Page 39 of A Magnolia Move-In
Magnolia Daily was going to have to be my love life as well as my professional life. That was my fate. No matter how much I wanted it to be different, it never would be.
Penny Brown and the love of a man were never meant to be in the same sentence, and the sooner I accepted that, the happier I would be.
I covered my head with my comforter and sighed as I stared into the darkness that surrounded me.
Even if I wanted more, I couldn’t have it.
TWELVE
Naomi
Iwoke the next day feeling…optimistic. After dinner yesterday, I went to bed early, which probably accounted for the positive feeling that pulsed through my body with each pump of my heart.
Spending time with Fiona seemed to be just what I’d needed, and it gave me the hope I’d been looking for.
I lay on the bed, staring at the drawn blinds. The sun was shining on the other side, and I could see its brilliance through the slits.
I took in a deep breath and allowed my hand to move toward my stomach. I could feel a bump now. It was growing more noticeable by the day. I guess when a person is sitting in a chair, it’s harder to notice those types of things. But right now, lying flat on my bed, I could feel everything.
There was certainly a life growing there.
Tears stung my eyes as I thought about my poor child.No matter how you looked at it, I was bringing a baby into the world under less-than-ideal circumstances. Either I was going to raise the baby on my own and they would lack a father. Or I would give the baby away and they wouldn’t have their mother.
Both situations made my emotions catch in my throat, and I withdrew my hand from my stomach. I knew I wasn’t going to be happy either way, and I wasn’t ready to pick which poison I would take.
Not wanting to wallow in self-pity, I sat up, swinging my cast so that my leg hung off the edge of the bed. I sat there for a moment, and just as I moved to push myself up, my phone chimed.
I settled back down on the bed and reached over to grab it. The phone chimed again, and my heart stopped in my chest.
Walker.
He’d sent me a text.
I swallowed as all of my emotions moved up to my throat and settled there. Everything around me spun as I stared down at the notification.
What had happened? Why had he finally messaged me? It had been over a month since I last talked to him. Why now?
Even though I imagined this moment every day, I couldn’t bring myself to read the text. It was as if I had to finally face what my future held. That thought was terrifying.
I took in a few deep breaths as I closed my eyes to ground myself. I needed all the strength I could muster.
I needed to be prepared for whatever his words contained.
My phone chimed again, startling me. Tears stung my eyes as my stomach flip-flopped. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to ignore his messages much longer. He was persistent when he wanted something, and he wasn’t going to stop texting me until I messaged him back.
I was going to have to face this even if I wasn’t ready. So, I typed in my password and pressed on the message icon.
Walker:I haven’t heard from you. I’m sorry I went MIA. Things were crazy at work, and I was called away.
My throat ached from his words. I knew he was busy. He worked on an oil rig and would be gone for months on end. But he always texted me. He always let me know that he was leaving.
Why was he messaging me now?
Walker:I dropped my phone in the ocean, and I finally got a replacement. I went to your house. Did you sell it? Is everything okay?
Guilt coated me as I read his texts. Here I’d thought he’d left me for another woman, but the truth was he was called to work. And his phone was destroyed, which was why he couldn’t contact me. As soon as he got back, he’d searched for me.
I was a terrible person to think that he would cheat on me.
