Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 (26 page)

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not shocked.”

Not wanting to start a fight by asking about what other guy had been in the running for Crew’s father, Luke went back to his task and gently slipped the tip of the otoscope in the baby’s ear. Leaning in close, he peered through the lens and adjusted the angle until the eardrum came into view. “No ear infection,” he said, straightening up. “Can you turn him around so I can look at the other side?”

Without saying a word, she switched Crew to her other arm. Luke repeated the process, grateful the little boy was so cooperative. “This one looks good too.”

“Great.” She took the bottle away and gave Crew his pacifier before standing up. “I’m going to put him down for the night.” She smirked. “Do you want to help, Daddy?”

Now Luke was the shocked one. He’d expected her to be mad at him for his earlier comment about not being sure.

“Well?” she said, patting Crew on his back.

“Sure.” He followed her into the bedroom, baffled by her non-confrontational behavior.

He observed the process more than helped. Crew only whined a little when Vivian laid him down in the portable crib. He was such a good kid, even when he didn’t feel good.

“It’s not always that easy,” Vivian whispered as they left the room. “He just wore himself out crying before you got home.”

“Will he sleep through the night?” He suddenly wanted to learn everything he could about Crew. After all, he would be on his own when it was his turn to have Crew.

“Probably, but once the medication wears off, he might wake up.” She glanced over at him and smiled. “If you stick around here tonight, you can get firsthand experience.”

Luke ignored the invitation, but truthfully, he didn’t want to go over to the Bradford’s and bring back whatever bug they had to Crew. “Does he take a bottle if he wakes up?”

“Usually, but it really depends on the time. He’ll want one if it’s closer to morning.” She sat down on the loveseat. “So,” she said with a smile, “you’re Crew’s daddy.”

She was irritatingly normal right now. It disarmed him, stealing some of his pent up anger. “Yeah, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it.” Running a hand through his hair, he took a seat on the chair across from the loveseat. He knew they needed to discuss the future, but first he needed one question answered by Vivian. “Did you know all along I was the father?”

“No.” Her eyes narrowed. “We were only together that one time, so I was sure Neil was the father.”

Luke wasn’t sure he believed her, but didn’t see a point in pressing the issue to find out how many times she’d been with Neil, or if there had been another man. “So, when did you know he wasn’t?”

“Neil isn’t really cut out to be a father.” She moistened her lips. “He’d been questioning his paternity from the beginning. A month ago he decided to find out once and for all and was tested.”

“And it took you a month to decide to tell me?”

“Basically, yes.” She lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “I planned on telling you, I just didn’t know how to do it. Seeing you on the news was the catalyst I needed.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I couldn’t live with myself if you’d died not knowing Crew was yours.”

It always came back to Vivian. “Glad you won’t have to live with that guilt,” he said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes again. “I know you’re mad at me. Honestly, I don’t blame you, but don’t you think it’s time we worked things out between us? We could have so much more than sharing joint custody.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You want to be a part of Crew’s life, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Since moving to Montana probably isn’t what you want to do, I could move in here with you instead.”

He snorted a laugh. “Not happening, Vivian. First, there is zero chance I want to get back together with you. Second, I have a girlfriend I’d eventually like to marry.”

“I’m not asking you to give up your girlfriend.” She sat forward, scooting to the edge of her seat. “We could be roommates, sharing custody of Crew, but not necessarily sharing beds.” Her mouth curved up on the ends. “But if you ever did want to share my bed, I’m into open relationships, so you could still keep seeing your girlfriend.”

Luke stared at her hard. Just when he thought she was somewhat normal and they could maybe work out custody of their son amicably, she had to go ahead and ruin it by propositioning him.

“No thanks.”

“To which part?” she asked with a smirk.

Seriously?
“To all of it!”

“Okay.” She got to her feet and stretched. “You better come up with a plan then, because I’m taking Crew home in a few days.”

He shot to his feet. “I’m his father, Vivian. You can’t keep him from me anymore.”

“I don’t plan on it.” She walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I guess I might consider staying in Georgia if you were to buy me my own house here.”

“I don’t think that’s usually how joint custody works. I’ll gladly pay child support, but I’m not going to buy you a house.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t think you would, that’s why I suggested I move in with you.”

Right, and she’d also propositioned him at the same time. “It will take time to work through all the details, but let me say again that you are
not
moving in with me.”

“Whatever you say, Luke.” She turned back around and continued perusing the contents of the fridge.

Luke wanted to yell or throw something. This woman made him absolutely crazy. His cell phone dinged an incoming text. Hoping it was Taylin, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. It was from the hospital.

Luke, we just got two walk-ins in active labor and both want an epidural. See you soon.

Although he was tired, he was grateful for the text. At least now he had some place to sleep, other than under the same roof with his ex-wife.

L
eaning
against the wall of the hospital elevator, Taylin was thankful her shift was finally over. Even though it had been over a week since the news of Luke’s newfound paternity had gotten out, that’s all everyone was still talking about. And the person they wanted to discuss it with most was Taylin.

She didn’t want to discuss it anymore. Period. But Luke finally had a night free and was coming over at seven-thirty so they could do just that. It’s not that she didn’t want to see him—they’d hardly had any time together—she just didn’t want to make any life-changing decisions. It would be so nice if they could snuggle up on the couch and watch a fun movie. They would have the house to themselves since her parents had driven to North Carolina this morning. Taylin’s older sister lived there, and one of her boys had broken his arm and needed to have surgery.

The elevator doors slid open, and Taylin got off. She stopped at the time clock and swiped her badge to clock out, noting she only had forty-five minutes before Luke was due to arrive.

As she trudged toward the exit, she opened the text message Ashlee had sent her earlier and read over it again, wishing for the hundredth time that day she were in Disney World with her twin. Ashlee had gotten the part to play some of the princesses, but mainly Cinderella. She’d moved to Florida a few days later to begin training for her new roles.

I just met Prince Charming and he is so hot! I’ll send pics later.

Although she was happy her sister might have finally found a job she would keep for a while, Taylin was envious of her sister’s carefree way of living.

Stepping outside, Taylin noticed the warmer temperatures of the day still lingered, making the breeze feel wonderful. It would be the perfect evening to be outside doing something fun, like fishing under the full moon with Luke or taking a ride on his motorcycle. But those days were long gone. Besides, Taylin wasn’t really allowed at his house since his ex-wife was living there. That part still irritated her. Vivian kept telling Luke she was flying home to Montana, but she was still here. Not only that, she kept finding excuse after excuse for Luke to come home early or not leave at all. Taylin was getting tired of it. They had only seen each other at work this past week.

Forgetting where she’d parked, she scanned the employee parking lot and lifted up her key fob, hitting the lock button twice to make the lights flash. Her car was right in front of her. She must really be stressed out to have missed it.

The entire drive home she thought about her life and how drastically it had changed in the past week. For a girl who knew what she wanted and usually got it by hard work and perseverance, Taylin’s life had taken a nosedive into uncharted waters. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fix the situation with Luke. He now had a son and a controlling ex-wife. Where did she fit in?

She tried to remind herself that Luke hadn’t cheated on her or had an illicit affair, but the truth was if he hadn’t forgiven Vivian so many times, he would’ve never gotten her pregnant in the first place.

Taylin had struggled all week long with thoughts like this, along with a growing fear that Luke might repeat his past behavior and give Vivian another chance if she wanted him back. Sure, he couldn’t stand her right now, but he had loved her once. And love and hate were closely related. Plus, they had a child together. A child the two of them had created.

An overwhelming feeling of frustration and jealousy curled inside her stomach, along with a healthy dose of guilt. To be honest, it bothered her that Luke had a son with another woman. No matter what, Taylin would never be the first one to give him a baby. In fact, if they got married, she’d be a stepmother before she became a mother.

In a way, Taylin felt like her dreams of marriage and motherhood were gone. The ideal picture in her head would never happen and she felt robbed, which made her feel even more selfish.

As she pulled into her driveway, her phone vibrated, notifying her of a new email. It was from the local director of the international neonatal program, Vital First Breath. Taylin had completely forgotten to send in a reply. The idea of escaping her problems for a year was sounding better and better, but now she doubted they still wanted her.

She quickly opened the email and was relieved to see they were still holding a spot for her, but needed to know by tomorrow if she was coming in order to book her flight to California the following week.

Feeling overwhelmed, and knowing she couldn’t make a decision without first talking to Luke, she set up a reminder to answer the email before midnight. Tucking the phone into her pocket, she climbed out of the car and went inside to change out of her scrubs.

After taking a quick shower, Taylin slipped into her favorite pair of jeans and a cream colored button up silky shirt. Spritzing on a little perfume, she searched the room for her phone and found it on her bed. Picking it up, she saw she had a missed call from Luke. There was also a text message, asking her to call him. Hoping nothing had happened to him, she quickly called him back.

“Hey,” he said in a tired voice. “I don’t think I’m going to make it over to your house.”

She shouldn’t be surprised. This was happening more and more, but the disappointment was physically heavy, pressing down on her shoulders. “Is everything okay?” she asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Relatively speaking, yes.” She heard a baby crying and knew he must still be at home. “Hang on a second. I need to find Crew’s pacifier.”

She could hear him trying to comfort Crew, and then the baby quieted.

“Sorry. I think he’s getting a tooth. He’s been so grumpy today.”

Taylin was at a loss. Newborns were her expertise, not babies old enough to get teeth. “Can he take an over the counter pain reliever?” she asked as she got up and crossed the room to get her laptop. She could at least look it up to see what the options were.

“I already gave him a dose an hour ago.” Luke cleared his throat. “Look, Vivian has a migraine and can’t take care of Crew.”

Taylin’s stomach dipped at the mention of Luke’s ex-wife. “You can bring him with you, Luke. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks, but I need to go to the pharmacy and pick up Vivian’s prescription. Then it will be time for Crew’s bedtime. I’ll have to stay here, since the medication Vivian takes will pretty much knock her out.”

The sinking in her stomach doubled, and she felt a little nauseous. Did that mean he was sleeping at his house tonight instead of Mrs. Bradford’s? “What can I do to help you?” She almost volunteered to pick up Vivian’s prescription, but that would be too weird. The situation was bizarre enough.

“Nothing, but thank you for understanding.”

Who said she understood? She clamped her lips together before she said something she couldn’t take back.

“Can I call you after I get Crew asleep?”

“Sure.”

“I’m sorry, Taylin.”

“I know.” He’d been saying that a lot this past week. Her eyes burned and she bit at her trembling lower lip. She wasn’t going to cry.

The baby started to fuss again. “I need two hands to get him into the car seat,” Luke said. “I’ll call you later.”

He ended the call before Taylin could say goodbye. She stared at her phone for a few seconds, tempted to chuck it across the room. But she needed to talk to someone to get a sanity check. She tried calling Addie, but her sister-in-law sent a message back that she and Chase were in a movie and she’d call back when it got out.

Taylin then tried calling Ashlee, but it rolled over to voicemail. She would’ve called Rachel, but she and her husband were at a youth ministry convention held in Tennessee. Not wanting to bother anyone else with her problems, she went into the kitchen in search of something loaded with carbs. She needed comfort food.

Opening the freezer, she found a frozen coconut cream pie her mother had made the week before. Taylin pulled it out, but decided it would take too long to thaw it out properly. She put it back in the freezer and looked in the pantry for chocolate chips. Baking cookies always soothed her when she was stressed.

More than an hour later, she had three-dozen cookies sitting on the countertop. And Luke still hadn’t called back. That probably meant Crew was still awake, but she figured Vivian would be knocked out. At least she hoped so.

Grabbing a plastic container, she loaded it with most of the cookies and then grabbed her purse. Since Luke wasn’t coming over, she was going to see him.

It was a little after nine when she arrived at his house. Normally, she would go around back and come in through the sliding glass doors, but she knew she should give him a heads up she was here. She pulled her phone from her pocket and debated about texting or calling him. Since there was a chance he was still putting the baby down, she decided to text him.

Hey, since you couldn’t come see me, I decided to come see you. I’m sitting in your driveway with a container full of fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies.

She pushed send and waited for a reply. A notice appeared that he’d read the message, which made her smile with relief. He was still awake.

Taylin expected him to come outside right away, or at least respond to her text. While she waited for something to happen, she snitched another one of the cookies. She’d already eaten two on the drive out. Just as she finished the cookie, her cell phone started ringing.

“You better hurry, or there won’t be any cookies left,” she said into the phone.

“I don’t really do carbs this late at night,” a female voice said. “So go ahead and eat another one.”

“Ashlee?” Taylin said, although she knew she’d read Luke’s name on the display.

“No sorry, sweetie, this Vivian.”

Taylin felt sick and was about to toss her cookies. Literally. What was the woman doing with Luke’s phone? And why didn’t she sound medicated? “Um, is Luke there?” she asked, clutching her churning stomach.

“Yes, but he didn’t call you. I did.”

“Okay.” Taylin’s grip tightened on the phone. “But why?”

“I don’t mean to be rude, Taylin, but Luke stayed home for a reason. To be with his family.”

Taylin pulled the phone away and stared at it for a second, as if trying to determine if this conversation was for real.

“You still there?” she heard Vivian say.

Putting the phone back to her ear, Taylin said, “Yes, but he told me you had an incapacitating migraine and that the medication would knock you out so he was staying home to take care of Crew tonight.”

“He told you that?” Vivian said with a laugh. “He must have misunderstood me. Yes, I had a headache, but the medication makes me wired not tired.”

This conversation wasn’t making any sense. “Could I please talk to Luke?” Taylin asked, feeling more and more frustrated.

“No, he can’t talk right now. He’s in the bedroom rocking the baby to sleep.”

Taylin rarely used curse words. She’d been taught that a true Southern lady can express herself without vulgar language, but right now she was sorely tempted to discard her upbringing and call Vivian a few names her mama would not approve of.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playin’, Vivian, but I don’t want to play. I want to talk to Luke.”

“I’m not playin’ any game with you,” Vivian said in a mock Southern accent. “I know this must be hard to understand, but Luke and I have a baby together and we owe our son the chance to be a real family, and that doesn’t include you.”

Taylin knew she shouldn’t believe a word that came out of this woman’s mouth, but it still hurt. Her chest felt tight, and she struggled to take in air. Maybe there was some truth to Vivian’s words. This whole situation was so weird. The fact that she was having this conversation with Luke’s ex-wife while his ex-wife was living with him was proof.

She got that Luke was trying to make up for lost time, but did he have to do it with his ex in such close proximity? It was obvious to Taylin that Vivian wanted Luke back, but it was like he was temporarily blinded by the situation and couldn’t see what was happening. Or maybe in his subconscious mind he really did want to get back together with Vivian.

None of this was okay. Or normal.

Her vision blurred as tears flooded her eyes. She was not going to cry. At least not while talking to this woman. “I’m not sure what’s goin’ on,” Taylin said, hoping her voice didn’t give her away. “But I’ll talk to Luke later.”

“You do that, honey.”

Taylin’s hands shook as she ended the call. Tossing the phone onto the passenger seat, she backed out of the driveway. A car passed by her as she shifted the gear and pressed on the gas. The tires squealed and she cringed at the sound. Hopefully the passing vehicle’s occupants wouldn’t call the police to report a reckless driver. Not wanting to draw further attention, she eased back on the gas pedal and proceeded home.

Shortly after exiting the cul-de-sac, her cell phone started to ring. One glance at the screen told her it was Luke calling. Or maybe it was Vivian again. She definitely didn’t want to talk to her, or Luke for that matter. She ignored his subsequent calls, letting them roll over to voicemail.

By the time she got home, she had seven missed calls. Six were from Luke; the other one from her sister-in-law Addie. Luke had also texted her, but she didn’t bother opening it. She couldn’t talk to him right now. Truthfully, she didn’t want to talk to anyone, including her family. She texted Addie a quick message, telling her she’d call her tomorrow. Then she shoved her phone inside her purse and left it on the kitchen counter.

Once she was in her room, she changed into a soft tee and a pair of yoga pants. Then she grabbed her laptop, logged on and opened her email. She easily found the flagged message from Vital First Breath and read through it again. There wasn’t really a point in asking Luke what he thought she should do. They weren’t engaged, and from the way things were going, probably never would be. He was a good guy and very forgiving, so he just might get back together with his ex-wife.

That last thought spurred her on to make a decision. She was going to Nepal, at least for six months. Enough time for her to stay busy while Luke figured out what he was going to do.