Page 85 of A New Chapter

“Of course. What is it?”

“I’m going out of town this weekend, and I need you and Brett to handle the store. I know it’s last minute, and I’m sorry to put you out, but I really need your help.”

“Hold on,” Kelly said.

Emma heard her shuffle around, and a minute later, Kelly was back on the line. “Ok. What’s going on, Em?”

“Phil invited me to come down for the weekend, and I decided to take him up on it. I found a last-minute flight deal, and I need to leave for the airport soon, so…”

“Emma Murphy, in all the time we’ve know each other, you’ve never once taken a spontaneous trip. Come to think of it, you never do anything spontaneously, so why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

Emma let out a long sigh. “I can’t talk about it right now, Kell. Please. Will you just do this for me?”

“Ok, fine. But you owe me. Big time!”

“I know, and I promise to make it up to you when I get back.”

“What about Zack? What if he comes into the store demanding to know where you are?”

“Don’t worry about him. I’ll call him from the airport.” Emma glanced at the kitchen clock. “Gotta run.”

“Call me when you land,” Kelly said.

“Will do.”

It was just before noon and fifteen minutes prior to boarding time when Emma called Zack. She had rehearsed her words at least a dozen times, but when his voice came over the line she wasn’t sure she could go through with it.

“Hey, sexy lady. I didn’t expect to hear from you until later. What’s all that noise in the background?”

“I’m at the airport.”

“The airport? Why? What’s going on?”

“Zack, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I decided this morning that I wanted to go to North Carolina and visit Phil. I found a last-minute flight deal, so here I am. But I’ll be back on Sunday.” She hoped her last sentence would pacify him, but she should have known better.

“Emma, are you all right? You sound kind of… frazzled.”

“Yes, I’m fine, but I probably am a little frazzled. I had to rush like crazy to get here this morning.”

“I don’t get it, Em. I thought we were going to spend the weekend together. Why the rush to see Phil?”

“I guess I’m just feeling sentimental with the holidays coming and all. You have a big family that you get to see all the time, but I hardly have anyone, Zack. I rarely see my parents, and ever since Phil moved to North Carolina, it’s the same with him. Please, try and understand.”

Zack was silent for a few beats. “Ok. But I wish you would have talked to me about this sooner. Maybe I would have been able to come with you.”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like Zack was going to accept her explanation after all. “I know, and I’m sorry that I won’t be with you this weekend, but I really need to do this.”

“I miss you already,” he said gruffly.

“I miss you too,” she said just as an airport employee made the initial boarding call.

“It sounds like you have to go. Call me tonight after you get settled, ok?”

“I will,” she said, fighting the urge to cry.

“This isn’t goodbye, Em. This is I’ll see you soon.”

Did he sense her distress? “Ok,” she replied, and she hung up before she would be tempted to give her secret away.

Emma’s mind whirled during the two-hour flight from Detroit to Charlotte. First, she questioned her decision to run away rather than to face Zack. She had jumped to the conclusion that he would be unhappy with the news, but maybe she was wrong. He was such a loving father to Gracie, so why wouldn’t he feel the same about their child? Their child. Wow. It was hard to believe that she was actually pregnant. She had packed the second test kit just in case, but she had already felt nauseous that morning, a telltale sign if ever there was one.

When she thought of the possible reactions that Zack might have, she hoped that he wouldn’t feel obligated. He was such a responsible man, which was an admirable quality, but in this case, she didn’t want him to feel “responsible” for her and their baby. If they were going to have a future together, she wanted him to be in it all the way.

Emma now understood why Zack was so protective of Gracie, because she felt the same way about their unborn child. She placed a hand over her belly and looked down with tears brimming in her eyes. There was nothing visible—her tummy was still as flat as could be—but she knew that there was a life inside her, and it was the most beautiful feeling in the world. If only Zack were there to share it with her.