Her knees went weak and she grabbed hold of the back of the chair. What had she done?

It took her another hour to pull herself together. Once she did, she drove to Sonia’s house where when Sonia opened the door she fell into her arms and cried even more.

“I should have told him. I should have told him right away,” she sobbed against her best friend’s shoulder. “He hates me. He left.”

Sonia ran her hand over her hair. “Sweetheart, calm down.”

“I can’t. He’s gone. I ruined it.”

“No. Shhh.” She kissed the top of her head. “Listen, give him some time.”

“I can’t. I messed it all up.” Victoria sniffed. “I—I lied to him.”

“You just didn’t come forward when you should have.”

“You do think I’m wrong.”

“I think you’re misjudging him. That’s all.” She wrapped her arm around Victoria’s shoulders and walked her to the couch. She guided her down and sat next to her.

“Tell me what happened when you got home.”

Victoria took some deep breaths and tried to get her composure. When she could she explained how everything happened when she got home. How Scott was there to apologize and how he told Christian all about the baby.

She long ago should have run out of tears, but she hadn’t yet.

Then she told her about him leaving and how she then found the ring.

“A three diamond anniversary band?”

Victoria’s eyes opened wide.

“Yes.”

“He came here and asked the kids if he could ask you to marry him.”

“Are you kidding me?” The tears were drying.

She shook her head. “He showed them the ring and Ali asked for one too.”

That finally made her chuckle.

“What did he say to that?”

“That he’d buy her a ring and Sam wanted a baseball.”

God he was wonderful and she’d let him out of her life a year ago without a fight and again when he drove away.

“What am I going to do?”

“Don’t you suppose that he needs some time too?” She rubbed Victoria’s back. “And when he was talking to the kids he asked them if it would be okay if the two of you had more kids. Do you think he knew?”

Victoria looked at her friend. “He did know.” She shook her head as if she’d only just realized it. “He said he thought I was having Scott’s baby.” She wiped away the last of her tears. “He didn’t say how he knew, but he knew.”

She looked at Sonia who shook her head. “I didn’t say a word.”

“Last night when I got sick he asked how much longer it was supposed to last. He meant the morning sickness.” She sucked in her breath. “Why didn’t he tell me he knew? He just kept asking me if I had something to tell him.”

“Calm down.” Sonia took her hands in hers. “You need to just calm down. If he knew about the baby and even thought the baby belonged to another man and was still going to ask you to marry him, don’t you suppose once he’s done being angry that you didn’t tell him he’ll come back around? Tori, he loves you.”

“I’m scared. I’m so scared.”

Sonia pulled her back into her arms. “He’s a Keller man. And Keller men don’t let the women they love out of their grasp.”

Victoria nodded at that. “I love him. I don’t want to do this without him.”

“Give him a few days.”

She agreed, but she wasn’t sure she’d survive a few days without him—not anymore.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The night was extremely dark. Christian sat on the tailgate of his pickup and looked out over the ball field which was still just piles of dirt.

Just like the field, where he could imagine the bleachers, the bases, the people cheering—he could imagine his life with Tori, the kids, and their baby.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Arianna had prepared him for the thought that the baby might be his, but he’d never really bought into that. It just didn’t make sense, that if the baby was his, why didn’t she tell him? And as angry as he was, what did it really matter? He loved her and Ali and Sam. And there was a part of him that loved that baby more than anything.

He let out a steady breath. He was going to be someone’s father. Not their uncle or cousin or brother—their father.

His head began to spin as though he’d actually drank the bottle of Jack he’d bought, but the seal was still intact—he’d known better.

And then the thought in his head went full circle. He’d gone to her house that night when he’d found out she was pregnant, but it wasn’t the reason. The reason he went back was because he loved her. The pregnancy was just a reason to get her to let him in. With or without the baby he’d always loved her. Nothing was going to take that away.

There’d been a little ring at the store that he’d remembered seeing. That ring belonged to Ali, he’d stop and pick it up. Sam needed a new baseball and Christian had the very one. He’d kept it for years—it was signed by his father.

He’d looked into coaching T-ball and maybe that would make the day of the young boy who was probably lost in all the talk about marriage and babies.

And of course the baby—oh he knew the perfect thing to buy the baby. He hoped Victoria would appreciate it too.

He’d go to her tomorrow as he did every night after work—and he wouldn’t go back home. Never again.

~*~

When Christian walked into his brother’s office the next morning he didn’t look amused when Christian told him he needed another afternoon off.

“It’s all for a good cause and everything is up to date,” he promised.

“First you mope around all year and now you’re gone all the time. What gives?”

Christian sat down in the chair in front of his brother’s desk. “Well, I have to go buy a ring.”

“Mom and Darcy said you did that already.”

“Oh, I bought one for Tori. Now I have to buy one for Ali.” Ed’s look of confusion was priceless. “I just signed on to coach T-ball too.”

“You did not.”

“I did.”

Ed laughed. “I think this is your calling.”

“Well it looks like I have a baby on the way so…”