Cherished (Wanted 4)
Page 63
He put his arm around me as we walked around the porch and started down the steps. Once we got far enough away from Scott, Aaron, and Dewey, all he had to do was look at me.
“What happened?”
I just let it all out. “I met this guy. Nothing happened, but we did…we…oh god.”
I wanted to scream every time I thought about what had happened between Trey and me.
“Stop with the guilt, Jessie. You thought something happened with Scott and Chelsea. You were hurting.”
I started shaking my head as I dropped it back and looked up. “I know, Dad…I know. But if I hadn’t run away, if I had just stayed and confronted my fear, I would have seen within five seconds that it wasn’t Scott. I think a part of me knew it wasn’t him, but I’ve always had this fear that he was going to leave me like he did the first time.”
My dad snapped his head at Scott and then over to me. “First time?”
“No, nothing like that. In high school, he kissed me, and…oh god, Dad, that was so long ago. It doesn’t matter.” I started walking back and forth. “I think the thing that kills me the most is that I was carrying Scott’s child when I let another man touch me. It almost makes my skin crawl, but at the same time, I feel something for Trey.”
“Wait—what do you mean you feel something fo
r Trey? Jessie…you’re not in love with him, are you?”
I shook my head. “No! I mean, I care about him. He was a great friend, and we really grew close during those five weeks. I honestly don’t think I could have made it through that time without him.”
“Would you have come home sooner if you hadn’t met him?” my father asked.
I stopped walking. It hit me like a ton of bricks. My god…did I stay away out of fear? Or did I stay away because I was enjoying my time with Trey?
“I…I don’t know. Maybe.”
My dad tilted his head and gave me a look. “Maybe?”
My heart started pounding, and I felt like it was all happening again. “I think so. I was only going to stay for two weeks.”
“And it’s over a month later,” my father said as he walked up to me. “Scott loves you, and I’ve never seen a man so destroyed as he was when you were gone.”
I felt the tears falling again. This crying thing was starting to be a pain in the ass.
“Jessie…you need to make sure you don’t have any feelings for this Trey guy. You need to make sure you are one hundred percent with Scott and not just because you are pregnant.”
All the air left my body. “Daddy…I love Scott more than anything. I only love him, and I’ll only ever love him. I called him before I knew I was pregnant, and…” I stopped talking. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I put my hands on my chest. It felt like someone was sitting on it. “Do you think Scott thinks I picked him over Trey because I’m pregnant? Oh my god…Dad, if you thought that…”
“Now, Jessie, settle down. Take a deep breath, baby girl. It’s not good to be this upset when you’re pregnant. I’m sure Scott knows how much you love him, and no, I don’t think he thinks that.”
I took a few deep breaths to try to calm myself down. Then, I heard his voice.
“Jessie?”
I closed my eyes and felt the warmth take over my body just from the sound of his voice. I opened my eyes and looked into my dad’s eyes. My dad must have noticed how I’d calmed down almost instantly.
“Daddy, if y’all don’t mind, I really would like to spend some time with Scott.”
My father laughed and took a step around me. He walked up to Scott, and as I turned around, I saw him shake Scott’s hand.
“Congratulations, son. I’m very happy for you and Jessie. I still can’t believe it—a grandchild.”
The smile that spread across Scott’s face caused me to smile. He was so happy about this baby, and it just made my heart swell even more.
“Aaron and Dewey had to leave, but they said to let you know they’ll see you later, Jessie,” Scott said.
“Okay, well, that’s my sign to take off as well.” My father looked at me and winked. “Call me later?”