Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Yeah…”
“So, once again, I need to tell you how sorry I am. I was wrong. Nina and you always belonged together. Jimmy told me to take care of her. But he changed his mind and sent a better man instead.”
I closed my eyes. I needed to get my wife home.
“Go back to your baby,” I said.
“Are we okay again?”
“I’m not sure. But I probably won’t smash your face in.”
“I’ll take that for now.”
“Good night, Ryan.”
I hung up before he could respond.
I lay back on the bed to compose my thoughts before dialing Nina. Ryan’s words ran through my head. He sent a better man instead. It was doubtful that Nina was feeling that way about me right now.
I reached over to the nightstand and lifted a picture of Nina and me taken on a Gondola ride in Venice during our honeymoon. The smile on her face was difficult to take in right now, knowing she was somewhere trying to get away from me, that she was likely thinking about all of the ways I hadn’t put her first.
I shuddered.
The sounds of my family and friends talking in the next room seemed miles away.
Forcing myself up, I decided to head to the master bath to splash some water on my face before returning to the living room.
The water cooled my skin but didn’t calm me down.
As I wiped my face, a pink box in the small garbage can caught my eye. It was the discarded packaging of a pregnancy test.
I started to feel lightheaded as I bent to pick it up. This was officially my first clue as to what caused Nina to lose it last night. There was no sign of a test stick itself. The box said it included three tests, but the trash came up empty.
I ignored everyone as I bolted through the living room and into the other bathroom where there was nothing in the trash but one of A.J’s empty juice boxes. A search of the kitchen garbage also turned up nothing. Not one pregnancy test showed up in the entire house even though the box was empty.
Feeling distraught, I stood in the kitchen, leaning against the granite countertop with my head in my hands. I didn’t have to guess what happened. I knew.
We’d taken countless tests together over the past few years, all negative. Each time was more difficult than the last. My fear was that Nina went through that experience alone last night while I was stuck at the hospital, and that fueled her anger toward me.
We’d recently talked about going to see a fertility specialist, but Nina had been scared to go on any drugs. We were supposed to be discussing it again soon now that she’d finished nursing school.
The vibration of the phone in my pocket startled me. Nina’s name lit up on the screen. My heartbeat felt like excruciating waves thrashing against the walls of my chest.
“Nina.”
“Hi.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at a diner downtown.”
“A diner? What are you doing there?”
“I came here to think.”
“Have you been there all day?”
“No.”
“What have you been doing?”
“At first, I honestly just wandered around aimlessly.”
Cedric walked into the kitchen to check on me. “Everything alright?”
Waving him away, I nodded.
“Who was that?”
“That was Cedric. He and Allison are here. You didn’t know it, but I’d planned a party for you tonight. That was the whole reason I initially went to Ivy’s last night instead of today. Skylar and Mitch are here, too.”
“What? Are you kidding?”
“I wish. You made me promise not to call you, so I kept my word. We’ve just been hanging out here waiting for you, hoping you’d come home.”
“Oh my God. I feel horrible. We need to talk, Jake. I was going to come home right now, but I think you need to meet me here if we won’t have any privacy.”
“No lie, you’re freaking me out, baby. But I’ll meet you anywhere you want. I’ll fucking walk to the ends of the earth if you just tell me we’re okay.”
Her breathing became uneven, and it sounded like she was crying.
“Nina? You’re scaring the living fuck out of me. What’s happening?”
“Promise me you won’t be mad at me.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Mad at you for what? Aren’t you supposed to be mad at me?”
“Just promise me you won’t get upset with what I’m about to tell you.”
“Okay. I promise. Whatever it is, I won’t get mad. Where were you today?”
A long, uncomfortable silence put me further on edge. What she said next put me over the edge.
“I went to see Ivy.”
CHAPTER 20
NINA
Everything seemed to be making me cry lately, but it was especially bad that particular Friday afternoon. My eyes were welling up at the drop of a hat. I was so gosh darn emotional. According to my calendar, my period was due, so it made some sense. My hormones always got the best of me around this time of the month but never like this.