Sierra had known Luna and Angelo were together. She hadn’t… had she?
“I wondered if you knew. I mean, not that she was pregnant, that was a given, but about her calling me.”
They’d shared everything else. Why not this? And why hadn’t Angelo mentioned knowing before now? “What did she say? I know it’s not my business—”
“There’s not a lot to tell.” He reached up and raked back his hair. “She told me she was pregnant, and she wanted to tell our folks but didn’t want to do it alone. She wanted me to fly home for the weekend and have her back while she did.”
Not long after spring break, he’d said. Did that mean he didn’t know the rest? “What did you say to her?”
“I told her she was old enough to get herself into trouble, she was old enough to face the music.”
But she never had, and Luna wondered why, when doing so might’ve changed everything—for their families and their friends and a tiny life who would never know what she’d lost.
Angelo went on. “The medical examiner didn’t say anything about her being pregnant at the time of her death. At least as far as I know. I assumed she’d lost it. Maybe even in the accident. Or gotten rid of it. It was half Gatlin. I didn’t figure Oscar would want to be tied down.”
This was what made her so sad, made telling the truth so hard. Neither Sierra’s family nor Oscar’s knew what the two had shared. Luna was the only one. And she didn’t know whether she had the words to make anyone else, even Angelo, understand.
“She would never have gotten rid of it. She and Oscar…” She let the sentence trail, thought better of telling him everything the couple had done.
“She and Oscar were stupid.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, a sharp hitch grabbing at her chest. “They were happy. They were… happy.”
“So what happened? To the baby? How far along was she when she called me?”
“If it was after spring break, then four months. She got pregnant in December.”
“Four months?” He pushed off the couch arm, paced to the front door and back, his steps hard. “I thought when she called me she’d just found out.”
“No,” she said and bowed her head. “She’d known awhile.”
“Was she sick?”
“Oh yeah. I always had crackers with me in case she needed them.”
“How did she hide being pregnant from our parents all that time? How did she hide it from her teachers?”
“I helped,” she said, leaning against the closed drawers and pulling her knees to her chest. “We bought her new uniforms. They fit well enough that she just looked like she was getting fat. It was easier over the summer. She only had music classes three days a week. The other days we holed up in the tree house, though she had no business climbing up there. Or we hung out in her room. Out of sight, out of mind. And she almost didn’t show through the whole pregnancy.”
“If she was still pregnant during the summer, then in September…” He stopped, stepped away, his mind obviously whirring.
Luna swallowed. “She had the baby the Friday before the accident.”
“And?” he asked, as slowly he turned back, his chest heaving, his eyes both fiery and dark. “Where’s the baby now?”
Luna had no idea. And that was the gospel truth. Though if Oliver Gatlin had gone digging… “She gave it up for adoption.”
CHAPTER TEN
S hock rooted Angelo in place. Shock and disbelief and a frightening amount of rage. Nothing here made sense. Not a single thing Luna was saying. He had to have it wrong.
He took one step closer, then another, stopping when his shin bumped the coffee table. “She had the baby? And she gave it up for adoption?”
Luna nodded, her gaze on the drawer she’d just pulled open, a barrier between them, a shield.
Dear God.
He scrubbed both hands down his face, breathing hard, finally jamming his hands onto his hips. “And you didn’t think her family might want to know? Might have a right to know? Might care
“I wondered if you knew. I mean, not that she was pregnant, that was a given, but about her calling me.”
They’d shared everything else. Why not this? And why hadn’t Angelo mentioned knowing before now? “What did she say? I know it’s not my business—”
“There’s not a lot to tell.” He reached up and raked back his hair. “She told me she was pregnant, and she wanted to tell our folks but didn’t want to do it alone. She wanted me to fly home for the weekend and have her back while she did.”
Not long after spring break, he’d said. Did that mean he didn’t know the rest? “What did you say to her?”
“I told her she was old enough to get herself into trouble, she was old enough to face the music.”
But she never had, and Luna wondered why, when doing so might’ve changed everything—for their families and their friends and a tiny life who would never know what she’d lost.
Angelo went on. “The medical examiner didn’t say anything about her being pregnant at the time of her death. At least as far as I know. I assumed she’d lost it. Maybe even in the accident. Or gotten rid of it. It was half Gatlin. I didn’t figure Oscar would want to be tied down.”
This was what made her so sad, made telling the truth so hard. Neither Sierra’s family nor Oscar’s knew what the two had shared. Luna was the only one. And she didn’t know whether she had the words to make anyone else, even Angelo, understand.
“She would never have gotten rid of it. She and Oscar…” She let the sentence trail, thought better of telling him everything the couple had done.
“She and Oscar were stupid.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, a sharp hitch grabbing at her chest. “They were happy. They were… happy.”
“So what happened? To the baby? How far along was she when she called me?”
“If it was after spring break, then four months. She got pregnant in December.”
“Four months?” He pushed off the couch arm, paced to the front door and back, his steps hard. “I thought when she called me she’d just found out.”
“No,” she said and bowed her head. “She’d known awhile.”
“Was she sick?”
“Oh yeah. I always had crackers with me in case she needed them.”
“How did she hide being pregnant from our parents all that time? How did she hide it from her teachers?”
“I helped,” she said, leaning against the closed drawers and pulling her knees to her chest. “We bought her new uniforms. They fit well enough that she just looked like she was getting fat. It was easier over the summer. She only had music classes three days a week. The other days we holed up in the tree house, though she had no business climbing up there. Or we hung out in her room. Out of sight, out of mind. And she almost didn’t show through the whole pregnancy.”
“If she was still pregnant during the summer, then in September…” He stopped, stepped away, his mind obviously whirring.
Luna swallowed. “She had the baby the Friday before the accident.”
“And?” he asked, as slowly he turned back, his chest heaving, his eyes both fiery and dark. “Where’s the baby now?”
Luna had no idea. And that was the gospel truth. Though if Oliver Gatlin had gone digging… “She gave it up for adoption.”
CHAPTER TEN
S hock rooted Angelo in place. Shock and disbelief and a frightening amount of rage. Nothing here made sense. Not a single thing Luna was saying. He had to have it wrong.
He took one step closer, then another, stopping when his shin bumped the coffee table. “She had the baby? And she gave it up for adoption?”
Luna nodded, her gaze on the drawer she’d just pulled open, a barrier between them, a shield.
Dear God.
He scrubbed both hands down his face, breathing hard, finally jamming his hands onto his hips. “And you didn’t think her family might want to know? Might have a right to know? Might care
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