Page 71 of Chasing Blue
It takes my exhausted brain about ten seconds to register that Eden Miller is standing in Jack’s doorway.
Hair still blonde. Face older but still pretty. Legs still tanned and very long. I know this because all she’s currently wearing is what looks like one of Jack’s tees and a pair of fluffy pink socks.
She lifts her chin, and I realise I haven’t spoken while I’ve been trying to recover from the gut punch the sight of her in Jack’s doorway has just delivered.
“Is Jack home?” I manage to ask without throwing up because that’s what I want to do right now, vomit while my brain attempts to make sense of what’s happening here.
“Jack? No, he’s at work, left about ten minutes ago.”
“On a I?” I question. Highly suspicious that she’s lying to me.
“Yeah, he went in with Milly to do paperwork, end of financial year stuff for the accountant.”
Boring, mundane details, but she knows about them. I don’t. He never mentioned to me he’d be working today, but she knows. Eden fucking Miller knows.
My mouth constantly fills with water which I swallow down while staring at her fluffy pink socks.
“Okay, thanks,” I mumble as I turn away.
“Scarlett,” Eden calls my name, and despite the tears burning my eyes, I turn back to face her with a chin lift.
“I don’t know what it is youthinkis going on between you and Jack, but just so you’re aware, me and him, we’ve finally sorted our shit out and we’re giving things another go. I’ve moved down here so we can work things out and be a family again.”
I nod slowly, not knowing what else to do or say. My heart and my stomach physically ache at her words and my head spins with how utterly stupid I’ve once again been.
“Did you tell him about the baby yet?” she asks as she leans her shoulder into the door frame, her hand going to her hip as she casually lands her next blow.
My head feels like I’ve been physically struck. The world tilts around me, everything becomes off balance, and I grip the handrail on the steps leading off the deck. I can’t move. I can’t move one leg in front of the other while at the same time trying to process her words.
“What did you do, have it adopted? He’s gonna be pissed off when he finds out he has another kid out there. A kid he knewnothingabout, a kidyounever gave him a chance . . .”
It’s the venom in her voice that triggers me into action, the venom in her accusation.
“You know nothing,” I turn towards her and spit the words through gritted teeth. Still holding on to the handrail for support, I hate that I can feel tears on my face.
“Tell me then, and don’t pretend it wasn’t his. Sloan told me everything, we worked the dates out ourselves.”
I stand there. Destroyed. Utterly defeated. I keep shaking my head as my tears continue to fall. She’s hit me in all of my already broken parts, and I have nothing. No words, not even the strength to walk away.
“I’ll let him know you were here. Maybe I’ll tell him all about the kid too.”
She gives a one-shouldered shrug as she continues. “Stay the fuck away from my family,” she warns before closing the door.
I don’t know how long I stand there before Zoe’s at my side, her arms around me, saying words I don’t hear as she guides me back to her car.
“Who the fuck was that? What did she say to you?”
I attempt to stop choking on my sobs so I can answer Zoe’s questions. I fail, and decide to attempt talking through them instead.
“That’s Eden. The ex. Finn’s mum.” I clear my throat, lace my fingers together and press them onto the top of my pounding head. “Except she’s not the ex anymore. They’re back together and trying to make a go of things.”
“What?” Zoe hisses. “What the fuck. That lying motherfucker.”
“It gets worse, Zo,” I pause as I wrap my arms around myself and heave out another sob. “She knows, she knows about the baby. She just threatened to tell him.”
“How, how would she know?” I can hear the emotion in Zoe’s voice, and right at this moment, I’ve never appreciated her more.
“Sloan told her. My brother . . .” I pause as another sob escapes. “My brother, Zo, he must’ve betrayed me. He told Sloan, and she told Eden.”
