“Yeah,” she said. “I need to know.”

  He nodded and left. He was still pretty calm when every part of her body was on edge and ready to leap out of her skin.

  Hugh was back fifteen minutes later. She peed on the stick and then waited.

  When it said pregnant, she turned to him and started to cry.

  “Come here. Don’t cry. It’s not a bad thing.”

  “How can you say that?” she asked.

  “Because maybe it feels like hope for me even if you’re upset.”

  “Hope?”

  “Hey, we’ll talk about it later.”

  “No,” she said. “I need to know what you are thinking.”

  She blew her nose with toilet paper after she walked into the bathroom again. She washed her face and came out to see him on the bed.

  “What I’m thinking is that maybe you’re not ready to hear this, but what I feel for you is pretty strong. I’m not upset over this. Shit happens in life. Having a child is a blessing. We aren’t two irresponsible adults.”

  She supposed that might be the best thing anyone could have said to her. “No, we aren’t. Though it feels it now.”

  “I’m all in, Dahlia. You’re a planner. I am too. Just know that I’m not going anywhere.”

  She nodded. It was the best she could hope for.

  “Can we keep this quiet right now? I need to let it sink in. I have to see a doctor. Just a lot going through my mind.”

  “It’s just between us,” he said. “For now.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She didn’t know how badly she needed to be held and was glad it was Hugh who was the one doing it.

  Her hand landed on her belly between them and she felt the love almost immediately.

  She knew what love felt like now and it told her that she loved the man who put the baby there too.

  24

  WORK ON THAT

  “Hi, Mom,” Hugh said to his mother ten days later. He was home on his laptop trying to get some work done. Dahlia said she was working late. That between the tourist season and July Fourth sale rush, they were getting ready for fall releases in another month and then the holiday products were in production.

  He never thought much of it, but she’d been doing so much in terms of analysis for the owners that now they were asking even more of her.

  Though he worried about her being pregnant and not feeling wonderful, he could see how much pride she had in her job.

  Not to mention he knew Lily was having a baby mid-August and would be out for a few months.

  “Are you busy, Hugh?” his mother asked. “I tried to wait to call until after dinner.”

  He looked at his watch and saw it was seven. He’d been home over an hour and all he did was make a quick sandwich. He’d lost track of time.

  “It’s fine,” he said. “I’m just getting some work done. I ate when I got home.”

  “You’re not with Dahlia?” his mother asked.

  It hadn’t even been two months that he’d known her and now they were having a baby.

  He’d been trying to wrap his head around this since he saw the word “pregnant” on the test.

  Dahlia had burst into tears, but he had smiled when he was hugging her. She couldn’t see it, but he had to let it out.

  He was terrified to bring a child into this world, with everything he’d seen in his job, but he wasn’t stupid enough to have it dictate his life.

  The fear of letting someone else down was weighing on him more than anything else, but again, he had to work on that.

  Together, they could figure it out.

  “No,” he said. “She had to work late. I’m sure she’s home by now.”

  “Are you going to talk to her?” his mother asked.

  “Probably,” he said. He tried to call her nightly when they weren’t together. Unless it was too late. He was worried about her health, but she’d been to the doctor two days ago and everything seemed fine.

  Early March, he’d be a father. Not even one full year of living here.

  It was barely a year after his divorce was final too.

  He couldn’t worry about those things or how it would look.

  He’d never cared before and wasn’t going to start now.

  “Things are going well?” his mother asked. “It’s been close to two months or so?”

  “Yes to both,” he said.

  “Are you doing anything exciting? You’ve said you’ve been going out more.”

  He realized he hadn’t talked to his mother in a few weeks, just short texts. “We went to a party a few weeks ago at one of my coworkers’ house. Dahlia met those that were there.”

  “You haven’t gone to a coworker’s party in years,” his mother said.

  He laughed at the stunned tone in her voice.

  No, he hadn’t.

  Early on with Keri, she wanted to meet those he worked with. After they were married she didn’t care as much. She said they always talked about work and she didn’t want to know. It upset her and she wanted to pretend it didn’t exist.

  Just like she did with what he was going through mentally too.

  “It’s a different group of people,” he said.

  “Dahlia had no problem with it?”

  “No,” he said. “Why do you think she would? She got along great with the fiancée of one of the guys. I think they’ve talked a few times since.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” his mother said. “Speaking of news, your father and I would like to visit you.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’ve got some time to use. We’d like to come visit if we can find a place to stay.”

  “You could stay with me,” he offered. “I’ve got plenty of room.”

  He’d have to buy another bed by then, but not a big deal. He’d have to get a lot more things in the house at some point. A crib and nursery were at the top of the list.

  “I’ll let you know,” his mother said. “I doubt you want us in your house for a week. No reason to make Dahlia uncomfortable and I’m sure you spend time together.”

  “She has her own place, Mom,” he said. For now.

  Ivy got engaged a few days ago and was already planning on moving in with Brooks within the month. Dahlia would be living alone and there was no reason for that.

  Maybe he could appeal to her sensibility to save money.

  Yeah, just what every woman wanted to hear. The guy they were with wanted you to move in to save money.

  There were too many things to tackle at this point and he couldn’t stress over that. It’d all work out in the end when the time was right.

  They needed to get past another month or so until she was ready to tell her family about the baby.

  He wasn’t saying anything either. He didn’t want to think about the fact that things could happen.

  For once in his life he wanted to be happy and think of positive things in his future.

  “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t stay with you at times,” his mother said, laughing.

  “When are you planning on coming?” he asked. He’d ignore that comment for now.

  “Sometime in August. Your father is checking his schedule. I’m doing the same. Then I’ll check out hotels. Hannah said she hadn’t seen you in a while. The girls miss you.”

  “She wants to come too?” he asked.

  Oh man, it was going to be a family reunion.

  “If we can rent a house instead of a hotel, she will try to do it. I doubt you want us all staying with you.”

  “I don’t have nearly the beds,” he said.

  “Nor do you want that kind of chaos while you’re working.”

  “I’ll try to take a few days off while you’re here,” he said. “If you give me enough notice.”

  “Once we hang up, I’ll get right on looking. Don’t suppose you know of any places?”

  “No,” he said. “Let me know how you make out.”

  “Will do,” his mother said. “Hugh, you sound so good. I can’t wait to see you.”

  He smiled. “Can’t wait to see you too.”

  He hung up a few minutes later and decided to call Dahlia. He should let her know that his family would be coming.

  When Dahlia’s voicemail picked up, he hung up. No reason to leave a message.

  He sent her a text he was only checking in to see how she was doing and if she could talk.

  He went back to work and his phone rang ten minutes later. “Sorry,” she said. “I was in the bathroom throwing up my dinner.”

  He cringed. “You okay?”

  “Nope,” she said. “This sucks. I mean I suppose I should be happy it’s not daily or in the morning. Ivy hasn’t noticed anything. I can keep it under control during the day. Lots of water and mint.”

  “Did you say anything to the doctor?”

  He’d been upset that he couldn’t go with her. She didn’t want him there, but he couldn’t swing it anyway, as he was out of town in meetings in New Haven all day.

  “She said it’s normal. I’m following orders. It’s not like I’ve got anyone to talk to. Well, Rose got sick the whole time, but I don’t want anyone to know.”

  “I wish there was something I could do to help,” he said.

  “Oh, you did enough,” she said, laughing.

  At least she wasn’t crying. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It is what it is. Maybe it will pass. As I said, it’s not daily. Could be what I wanted for dinner.”

  “What did you eat?” he asked.

  “Spicy sausage with peppers and onions. That was an hour ago. I stopped and got it at a food truck that was on Main Street when I left work. I think it was the grease.”

  “Could be,” he said.

  “It was so good though.”

  “Everything else good?” he asked.

  “It is. How are things with you? Work crazy?”

  “No more than normal,” he said. “We probably got home around the same time and I’m just getting some things done now.”

  “Same here,” she said. “I stayed later to meet with Sage and go over a budget with her for advertising. Everyone else had left upstairs in the offices so I decided to come home and work.”

  “You could have come here,” he said.

  “So we could both sit there and work?” she asked.

  “Why not?” he asked. “We’ll have to figure those things out at some point.”

  “It’s early yet,” she said quickly.

  Another reason for him not to push it. She was always ready to cut him off when he tried to bring it up.

  “My mother called a bit ago. They want to come for a visit. They want to meet you.”

  “You didn’t tell them about the baby did you?”

  “No,” he said. “But they know we’ve been dating almost two months.” She burst out laughing. “What is so funny?”

  “It just sounds funny when it’s out loud. You knocked me up within weeks of knowing each other.”

  He smiled. “It is what it is,” he said.

  “It is,” she said. “When are they coming for a visit? I’d like to meet them. I want to know what you were like as a kid.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “You know so much about my life and things I did as a kid. Or where I lived. I think it’s only fair I know the same about you. Maybe I can find out things like if you were a whiny child or not so I know what to look out for.”

  He smiled. “My mother will be an open book without even knowing. They are trying to find a house to rent and if they can, my sister and her family might come too.”

  “You said your family never visited you in the past. Why now?”

  He knew she suspected there was more going on with him, but she never came right out and asked. Nothing more than commenting on him being tired, bringing him soaps to help him sleep. She even gave him a lavender room spray to put on his pillow.

  He thought it was a joke, but he did find it relaxed him in bed while he was trying to fall asleep.

  “My mother worries about me and she said I sound good. She thinks it’s you, she needs to meet you.”

  He wanted to ask how that was for honesty and see where she went with it.

  “Maybe I worry about you too,” she said quietly.

  He sighed. “I don’t want you to worry about me.”

  “Hugh,” she said. “At some point you’re going to have to let me know what I can do for you even if you won’t tell me why.”

  He closed his eyes. “We’ll talk about it another time,” he said.

  “I’m not always going to let you get away with it, but I will now because the baby is hungry now that I got rid of my dinner.”

  “Go eat,” he said. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say he loved her, but he wouldn’t do that over the phone for the first time.

  He shifted to his email to see if there was any update on Kevin.

  Nothing. No response.

  He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad and had to put it aside for now.

  He went back to work because if he didn’t, he’d be too focused on Dahlia and how to get her to move in with him without scaring her at the same time with what he was feeling inside in just the short time they’d known each other.

  25

  DIRTY LAUNDRY

  “Why did you lie to me?”

  Dahlia was stunned to see Hugh at her door a week later after work. She’d had no clue he was coming over.

  More importantly, she had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

  “What?”

  He moved past her into her apartment. She’d just gotten home and kicked her shoes off, and taken her cardigan off too. They didn’t have central air conditioning in their apartment, but rather window units and she’d barely had them turned on against the mid-July heat before her boyfriend showed up looking...livid.

  And almost scary.

  This wasn’t even the guy who first knocked on her door months ago to question her.

  “You heard me,” he said. “Why did you lie to me?”

  “I’ve never lied to you once,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “And I don’t appreciate you accusing me of anything.”

  “I’m asking a question, not accusing you.”

  “And that question is with an accusatory tone and you know it.”

  He took a deep breath. “You told me months ago that you haven’t talked to Shawn since before you moved. Correct?”

  “That is correct,” she said. Her lips were thinned out and she was doing everything she could not to yell at him. That wasn’t her and she wanted to blame it on the hormones.

  “You’ve had no contact at all,” he said. “No communication?”

  “No,” she said. “I don’t want to either. Aside from the fact that he lied to me, he put a mark on my career and he is a thief. Why would you think I’d want to even pass him on the street?”

  “He sent you an email in November.”

  “What?” she asked. “First, that isn’t talking to someone and second I haven’t emailed or texted him. What are you talking about and how do you even know that? Did he tell you that?”

  She'd get on a plane right now, pregnancy sickness or not, and get right in his face if he was even hinting that she had anything to do with his criminal activities.

  “No,” he said. “The techs have been going through his computer. It takes time; they’ve got other things going on. The Chicago office contacted me about thirty minutes ago to say they found an email from Shawn to you with a picture in it of his niece, Amelia.”

  “When?” she asked. Then she stopped and thought. “Wait. He sent me an email back in the fall or something. I don’t remember. It was a few months after I moved here. The subject was about Amelia. I thought it was odd, I opened it, saw a picture and just clicked on it to see it better. I’m not sure why. Then I realized it was probably a mistake. I didn’t reply!” she snapped.

  “What is all the yelling?”

  They turned to see Ivy and Brooks standing there. Just great.

  As if it wasn’t bad enough that she was losing her temper when she never did, she now had witnesses to a fight with her boyfriend.

  “Hugh seems to think that for some reason I’ve been lying to him about an email I got from Shawn after I moved here.”

  “When did you get it?” Ivy asked. “You never said anything. Of course, we didn’t even know you were dating Shawn back then either.”

  More dirty laundry, but Hugh knew that at least.

  “I thought Dahlia was cleared of everything,” Brooks said.

  Wonderful. Now she had two men in her apartment looking ready to do battle. One pissed at her, and one pissed at her boyfriend.

  Ivy was looking concerned and came over to stand next to her.

  “Dahlia doesn’t lie about anything,” Ivy said. “Never. How dare you think she is.”

  Hugh ran his hands through his hair. “All I know is I got a call that they found an email from Shawn to Dahlia in early November.” He pulled his little pad out of his suit pocket and flipped it. “Tuesday, November seventh at seven twenty-three p.m.”

  “That’s oddly specific,” Ivy said.

  “He deals in facts,” Dahlia said. “And his facts make him think I lied to him. I didn’t. I told you, I got the email, I opened it, and it was a picture of Amelia. I’d seen pictures of her before. I just figured he sent it to me by mistake.” She ran her hand over her face. “Oh no. I remember now thinking that once I opened it, my computer froze. I’ve never had that problem before.”

  “What do you mean your computer froze?” Hugh asked.

  “Like I couldn’t close the email down. It was locked. I just set my computer on the counter with it open and went and did a few things. When I came back it was gone. Sometimes those things happen and I wasn’t going to try to hard boot it. I was working on something and didn’t want to lose that by restarting my computer, but I couldn’t get back to the spreadsheet I was working on to save either.”

  “I don’t suppose you’ve got that email?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I deleted it. If you know he sent it, they have to have seen what it was.”