Chapter 26 Shock. Uncertainty. Concern. It all played over Colt's face. And yeah, she felt it too. "You think that because you've been sick?" he asked, voice quieter than a second ago. "And tired. And off coffee. Then this morning, I got dizzy-" "You got dizzy? Why didn't you tell me?" "I'm fine. Martha got me some water. I just stood up too fast." He took her hand and pulled her toward the door. "Let's go." "Where?" "To the doctor." "No." She ground to a stop. He turned back to her. "Yes. We need to know one way or another. We need to talk to a doctor and-" "I'm scared." Two words. They were said quietly, but God, they sounded loud in the small bathroom. "Scared of what?" "That the doctor will tell me that I'm not pregnant and this is all in my head. But I'm also equally scared that he'll tell me I am pregnant. Then I'll start believing we'll get our baby, only for something to happen and suddenly we lose the baby-and I get really sad and angry at the world again." Panic exploded inside her at the thought. She couldn't even imagine getting that positive test, only to lose them. But the truth was, a loss in the first trimester was common. Too common. "Hey." Colt stepped closer and cupped her cheeks. "You're not alone. I'm with you every step of the way." "I know. And I know that should probably be enough, but I'm still scared." His thumb caressed her cheek. "Why don't we make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow? It will give us a few hours to wrap our heads around all of this." Tomorrow. Would it feel any less scary then? She nodded, because what else could she do? They did need to know one way or the other. Suddenly, she needed to feel his arms around her. She needed his closeness and his breath at her ear and the calm of his heartbeat against hers. She leaned into his chest, and the second his arms wrapped around her, the fear quieted. Not all the way, but enough to make her heart stop thumping so loudly. "I'll step out front and call the doctor now," he said quietly, after they parted. "Okay." And she'd go back to the yard and pretend everything didn't suddenly feel different. The next couple of hours were a blur of smiles and nods and trying to focus on conversations that she was barely following. She forced herself to eat something, even though her stomach rebelled. She wasn't sure if that was nausea or nerves. Clara kept watching her. But then, of course she did-they were best friends. They knew each other too well to hide anything. Noah did the same. They were just cleaning up when her brother touched her arm. His voice low, he asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Don't lie to me. I can see something's going on." She cocked her head. "You're one to talk. You've been quiet all afternoon." Despite the distraction, she'd noticed. His brows lowered. "Bonnie called." Indie gasped, momentarily pulled out of her own haze. "When?" "Last night." "What did she say?" "Not much. She just seemed to want to ask questions. About me and Amber Ridge. About you." Bonnie had asked about her? "Did you find out anything about her? Where she's living? What she's doing?" "She said she's working at a women's shelter as a programs coordinator." Indie pulled back. She'd never pictured her sister working a job like that. But then, she didn't know who her sister was at all anymore. "It sounds like she's doing okay. And it's good that she called you." He bumped her hip. "You could call her." She shook her head quickly. "No. She never liked me." "She liked you, Indie." She scoffed. "All we did was argue." "You're different people." Yeah, and that was probably part of what had driven Bonnie away. Indie had always wondered, if they were closer, would Bonnie have stayed? Would they have leaned on each other while going through the grief of losing their parents? Noah squeezed her shoulder. "This is good, Indie. This is progress." She nodded. It was true. Colt joined them, immediately wrapping an arm around Indie's waist. "Ready to go?" His voice was gentle. Cautious even. He'd kept an eye on her all afternoon. And when he wasn't watching her, he was touching her. An arm around her waist. A hand on the small of her back. She leaned into him. "Yeah, I'm ready." They went around and said goodbye to everyone, and by the time she slid into the passenger seat, she was exhausted. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "You okay, Cricket?" "Just tired." He squeezed her thigh, then turned on the car. When they got home, Colt put his hand on the door, but she touched his arm before he could get out. "I should have asked," she said softly. "Are you okay?" "I'm right where you are, Cricket. Nervous to test, and just as nervous not to." She studied his dark chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry." "For what?" "I've made so much of this infertility about me. I was struggling so much that I never really checked in on you. But you wanted a child just as much as I did." He leaned toward her. "I did want a child. I still do. But more than that, I want you to be happy." "I don't deserve you." "I think it's the other way around." It wasn't. She turned and climbed out of the car. Inside, he closed and locked the door before heading into the kitchen. "Hungry?" "After all that food at Aunt Pam's? Definitely not." He chuckled. "I'll make us some hot drinks." "I'm just going to change." She slipped off her shoes and headed into the bedroom. She was about to take off her jeans when she stopped at the light breeze on her neck. Frowning, she turned. The window was open. But there was no way her or Colt would have left it like that. That meant- A figure suddenly moved in the mirror behind her. She opened her mouth and screamed, but the sound was cut off by Gordon's arm wrapping around her throat and the knife he pressed to her skin. Colt crashed into the room, fear then pure rage cutting across his face. Pregnant. Indie might be pregnant. It still didn't feel real. The doctor could tell them she wasn't. And fuck, it would hurt. But he could also tell them she was. He closed his eyes, allowing himself for just a second to consider the possibility that she was pregnant. That their child was growing in her belly after years of trying and failing. He'd wanted kids for so long. After growing up as an only child, he'd always wanted lots of kids. He'd dreamed of a loud home full of family. But more than that...he wanted to be a dad. And he'd sure as hell do a better job than his own father. He'd just opened the fridge when the scream cut through the air. Indie. He took off, sprinting through the house, his feet pounding against the floorboards before he crashed into the bedroom. And what he saw made his blood run cold. Gordon Sharp stood behind Indie, one arm wrapped around her throat while the other held a knife inches from her cheek. Indie's eyes locked with Colt's. The fear almost gutted him. But there was also something else in her expression-anger. "What the hell are you doing, Gordon?" Colt growled. His father raised a brow. "I'm holding a knife to your wife's throat. You don't think you can muster up a 'Dad' for me?" "What I think is if you harm a fucking hair on her head, I will gut you." His father laughed, but the sound was almost manic. "You're not too bright, are you, kid? I'm holding the knife. So I make the rules." "What do you want?" Each word was forced out through gritted teeth. "You know what I want...the money I'm owed." The asshole wasn't owed a fucking thing. But now wasn't the time to remind him of that. "And what? You think I just keep a pile of cash sitting around?" "If you want your wife to come out of this in one piece, I think you'll figure out how to get it to me." Fury pulsed through Colt's veins. "I have cash," Indie said, voice quiet, almost breathless. "It's in my safe in the walk-in closet." "How much?" Gordon growled. "Thousands. I sold a car, and they paid me in cash. I never put the money in the bank. It could tide you over until Colt and Sylvia get you the rest." Colt frowned. Was that true? "If you're lying to me-" "I'm not," Indie interrupted. "I'll get it for you," Colt said, taking a step toward the closet. "No." Colt stopped, his hands fisting at the way the knife in Gordon's hand inched closer to Indie's skin. "You think I'm stupid?" Gordon gasped. "She and I will go. And if there's a gun in there, I'm slicing her neck open." Every part of Colt screamed to cross that small distance between them and ram the knife into his father's throat. But it was too close to Indie's neck. He wouldn't make it in time. Instead, he angled his body to the side and got his phone from his pocket. He stepped forward, half of his body hidden by the dresser, using it to shield what he was doing. Only looking down in the small milliseconds that Gordon took his eyes off him. He hit Jesse's name but silenced his end and put the call on speaker. Jesse would hear everything, while Gordon would hear nothing. The station wasn't far. He could only pray they didn't take long. As Gordon stepped into the walk-in closet, Colt inched forward and set the phone face down on the dresser. One step forward, then the next. He wanted to be as close as possible in case he needed to act. They stopped just inside the closet and Indie pushed clothes aside. Gordon had loosened his hold on her throat, but that knife was still close to her face. He couldn't see the safe from where he stood, but the soft beeps of her typing in her passcode were loud in the otherwise quiet room. What's your plan, Cricket? He had to hope, pray, that she wouldn't give Gordon any reason to hurt her. But hell, Gordon probably didn't need a reason. Blood roared between Colt's ears as he prepared to lunge forward. The click of the safe door opening sounded. Gordon's eyes widened-and he took the arm away from her throat to reach inside. When he pulled his hand back, he held a wad of cash. She was telling the truth. Gordon was still holding the cash when Indie thrust her hand inside and pulled out a pistol. "What are you-" Gordon's words were cut off when she fired at his foot. He cried out, shoving her hard against the doorframe. Colt had already lunged, wrapping an arm around his father's middle and sending them both to the floor in the bedroom. Gordon growled, swinging to dig the knife into Colt's side, but Colt was faster, gripping the man's wrist and smashing his hand to the floor so hard that Gordon cried out. Colt squeezed, and Gordon dropped the knife. He tried to lift a knee, but Colt immobilized his body with his own before throwing his other elbow into his father's cheek. The hit was so hard that Gordon's head dropped, eyes closing, body unmoving. Colt turned back to Indie-and fear immediately seized his chest. She lay on her side in the doorway, blood coating her head. No... He grabbed the knife in case Gordon woke and tossed it deep into the closet before dropping beside her. "Cricket, can you hear me?" Nothing. He rolled her to her side and touched her pulse. It was strong. Good. Sirens wailed outside, but he ignored them. "Come on, Cricket, I need you to wake up." The front door opened on a bang. Then footsteps. When Jesse stepped in, Colt's gaze flew to him. "We need an ambulance!"