The Unexpected Series (Unexpected #1-3) (21 page)

M
y heart is breaking for Walker. In our short time together, I have never seen him this way. Sullen and quiet is far from normal for him. Next to Noelle, he is one of the most outgoing people I know. Sitting in the car with him for the last two hours as we drive towards Michigan feels awkward, with barely any words spoken between us.

As I stare out the window, watching the landscape roll by, I think about how I had to fight both my mother and Walker to be able to go with him. They felt that I needed to rest, but I was adamant about being there for support. The doctor even reassured them that I was just fine to travel. My mother, resting in the backseat, was our compromise to ensure that if Walker needs to be somewhere I will always have someone watching me and Savannah.

I loved the name and my mom was thrilled. Her eyes started to water a tiny bit when she returned to the hospital room and we told her.

The silence in the car made the drive up here seem to take forever, and when we arrived, Walker’s dad was sitting on the porch with his head in his hands, not bothering to look up. Walker sat next to him and joined in his silence. Mom and I thought it was best to go into the house giving them some time alone.

A short while later Deliah’s husband, Derek, walked in with their two young boys who immediately sprinted into the backyard. My mother and I were in the kitchen packaging the abundance of casseroles that had arrived at the house so we could freeze them. Derek began helping us silently as if his hands needed something to keep them busy.

As we placed the last bag into the freezer Walker, Jack and Deliah joined us in the kitchen. Deliah hugged me first, then, surprisingly, his dad followed. It was a short embrace and seemed forced, but I accepted it. I introduced Jack to my mom and she expressed her condolences. I’m sure they were getting tired of hearing it but what else can you say? A few moments later, Deliah and Jack left the kitchen to pick out his wife’s clothes for the funeral home.

The days seem to blend in with one another. People were coming and going from the house, bringing flowers and more casseroles. I try to keep myself occupied by heating up lunches and dinners for everyone and cleaning up after them. I noticed that Jack seems to be warming up to me. I've seen his quiet smile more often than expected and noticed how he touches my shoulder when I bring him a plate or refill his glass.

Walker, Jack, Deliah and Derek have been busy at the funeral home today. My mother and I have been getting the house ready for the luncheon the Prescott’s will be hosting and keeping up with Derek and Deliah’s kids.

The morning of the wake friends started dropping by occasionally but no other family has shown up yet. I overheard Deliah saying some of them were upset they had to drive so far for the funeral when, according to them, it should have been in Illinois where Savannah was born and raised. His dad’s only response was that “if they didn’t want to come they could keep their happy asses home.”

Seems that might be the case.

A few hours later as I was cleaning up from yet another hasty meal, Walker steps into the kitchen, wraps his arms around me from the back, and lays his head down into the curve of my neck.

“Hey,” I say softly reaching behind me to stroke his hair.

He doesn’t respond except to turn me around and pull me out of the kitchen. My mom gives a sympathetic nod as we pass her. He leads me upstairs to our room and closes the door behind us before laying me on my side and crawling behind me. His chest to my back. The silence fills the room.

“Walker?”

“Shh. Erin, I just want to hold you and our daughter right now. I need to physically know you are with me. I don’t want to talk,” he says rubbing his hands over our little Savannah.

I let him caress every inch of my body that he can reach as I lay there with my eyes closed. I want to be there for him and if this is what he needs, then I’m giving it to him.

A bit later I wake up sensing his absence. The sun is still shining so I know I must not have dozed off for very long. I roll over and see the darkened bathroom knowing that he must have gone downstairs.

When my feet hit the bottom step I am frozen by the sight of Anna in the living room with a beautiful blonde woman about the same age. Anna’s eyes catch mine and I can see they are red and puffy. As much as I want to give her the middle finger and walk away, I can’t. Savannah was her aunt.

Entering the living room, I find Walker on the other couch just out of my previous view. His eyes light up for the first time since the hospital and I can’t help but smile back at him. Getting further into the room, I can physically see him become nervous.

Standing, he crosses the room to meet me, whispering in my ear.

“I was just about to come up and get you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know either of them were coming.”

I give him a confused look and he kisses my nose.

“Hey, baby!” He says loud enough for them to hear. “I didn’t want to wake you. I know how my girls love their sleep.”

I’m so baffled by his immediate change in behavior. Happy to nervous to happy again.

“Girls?” The blond asks throwing me a glare then looking at Anna, who doesn’t dare glance my way.

What was that about?

“Yes, girls.” Walker’s voice, which was so sweet moments before, now becomes irritated. “Erin is my girlfriend and she is carrying my daughter.”

His arm comes around my waist protectively but I move out of his grip, extending my hand to her, not understanding why he is being so rude and not introducing me properly to his family.

“I’m Erin. Nice to meet you.”

She looks at my hand like it will give her rabies and tells me exactly what the change in mood and impoliteness is for.

“I’m Tiffany. Walker’s fiancée.”

Hmm. Not family. My shoulders tense up and I immediately stand up straighter.

“I’m sorry.” The bitch laughs. “I meant ex-fiancée.”

Without missing a beat I retort, holding my hand over my heart for dramatic effect. “Oh, good! For a minute there I was nervous I was a home wrecking, cheating whore like the other two women in this room!”

I shouldn’t have said that. It was mean, and besides, Anna is grieving. But I don’t care. I know she brought her here.

Anna and Tiffany gasp while Walker’s laugh bellows from behind me. As I turn to walk away and look for my mother, the laughing becomes contagious because I can’t help but start giggling myself.

I stop when I spot my mom standing just outside in the hallway. She smirks at me lifting her hand to give me a high five. I raise my hand to hers, relishing the sweet sting of contact. Walker comes up behind me, still chuckling and pulls me into the half bathroom. He is so imposing that there is no extra room for anything besides the two of us. He lifts me up, sitting me on the sink, and dives into my mouth like he needs to kiss me more than he needs his next breath.

“That was amazing, baby. Did you see her face?” He asks in between the strokes of his tongue. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t tell you before you saw her.”

“Why is she here?” I ask pushing on his chest.

I’m not being selfish. I know that he dated her for a while and she knew his mother, but trying to start a war with me, especially at his mother’s funeral, makes me think she might just be here to cause trouble.

“I don’t have an explanation except that Anna and Tiffany are best friends and maybe Anna needed support. I know that Bruce didn’t want to come with her.”

His hands run down my arms and squeeze my thighs.

“Okay,” I say casually. I just wonder how great of friends they are if Anna didn’t tell her I was pregnant. I wonder if Tiffany even knows that Anna fucked my ex.

“Okay?” He asks shocked.

“Yes. There is no jealousy here, Walker. This is not the time or the place and knowing what I know and seeing her just shows me I have nothing to worry about. I love you. She doesn’t bother me.” I kiss him chastely and push on his chest letting him know I want to get down. The hard sink is hurting my ass.

“I adore you, Erin.”

“I adore you too, Walker. Hard.”

I open the door and am met with Tiffany’s crystal blue eyes. I narrow my eyes at her in a silent warning to stay away from me and what’s mine.

“I’m sorry about your loss, Tiffany,” I say looking back at Walker, and then to her again, meaning it in more than one way.

She huffs and stalks away.

The wake and funeral were both beautiful despite the evil glares from Walker’s ex. Even though it was close to winter the temperature was in the 70s with the sun shining. A sign that Walker’s mother was looking down on us, smiling. Tiffany and Anna didn’t even so much as look my way the rest of the time they were here. Not that I cared. I was here for Walker.

Most of the family from Illinois showed up finally just before the wake. But they left hastily after the luncheon, leaving my mother and me to clean up as everyone said their goodbyes. Walker has a ton of family, and I was exhausted and wiping my forehead while lying on the couch when he found me.

“Baby, you need to go lay down. You are doing too much.” His large hand wrapped around my arm attempting to lift me up.

“I’m fine. I just needed to rest for a minute,” I say pulling him down to join me.

“I don’t want you to exhaust yourself. I told you...you and Savannah are my life now.” His green eyes, that have a bit more life in them now, look into mine.

“Savannah?” A rough voice calls from the doorway.

It’s his dad.

He steps closer to us looking down at Walker and me.

I nod before Walker speaks up. “Yes, Savannah. We found out Erin and I are having a girl and decided to give her mom’s name.”

Walker is finally able to draw me up off the couch.

For the first time I see tears come from Jack’s eyes. It dawns on me that I haven't seen one tear from him, not as they said goodbye at the funeral home, not as they carried her out, not as they lowered her to the ground.

“A girl?” He looks directly at me.

“Yes. Savannah Grace,” I answer in barely a whisper.

I don’t know what to expect. I really don’t know Jack that well. What if he doesn’t want that?

My mother told me that she and Jack had a heart to heart yesterday and a come to Jesus talk. She wasn’t sure she got through but made it a point to let him know he needed to count his blessings and accept Walker’s decisions.

“It’s perfect,” he states, reaching out to my rounded belly, silently asking permission to touch it.

I nod, watching his hands make contact with my stomach for the first time.

“Savannah Grace, I hope you know what a wonderful angel you have looking down on you.”

A lone tear rolls down my cheek. His dad wipes it away and quietly apologizes to me before leaving the room. I’m speechless. I hope this can finally rid all the tension and unite us all as a family.

~~

I
t’s Friday and we are planning to leave tomorrow so we can rest up before going back to work on Monday. It was tough to get two subs for the week for our classes but Mr. Callow was very understanding and it was all worked out.

After Jack heard we were naming the baby after his wife he warmed up to me a lot more. We even held a conversation for more than a few sentences and he promised to visit for Thanksgiving. My mom jumped at the opportunity to invite herself and the rest of the family over to my house for the holiday. Noelle will be less than thrilled.

After my nightly routine, I throw myself down on the bed ready to call it a night when Walker loudly enters the room with a banana in his hand. His mood has been improving daily and I believe the change in his dad’s attitude towards me has helped him, in addition to being surrounded by everyone he loves.

“Whatcha got there, stud muffin?” I jokingly ask as I try to sit back up.

“A banana. For you.” He points the fruit at me just out of reach.

“I can’t eat that, Walker. For one, I’m not hungry and two, it’s green. I don’t like the rock hard ones.”

He raises an eyebrow at me as I catch my mistake. Walker can turn anything into something dirty. He reaches the bed and slowly pushes me back. My lack of a muscle makes it difficult to do gracefully.

“For one, Erin,” he says with a low growl. “Today you are twenty weeks and our little one is the size of a banana. I got you a green one because you know what green does,” his eyebrows raise, “and I know for a fact you love it rock hard.”

He pushes himself between my legs brushing his rock hardness against me. An embarrassing moan escapes my lips when he does it a second time.

“You like that, baby?”

A third time has me panting. In pregnancy hormone days, it’s felt like years since I’ve had him inside me. I don’t think now is the time nor the place.

“Walker, don’t you think this is wrong considering what we are here for?” I try to argue but it’s useless. If he continues I’m not going to stop him.

“If I’ve learned anything this week, Erin, it’s that I don’t want to take any minute for granted. I want to love you. Every inch of you.” His lips reach my ear and chills shoot through my body.

His name comes out in a breathless moan just before he brings his mouth to mine, grinding into me one more time. My body is on fire. I can’t control my hands as they scratch down his biceps. A few more thrusts and I’m going to go over the edge.

“I need you to stop. I’m going to come with all my clothes on.”

“Well, let’s rectify the situation.”

I instantly regret saying anything when he pulls himself off me. I want him to finish what he started and from the look in his fierce green eyes, I know that’s what he intends to do.

Sitting back on his haunches, he gently slides his hands under the long t-shirt I wear to bed, up my thighs, and connecting with the outer edges of my green cotton boy shorts. The soft material sends goose bumps down my legs as he pulls them over my knees and tosses them to the side.

“I love you, Erin,” Walker quietly declares, crawling back up my body until his mouth reaches his destination between my legs. My eyes involuntarily shut as pure bliss washes over my body and almost as quickly as he started I am sent over the edge releasing the week’s tension.