Chapter 31
Ian
I took our bags up to the bedroom and then went down to my study. I couldn’t believe Rory was pregnant. To be honest, I couldn’t explain how I felt. I guess you could say confused and angry. I didn’t want kids. I wasn’t dad material; never was and never would be. I took in a deep breath and dialed my dad. I just needed to talk to him for a minute.
“Hello, son,” he answered.
“Hey, Dad. How are you? I asked with a lump in my throat.
“I’m okay. How was the winery?”
I leaned back in my chair. “It was eventful.” I didn’t want to tell him about Rory because if I actually talked about it, then it made it real, and I didn’t want it to be real.
“Something happen?”
“No. It was fine. It was a good business decision and I’m happy I went with it.”
“Good. You’re a smart man. I had no doubt that you’d make the right decision.”
The right decision. If he only knew how I felt about Rory being pregnant.
“Ian? Are you still there, son?”
“Yeah, Dad. I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. “Are you and Rory okay?”
“We’re fine. Listen, I just called to see how you were and to let you know we were back. Let’s have dinner next week if you’re up to it,” I said.
“Sure, I would like that.”
“Good. I’ll call you. Have a good night, Dad.”
“You too, son,” he replied before I ended the call.
I set my phone down on the desk and leaned back in my chair. I thought about Rory and how f**ked up all of this was. I needed a drink. I walked over to the bar and poured myself a glass of bourbon and looked at it before I threw it down the back of my throat. I sighed as I poured another. Like the first, I threw that one back as well and slammed the glass down on the bar. It had been a couple of hours since I’d seen Rory. I was sure she was sleeping. I hurt her and I hurt her bad. She had the same look in her eyes that she did when I told her I didn’t love her. A look that I never wanted to see again.
I went upstairs to the bedroom and Rory was sound asleep on the bed, holding onto a couple of tissues tightly in her hand. I changed out of my clothes and climbed into bed. As I looked at Rory, my heart filled with sadness because I couldn’t be the one thing she wanted me to be. I got up and went into the guest bedroom for the night.
The next morning, my phone alarm went off and when I walked to my bedroom, Rory wasn’t in bed. I stepped in the shower, got dressed, and headed downstairs for some breakfast before heading over to Prim. As I sat down at the table, I asked Mandy where Rory was.
“I haven’t seen her yet this morning,” she replied.
I looked around the house for her and called her name, but she didn’t respond. I had a feeling that she had left. As I walked down the hallway, I glanced over to the room she stayed in when I first brought her here. I placed my hand on the knob and slowly opened the door. There she was; curled up in a ball and sound asleep. I quietly shut the door and went back downstairs.
Chapter 32
Rory
My eyes opened as soon as I heard him close the door. He thought I was sleeping, but I wasn’t. When I woke up last night and saw him sleeping in the other room, my heart shattered even more. I didn’t think it was possible for him to hurt me any more than he already had. But he succeeded and he also succeeded in me feeling nothing but hatred for him. After running to the bathroom and throwing up, I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and went downstairs. I had to face him some time. When I walked into the dining room, Ian looked up at me.
“You’re up,” he said.
“Yeah, I am. I just came down to grab some coffee. I’ll be out of your sight in a minute.”
“Why didn’t you stay in our bed last night?” he asked as Mandy walked in with a cup of coffee.
“Why didn’t you?” I replied.
He looked down and picked up his coffee cup. “I just couldn’t.”
“I couldn’t either,” I spouted. I picked up the coffee cup from the table and went back to my room. A few moments later, Ian walked in.
“I’m leaving to go to Prim for the day. What are your plans?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said as I turned and looked out the window.
“Are you going to tell anyone about this?”
“About what?” I asked.
“You and your condition.”
I saw nothing but red as I turned around and looked at him. “My condition? You make it sound like some f**king disease.”
“I don’t have time for you right now. I have to get to Prim,” he said as he stormed out the door.
How did things get so bad so fast? One day, we were perfect and the next, we were torn apart. This should have been the happiest time for us. But instead, it was the most miserable. I took off my shirt and placed my hands on my stomach. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror and moved my hands in small circles. The pain inside would never go away if Ian wasn’t around for us. I loved him so much, but at the same time, I hated him for making me feel this way. I needed to be strong and take charge. He’d get used to the idea, I knew he would. If he didn’t, then we’d leave and never look back. I’d become a single parent like my mom was. She did the best she could under the circumstances and I learned a lot from her. I would have given anything for her to be here right now. I considered talking to Jimmy about this, but we weren’t close. We were taking baby steps and trying to build a father/daughter relationship slowly. Just like Ian was trying with his mom.
As the day went on, I didn’t hear a word from Ian. Usually, he’d call me a few times or send me love texts. I grabbed my purse and went to the Piano Bar to see Jimmy. I sat up at the bar and Rosie came from the back room.
“Hey, Rory. It’s good to see you, darling. It’s been a while.”
“Hi, Rosie. I was busy with Adalynn’s wedding and then Ian and I went to tour a winery he’s partnered with.”
“You look sad. How about a cosmo to cheer you up,” she said.
“As much as I’d love one, I can’t drink.”
She gave me a strange look and smiled. “Why? Are you pregnant or something?”
“Yeah, something like that,” I replied.
Her face lit up and she screeched and reached over the bar to give me a hug. “Rory, that’s fantastic news. You’re going to be a mama.”