Page 64 of Little Gray Dress

“You guys are all weird.” I start up the stairs to drop my purse in my bedroom, but only make it a few steps from the top, when the door down the landing swings open violently, hitting the wall behind it and causing something inside to crash to the floor.

“If that’s the kind of father you want to be, then we’ll see you in court!” Greta’s father storms out, glaring at me as he walks by. Greta follows him out, a blank stare on her face. I’m not sure she’s even seen me; even though she’s walked right past me her head is clearly somewhere else.

Then I hear Amelia’s voice. “For God’s sake, Jack, this is a disaster. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me yesterday.”

“I didn’t know yesterday, Mom; how could I have told you when even I didn’t know myself? Besides, what happened yesterday changed everything.”

I stand still, listening to them. They clearly don’t know that they’re being overheard by the whole house.

“Well, you know now. Today changes everything, Daddy.” When she walks out she spots me immediately and forces a smile. “Emi.” She continues past me towards the stairs, causing Hannah and Evan to jump up and pretend they’ve not been straining from midway down to hear them.

“Daddy? No,” I say under my breath, through an internal panic that can only be described as my heart stopping. I know I’ve been confused about us, but things are quickly becoming clear. I inch towards the door but make it just in time for Jack to spot me before nearly closing it on me.

“Emi. Did you uh— H-how long have you been here?” he stutters.

“Why did your mom just call you Daddy?” I ask, but already I know what it must mean. Please let me have heard it wrong.

“Shit.” Jack never curses, only when he’s drunk or in a mess he can’t fix. “She’s pregnant.”

“What?” My heart sinks to my stomach so hard it almost makes me sick. “She’s pregnant with—”

“Yup… Supposedly with my kid. I’m completely screwed.” He’s standing in the doorway, his fingers interlaced on top of his head, a confused look on his face.

“And she just told you today?” I fight back tears. This cannot be happening. I don’t know who I feel worse for, him or me.

“Yes. I guess she found out last week and didn’t want to tell me while you were here. But after yesterday, she decided today was the perfect time to announce it. And fuck me over, yet again.”

“I…” I stand stunned, not only at him using a word that normally flows pretty freely from my mouth, but the confusion of what this means for either of us.

“I know.” He sighs and grabs a bag, throwing his stuff into it, not even folding his clothes first. This is so unlike Jack that I’m worried. “I gotta go.”

“Go where?” I walk closer to him.

“I don’t know.” He stops packing for a minute and turns to me. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Everything.” He grabs his bag, looks at me as if he needs to say something else, but shakes his head and storms out of the door.

I follow behind him, nearly in a run, passing my friends and family in a blur. “Jack! Please don’t run away. Please…” I call to him, looking over at Evan and silently pleading with him to help me.

“Jack, wait…” Evan follows him to the front door, but Jack slams it shut before Evan can grab it. Evan glances at me but all I can do is shake my head and swallow down the lump in throat.

What the hell is happening?

Chapter Sixteen

Six Years Ago

Portland, Oregon

Malibu, California

The Getaway

“He asked you to go away with him? Already?” Lily almost drops her fork into her lasagna when I say it. Like it’s such a shock that a man could ask me to go away with him. Even though it has never actually happened.

“Yeah. I guess his parents own a house in Malibu, California.”

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