Page 35 of Zombie's Howl-O-Ween
I nodded, tearing up. “You’re right. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight and haven’t been myself lately.”
“Right, because you’re pregnant. I should’ve been helping you.” He pulled his hand out of mine. “I need to go.”
What was happening? He was leaving me because I didn’t tell him I was pregnant the second I suspected it.
God, Trix. Your period is a week late. You should’ve told him then.
I shook myself out of my head and ran after him. He’d already left the house. His long strides against my short ones would always win.
“You’re coming back, right?” I shouted at him as I ran out.
He shut the door to his pickup and didn’t look in my direction. Had he not heard me?
“Brandon! Are you coming back?” I yelled but he just pulled out of the driveway and drove off.
Oh my God. What have I done?
I rushed back into the house and searched for my phone and found it on the sofa. Who should I call? My first thought was Emilee. We’d gotten close over the last several weeks. But what could Em do? Absolutely nothing.
It was Thanksgiving. His club brothers all had plans with their families. That was why they got together this morning for their annual Thanksgiving Day hunt.
“Shit!” I yelled.
I dialed Brandon. Maybe I could talk him down and get him to come home.
It went to voicemail.
“No! No, no, no!” I threw my phone on the sofa.
He had to be having an episode of some sort. The stress of knowing his parents were coming had to be messing with him in not a good way.
We’d been doing so well all month. He was the one. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that we would spend the rest of our lives together.
I loved him.
And you deceived him.
I didn’t!
Oh, God. I was going to be sick. I ran to the bathroom and hugged the porcelain toilet. Dry heaves hit hard and furious. Good thing I hadn’t eaten today, or I’d be throwing up chunks.
I leaned against the wall and waited for my stomach to settle. The only thing I could do was pull myself together and get ready to welcome, my parents and his, into our new place.
And pray he returned in time for dinner.
More than an hour had passed, and Brandon was still gone. My heart was in pieces, and I was worried sick about him. But something told me he wouldn’t hurt himself.
And I’d caved and texted Em, the only person in the club I felt I could trust. She told me she would check into it to see if any of the guys knew where Brandon had gone. When she heard from Lynx, he’d assured her Brandon was fine. He’d also said I should wait patiently for him to return.
Wait patiently? I was literally losing my mind but trying to mask my panic in front of our guests.
I’d been forced to greet everyone alone and entertain them. He should have been here with me. I get that he was angry at me but to leave me to do Thanksgiving by myself was a dick move.
There I sat on a hard banquet chair, facing both sets of parents on the sofa with a phony smile. The way everyone acted awkwardly, they probably sensed my distress.
As Brandon had suggested, I put football on to act as a buffer. It seemed to be working. His dad was sucked into the flat screen.
My parents stared at me with no expression at all. They knew me better than anyone. For sure they read through my fake replies and smiles. Thankfully, they kept quiet and didn’t call me out about Brandon not being there.
