Sapphire (Black Hawk Gems Book 2) SAMPLE

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Harley
          Taking my glasses off, I rub my eyes before opening them again to see the two faint pink lines. Maybe... Maybe it's a false positive. I grab the second test and find two pink lines again.
            Pregnant- one word I never thought I'd use before marriage. My parents raised a "good girl" who always got good grades and perfect marks. They wanted me to be the perfect little daughter. It seemed to be their only goal in life other than raising me to be a puppet, which is one reason I became a nurse. I did what I wanted because I love helping people.
            Now they'll be beyond upset. Looking in the mirror, I sigh. My long blonde hair is up in a ponytail since I had thrown up this morning. I'm still in my pajamas, which are a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts. My blue eyes look a little hazy from being abruptly woken up, so I rub at them again.
            Blinking, I push my glasses back up my nose and fix them. I grab my phone, dial Daniel's number, and bite my lip as the phone rings. It rings a few times then goes to voicemail. "Is it so hard to answer your phone?" I mumble, sliding it back in my pocket.
            He needs to know, though.
            Quickly, I get up and walk over to my closet, grabbing a sweater and pulling it on. I shove the pregnancy test into my pocket and run out of the house. I jump into my jeep and peel out of my driveway, turning a fifteen-minute drive into a seven-minute drive.
            When I pull up to Daniel's house, I don't see his car in the driveway, which is unusual because he should be home from work by now. Looking down at my phone, I find no missed calls or texts from Daniel. Again, I call him, but again, it goes to voicemail.
            "Daniel, hey. I have something I need to tell you, and it's really important, like majorly important, so please call me back," I say before ending the message. With a disgruntled sigh, I put my Jeep in reverse and begin to back out of Daniel's driveway.
            Something in his bedroom window catches my attention, making me stop. Squinting, I stare at the second-story window and see a shadow pass by, and a second later, it passes again.
            Since he is home, I put the car in park and climb out. I straighten out my clothes and run my fingers over the test in my pocket, making sure the pregnancy test is still there. I force my feet to move despite the nerves bubbling in my stomach spike to new heights.
Will he be happy? Does he even want kids?
            We only talked about it once, when we talked about marriage, but he was undecided, and nothing ever came from that conversation. We didn't really talk about it again, and now, I'm kicking myself.
            I wouldn't say that I'm in love with Daniel because he wasn't exactly my top choice of a partner. My parents suggested we date because his parents and my parents are friends. When I turned twenty, four years ago, our parents set us up because we'd be a "suitable match." He already has a job at my father's Law Firm, and my parents love him. He is charming and handsome, but he doesn't have much else going for him.
Nonetheless, I'd like him to be there when the baby is born.
          To please my parents, I dated him. We fell into a comfortable relationship, but I have to admit that it's kind of dull. He works, and I work. He wanted me to stay home and be a good little housewife, but I refused to be like my mother. She is, by my father's definition, the perfect wife; she cooks, cleans, and acts polite all the time. I refuse to conform to my father and Daniel's way of thinking.
          Like I said, we've been dating for four years. It's the same things over and over: work, dinner, movie nights where he stays over, then repeat. Our relationship has gotten less intimate over the past few months, and I can't help but think Daniel is tiring of me. Lately, he's been busy with work.
          When I get to Daniel's front door, I pull out the house key that I have and slide it into the lock. My hands shake as I turn the key and push the door open. "Daniel?" When I get no response, I set my purse on the table by the door and shut the door behind me. I make my way over to the stairs to my right and start climbing them.
          "Oh, baby," someone moans. I reach the top of the stairs and more grunting and moaning sounds reach my ears. The sounds grow louder as I get closer to Daniel's room. I reach out a shaking hand, and I turn the knob, pushing the door open. The sounds get exponentially louder, and my eyes widen at the crude sight in front of me.
          "Karley," Daniel moans as my twin sister moans.
            "I can't believe you!" I scream, making both of their heads snap up to look at me. My hand subconsciously goes to my stomach, and I cover my mouth with my other hand. "You're both dead to me!" I yell, running out of the room. Hurt fills me, my heart pounding, as I run down the stairs, grab my purse, and run to my jeep. I can hear my sister and my boyfriend- or should I say ex-boyfriend- running after me, but I hop in my car and drive off.
           Glancing back, I see my sister and Daniel standing in the driveway, sheets and towels wrapped around them. Tears fill my eyes and I try to scrub them away, along with the anger and hurt rising in my chest. I push down on the gas pedal while wiping away more tears, and soon, blue lights fill my rearview mirror.
A sob climbs up my throat as I pull over and lay my head on the steering wheel. Today is just not my day.
            A tap on my window makes me look up to see a male officer standing there. I click the button and wait for the window to go all the way down. The officer peers at me with uncertain eyes as I wipe at my tears. "Are you okay ma'am?" He asks, still looking wary. I shake my head no and take a deep breath.
"Were you aware you were going seventy-five in a fifty zone, ma'am?" He asks, and my eyes widen.
            "No, officer," I sniffle. "I didn't. I'm sorry."
            He nods, his eyes falling to my lap. "Is this the cause for your tears?" He asks, pointing to the pregnancy test I didn't realize I took out and set in my lap. I peer down at it, and through blurry eyes I spot the two pink lines.
            "No, I just... I went to t-tell my boyfriend, and he was- he... I caught him sl-sleeping with my sister," I stutter, more tears falling as I speak. I wipe the tears and look up at the officer. "I'm sorry. I should've pulled off to the side of the road or stopped somewhere and not driven while I'm upset," I tell him.
           The officer sighs and rakes his hand through his hair. "I'll give you a warning this time, but in future instances, please be careful while driving," he tells me, and I let out a breath of relief.
            Nodding, I drop the pregnancy test in the cup holder and lean over to my glove compartment. "Thank you, officer. I promise it won't happen again," I tell him, grabbing a packet of tissues. I pull out two and use them to wipe my eyes and nose. He nods, tells me to have a good day, and walks away from my car.
I decide to sit there for a minute to make sure I'm okay to drive. I don't want my emotions to overpower my driving, so I watch as the police officer drives away. With a sigh, I lay my forehead against the steering wheel and take a deep breath. I'm hurt and sad about the affair, but more than anything, I'm angry and disappointed; however, I should've seen this coming.
             My sister is prettier, less geeky, and more sensual than I am. There's also the fact that Daniel has pulled away and spends more time 'at work' than with me. I should've known he wasn't at work.
            Now that I think about it, I think Daniel's always been more interested in my sister. When we'd be at my parent's house for dinner, or a party, he'd hang around my sister more than me. I thought they were just friends since I was dating him, but no. I witnessed their 'friendship' today. I groan at the mental image that's seared into my brain. I'll never get that image out of my head.
            What now?
             Since Daniel doesn't want me, I don't think he'll want the baby, and if he does, I won't give him any say in this. He cheated on me with my sister. He won't be seeing this baby even if he begs. No one needs someone like that in their lives.
            My phone rings, bringing me out of my   thoughts. When I pull it out, I see Daniel's name flashing across the screen. I scoff at his audacity and answer the call, "What do you want?"
           "Baby, please come back and let me explain," Daniel begs, making me roll my eyes. Hurt tugs at my heartstrings, making my anger grow.
             "Why should I? You have my sister to warm your bed now, so Daniel, don't call me again. Don't text. Don't show up at my house," I tell him, surprised at how stern my voice is. "I want nothing else to do with you. Have a good life," I growl, hanging up before he can reply.
              Throwing my phone in the passenger seat, I shift my Jeep into drive and head home. I can do this. I don't need him.