Page 34 of Hiding Rose
“A pregnancy test showed two lines. It was positive,” I whispered. His eyes opened wide and he braced his hands on the blanket. “I…” I cleared my throat and tried again. “I didn’t know what to do. We hadn’t seen each other in at least a week and I’d already decided I wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with him. I did want the baby, though. Sure, it was his child, but it was also mine and I didn’t want to get rid of it because the relationship with him went south. I decided to do the right thing and went to his house to tell him one night. He invited me in and listened as I explained it to him. I even told him I wasn’t going to ask for child support or even require him to sign the birth certificate, unless he wanted to.”
“He didn’t want to?” he asked, but it was as if he knew the answer.
I laughed hysterically, but clapped a hand over my mouth to get control. “No. No, he didn’t want to. He accused me of trying to ruin his life and punched me in the face. I stumbled backwards and then he punched me in the stomach,” I said, the tears starting down my face and my voice cracking. “He was going to kill me; I could see it in his eyes. He pulled a gun from inside his pants pocket and shot me in the left thigh. He was taking aim again when I caught him in the head with a pipe from the patio doors.”
I couldn’t even speak I was crying so hard and he grabbed a napkin from the basket and handed it to me to wipe my face. I swiped at my nose and left the tears to fall, there would be no damming them now. He didn’t touch me. Instead, his fists stayed clenched around the blanket and he focused on a spot over my shoulder.
“Did you kill him?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t know! We hoped I had, but with the flowers arriving today, we know I didn’t. He’s alive.”
He waved one hand. “You hoped. What happened after you hit him?”
I took a deep breath determined to finish the story and escape the beach, and him. “He was unconscious and I got the gun when he went flying across the floor. My leg was bleeding and my stomach hurt like I’ve never hurt before. I held the gun on him and called Kate. I know it’s weird I didn’t call 911, but I was out of it. I called Kate and she called 911, but he woke up before the cops arrived. I aimed the gun at him, and I could hear the sirens, but I had to pull the trigger. He was coming at me and there was no way the cops would arrive before he killed me. I pulled the trigger during my last moments of consciousness. Then I passed out and didn’t wake up until I was out of surgery hours later. Kate tells me when the cops got there I was unconscious and bleeding, but he was gone. I prayed I had shot him and he died somewhere afraid to seek medical attention, but it appears I was wrong.”
I grabbed my crutches. I had to get away from here, from him, and from the loss powerful enough to still make my heart ache. The sand shifted and I fell to my knees where he grasped my waist and held me.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Away,” I answered, my voice choked off with emotion. “I shouldn’t have told you. I’m sorry,” I said, struggling out of his arms. He stood me up and then let me go. Frustrated by the sand, but determined to make it on my own, I struggled, slipped, and slid my way through sand while tears fell silently. I could feel him following along behind me, but he never touched me, and I never looked back.
My chest hurt from the effort it took to walk through the sand, and from holding in the sobs. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have listened to my gut, but instead I listened to Kate. Now working with him on the center was going to be awkward, and if I was honest with myself, heartbreaking for me. His kisses were tender and sweet, but I can’t expect him to want to get involved with a woman who’s still dealing with the marks and memories of another man.
The crutches contacted the fake grass Gideon had installed to brush the sand off guests’ feet before they tracked it all inside his multimillion dollar resort. The traction made it easier to move faster and I crutched my way toward the front of the hotel while he called my name. I didn’t turn and I didn’t acknowledge him because the truth was, he could have caught me if he’d wanted to, but he didn’t and that said it all.
