I woke the next morning to my alarm going off on my cell.
Though I had spent half the night on the phone with Elizabeth, I still did not feel any better about the situation. I was about to see him, almost three months later and I was more nervous than the first time in the shower with him.
I really felt like blowing it off, I mean even for one more day—I still had nothing good to say to him, no opening line, nothing.
I lay there for another ten minutes before I got out of bed. Procrastination was compelling but not going to happen. I had an appointment, a date, a possible doomsday with the man that had impregnated me.
I got dressed in a blouse and the fat jeans I had recently purchased and headed out of my hotel room to check out.
Once in my sedan, I started off on the two-minute drive to the realty office. It was a nine o’clock meeting and I was fifteen minutes early. I felt the need just keep driving once I saw the building. However, his white pick-up was nowhere to be seen, but Rick’s little hatchback was there.
I decided to pull in and suck it up, I was there and there was nothing more to be done about it. I really wished I hadn’t gone about things as I had, like deciding to steal the house from the skank.
I grabbed my purse and put it on my lap once I was parked outside the office. Pulling the visor down to look at myself, my face was a bit pale, I, of course—naturally pale . . . put some subtle pink lipstick on to give myself more life and then glanced at the clock. Still, he wasn’t there and it was almost time.
Ean didn’t seem like the tardy kind but then again, what did I really know about him. I got out of the car, guessing I would be first to the meeting, much to my unsettled stomach.
I came to the door and walked in to see the secretary at her empty desk in the vacant office.
“Morning!” She chirped.
I fumbled with my bag over my shoulder. “Hi. I’m just here—”
“Yep, I know.” She smiled. “Already down the hall in the meeting room, they’re waiting for you.”
I stared at her, “Uh . . . they?”
“Mmhm. Down the hall on the left.” She nodded.
I turned around and looked at the parking spots again, there was no other vehicle . . . and then there, across the street, in front of the damn ambulance station was his white pick-up truck!
Shit! I turned back to her. “Great.”
She continued to smile, waiting for me to walk forward. “Do you want me to show you?”
“No.” I said quickly and started down the hall. My wish had come true of being the last one to arrive. With a narrowing vision, I began to get closer to the open door but his laugh almost froze me mid-step.
“It’s five after.”
I turned to stone as I heard him speak.
“They’re city folk.”
“Who the heck in the city wants to buy my house?” Ean laughed.
I choked and heard the secretary behind me, it caused me immediate panic and I burst through the open door. My feet stopped though as soon as I saw him.
He swung around in the swivel chair as his eyes fell on me and the blood left his face.
My eyes locked on him in his navy blue uniform. I swore he was more handsome than I remembered. His face lightly stubbled, his eyes the same focus as before and his soft brown hair sweeping across his brow—I liked his hair so much.
Rick stood to greet me. “Morning, Ms. Black!”
I choked and glanced at Rick, but my eyes came back to Ean almost instantly.
“Well, please, take a seat. This is Ean Hunter.” Rick’s voice in my head trailed off.
I got a bit dizzy at that moment and my feet wouldn’t move, even though I was telling them to move. His constant stare didn’t help me any either.
“Uh.” Rick paused, “Ms. Black?”
I stepped forward, my heeled toes catching with me and under my lack of momentum, I fell hard to the blue carpets. My head colliding with the nearby chair as I landed on my right side.
“Ms. Black!”
Ean jumped to life and was at my side in seconds.
I tried to lift my head from the ground, but my dazed state halted my plans.
“Stay still a minute,” he said firmly.
I winced, blinking as I came in and out of vertigo.
He let out a breath as Rick clambered around the side of the conference table.
“Hi, Ean.”
“Hey.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you in need of an ambulance?”
I sighed. “I’m okay, thanks.”
His touch on my shoulder was brief, but he did show concern, possibly as in an it’s ‘my job’ way but he did to any degree.
Looking him over in his crisp uniform, my nerves got the best of me and I raised a hand to my temple to shy away from him.
“Ms. Black, are you alright?” Rick asked as he stood behind Ean.
“I’m fine.”
Ean stood as I got to myself to my weak legs, both of them staring at me through it.
“Rick, can you us give a few minutes?” Ean finally asked.
“Of course.”
I watched him leave and then it was just Ean and me. I didn’t look at him, though.
He was, however, looking at me. “You want to buy my house?”
My eyes turned up to him, “No, I—”
He arched an eyebrow and waited for my answer.
“Well, actually—” This is where a plan would have come in handy.
He got antsy in front of me, shifting his weight as hard lines creased his forehead. I wondered what that meant. “Amy, why are you here? What are you doing?”
“Uh . . .” I had no freaking words! None!
Ean shook his head, about to speak when his radio went off on his belt.
“Three twenty-one alpha, code three call coming in. Code three call, please confirm.”
His broke his stare on me, but he didn’t respond to the radio.
“Uh . . . are you suppose to answer that?”
“Jason will. I need to go, though.” He went to walk past me.
“No, Ean.” I broke, turning towards him quickly.
He paused his step and swung around. “You’re more than welcome to the house. No need to explain further.” He left the office at almost a run and my heart thundered in my chest with his vanishing footsteps. Once he’d actually left the building, I panicked and ran after him.
“Ean!” I called as I followed him outside, running across the street in the direction he had gone. “Ean!” I must have looked like a complete idiot, really, I was pretty sure everyone in the town was having a serious laugh.
The door of the ambulance bay opened and his partner pulled the emergency vehicle out into the drive.
“Ean.” I huffed, coming to a stop behind him as he grabbed the handle of the door.
“I don’t want to know. I don’t even want to understand,” Ean snapped.
I broke from his tone. “I know but—”
“Ean, come on!” The man called from inside the vehicle.
He pulled the door open and since I was now in a severe state of panic, where I couldn’t tell right from left or up from down, I cracked—again.
“I’m pregnant!” I slammed my hands into my mouth, my eyes wide with terror at the worst pregnancy reveal in the world.
He stepped back from the door and turned to me. “What?”
She choked on whatever was left of my heart and nodded.
“Ean!” The man called to him again.
Ean shot around to his partner. “Shit, Jason, hold on!” His anger derailed me as he walked over and grabbed my forearm. “It’s mine?”
I swallowed, nodding through my shaking. I could hardly think, let alone function in a conversation with him.
“Oh god, say something, Amy!” He shouted.
“Yes!” I blurted out, “Yes, it’s yours.”
He let me go and pulled at his hair.
“Three twenty-one alpha. What’s your status?”
Jason impatiently called from the ambulance again, “Ean!”
“I’m coming!” Ean shouted back and turned to me. “Go to my house. I’ll be there soon.”
I choked, his house! No . . . no, no . . . no!
I started to shake my head.
“Really, Amy!” He stared at me. “Go to my house. We need to figure this out.”
“Okay.” I broke to the pressure as he walked away.
“The front door’s open!” He called as he got into the ambulance and slammed the door. The sirens flipped on and I stepped off the driveway as it pulled out beside me.
Ean took one last look at me before he leaned over and grabbed the radio from above his head.
I closed my eyes and heard the emergency vehicle depart. Now, there really was no turning back.