A Daddy for Jacoby(74)
With a jolt of awareness, Gina realized she never said a word of good wishes to her brother. “I didn’t even congratulate Gage.”
“Me neither,” Justin said. “Congratulate either of them, I mean.”
“Boy, from parents to aunt and uncle in a heartbeat.”
Her words sounded pathetic, but Gina felt powerless to stop them as they tumbled from her mouth. She cast a sideways look in Justin’s direction. The stunned expression in his eyes was mixed with a hint of—
Disappointment? No, that couldn’t be right.
She turned to him. “Why did you ever think I was pregnant?”
“Jacoby found the test stick in your bathroom and he heard you and Racy talking.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to look at her. “He said you were excited…he thought it was you…”
“And you assumed I was keeping the possibility of a child from you.”
Justin nodded. “Gina, I’m so—”
“Don’t say it.” She cut him off, putting more space between them. “I don’t need your apology.”
She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t stand here and listen to him express regret over the sweet words he’d spoken, because deep inside, she truly wanted everything Justin offered her. Except he forgot to include one thing, the part of himself she needed the most.
His heart.
“I wish you luck with Jacoby.” She started walking backward toward the deck. “Like I said before, you two belong together. I hope his grandparents or the judge—whoever you have to convince—can see that.”
“Gina—”
Her feet hit the steps and she stumbled. Justin reached out, but she righted herself before he could touch her. She scooted up the stairs, not stopping until she grabbed the door handle. “I’m going inside for a piece of pie and to celebrate with everyone. You should come in, too.”
Justin joined her with a hollow laugh, each step slow and measured. “Yeah. A celebration. Just what I’m in the mood for.”
Chapter Sixteen
“What do you mean Gina’s leaving town?”
“She told us a few days ago at the library.” Jacoby looked up from where he lay on the cabin’s living room floor, a large poster board in front of him. He carefully lifted the paintbrush and he filled in the block letters drawn on the poster with bright red paint. “I told you, but you were busy looking at a bunch of papers. She’s going away to school.”
Stunned, Justin glanced over at his sister who stood pouring herself a glass of iced tea at the center island in his kitchen. Racy nodded, confirming his son’s words.
“I don’t want her to go,” Jacoby continued. “None of us do. It was hard to say goodbye to her. That’s why we decided to carry these signs on the library float in the parade tomorrow. To show her how much we love her and thank her for the stories she’s read to us.”
Jacoby went back to work on his sign. The late-May afternoon sun streamed through the window, drying the letters he’d already finished.
Still processing the news, Justin walked into his kitchen to grab a soda from the refrigerator.
“You didn’t know?”
Racy’s softly voiced question caused Justin to look at her again. He opened the can and took a long draw from it before answering her. “No, but I can tell from the expression on your face you did.”
She nodded. “On the same crazy day you decided the best way to handle the news of a possible baby was to suggest a shotgun wedding, she told me she planned to go back to school—away from Destiny.”
“A shotgun wedding, huh? Like the good sheriff would’ve allowed anything else if she really had been pregnant.” Justin slumped to the kitchen counter next to his sister and pressed the cold can to his forehead.
“Well, I thought it was sweet.”
“Sweet?” Justin lowered the can and glanced over his shoulder at Jacoby to make sure he wasn’t listening. “Gina hates me now thanks to my big mouth.”
Racy put down her glass of iced tea and laid a hand on Justin’s arm. “Oh, honey, please don’t think that way. She doesn’t hate you. That’s the last thing she feels. She—”
Justin looked at his sister when she cut off her own words. “She…what?”
Racy shook her head and offered a gentle squeeze. “Sorry, big brother, but you’re on your own figuring that one out. Not that you’ve had much time to think about her feelings or even your own when it comes to the two of you. I know it’s been a demanding week for you.”