“What are you doing? Are you calling Harper?” He was scared.
I put my finger to my lips to shush him. She answered, “Hey Em! Enjoying your night alone?”
“I can’t believe you told Kyler about me and West! Seriously Harper?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh my god! Would everybody quit lying to me?” My frustration levels hit a new high.
“Okay, I may have told Kyler about the divorce, but I can explain. I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. He is supposed to come and pick me up in a few minutes and I have a contract I have to fax before I leave. But I promise he has no idea about the pregnancy.” I could hear in her voice that she wanted to talk to me about it.
“Don’t worry about it. He already knows.”
“What do you mean he already knows? Wait…how did you know he knew about the divorce?” Her curiosity emanated through the phone.
I glared over at a very silent Kyler sitting on the couch, cupping his balls as if Harper could come through the phone and kick him. “Kyler is here right now Harper. He is sitting on the couch about to divulge everything he knows.” He had his cell phone in his other hand, and I quietly worried if he was texting Finn about what was going on. He glanced up at me with a stern expression.
Talking more to herself than to me, Harper ranted, “Stupid bastard… never listens to instructions. I’m on my way home. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, and I promise I will explain everything! Just don’t be mad at me!” I sensed that she wanted to stay on the phone to plead with me, but I needed to hang up the phone and deal with Kyler before she got back.
“We’ll be here.”
I hung up and took a seat on the couch. I set my phone down on the coffee table and leaned back, unconsciously putting my hand on my stomach. Ky sat and watched me. Sitting back up I met his eyes and decided it was best I told him everything.
“Alright, listen. Clearly Harper told you I’m in the middle of a divorce. I went home after the reunion and I found West in bed with our interior decorator. I came back home and was served with divorce papers not long after I left Chicago. I went to get tested since I had no clue where that bitch--or West for that matter—had been.” Kyler was listening intently and I felt the sadness creeping back in. “Low and behold…” I looked down at my baby bump.
Kyler leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “This is a whole lotta fucked up Em.” He turned his head away facing the rest of the living room. “How did West take the news? Is he taking care of you?”
A tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away. “He didn’t take it so well. He told me before I left that he didn’t love me and he’d never wanted to have kids with me. Naturally, he believes I did this on purpose to get more from him.” More tears fell. “But I don’t want anything from him. I’m just scared he’s going to try to take my baby away from me.”
His head shot my way, “Not going to happen. I’m not going to let that douchebag take anything, and neither will Finn.”
“No! Oh god… please don’t tell him about this Ky? Please, I’m begging you!”
He exhaled loudly. “Finn already knows about the divorce Em.” Of course he would. If Harper told Kyler, then obviously he would’ve told Finn. God, what a mess! “And I can’t keep this from him. He’s my best friend and he’d want to know. I get that you want to do this on your own, but I think he deserves to know.”
I was exasperated. “What do you mean he deserves to know? He doesn’t deserve to know anything!”
“He still cares about you. You know that right?”
“Listen, I know Finn probably feels guilty for leaving me the way he did and—in some sort of messed up way—he did try to make it up to me at the reunion. He should never have kissed me, but it’s done and I can’t change that. But this is my life and my problem Ky. Finn stopped deserving to know things a long time ago.”
He shook his head at me. “You don’t get it do you Em? Yes, I’m sure he still feels guilty about how things ended between you two, but guilt wasn’t what fueled him to do what he did at the reunion. He misses you. I’ve been living with that bastard for over ten years now and I can tell you he’s been miserable to be around. I think he knows it’s you that’s missing from his life.”
My slightly weepy eyes were quickly becoming full on water works. “Can I tell you something?”
“Always.” He reached over and grabbed my hand.
“I never loved Weston like I did Finn. I think that was a once in a lifetime feeling, you know?” I was looking down at our joined hands.
“I know hon.”
The front door opened and shut and I heard Harper setting her keys on the entry table. “Emilyn?”
“In here!” I yelled back.
She came walking in and a distraught look on her face. Her eyes told me how sorry she was. I stood up from the couch and walked over to her for a hug. “I’m so sorry Em. I didn’t mean to tell your secret. I just wanted to help you.” She was saying into my ear.
I desperately wanted to be mad at her, but the hugging, the look she’d given me when she walked in the door, and the conversation I’d just had with Ky, meant I couldn’t. Harper was my support. She was my best friend and had been my rock through this mess. And mostly, I knew why she’d told Kyler.
I pulled back slightly, “I know. And it’s okay, I forgive you. I guess I couldn’t have kept it all secret forever.” I sniffled, and released her with a small smile.
She smiled back at me then seemed to remember there was someone else in the room. Turning and facing Ky, she pointed her finger at him and her face was livid. “You!”
Kyler’s eyes got wide. “Me?”
“You little bastard, I told you to meet me at the office. What the fuck are you doing here?” She slowly advanced toward him.
“Now, take it easy Harper, I was just bringing you flowers. I must have forgotten you wanted to meet somewhere else.” He gulped loudly and got up from the couch, only to move gingerly around to the other side of it.
“You forgot?” She laughed like a crazy woman. “You forgot!?” Now up against the front of the couch directly in front of Kyler, all it would take was one quick leap and she’d be on the other side.
I thought about stepping in, but I was ashamed to admit that I found the whole thing entertaining. It reminded me of high school. I snapped out of my daydream when I heard Kyler scream like a girl. “Owwww! Damn it Harper!” She had a hold of his nipples, and it was apparent that she’d given them a really good twist.
“Why do you never listen to me? I was very specific Mr. Lewis. Are you fond of your nipples?” She gave a little more twist.
He whimpered, “Oh Jesus, yes I like them very much.” He was almost on his knees in front of her.
“Harper, let him go. He was just trying to be nice.” I laughed as I said the words. Poor Ky, the nipple pinching looked so painful it made my own hurt.
“Yeah, I was just trying to be nice.” He stammered out. “See, your flowers are over there.” He pointed to the table beside her.
“Fine.” She released him and reached for the bouquet. “These are really pretty. Thank you.”
He knelt on the floor, rubbing his chest trying to relieve the tenderness, but I was sure they wouldn’t feel better for a while. He glared up at her. “Are you bipolar?”
She looked at him confused. “No, why?”
I laughed and Kyler just shook his head, standing back up.
That’s when I realized my pizza still wasn’t there. “When the hell is that delivery boy going to get here? I’m hungry!”