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“It’s not that. I love Jack. But there is something I’ve got to take care of, some family business that I need to go tend to. I’m not sure how long it will take or when I will be back.”
“That sound serious,” he said. “Where is this family business?”
“It’s in Cleveland,” I said.
“Damn, that far? Well, anyway I can help and I’m there, honey.”
It broke my heart that he called me that. I had to be strong. I had to stick to the plan. I was doing the right thing here.
I sighed. “Ok,” I said. “Well, thanks. But I have to do this alone.”
“Well, I’ll come up and see you as often as I can,” he said. “Don’t worry. We will make this work.”
“No, I don’t think we will,” I said. “At least for right now, we need to put things on hold. I haven’t told you everything about my family. I can’t right now. It’s too personal. I’m sorry. I know this doesn’t make sense, but trust me. This is the way it has to be.”
He sighed. “But… I don’t understand. This is crazy. Why do we have to put us on hold?”
“It’s too hard to explain right now. I’ve got to go home and pack. I’m leaving first thing in the morning. I’ll be in touch. I love you.”
With that I walked out the door and got into my car. Mason was standing at the door with the most bewildered look on his face. What was I doing? What was I doing?
I got in my car and fired it up. Then I hurried down the road as fast as I could. I hated this. But there was no other way.
Chapter 17
Mason
Three Months Later
“This is excellent news! You are sure it is her?”
I was practically bouncing off the walls as I waited for his response. After so long, this was it. I had waited for three months, but I was finally about to find out where my angel, my Laney really was. I had to talk to her. I had to see what she was doing and why she’d really decided to leave me and Jack. It made no sense to me. There had to be a reason, but what was so bad that she felt she had to hide from me? That question had been driving me nuts for three straight months.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll send you the video I took,” Jeremy Ainsley, a private detective I hired to find Laney said on the other end of the line.
“That’s her,” I said as the video came through and I started playing it. “Yes! That’s her. And she is in Boulder? What in the hell is she doing there? She told me she was heading to Ohio.”
“She wanted you off her trail and it worked. I was only able to find her by tracking a credit card transaction.”
“Great work! Thanks again.”
“You didn’t notice where she was?”
I looked at the video store. “A baby store? Why would she…?”
Then it all made sense. I took a better look at Laney. I could see the beginning of a bump on her stomach. And she was buying baby clothes and accessories. My God… “She’s pregnant?”
Jeremy chuckled. “It looks that way.”
“Jesus,” I said. “I don’t believe it.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I’ve got to go to her.”
“Best of luck.”
I ended the call and immediately packed a quick bag. I called Jack’s current nanny Stacy, and asked her if she could spend the night for a few days if need be. I needed her to stay with Jack right now. She immediately came over and I headed towards Boulder.
If I drove overnight, I could probably get there by midday the next morning. It wasn’t that far from Salt Lake City.
I drove through the night without rest. I wasn’t even tired, which was the strangest thing. I was too wired up. I needed to find my sweet Laney. I wanted to hold her and tell her how much I loved her. I didn’t want her to feel that she had to carry this whole thing alone.
It had to be the baby. That was what freaked her out. I’d told her how I never wanted to go through that again. I didn’t want another child. And it was true, but that was before a child existed. Of course, I loved my child. I only knew the child as an idea at this point and I was already in love with that baby.
And I was so in love with Laney. I’d missed her so much. I had started searching for her the next week after she left. Once she was gone she ceased all communication with me. She changed her phone number, cancelled her social media, and even her family didn’t know where she was, or at least the family I’d been introduced to. I was sure they knew but they weren’t talking and nothing was going to make them talk. I admired their loyalty.
