Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(77)

She looks over at us, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Is she happy being the center of attention? Is she surprised Eric and I are talking and not fighting?

“Now that everything is out in the open,” I say to Eric, “you should try to get her back.”

“You mean you want her off your back.”

I laugh. “I suppose that would be the silver lining. Hey, you up for a little game of bait and switch?”

“Not if it means you’re going to lead her on.”

“Nah, nothing like that. But how about the next time she summons me to fix a leaky faucet or reach something on the top shelf…”

“You giving me your sloppy seconds—again?”

“Eric, she was never as happy with me as she was with you. Her constant cravings and demands are probably more about annoying Nic than anything else.”

“Are you saying pregnant women can be unreasonable?”

“Fuck, man—you said it, not me. I’m not about to get my balls roasted by saying something like that. No matter how true it might be.”

I leave him laughing and beeline for the door. I don’t plan on hanging around to be grilled, judged, or sneered at by two dozen other teachers.

“Mr. Calloway,” Matt Bingham says, running up to me from down the hallway. “You dog, you.”

“Matt, I don’t know what you heard, but I’m going to say this once. Whatever it was is none of your damn business.”

Back in my classroom, I pull out my phone and ask Tag and Addy to meet me at Mom and Dad’s right after practice.



~



The room falls silent. Four pairs of eyes stare in disbelief—five if you count Cooper’s, who has joined us via FaceTime.

Addy is the first to speak. “So much makes sense now. Her breaking up with Eric and buying the house next door. I thought she was stalking you.”

“How does Nicky feel about this?” Mom asks.

“How do you think she feels? She hates it.”

My mother is the only one in my family who knows about Nic’s miscarriage, and it kills me that I can’t tell her she’s pregnant too. But Nic and I agreed to say nothing, even to family, until we get more news.

“What do you think is going to happen after she goes back to Oklahoma?” Tag asks.

“She might not be. She’s actually on her way back from an interview in Detroit. A lot of stations are going to want her. I’m just hoping some of them will be closer.”

Dad grips my shoulder. “My son is going to be a father. You may not have planned it this way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t love this child with everything you have.”

“I know, Dad. I plan to. I plan to love all my kids equally, no matter what.”

Mom raises a brow but keeps quiet. Perhaps she’s the only one who picked up on my faux pas.

“Listen, there’s bound to be a ton of gossip about this. The company line is Nic and I are solid and plan to stay that way. And while I’m going to be there for the baby, there is no chance Calista and I will get back together.”

“You should tell everyone to mind their own fucking business,” Cooper says.

“Well, I’m excited,” Addy says. “I’m going to be an auntie!” She turns to Tag. “No offense, I love Gigi with my whole heart, but she was already five when she became a part of the family. I can’t wait to hold a little baby. I love babies.”

“Feel free to babysit anytime,” I say. “Believe me, I’ll need the help.”

Mom gives me another strange look. I get up before I say too much. “Nic will be home soon. I want to go see how her interview went. I’ll catch you guys later.”

Chatter echoes as I head out the front door. Apparently my family loves a good scandal as much as anyone.





Chapter Thirty-two



Nicky




This day has been a wake-up call and an indicator of how the next twenty-eight weeks are going to be. I’m exhausted. Even after getting a nap on the plane, I feel like I’ve been up for forty-eight hours, not fourteen. The nap, however, came with a nightmare of epic proportions. Seems I dream about the baby a lot these days. Or more accurately—I dream about everything that could go wrong with the baby.

I gaze out the window on the train and wonder how much of a strain it’s going to be if I move.

Even just working another job will stress our relationship. Being the weekend meteorologist at XTN

is the best job I could have. I rarely have to travel, and my weekday hours are more traditional. Jobs like the one in Detroit, while mainly Monday through Friday, would require me to be up at three a.m.

five days a week, not two. And while most of my weekends would be free, let’s face it, I’d be making up for lost sleep and possibly commuting back to New York. With a baby. My only hope is if Makenna doesn’t come back to work. But honestly, in today’s world, that rarely happens. Would she give up a prestigious job at one of the top cable news networks?

I look down at my stomach. Would I?

A call comes in. It’s my old producer, Marty. I forwarded him the email from Harold Lynchburg earlier today.

“Marty, what’s up?”

He chuckles. “What’s up is that I’m giving you a huge told you so, Nicole Forbes.”