Page 49 of Reuniting with Lucy

She’d broken up with him, but he held out hope they could get past that. Once she got over the shock of it, and wrapped her head around the idea that you didn’t have to be married to commit to each other, he was sure she’d see reason. Then they could move in together and see where things led from there. Who knew? Maybe one day, hewouldbe willing to tie the knot again. He wouldn’t promise her anything. That wouldn’t be fair—or honest—but he could keep an open mind. Just like he would ask her to do about living together.

The kids issue still loomed, but since she couldn’t have any, he figured that would be a topic for much later. Adopting or surrogacy probably took years, if they worked out at all. It was possible he could dodge that bullet without ever having to put his foot down.

His cell phone rang. After seeing that it was Kenny, he almost didn’t answer. The kid was nice, but could be a little overwhelming. Probably needed help deciding which protein powder to buy. Then again, it would be better to get a call over with while he had nothing else to do. “Answer,” he said out loud, and Kenny’s voice filled the truck cab.

“Jack, it’s Kenny. Where are you?”

“Driving back from Fayetteville. What’s up?”

“Lucy passed out. The paramedics are here now. I thought you’d want to know.”

Broken up or not, hell yeah, he wanted to know.

“What?” Jack sat straight, instantly alert. “Shit. I’m still an hour and a half from New Bern. What happened?”

“She said she felt dizzy, then, bam, lights out,” Kenny said. “She was out for a few minutes, but it looks like she’s feeling better.”

“Okay. Thanks for calling. I’ll get there as soon as I can,” he said, honking at the left lane camper in front of him. He hung up with Kenny and then proceeded to cuss out any car that was moving slower than he was. He drove like the frog in the old Frogger video game he played as a kid, weaving in and out of traffic to get back as quickly as possible.

Finally, he pulled into a parking space right outside the coffee shop and ran in. Everything seemed normal. When he didn’t see Lucy, he made a beeline for Kenny.

“Hey, Jack,” Kenny said, walking out from behind the counter to talk to him. “You missed Lucy. She’s gone for the day.”

“Tell me what happened. Exactly,” Jack said.

“Well, she came out from her office and was pouring herself a cup of coffee. I noticed she didn’t look right and asked if she was okay. At first, she said yes, but then she put down her cup and said she needed to sit for a minute. She passed out before she made it to a chair. I caught her, so she didn’t hit her head or anything. I told someone to call 911 and then checked her breathing and pulse. All that was good.”

“Sounds like you did a great job,” Jack said. Kenny beamed at the praise. “So, she’s at home now?”

“I think she was going to stop by her doctor first. To make sure the baby’s okay.”

Jack froze. “Baby?”

Kenny’s eyes got wide. “Uh…well,” he stammered. “I could be wrong. But I thought I overheard the paramedics say something to that effect. I figured you knew.”

It had become common knowledge that Jack and Lucy were dating, so it was reasonable for Kenny to assume any baby would be his. The panic Jack felt must have been written all over his face, because Kenny instantly backpedaled.

“Forget it,” he said. “They probably meant something else.”

“Thanks, Kenny,” Jack said. “Later.”

Jack’s heart restarted, and his mind raced. Lucy was pregnant? She’d told him that was impossible. Had she lied? Did she do this on purpose? Had his mother been right? Would a baby even be his? So many questions.

He tried calling Lucy while en route to her apartment, but no one answered. He arrived in record time and climbed the stairs two at a time to reach her floor. Once outside her door, he stopped and took a few deep breaths.Rational, he thought.Calm down, and be rational. She’d passed out earlier, and he’d come to check on her. Going in guns blazing would solve nothing. He wasn’t even sure she was pregnant. He’d find out what he was dealing with and go from there.

He knocked softly at first, but when she didn’t answer, he became increasingly worried that something was wrong. What if she’d fainted again? Or worse. The knocking turned to pounding until she finally opened the door. Relief overwhelmed him, and in that moment, he realized how much he cared for her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I wake you?”

“Yes.” She rubbed her eyes. “But it’s okay. Come in.” She walked to the living room and sat on the couch. He closed the door and followed her, sitting in a nearby chair.

“Sorry. Kenny told me you passed out this morning and got worried when you didn’t answer right away. I was down in Fayetteville and came as soon as I heard,” Jack said, brows knitting with concern. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “We need to talk.”

“Why do those words never mean anything good?” he asked dryly, removing his coat and laying it on the floor next to him.

“It could be a good thing,” she said. “I think it’s a good thing.”