Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One Read Online Free PDF

wanted a baby more than anything
and now I can never have one,” I sobbed.
    My
best friends squeezed me tight. “We know, honey,” Abby said. “We wanted that
for you, too.”
    “What
about adoption or surrogacy?” Cheyenne asked.
    I
shook my head against them. “Blake won’t. He says it’s too risky and he can’t
take losing another baby. He’s done.”
    “That’s
understandable,” Abby said.
    It
was, but it still hurt, especially now under the possible circumstances.
    I
sat up and wiped my eyes while my concerned friends looked on. I’ve never seen
them look so worried.
    “Can
I tell you guys something?”
    “Of
course,” they sang in unison.
    “It
can’t leave this house. Understood?”
    They
both nodded their heads.
    “Blake
got a phone call yesterday from a one night stand he had after we broke up, and
she’s claiming Blake is the father of her daughter.”
    “No!”
Cheyenne gasped.
    Abby
didn’t say anything, but her wide green eyes said it all.
    “It’s
true. Do you remember my old roommate, Sabrina?”
    “She
was awful,” Abby said.
    “Yeah,
well, apparently not too appalling.” She was a bombshell, I’m not going to lie.
And boy, did she know how to work it. I just never thought it would work on
Blake. I knew she thought he was attractive. I would take a guess most women
did. He had only gotten more attractive since he turned forty. Why did men get
more attractive as they aged? It almost seemed unfair. I even liked the gray
strands that were interwoven in his thick, dark hair.
    “What
happened?” Cheyenne asked.
    “I
don’t want to know. All I know is that she’s sick with cancer and she called
Blake out of the blue.”
    “Do
you think it’s true?” Abby asked.
    “I
suppose it could be. Blake admitted to sleeping with her.”
    “What
are you going to do if it is?” Abby asked.
    I
shrugged my shoulders. I wasn’t sure of anything at that moment.
    “Well,
I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, the next time I see Blake. I’m going to—”
    “What’s
that?” my husband asked Cheyenne.
    We
all turned around. I hadn’t heard him come in. There he stood in his dirty and
dusty jeans, t-shirt, and work boots. He looked worn.
    That
didn’t stop Cheyenne. She stood up and faced him. “Take care of Jessie, or
you’ll find out. Let’s just say you won’t be able to father any more children.”
    Blake
looked at me unhappily.
    I
made no apologies. I needed my friends more than ever.
    Abby
stood up and looked between my husband and me. “We should be going now,
Cheyenne.”
    Cheyenne
reached down and hugged me one more time. “Just say the word,” she whispered in
my ear.
    I
shook my head at her.
    Abby
hugged me, too. Then they rushed out my door, but not before Cheyenne gave my
husband her look of deepest loathing.
    My
husband still continued to stare at me, unfazed by Cheyenne’s behavior.
    I
ran my fingers through my hair nervously. “Hi.”
    “Hi,”
he said back.
    “How
was your day?”
    “Long.
I’m going to jump in the shower.”
    I
reminded myself love wasn’t only a noun, it was a verb, too. “Do you want me to
warm up some dinner? I made linguine.”
    “No,
I’ll make something for myself.”
    “Okay.”
I turned back around.
    “Jessica.”
    I
turned back toward him.
    “Thank
you for offering. How was your day?”
    “I’ve
had worse.”
    He
frowned and walked away.
    I
turned back toward the television and hit play. Take me away, Julie Andrews ,
I thought. As I watched I realized that Captain von Trapp reminded me of Blake.
Very handsome and authoritative—he didn’t say much, but when he spoke you
listened. He was strong, but when the moment was right he would let you in, and
they were moments you would never forget. I was probably nothing like Maria von
Trapp, other than I had basically been celibate like a nun for the last several
months. I did wonder if I could be a good stepmother like her. I was still
trying not to think of that