Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

“All that stuff is noise that you can cut through if you try. I get that you have issues, but what couple doesn’t? Since when do you have a fight and then that’s it? Jesus, Bobbi, as long as I’ve known you, you and Shane fight. It’s like your thing. You fight, and then you make up.”

“Not all fights are created equal. Not all fights are meant to be resolved.” Bobbi winced at the memory of that last one. At the things she’d said to Shane and the things he’d hurled back at her. It was the blackest night of her life, and still, they’d connected physically. Angry sex had always been good sex, but that last time when she’d woken up in the morning, she felt empty, like a part of her was broken and she didn’t think it would ever be fixed.

“But did you try?” Eden’s voice was sharp.

“If the fight was about one thing, we’d be fine. But the problem is that for the last few years, we haven’t fighting or communicating. There’s stuff that has been building, and that night, it came out, and when the dust settled, Shane and I were changed. And not in a good way.” She swallowed hard.

“But you have to at least give it one more chance. Can’t you see that? Shane has been miserable without you. God, he can’t even paint. And you just disappeared from life. Stopped talking to anyone or going anywhere. You’re like this shadow of someone I used to know, and I’m not the only who thinks that. Herschel—”

“Herschel? You’ve been talking to Gramps?”

“Your family is my family. Of course we talk.”

Annoyed, and more than a little hurt, Bobbi sat straighter. “Behind my back?”

“It’s kind of hard to talk to your face when you won’t see anyone. I mean, you moved out of Whitehall and into the loft at Billie and Logan’s place in town, but you literally stayed in the loft.”

Bobbi had nothing for that, because it was the truth. She had become a hermit.

“I appreciate your concern and need to make things right between myself and Shane, but…” God, her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. She rolled over the side of the bed, grabbed a water bottle from the table there, and took a big gulp. “It’s just complicated, and…”

“You guys wouldn’t be Bobbi and Shane if it weren’t complicated. But you are Bobbi and Shane. The couple who got a second chance seven years ago. Seriously. You guys found your way back to each other once. Why can’t it happen again? I’m at my dad’s right now, Bobbi. You remind me of him. He’s the shadow king. It’s like there isn’t enough left of the man he used to be to stretch over skin and bone. He’s so fucking sad. He’s loved two women, and both of them died.” Eden’s voice cracked, and Bobbi swiped at the tears on her cheeks. The loss of Eden’s mother was still raw and brought up memories of her own mother, Chantal, taken way too young.

In Bobbi’s mind, her mother was but a shadow of a whisper that smelled like vanilla and was as soft as satin.

“I’m sorry your father isn’t doing well. I’m sorry that your mom got sick. But their situation isn’t the same as me and Shane.”

“No, it’s not. Because my dad can’t do anything about his situation other than try to grieve and cope. But you’re both still alive. You need to stay in Belle Adair and fight for Shane. Fight for yourself. Whatever happened, whatever all those things are between you, fix them. Fix them because your love is worth it. Fix them because my dad lost the love of his life. Fix them because it

gives someone like me hope. If you don’t…” Eden’s voice shook. “To give up without trying for something most people would give anything to have is not only selfish, it’s tragic. If you don’t believe me, ask my dad.”

The seconds ticked by, and Bobbi dropped her head into her hand. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

“That’s okay,” Eden replied softly. “Just think about what I said. Think about what you’re losing if you do nothing. Promise me you’ll at least do that?”

“Okay.” Barely able to get the word out, Bobbi tossed her cell and sank back onto the bed. It was weird, but she felt empty. Like a blank canvas stuck in the corner of a room bereft of light. She stared up at the ceiling, drained, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

When Bobbi woke up, it was hours later. Shadows filled her room, chasing the last remnant of light, and, disoriented, she slid off the bed. Her brain was fuzzy, her mouth dry, and she stumbled to the bathroom to wash her face. She flipped on the light and immediately saw the small white object there on the sink.

In that moment, everything came back, including memory and focus. She didn’t hesitate. Hell, she’d been dragging her heels for far too long now. It was time to take some kind of control.

She took the few steps needed to bring her closer to the sink and reached for the white tube. She glanced down and saw a bright pink symbol.

Bobbi went hot and then cold, and then all sensation left like water down the drain. Her legs were rubber, her insides liquid. She gripped the edge of the sink in order not to fall. It took some time, but eventually, feeling returned, and she was able to stand properly. She stared down at the test in the palm of her hand and felt a certain sense of clarity. A kind of acceptance that came when the unknown is no longer.

She gripped it tightly and sank against the wall.

Positive.

She was pregnant.

Chapter Six

Shane drove his bike like the hounds of hell were on his ass. In the space of five minutes, he’d reverted to the old Shane—the guy who reacted with a hot head and a careless heart. He was eighteen again, barreling down some back road because his dad had pissed him off or he’d gotten in a fight with Bobbi, or whatever reason there was for his mood. He had no concern for safety or consequence. The only thing on his mind was the wind on his face, the powerful engine between his legs, and the knowledge that living on the edge and dancing with the devil were the only things that made the anger and pain disappear.

But that state of mind was dangerous because the problem with acting like a dick was twofold.

One—he could very well tempt the devil one time too many and end up in a body bag like a few pals from back in the day. And two—the respite lasted only as long as he was in that moment, and that moment was too dumb and too dangerous to sustain without option one being a very real possibility.