Catch of a Lifetime: A Cricket Creek Novel (31 page)

Ty talked baseball and put on a good show of laughing, but in the back of his mind he was worried about Jessica. He kept looking at the doorway, hoping she’d come in, but after a good thirty minutes, Madison still hadn’t returned and he was about ready to pull his hair out. When he noticed that Aunt Myra was gone as well, he knew that something had to be really wrong.

He could just feel it.

After excusing himself from the party, he went outside and dialed Madison’s number. “Come on, Madison . . . answer.” When she didn’t pick up, he sent her a text message and then waited. Finally, just when he was ready to head over to Jessica’s apartment, his phone beeped. With a hammering heart he opened up the text message. It read:
Mom is still having some stomach troubles, but she said for you to have a good time and not to worry.

“Right . . . not to worry.” Ty shook his head and read the message three times, looking for some hidden message. Something didn’t feel right about the whole situation. He looked over at his car and then back at Sully’s, trying to
decide just what to do. After a couple of minutes, Owen came outside. “Hey, Owen. Have you heard from Myra? Is Jessica really okay? I’m worried.”

“Myra just called and told me she was going to stay with Jessica for a while, so I’m going to head on home.”

“Do you have a bead on what’s wrong? I’m really concerned and I don’t know what to do.”

Owen clamped a hand onto Ty’s shoulder. “Jessica is in good hands, so you don’t need to worry on that score.”

Ty took off his cap and scratched his head. “Yeah, but I want to be with her.”

“Son, believe me, I understand.”

“So what should I do?”

“It’s not my call, but I know how strong-headed those three are, so my advice is to do as they’re askin’.”

Ty inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay, but do me a favor. If you hear anything, would you give me a call?”

Owen squeezed Ty’s shoulder. “Sure I will. Look, I do know this—if it was something serious, Myra would have let me know.” He smiled. “I know you’re worried about your woman. But this is your night and I know she wants you to enjoy it. So get back in there and whoop it up a bit. Maybe Jessica will show up here in a little while anyway.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Me too,” he said. “I’m plumb tuckered out. But that sure was a helluva game. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

“Thanks, Owen.” Ty watched him walk over to his truck, but was reluctant to go back inside. He didn’t know how much longer he could wait before calling Jessica’s number and hearing her voice for reassurance. After another moment of hesitation, Ty decided to go back to the party. He was greeted once again with high fives and slaps on the back, but the beer suddenly didn’t taste so great and he no longer had an appetite when just a little while ago he had
felt famished. Celebrating without Jessica by his side just didn’t feel the way it should, and it only reiterated what he already knew: He loved her deeply.

He wanted to marry her.

The thought slammed into his brain and made his hands shake. The thought had randomly crossed his mind in a pleasant
what if
kind of way before, and he had paused more than once to look at engagement rings, but he now knew without a doubt that he wanted Jessica Robinson to be his wife. A win didn’t feel so great without her with him. He was forty years old and had waited a lifetime for this to happen. . . . Didn’t ever really think it would. But, damn, he didn’t like being on the outside, waiting to hear if she felt okay. He didn’t want Madison or Aunt Myra taking care of her. Ty wanted to be the man in her life in every sense of the word. He smiled. Tomorrow he was going to buy an engagement ring. He loved Jessica Robinson and wanted her by his side not as his girlfriend, but as his wife.

Why wait?

“Madison, go on back to Sully’s,” Jessica pleaded. “I’ll be fine in a little while.”

Madison shook her head firmly. “Do you think I believe that for one minute, Mom? My God, you’ve been crying!”

“It’s only hormones. I’ve been crying at Hallmark commercials lately.”
Perhaps after years of holding back, the dam has finally broken,
she thought wryly.

“Bull,” Madison protested, and sat down in the easy chair across from the sofa.

“Aunt Myra, please explain aging to Madison,” Jessica said, and sighed.

Aunt Myra looked across the room from her perch on the armrest of the sofa. “Madison, she’s right. Hormones can play havoc with your emotions.”

“See?” Jessica raised her palms upward. “You should go back to the party with Jason. I’m sure Bella and Nicolina
want you there too. Owen is heading home so Aunt Myra can stay with me for a while.”

“Mom, Ty is really worried. He wants to come over.”

“No!” Jessica sat up straighter and tried to calm her pounding heart. “I don’t want him to miss anything. I’ll be fine.” She made shooing motions with her fingers. “Go.”

Madison looked as if she wanted to protest, but surprised Jessica by standing up. “Okay, but if you want me to come back later, I will.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” She forced a smile. “Tell Ty I’ll call him . . . later.”

Madison gave her a curious look. “Why don’t you call him now?”

Jessica lifted one shoulder. “I don’t feel up to it just this minute,” she replied, and tried to keep her voice steady. “Just let him know that I’m fine. . . . I think everything has caught up with me and my forty-year-old body is responding.”

“Okay,” Madison said, but looked at Aunt Myra. “Call me, okay?”

Aunt Myra nodded. “I will,” she promised, and walked Madison to the front door. As soon as it was closed, she turned to Jessica. “So . . . are you pregnant?”

Jessica felt emotion well up in her throat.

“How did you guess?”

“It wasn’t all that difficult. I’m surprised that Madison didn’t suspect, but I suppose young kids don’t think old people actually have sex, much less procreate.”

Jessica tried to laugh, but her sense of humor failed her.

“Oh, Aunt Myra, I felt terrible the entire game and didn’t really think it was anything more than indigestion. But I suddenly realized that I’m . . .
late
.”

Aunt Myra came over and sat down next to Jessica. “Oh, sweetie . . . don’t fret. Something tells me this is meant to be.” She drew her into her arms and hugged her hard.

“Aunt Myra . . .” Jessica started crying. “How in the
world could I allow this to happen? I’m no longer a young girl!” She pulled back and looked at her aunt. “This . . . this is terrible.”

“Is it?”

“Yes! I’m so embarrassed. Ashamed! And how in the world can I tell Ty?” She held her head in her hands. All of the emotions from years ago came flooding back in giant waves. “Aunt Myra . . . my
God
!”

Aunt Myra tilted Jessica’s chin up. “You listen here, missy! You’ve
never
had anything to feel ashamed about! While teenage pregnancy isn’t anything we want to see happen, you handled yourself with flying colors. You should feel proud of yourself and your life, not ashamed,” she said hotly.

“Oh, but I don’t want Madison to know. . . . I don’t want anyone to know!”

“Maybe you’re not, Jessica.”

“Oh, Aunt Myra, I feel sick and I’m late.” She sniffed hard and shook her head. “What else could it be?”

“Well . . .” Aunt Myra shrugged. “You
are
forty. Your body will start to really give you fits.”

Jessica sighed. “Well, I will know soon enough.” She tried to smile, but failed. “Please don’t tell anyone about this, especially not Madison. I know that she suspects that something isn’t as it seems, but she also sensed that I wanted to be alone.”

“You know I won’t breathe a word of this, not even to Owen. Honey, do you want me to stay here tonight?”

“No, that would just make everyone suspicious. Go home to Owen. I’ll be fine. But I would really appreciate if you would run Wine and Diner tomorrow. I need to take a pregnancy test to be sure.”

“Sweetie, I don’t want to leave you.”

“I will be fine. Truly.”

Aunt Myra gave her a measuring look, but then patted Jessica’s leg and stood up. “All right. But I am a phone call and a short drive away. Don’t you dare hesitate to call.”

“Thanks, Aunt Myra. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You have been such a blessing in my life.”

“I will always be here for you,” Aunt Myra said in a firm voice that shook with emotion. “And I do know that Ty McKenna loves you. Keep that in mind, Jessica. If you are with child, that man will do right by you.”

Jessica nodded and waved. “I will keep that in mind,” she promised, but as soon as Aunt Myra closed the door, she leaned back against the cushions and felt emotion well up in her throat once again. She thought of all of the people who had deserted her in her time of need when she’d discovered she was pregnant with Madison, and she shivered with apprehension. And the last thing she wanted was for Ty to do the
right thing
. Pregnancy wasn’t a reason for marriage.

Love was.

And Ty loves you
went through her head, but she put a hand over her tummy and shut her eyes. “Yeah, everybody loves me until I mess up.”

But then Jessica suddenly thought of her mother making the decision not to follow her to Cricket Creek or demand that she come home. “Oh, my . . .” Her hand remained protectively over her stomach, and even if she wasn’t sure if she was pregnant, she knew that giving up her child would be a sacrifice she could never make. And her mother had done it . . . for her. All at once, she believed this with absolute clarity: Her mother had given Jessica the ticket to freedom and happiness and had paid the ultimate price. She folded her arms across her chest and ached for her mother’s gentle touch, and prayed that someday, somehow, she would find a way to see her mother again. “Oh, Mom!” The thought made her so sad but lifted the weight of anger from her shoulders.

Jessica sighed. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

“G
ood morning!” Bella poured a steaming mug of coffee for her mother and then one for herself.

“Good morning, Bella. I hope you slept well on the sofa. I still feel bad about taking your bed. You could have slept with me, you know.”

“Mom, I don’t mind the sofa. I’m a restless sleeper and didn’t want to keep you up.” Logan had partied pretty late and was either still asleep or was giving Bella some time to visit with her mother. She was coming to find out that he was much more considerate than she ever dreamed. “Well, you and Mitch Monroe sure were chummy last night.” She sat down at the kitchen table and smiled over at her mother.

“He’s an interesting man,” Nicolina admitted.

“He seemed very into you.”

“We were talking business, Bella.”

“Right . . .” Bella poured creamer into her coffee and stirred her spoon in slow circles. “Well, he’s also a handsome man.”

“I suppose,” Nicolina said with a casual shrug, but the color in her cheeks told Bella that she was attracted to him.

“So are you going to see Mitch again?”

“He’s going to show me the storefronts under construction down by the stadium.”

“So, is he an investor in the riverfront project?”

Nicolina pressed her lips together, but then leaned forward and whispered, “Yes, but don’t say anything. He wants to remain a silent partner in this venture.”

“Mom, he could be quite an asset to you if you decide to open up the jewelry shop. Maybe an investor as well?”

Nicolina stared down at her coffee. “He’s expressed interest. I gave him my Web site so he could see more of my product.”

“Mom!” Bella felt a tingle of excitement. “This could be the break you’ve been waiting for.”

Nicolina tilted her head sideways. “I trust his expert opinion—that’s for sure. If Mitch says this is a good market, I believe him.”

“You make a cute couple.” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Bella! My relationship with Mitch Monroe is strictly business!” she sputtered.

“Whoa, there. I’m just teasing,” Bella said, but in reality she wasn’t. They really would make a striking couple.

“Besides, he’s only here for a few days and then is going back to Chicago.”

“And so are you. At least for the time being. So . . . ?”

“We might meet for cocktails and—”

“I know—discuss
business
,” Bella interjected, and rolled her eyes.

Nicolina took a sip of her coffee. “Speaking of cute couples, I suppose Mr. Game Saver is sleeping in after last night?”

“We’re not a couple,” Bella insisted, but felt heat in her own face this time.

“Right . . .” Nicolina mocked, but then smiled warmly at her. “Arabella, I see the way you two look at each other. And you were a nervous wreck when he came in to pitch. You don’t have to keep your feelings a secret from me. I
don’t know him well, but I like what I’ve seen so far. I just don’t want you rebounding from David.”

“I’m not,” Bella said, and realized that it was true. She felt more strongly about Logan in this short period of time than she had ever felt about David.

“Ah, so then there is something between you two?”

Bella caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I knew it,” Nicolina said, and patted Bella’s hand. “I wish you happiness, whether I come to live here or not. You know that, right?”

Bella blinked hard. “I never meant to stay here, Mom. It just somehow feels right. I’m really trying to take it slow with Logan. All I know for sure is that I am happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

“Well, then, you should stay here,” she answered firmly, but her smile trembled a bit.

“But . . . we’ve always been a team.”

“You’re an adult now, Bella. Whether it is with Logan or someone else, if you find true love—
happiness
—grab it and hold on tight. It doesn’t come along often,” she said with a smile, but her voice was wistful.

“And you should too.”

Nicolina shrugged and glanced away.

“Mom! You’re right: I am an adult now. Like Jessica, you’ve dedicated your life to raising a daughter. Now it’s your turn to get out there and find a life other than being my mother. You are so talented! Go for it and don’t look back.” She reached over and grabbed her mother’s delicate hand. “It’s your time now.”