Intertwined episode 28

🤝INTERTWINED🤝

💑EP TWENTY EIGHT💑

 

I lay on Sarah’s couch. I needed time to figure things out. Iwould have been jumping for joy now if the doctor had said Iwas one week pregnant. But no—I was seven weekspregnant, which meant I was already pregnant when Travisand I had consummated our marriage a week ago. If thetime she gave me was right, I had already been pregnantbefore I even married Travis, and I was pretty sure nothing

had happened between us on our honeymoon.

“Christian?” Sarah asked.

“How? I mean, I broke up with him months before I gotmarried.”

“What were you doing around October twenty-fifth?”

“I was busy preparing for a wedding!” I replied.Sarah took out her org-nizer and scanned through thedates. “Okay, October twenty-second, we all checked in tothe hotel in preparation for your wedding. Are you sure youdidn’t see Chris round about that time?”

I shook my head. “Of course! I haven’t seen him inmonths!”

“Eric?”

“Eric would never even be able to get it up!” I rolled myeyes.

“I was pretty sure I was the one who slept with thestripper.” Sarah giggled. “October twenty-fifth, we didn’t do

anything,” she said. “That was the day before your familydinner.”

She stared at me blankly. I took a deep breath. Shelooked at me apologetically and reached out to give me ahug.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not!” I said. “I’m going to loseTravis because of this. I won’t let him answer for a kid that isnot his. And, Sarah, do you realize what a shame it is if youdo not know how you got pregnant in the first place?”

She handed me a glass of water. “We’ll figure it out,sweetie. For now, take a rest. Your baby needs you to.”

I must have slept all day. I felt so sad and so scared.When I woke up, Sarah had already prepared dinner for us.

“Come, you must be hungry.”

I ate in silence. I still kept picking my brain for whathappened during that time. And everything came up blank. Icouldn’t remember anything significant.

“I was just thinking,” Sarah said. “I think I rememberwhere we were round about that time.”

I stared at her, scared of what she was about to say.

“We went on a drinking spree,” Sarah said. “You wantedto forget the fact that Travis might sleep with the stripper inhis stag party. We drank our wits out.”

My heart pounded in my ribcage. That was the night Ididn’t remember how I got back to my hotel room, and myclothes were scattered on my hotel room floor.

“Oh my God, Sarah!” I breathed. “I don’t know whathappened to me that night. I can’t even remember how I gotback to my room! And I was…I was unclad when I woke up!”

Tears rolled down my cheeks. Sarah hugged me. Iwished this were all a dream I would soon wake up from.

After a few hours, everything was still a haze to me. Nomatter how much I thought about that night, nothingchanged. I was left with a dead end. I couldn’t rememberwhat had happened after I drank about a bottle of tequila.

“How did you wake up?”

She blushed. “Well, Dante, the cute bartender I wasflirting with all night? He got one of his friends to cover himfor the remainder of his shift. He accompanied me to myroom…one thing led to another. But sorry, sweetie. I don’t remember seeing you off to your room. I think I left you atthe bar, actually, because I was in such a hurry to go back

to my room with Dante.”

A memory came to my mind. There was a bartender,there was another guy.

“Which reminds me, I need to pay you back for all theliquor I had that night.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t think I paid the bill,” I saidto her.She blinked back at me. “Well, nothing is free thesedays!”

“If you don’t remember paying, then who paid?”

“Maybe Dante?” Sarah asked.

“Or maybe it’s whoever took me back to my room!Whoever did…took advantage of me and left me asouvenir.”

Sarah looked at me apologetically. “Do you want to goback to the hotel? We can check.”

“We need to go now.”

“What? Why now?”

“Because we need to talk to your bartender, and I’mpretty sure he doesn’t take day shifts. And tomorrow, Ishould be ready to face Travis.”

Travis called me that night. I hated it, but I had to lie tohim.

“I’m sleeping over Sarah’s. I feel tired, actually,” I said.“I miss you.”

He sighed. “I would give everything to have you besideme right now.”

I giggled. But he didn’t know there was a trace ofbitterness to that. “We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“That’s too long,” he sighed. “Next time, you’re comingwith me on my trips.”

“Travis, you can handle a few days without me.”

“I discovered I can’t. Not anymore,” he said. “Take careof yourself while you’re there. And be miserable without me.”

I giggled. “I am.” That was true. I was miserable. Notonly because Travis was not with me, but because I knewthere was an eighty percent chance our marriage would endabruptly. I couldn’t let Travis save me this time.

He didn’t say anything for a moment.

“Travis?”

“Love?” he replied.

“I need to go. It’s been a long day,” I said.

“Okay,” he said. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

“Brianne…” he said softly.

“Yes?”

I heard him take a deep breath. Then he said, “I love

you.”

“I know.”

“You don’t,” he said.

“Of course I do. You always said I was the only thing leftfor you to love, remember?”

“Yes,” he replied. “But this ‘I love you’ isn’t like before.”My heart stopped at that very moment. I even forgot tobreathe.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

He sighed. “I mean I love you. Do you understand?”

I think my heart broke at that very moment, andimmediately tears rolled down my cheeks. “Yes.” I took adeep breath. And because I knew I meant it, too, andbecause I knew tomorrow might change forever, I said, “Ilove you, too, Travis. The same way you love me.”

He sighed. “God, I wish we’d said that to each otherbefore we parted.”

I took a deep breath. “Me too.” I wished I’d said that tohim earlier. I wished I wasn’t pregnant and didn’t know whothe father of my baby was. More than that, I wished I werepregnant with Travis’s child. That I was only a week or twoalong, because then I would definitely be sure that Travis was the father. I realized I didn’t want to get pregnant withanyone else. Just with Travis. But things were different. And I

was a freaking mess because I knew that as much as I loved Travis, I couldn’t let him take care of someone else’s child.And that moment I heard my baby’s heartbeat, love hadgrown in my heart already. I loved this baby, even though Ididn’t know who’d fathered him. Because no matter who thefather was, I knew that he was mine.

“Well, that will be the very first thing I will say to youwhen I see you tomorrow,” Travis said.

“Can’t wait,” I whispered.

He chuckled. “Go to sleep now. There are no flightsavailable to Connecticut at this hour. Otherwise, I would betaking them to get to you.”

“You have a meeting tomorrow,” I reminded him.

“That’s a bummer, huh!” he said, his voice full offrustration. “All right, goodnight, love.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you in my dreams.”

When we hung up, I couldn’t stop crying. The momentwould have been perfect! But it was all ruined. Because Iknew tomorrow did not bring anything that I should beexcited about. Tomorrow, I might lose Travis forever.Actually, he was lost to me the moment I found out I waspregnant with somebody else’s child.

Travis had been there for me all my life. He’d saved meover and over in the past. But he couldn’t save me from thismess. I would not allow it. It wasn’t fair. Even if he insisted,and I have a feeling he would come up with another solutionto my problem, I would not let him. He’d done so muchalready. I could free him of his promises to my brother. Hehad already fulfilled those promises a long time ago. And Iloved him too much to ruin his life.

We checked in to the same hotel where we’d had mywedding. It was ten in the evening when we arrived. After getting our room, we headed to the bar where Sarah and Ihad gone drinking before my wedding.

A familiar face was there. I guessed he was the guynamed Dante. Then another bartender was there, too. Hewas a blond guy with hazel eyes.

“Two faces I was not expecting to see tonight,” Dantesaid. He gave a dazzling smile for Sarah, and Sarah winkedat him.

“Oh, please!” I rolled my eyes. I was starting to havenausea already.

“Sorry,” Sarah said. She turned to Dante. “Actually,we’re here to ask you for a favor.”

“Anything,” Dante smiled.

“Remember we were here before?”

“I remember everything, sugar,” he said to Sarah, whichirritated me even more. But I kept my mouth shut.

“I left with you. And somebody covered for you, right?”

“That would be me,” the blonde bartender answered.

I stared at him for a moment. He was familiar. Like I hadseen him before, and it could have been that night. Ithought, in horror, that this guy could have been the onewho took me back to my room.

“What happened after I left with you?” Sarah asked.

Dante was taken aback. He stared at Sarah for amoment and then he said, “Well, you couldn’t get yourhands off me. Not that I minded. I took you to your room…”

“Not that!” I said in an irritated tone. “She meant, whathappened here, in this bar, after you left with her.”

Dante shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, sugar.”

I turned to the blond guy. He narrowed his eyes as hestared at me, as if he was trying to place me or rememberwhat happened.

“Don’t tell me you took me back to my room?”

“Of course not! I’m married. And faithful.”

Relief washed over me. But I realized that the horrorwasn’t over yet. If he hadn’t taken me back to the hotel room, then I must have gone with somebody else. Although,

it wasn’t really my thing to do one night stands. Maybe onthat night, in my agitation about the fact that Travis washaving his stag party and could be having fun with hisstripper, I had decided to try something wild.

How could this happen now? Now that finally I had foundthe person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Now that I had finally made a family with Travis. Now that I hadfinally saved him. This would break him as much as it wouldbreak me. Maybe even more.

“Did I leave alone?”

“I honestly don’t remember. It was more than a monthago.”

“I know,” I said in a desperate voice. “But could youplease try to remember?”

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then he stared at mefor a long while.

“I remember Dante didn’t come back until five in themorning. You weren’t here anymore. You were gone.”

“Did you write off our tab?” Sarah asked both the men.

“We don’t earn big time, sweetie. And you two had toomuch to drink. I can’t afford to write off that bill,” the blondguy said. He turned to me. “I remember now. You were witha guy.”

Horror crept through me again. “Who?”

He shrugged. “I mind my own business. And it’s not likeit’s an uncommon thing to have customers flirt with eachother here. It happens all the time.”

“Where did the guy come from? He just sat beside me,started a conversation, and then I was all over him?” Iasked. That didn’t sound like me.

He nodded. “Pretty much,” the guy replied. “You werelaughing a lot. And then I think you started k-ssing him. Youmade out here—I had to turn away. And I guess you left withhim.”

“Who was he?” I asked desperately.

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” the blond guy saidapologetically. “And we don’t have security cameras here.We can’t help you.”

“Why do you want to know, anyway? So you were with aguy for a night. You don’t remember who he is. What’s thebig deal? You’re pretty hot. He won’t be the last guy onearth for you,” Dante said.

I glared at Dante. “How would you feel if a guy youcouldn’t remember left you a souvenir?”

He backed off. “Ohhh! I’m sorry, sugar,” he said. Helooked at me for a moment. “Well, I hope it’s curable.”

I looked at him disbelievingly. “It’s not a disease!” I

turned back to the other guy. “What did he look like?”

He thought for a moment. “Caucasian. Tall. Good-lookingfella.”

I stared at him, waiting for him to say more.

He shook his head. “I really can’t remember any moredistinctive features.”

“You just described at least thirty percent of the malepopulation of South Carolina. And I’m not even sure whatyou consider good-looking for a guy!”

“Look, sweetheart. I really can’t help you much.”

“Who paid my bill?” I asked.

“Ahhh…he did.” The guy smiled. “That I remember. Youinsisted on paying, but you were not fast enough to fishthrough your wallet. I think you were drunk out of your wits.He paid with an Infinite card. I was impressed. He also gaveme a huge tip. Like, one hundred percent of the bill.”

“Hey! You didn’t tell me that,” Dante protested.

“Sorry, pal. I figured you already got the girl.” The guygrinned.

“Can…can I see the bill?”

“It’s not here, sweetie. And it was over a month ago,” hesaid.

“Is there a way for us to find it?”

“It’s in the office,” the guy said. “They’re not workingnow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“You really want to it that much, huh?”I nodded.

The guy sighed. “Okay, tell me where to find you. I’ll pullsome strings and get you a copy of the credit card slip. Butthere could have been at least ten customers that night.”

“Can’t you tell which one?”

He shrugged. “Difficult. But that narrows your choices.”

“When can you give it to me?”

“Tomorrow, noon?”

“Can it be any sooner?” I asked wearily. Who knew whattime Travis would be in Connecticut.

“I’ll try. But no promises.”

I almost couldn’t sleep that night. So I was right—therewas a guy. He’d taken me back to my room. What’s worse,the bartender told me I had been all over him. So it couldmean that I’d slept with him. How could I be so damn loose?How could I flirt like that with a stranger? And how could Inot remember?

“No matter how I look at it, that was the only instancethat I could have been with a man,” I said to Sarah. “Travisslept on the couch the wh0le time, and I didn’t get drunkwith him. I would have remembered. That night was the onlynight I was drunk out of my wits. And it coincides with theweek I got pregnant.”

“Ultrasound results may change as the weekprogresses,” Sarah reminded me.

“But only plus or minus two weeks. Plus or minus twoweeks from that night, I’m still positive I didn’t have s€× atall! Christian and I were long over by then. Travis and Ididn’t happen at all until last week.”

Sarah squeezed my hand. “Don’t stress the baby. Go tosleep now.”

When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt of making love toTravis. He touched me in the most sensual way. He was verygentle. I was the wild one. I dreamt about making love andreaching heaven. And then he stood up from the bed anddressed hurriedly.

“Why are you in a hurry?” I asked him.

When he turned around, I recognized in horror that hewas not Travis. That face belonged to Christian! I dreamt ofmaking love to Travis, but it was Christian who I was reallysleeping with!

“No!” I scre-med.

“Brianne! Brianne!” Sarah shook me. I opened my eyesand realized, in relief, that it was all just a dream.

I sat up from the bed and gave Sarah a hug. “Sarah.”

“Hey, you were having a bad dream,” Sarah said.

I was scared. I might have been in love with Christianbefore, but i realized I didn’t love him as much as I lovedTravis now. I didn’t think I’d loved anyone as much as I lovedTravis. And tonight, I would have to tell him that ourmarriage was over.

I rushed to the bathroom to throw up. The morningsickness was getting worse now. Even if I planned to wait fora week or so more to tell Travis, he would surely recognizethe signs. He would know.

I dressed in a pair of drawstring p-nts and a comfortableshirt. I came out of the bathroom just in time to see Sarahopen the door. She let Dante and the blond bartender in.

“We didn’t get your name,” I said to the blonde guy.

“Rick,” he said.

“So, Rick, did you manage to find something for us?” Iasked.

He nodded. He took out a stack of paper and handed itto Sarah. “You didn’t get this from me.”

I nodded.

“Well, there’s about a dozen credit card sl¡ps here,”Sarah said, rolling her eyes.

“It was a busy night,” Rick pointed out.

“Thanks for your help, Rick,” I said. I took out somemoney from my wallet and handed it to him. “For yourtrouble.”

He accepted the money from me. “Anytime. Good luckwith whatever you are looking for.”

And he left and Dante gave Sarah a wink before heexited the room. I took the papers from Sarah.

“Okay, I hope he only gave us the guys. I mean, no pointgetting the sl¡ps of female customers,” Sarah said.

Sarah and I split the papers to search separately. I readthe names on my stack, trying to see if any of them rang abell.

“Tyrone Gomez,” I read. “No. Don’t recognize the name.”

“Jackson Bow,” Sarah read.

I shook my head.

“Timothy Reyes.”

I shook my head again.

Sarah took another paper. She stared at the bill for awhile.

“Oh my God!” she breathed.

I looked at her wearily.

“October twenty-six, one fifteen in the morning,” shesaid.

“Yeah, it could be around that time. What have you got?”

She stared at me with a worried expression on her face.And she handed me the piece of paper.Her hands were shaking, and that made me extranervous.

I knew then the name was familiar. Christian? Eric?

I read the copy of the credit card slip. The time and date were as Sarah mentioned. The bill was about four hundreddollars.

I scanned the bill for the name. When I found it, myheart stopped beating altogether.

After reading it a dozen times, I was convinced I was notdreaming. The slip still bore the same name:

Travis James Cross