As the imaginary reel of images scrolls through my head, my heart picks up speed at the idea of becoming a mom. I would make sure I’m a good mom like Charlie. I would be there for our baby, love him with my entire being. Maybe this is what my future looks like… being a mom. Maybe this is what I was meant to do, the path I’m meant to take. Charlie runs her paint studio, but aside from that, growing up, she was always around, hands-on. I’m not saying I don’t want to figure out what else I want to do with my life, but maybe being a mom and wife is what I’m meant to do. And over time, I can figure everything else out.
Suddenly excited, I pull out my phone to text Alec that we need to talk when he gets home, but before I can get the words out, a text from him comes in.
Alec: Luke and Finn are both out with flu. Chase asked me to fill in with him. I won’t be home until Friday morning.
Damn, not only will he not be home for me to tell him our news, but he won’t be able to go to the doctor with me. As I’m texting him back, telling him to stay safe and that I’ll see him Friday morning for Georgia’s graduation, the need to throw up hits me again. I probably shouldn’t have eaten so much at my parents’ place. But I was starving and my dad’s burgers smelled and tasted so good.
I run to the bathroom and throw up my entire lunch, and then it hits me. What if I’m not pregnant? What if I’m sick? I feel like if I were, I would have other symptoms, but just to be sure, I should get confirmation from the doctor, and then once I know for sure, I can tell Alec, and hopefully he’ll be as excited as I am, and we can celebrate.
Me: Sucks. Miss you and I’ll see you Friday.
Alec: I’ll be off through Sunday. We should do something fun.
Me: Sounds good!
Alec
Ninety-six-hour shifts suck. Sure, it means overtime, which is great, but it also means four days without seeing Lexi, four days of sleeping at the station without her.
“Thanks again for staying,” Chase says as we walk up to the condo. “The last thing we needed was one of them giving everyone else the flu.”
“No worries,” I tell him. “You know I got your back.”
“I’m going to sleep for the next twenty-four hours,” Chase half-jokes before he slips into his room.
Since there were three pretty big fires yesterday—a dryer that was left on and caught fire and a building with faulty wiring—and another one last night—a candle that caught a curtain on fire while a family with little kids were sleeping—we’re both exhausted as fuck. But today is the day of Georgia’s graduation, so the last thing I’ll be doing is sleeping. It’s later this afternoon, but she said we have to head to the university auditorium early to get good seats. I’m hoping Lexi will at least be in bed, so we can cuddle for a few minutes before we both need to get ready.
When I enter our room, the bed is empty. She’s probably sleeping in Georgia’s bed. But when I walk in there, Georgia is up and typing away furiously on her laptop.
“Have you seen Lexi?” I ask.
“No.” She stops typing and turns toward me. “Actually…” Her brows furrow in thought. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday.” She glances at her phone. “Shoot! It’s already eight fifteen. I need to get ready for my graduation.”
“What do you mean you haven’t seen her since yesterday?”
Flashbacks of the last time Lexi disappeared flash before my eyes, and I’m running to the bathroom to make sure she isn’t there. “Lexi!” I call out. No answer. “Lex!” Still nothing.
I grab my phone and pull up our conversation. Our last text was yesterday afternoon. I got so busy with putting out fires, I lost track of time.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” I ask Georgia.
“Umm…Yesterday afternoon,” she says.
“Not last night?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “This company I work for…their site crashed and I’ve been working all night getting it back up. I lost track of time.”
I call Lexi’s phone, but it goes to voicemail. “I’m going to check the beach.”
Georgia’s eyes meet mine. “Alec, there’s no way…”
“I have to make sure.”
I run out the door and hop into my truck, noting that Lexi’s jeep isn’t in the parking lot. Fuck, where the hell is she? There’s no way she would go to the beach, right? As far as I know, she hasn’t been back there since she went to talk to Aiden. And to go without saying a word to anyone…No, no way. This doesn’t make sense.