Cherished (Wanted) by Kelly Elliott

than I’d ever had.
    There was a knock on the restroom door.
    From the other side, Trey asked, “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine. I just need a few minutes. Please just give me a few minutes.” I got up and pulled my jeans back up. I wrapped both tests in toilet paper and put them into my back pocket as I left the stall.
    I heard the restroom door open, and I spun around to see Trey standing there.
    “Jessie, what in the hell is going on? Please tell me. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”
    I pushed past him. How dare he come into the restroom when I asked him to wait. “I talked to my dad.”
    Trey looked at me, confused. “How? When?”
    “Earlier. I saw the front desk clerk, Chelsea, talking on her cell. I asked if I could use her phone. I tried to call Scott, but it went to his voice mail again.”
    I noticed how Trey seemed to be relieved when he found out I hadn’t talked to Scott.
    “But my father answered when I called. He couldn’t really hear everything. He said I was breaking in and out, but I did hear him tell me that it wasn’t Scott with Chelsea. It was Scott’s brother. Scott never cheated on me.”
    Trey’s whole body slumped. “Well…I mean, are you sure Scott is not just lying to your father?”
    I nodded my head. “Yes! I know now that the voice I heard was Bryce and not Scott.”
    “Wait…Jessie, the whole thing just doesn’t make any sense. How do you know your dad wasn’t just saying that to get you to come home?”
    I hadn’t even thought of that. Would my father lie to me?
    I shook my head. “No, my father wouldn’t lie to me like that, Trey.”
    “Jessie, if you were my daughter and I had no idea where you were, I’d tell you whatever I thought you wanted to hear to get you to come home to me.”
    I stood there, staring at Trey. I’m so confused.
    “Baby, your dad knows you’re fine and safe now. Let’s get through this storm and spend the last few days together, just you and me, and then we will both fly back to Texas. Hell, I’ll even fly home with you if you need me to.”
    “No…wait…my head is spinning. I’m so confused. Trey, you’re confusing me. I have to talk to Scott right away.”
    Trey was clearly getting frustrated as he pushed both hands through his hair. “Why? Why do you have to talk to that cheating bastard right away, Jess? Why can’t we just enjoy what we’ve started here?”
    I looked down at the floor as I reached around and felt the tests in my back pocket. “I have to talk to him, Trey, because I just found out that…” My voice cracked as I looked into his eyes, and the flood of guilt came back full force. It felt like I had a weight sitting on my chest.
    Trey took a step closer and went to reach out for me. I held up my hand and stepped away from him. The hurt in his eyes about killed me.
    “You just found out what, Jessie?”
    I inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “I just found out that I’m pregnant.”
    Trey’s eyes grew bigger, and his mouth dropped open. “Oh my god,” he said so low that I barely heard him.
    “I know, and I’m filled with so much guilt because I let you touch me. I let you touch me, and we almost…almost…”
    I broke down crying again as Trey walked toward me. He pulled me into his arms, and he began stroking my hair as he kept repeating for me to calm down.
    “We didn’t, Jess…we didn’t make love. There was a reason you stopped it, and you didn’t do anything wrong.”
    I looked up into his eyes as I pulled back slightly. “I didn’t do anything wrong? Trey…I asked you to have sex with me, so I could forget about my boyfriend.”
    “Who you thought had cheated on you. We didn’t do anything, Jessie. You don’t even have to tell Scott about it, love. It can just stay between you and me. I promise you, I’ll never tell anyone.”
    I started shaking my head. “Everyone thinks we’re together. Do you know how many times I’ve kissed you? And I’m carrying another man’s child.