Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(88)

Chapter Thirty-two

Talking to Bethanne had helped Lauren immensely. Her friend was right. She had to stop listening to anyone else and follow her instincts when it came to her relationship with Rooster.

Lauren woke up Saturday morning with a bad case of cramps. While a pregnancy would certainly have been an added complication, she found herself deeply disappointed. A baby would have given her a legitimate excuse to reach out to Rooster, to seek a resolution to this impasse.

Even though she wasn’t feeling well, she was scheduled to work a half-day on Saturday from noon to closing. Sitting at the breakfast table, she sipped her morning coffee and checked her cellphone.

Her heart clenched when she saw a text message from Rooster. It was only a few words, but it spoke volumes.

R U pregnant?

The message had come in at three a.m., which told her he’d been awake, wondering, thinking of her. She’d spent many a sleepless night herself in the last two miserable weeks. She found it embarrassingly comforting to know this hadn’t been an easy time for him, either.

How long she sat debating on her response, Lauren didn’t know. In the end she decided on one word.

No.

Even as she pushed the “send” button, she was left to speculate whether he’d feel the same mix of emotions she had. Would he be relieved or be filled with a deep sense of disappointment the way she had?

For several minutes she waited for a response, but none came.

As she showered and readied for work, Lauren was filled with doubts and misgivings over her text to Rooster. She feared she might have sounded abrupt and dismissive. The problem was that she hadn’t known what else to say.

What she should have done, she realized in retrospect, was reach out and talk to him. She had toyed with the idea and then decided against it because he’d asked her to contact him once she’d made a decision. If she had phoned, what would there have been to say? Lauren simply had nothing more to tell him … not yet, at any rate.

For all she knew, Rooster could have written her off as another mistake. If he had feelings for her, if he genuinely loved her, it made sense that he would contact her and offer reassurances. He hadn’t. By the same token, she hadn’t reached out to him, either.

Follow her instincts. Listen to her heart. But the messages coming from her heart were mixed with doubts and fears. One minute she was convinced she couldn’t live without Rooster, and the next she was sure the marriage had been a complete blunder on both their parts.

It would help if she’d felt like she could discuss this dilemma with her parents, get their advice. But she hadn’t reached out to either her mother or her father. The only person she’d told was Bethanne. Lauren was too embarrassed to admit that she might have one of the shortest marriages in their entire family history. Her parents and her sister didn’t have a clue what she was going through, and for now that was what she wanted.

Once at John Michael Jewelers, Lauren was swamped with customers. She didn’t have time to think about Rooster. Saturday afternoons were often their busiest time of the week. A good portion of the early part of the afternoon was spent with a young couple who came in to look at engagement rings.

Lauren noticed how they had eyes only for each other. At one time it’d been like that with her and Rooster, too. As she helped them with their selection, she learned Jason was home on leave from Fort Lewis and would be shipping out soon for Afghanistan. Shelly, the young woman who would be his wife, looked at him with such love and tenderness that Lauren could barely concentrate.

As she showed the couple a selection of rings in their price range, the answer she’d been seeking came to Lauren. Beyond a doubt and without question, she knew her husband loved her and that she loved him. It was in that instant when her heart spoke and she was able to listen. She belonged with Rooster. Instantly, a sense of joy and freedom came over her. Her doubts fled, and her fears evaporated.

As Lauren rang up Jason and Shelly’s purchase, she knew what she had to do. No matter what it took, she would go to Rooster and insist they talk. Then, together, they would find a way to make their marriage one that would last a lifetime.

Not long after the engaged couple left, another customer arrived.

Todd.

“Hello, Todd,” Lauren said, when he stepped up to the counter directly in front of her.

“Hi, Lauren.” His eyes held on to her for an extra few moments. “I heard from Elisa.”

Lauren glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t imagine what her friend would have to say to Todd.

“What did she tell you?” she asked, frankly curious. Elisa had never been a fan of the newscaster. It shocked Lauren that Elisa would reach out to Todd.

“Elisa didn’t want to break your confidence, but she implied that matters haven’t gone smoothly between you and Rooster.”

A chill went down Lauren’s spine.

“I won’t talk about my personal life while on the job,” she said pointedly. “If you’re interested in making a purchase, then I’ll be happy to help you, but if not, then I suggest you wait for a more appropriate time.”

Elisa sent her a frantic, apologetic look. Lauren couldn’t believe the woman she considered her best friend would betray her like this. She stiffened and looked away. This was a matter she’d bring up with Elisa later.

“As it happens, I am interested in buying something,” Todd told her, and glanced down at the display of engagement and wedding bands. “My inheritance came through, and I’m in a better financial position.”