say without hesitation.

He raises an eyebrow. “That’s not easy. You sure about this?”

I nod, my jaw set. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

Because there’s nothing left for me here. Because I need to get as far away from this town, this house, this life, as I can.

After a brief chat, the recruiter makes a call before he slides a clipboard across the desk. “Sign here.”

I grip the pen tightly and sign my name. As I hand it back, a strange calm settles over me. For the first time since I found my mom, I feel like I’m moving forward. Toward something. Away from everything else.

Candace

The test is sitting on the bathroom counter, the faint pink lines mocking me. My stomach twists, my hands trembling as I press them against the sink for balance. Pregnant. I didn’t think it would hit me like this—part shock, part fear, and a flicker of something I’m too scared to name.

I glance at the cheap plastic stick again, as if it’ll change. It doesn’t.

I need to tell Ryan. I need to tell him now.‘It’ll be okay,’I assure myself. It has to be okay. Ryan loves me. We’re planning a life together. We had planned to start a family down the road, but it’ll be okay that it’s a little earlier than anticipated.

The drive up to the winery feels longer than it should. Every bump in the road feels magnified, rattling my nerves until I want to scream. The familiar gates swing open, and I park at the edge of the gravel lot, staring up at the house.

I rehearse the words in my head, over and over.Ryan, I’m pregnant.He’ll take my hand, kiss me, tell me it’ll all be okay. That’s who he is. That’s who we are.

But when I knock, it’s his father who opens the door, his face twisted in that permanent sneer I’ve grown to hate.

“What do you want?” he asks, his words as sharp as glass.

“I need to see Ryan,” I say, my voice smaller than I intended.

His eyes narrow. “He’s gone.”

I blink. “Gone? Gone where?”

“Left,” he says, leaning against the doorframe like he owns the world. “He’s not coming back.”

“No, that’s… that’s not true. He wouldn’t just leave without telling me.” My voice cracks, but I push forward. “Where did he go?”

He shrugs. “Dropped his phone at the Naval recruiting office with instructions no one’s to know where he went. Told them he doesn’t want anyone from this place tracking him down. Especially you.”

The words hit me like a slap to the face. “You’re lying. He can’t be gone. We were planning a future together. I’m… I’m pregnant.”

He tilts his head, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. “Face it, Candace. You’re white trash. Always have been. Ryan got what he needed from you. Take your bastard and go ruin someone else’s life.”

I can’t breathe. My chest tightens as his words wrap around me like barbed wire. I stumble back, shaking my head, the tears already burning in my eyes.

“I’ll tell him,” I whisper. “I’ll find him, and I’ll tell him.”

“You won’t find him,” he says, slamming the door in my face.

I barely see the road through my tears as I drive away. My hands are gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles ache. My mind races, jumping between Ryan’s father’s sneer and the faint pink lines on that damn test.

Through the blur, I see it—the ring on my finger. The promise ring Ryan gave me last year. I’ve never taken it off, not even once.

‘Always and forever,’he said when he slipped it on my finger.

The words haunt me now as I claw at the ring, trying to pull it off. My fingers are swollen, shaking. It won’t budge.

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