Page 109 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“Then he’s deployed on his final mission overseas,” Liam added. “Which was when she died.”
“You mean when she was murdered,” Evie heaved, puffing her cheeks to keep her airflow even and steady. “Toby killed her, so why would Sinclair help them?”
St. Louis. The marsh. The manchineel. Around Jamison, the closet spun as the entire thing came together in one dizzying second. “Toby didn’t kill her.”
Liam grinned. “No, he didn’t.”
“What are you talking about?” Evie snapped, guiding Samuel’s hands to massage her belly. “Toby killed her on the marsh.”
“No, Toby didn’t kill her.” Holding Liam’s stare, Jamison smiled back at him. “CeCe killed herself.”
“That’s bullshit,” Evie snarled. “Complete and utter bullshit.”
“But that’s the story Zanmi has maintained.” Samuel worked his hands lower to massage Evie’s hips. “There’s not a single record where Toby admits to killing CeCe. He claims, and continues to claim, that she killed herself.”
“He brought her home.” Holden’s brows pinched together as he watched Evie with concern. “I remember that clearly from the court transcripts and all those damn interviews. He’s always said he had brought her home to try and convince her that it was time to return.”
“Toby drugged her and dumped her in the marsh. He wasn’t trying to convince her of anything.” Evie clutched Samuel’s shirt with clawed hands, twisting the material tight. “She chose to kill herself instead of facing what he’d do to her.”
“And Toby tried to stop it from happening,” Liam countered. “I’m sorry, Evie, but I have to play devil’s advocate. The physical evidence showed he tried to pull the fruit from her mouth.”
“Before he beat her!” Evie shouted. “What is wrong with you, Cohen? How could you even—”
Everyone stared in shock as Evie bent at the waist and let out a scream. “Oh, my God!”
Samuel dropped to his knees to see his wife’s face. “Evangeline, I think we need to go home.”
“I’m fine!” she roared as she panted. “I just don’t want to listen to him defending Toby!”
Jamison put a hand on Liam’s chest, ready to shove him behind her if her sister went crazy. These pregnancy hormones were insane. “No, really. You need to rest.”
“Oh, fuck. Fuck.Fuck,” Evie screeched, holding Samuel’s shoulders, or else she would tip over. “I think the baby’s coming.”
Holden’s cheeks drained of color. “No. Just no. The baby’s got to cook for three more weeks.” The panic in his voice rose with each word. “Tell him to go back inside and take a nap or something.”
Liam grimaced when Evie let out another cry. “Holden, I don’t think it works like that.”
“This isn’t just a set of fake contractions?” Cradling Evie’s face in his big hands, Samuel sounded terrified. “You’ve been having a lot of those.”
“I don’t know,” Evie whimpered. “There’s so much pressure and…ahhh…I think he’s about to fall out.”
It was Samuel’s turn to go an extreme shade of white. “Dear fucking God, don’t say that.”
Liquid trickled down Evie’s leg, and then a sudden gush drenched her lower half, splashing onto Samuel’s pants and all over the shoes strewn about on the floor. Everyone gasped, and without taking his eyes off the scene, Liam reached high above him to press the button on the security camera. “Baby on the way. We’re going with Plan A until I say otherwise.”
The light on the camera clicked on, and Rowan’s shout came through the speaker. “Shit.”
Flinging the door open, Samuel led Evie out. “Sorry about the shoes, Jamison,” Evie mumbled as she hobbled away. “We’ll get you another pair.”
Staring at her soaked wedding shoes, Jamison’s lips parted. Shoes were the farthest thing from her mind now. “O-okay.”
“This is what we’re doing,” Liam ordered as he snapped out of his shocked state, and they all entered the bedroom together. “Carter, you’re with me and the girls. Holden and Izzy are going with Samuel and Evie.”
“And me. I’m going with them.” Josie rushed in, nearly colliding with Carter. “Who the hell are you?”
Carter dipped his chin, handing back everyone’s phones. “I’m Carter,ma’am.”
Simone appeared next with Theo and Harper, who ran to their mother. “Ben will drive them,” Simone said. “Evie, is your hospital bag in the car?”
