Left to Love (The Next Door Boys) (7 page)

“Oh, that’s mine!” Amber looked at me pleadingly.

“Go ahead.” I gestured for her to move. Josie and I backed out of her way.

She snatched her phone up and beamed. “Hey, Noah,” she said in that disgustingly sweet voice that I suddenly hoped I’d never used.

Josie and I exchanged a look that said we were both thinking the same thing.

“Yeah, I have it on now, it looks incredible… I know, you were right… she does beautiful work.” She held the phone out to me. “He wants to talk to you. I had to tell him.”

I stood up and the muscle I’d pulled getting out of the car at my parents’ house took me by surprise. I gasped out once, but hid it well and rubbed my stomach a few times as I took the phone from her. The last time I’d seen Noah he’d asked me to marry him. I told him I couldn’t. He’d been angry and hurt,
and had left me stranded in Salt Lake City when he
walked out of the restaurant.

“Hey, Noah.” I tried to sound cheery. I didn’t want Amber to think there were any problems here. Five thousand dollars in two weeks was pretty awesome.

“So, Leigh… this is kinda crazy.” I recognized the edge in his voice.

“Yep.” I stopped. “She’s really sweet and beautiful, I’m sure you two will be very happy together.”

“Well, it sounds like you’re already learning how to suck up to your clients.”

So, this is how our conversation was going to go.

“Well, I meant it,” I said.

“Right. Whatever.” He paused for a moment and I gave Amber a reassuring smile. She was looking
at me with an expectant face—l
ike who wouldn’t want to catch up with someone they’d almost married and broken up with? “She tells me you’re married.”

“That’s right.”

“And that you’ve dropped out of school.”

“Well…” I started to say.

“And you’re taking care of the guy’s kid.”

“Yes…” My smile stuck in place. It felt like I shouldn’t be in this moment. Who is forced to talk with someone like this? Then I realized Noah wouldn’t know who I married. Amber and I hadn’t
talked about me much, just her. She knew about
Nathan, but probably didn’t even know his name.

Noah had never been comfortable with my relationship with Brian. It was the only thing we’d argued about when we were together. Noah had been intimidated by him at the time. And, I guess he had reason to think that something was
up between us. Something was—I
just hadn’t known it.

“So, you’re a college dropout who stays home to take care of someone else’s kid because you can’t have your own, and you’re doing a job you could have done in high school.”

Wow, I’d forgotten how mean he could be, and I lost my breath for a moment.

“And, if your little business doesn’t crash, you’ll spend your life working for people like me.” He laughed once or twice. I had to hold myself together so I wouldn’t cry. How had I not seen this side of him when we were together? It only came out at the end, when I’d told him no.

I wanted to scream at him over the phone, but I couldn’t.

“What, afraid to say something? Afraid you’ll lose out on your precious money?”

I gathered strength to speak. I had to do something. “Oh, I just realized you don’t know who I married.”

He was silent.

“You remember Brian, right? The tall, broad guy from next door?”

Nothing.

“I remember having to cancel a few dates with you over his son Nathan who I get to have around full time now. It’s great and I’m so happy that you’ve also found someone so incredible to share your life with.” I smiled up at Amber and heard his phone click on the other end. “Okay, yeah… it was good to catch up with you too, Noah.” I handed the phone back to Amber.

She’d h
eard my end of the conversation.
Noah knew she’d heard it. He wouldn’t be able to complain to her about me a bit.

Brian walked in the door, and relief poured over me.

“Excuse me for a minute.” I winked at Amber. “My husband needs a proper welcome home.”

I went straight for Brian, slid my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. His arms calmed me the way I knew they would. “I love you so much.”

“Wow, well, I love you too.” He glanced at Amber. “You look stunning.” He said to her in his easy, friendly way and she blushed. “Riley and I are going to go run, is that okay?” I loved that he still called our neighb
or, Stuart, by his last name—p
art of serving in the military together.

“Fine. Amber and I have some more work to do and I just wanted to say that you were totally right.”

“About what?” He looked suspicious.

“About a particular job,” I whispered.

He nodded in partial understanding. We both knew now wasn’t the time to sort it out. He touched my cheek briefly and kissed me.

I went back to
pinning
the hem of the dress. Brian came back out in his running wear. Shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He had a great body.
Broad. Athletic. Amber sto
l
e
a few glances
,
and I smiled. Noah would
never
look like that. He was half Brian’s size. I al
so loved the way Brian moved—a
thletic in a way that wasn’t overconfident or cocky. He was a good man.

“Well, don’t make Stuart feel too out of shape.” I smiled up from the floor.

“Riley can handle himself.” Brian laughed as he pushed his way out the door.

“Well, I never thought tattoos could be sexy, but they kind of are,” Amber said.

“I’ll agree with you there.” I stuck a few pins in my mouth and took another fold of hem.

- - -

“So she had you talk to your ex boyfriend?” Josie asked.

Amber had left shortly after Brian; it hadn’t taken us long to do our hem. Having an apprentice was going to be pretty nice.

“Yep.” I carefully gathered our mess from the living room.

“How did that go?”

“Let’s just say that I didn’t say to him what I wanted to.”

“Oh.” She said.

I stopped and looked at her, wishing I had taken this advice. “Never date anyone without praying
about it first. Ever. Even if you think it’s just for fun. That boy is self-centered, mean and spiteful. I didn’t realize it until it was almost too late.”

“Promise.” She smiled.

I took a deep breath, and got another pain in my lower side. I rubbed both my hands up and down my stomach. I’d have to start stretching again or something. “Thanks for your help today. I can finish on my own.”

“Okay.” She shrugged and headed for the door. I wasn’t in the mood t
o sew the stupid dress after talking to Noah
. I’d probably sabotage the whole thing.

- - -

“So, I have to ask what happened today.” Brian put his arm around me on the couch.

Nathan was in bed, and every part of me wanted sleep. My body rested heavily against Brian.

“Oh, Noah wanted to talk to me. I had to play all nice with Amber in the room, but you would not believe what came out of his mouth.”

“Like what?” He tensed up next to me.

“I don’t remember exactly, but it was wicked mean. Like the night I turned him down? The last words I remember hearing from his was how big a sacrifice it would be for someone to marry a girl like me who couldn’t have kids.
I’m sure he was just in shock that someone actually told him no.
”

“That’s where your question came from.” His face softened.

“What?” I lifted my head off his arm.

“
You asked me that question the night you two split.”

“Oh yeah.” I did remember that.
Brian rescued me after I’d been stranded in downtown.

“You remember what I said?”

I felt my face pull into a smile. “That it wouldn’t be a sacrifice.” I could feel the warmth of him spread through my body.

He touched my face with his fingertips, and I felt butterflies spread. “Because any man who was with you would think himself the luckiest man in the world.” Brian put his arms around my back and pulled me closer.

“No, wait,” I said, pushing him away.

“What?” Brian was completely distracted, continuing to kiss down my neck.

“There’s more.
I told him we’d gotten married. H
e didn’t know. I didn’t do it in the nicest way either.” Brain pulled away then, and I smiled.

He looked way too pleased. “How did that go?”

“He hung up on me.”

“Excellent.” He kissed me again, pulling me down on top of him on the couch, Noah forgotten.

SEVEN

“It’s Monday, we just got Nathan off to school, my class was cancelled, and you don’t have class… at all. Why don’t we go for a short hike or something?” Brian asked.

“Why not?” It was still hard for me to want to do anything that didn’t involve me being snuggled up to him, but getting out of the house sounded great. “Let me run to the bathroom, grab my coat, and I’m ready.”

We pulled into the parking lot of a nearby trail and got out to stretch. I got a pain in my lower stomach again. Must be the car ride. It was October and cooling off quickly.

“Give me just a sec, I have to pee.” I started to move away.

“Again?” Brian looked incredulous.

I stopped and felt the color drain from my face and dread start in my chest.
It was
connected, all of it. The tiredness, the small pains in my stomach and now this. I knew that list. I’d seen it a million times. I didn’t have all the symptoms, but it was enough.

I thought back frantically as far as I could remember. Tired, sharp pains, frequent… No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening now, not in the best months of my life. It was the only thought running through my head. I stood there frozen. Brian was at my side in a second. I tried to breathe in, and for a moment thought I wouldn’t be able to.

“What is it?” He worked hard to keep his voice even.