Emily's Choice Read Free

don’t
know how to start. I thought it would be easy, but now that you’re here, I’m
scared.” She turned her face into his neck and took a deep breath. He always
smelled so good, like the outdoors mixed with sunshine.
    “It can’t be
that bad, babe,” he soothed. “Spit it out, we’ll figure it out.”
    “I’m
pregnant,” Emily blurted quietly.
    She felt
Jason stiffen and thought for a moment he was going to push her away and flee.
Instead, he tightened his hold on her. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.
    Emily
nodded. “They took a blood test, and I have to call tomorrow for the results of
the ultrasound. She thinks I’m about six to eight weeks along.”
    Tears began
to flow in earnest down her face. Frustrated with them, she swiped her hand
across her face. “What are we going to do, Jason?”
    Smiling, he
hugged her close. “Sounds like we’re going to have a baby!”
    Shocked at
his easy acceptance, she pulled out of his arms and searched his face. She saw
a broad smile gracing his lips, a sparkle in his eyes. Breathing a sigh of
relief, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
    “You’re
surprised at my reaction.”
    “Honestly, I
really wasn’t sure what to expect.”
    “It’s scary,
a little exciting. But it’s happened, and we can’t undo it. We’re almost done
with school. Instead of getting married at Christmas, we’ll just get married
this summer after we graduate. We can still elope if you want.”
    “What are we
going to tell our parents?”
    Jason
shrugged.
    “We’ve got
to tell them something!”
    “Babe, we
don’t have to tell them anything right away. Let’s get used to the idea first.”
    “What do you
mean?”
    Sighing,
Jason leaned back against the pillows, taking Emily with him. Sprawled against
his chest, Emily felt her heart rate pick up. Jason rolled with her and gently
pushed her back against the bed. Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss against
her lips. “I mean . . .” he drawled. “Let’s enjoy the news, and the secret, and
we’ll tell them when it’s right.”
    She put a
hand against his shoulder to stop his descent. She needed a clear head, and
once he started kissing her, she’d fog up and forget everything. “Jason,” she
pleaded.
    Sighing, he
lifted his head. He ran a hand up her torso and brushed a thumb over her
nipple. When it hardened under his knowing hands, he grinned. “Babe, it’s not a
big deal. Our parents are going to freak out and wonder what we were thinking,
but it’s our life, Em . Don’t stress. We’ve got each
other and that’s all we need,” he said against her lips.
    Emily moaned
when his tongue slipped through her lips. The hand that was holding him off
slid up his neck and tangled in his hair.
    Jason was
right; all they needed was each other. They could get through anything so long
as they had each other.

Chapter Two
    September
2008
    It was
almost one. The early morning was dark as pitch, the moon hidden behind the clouds.
Emily paced a circuitous route in her bedroom—along her bed, passing the door
and desk, ending at the window. She glanced outside during each pass. Her
fiancé, Jason Vaughn, was due back from his bachelor party any minute. She
could just barely make out the driveway of his house from her window. In a
little over fourteen hours, she’d be walking down the aisle in her backyard to
marry him. Placing a hand on her extended abdomen as she glanced outside again,
she smiled. She couldn’t wait.
    She saw
headlights and squealed quietly to herself. Grabbing her phone and her light
jacket, she silently made her way down the stairs and out the back door. She
crossed through the line of trees separating the Camancho and Vaughn properties, the well-worn path a testament to the many trips made
between the houses.
    She was
young, in love, and far from the superstitious type. Her stepmother, Grace, or
Mama G, as she affectionately called her, had told her earlier in the day to
stay away from Jason until