“Okay, but for the record, I think—"
“Yeah, yeah—you think I should tell him about the baby,” she said, interrupting her dad.
“Not just that, Karlie—I think you should hear him out. You should give him another chance and keep an open mind. I think that he does love you,” her father said.
She was ready for some food and sleep. “Okay, Dad, I’ll think about it. Love you.” With that, she ended the call. “What do you think, Peanut? Should we give your daddy a second chance?” Karlie patted her belly, and it growled in hunger at her.
“Just like your daddy, so growly,” she giggled and went to raid the fridge. What she’d give to be able to eat more than a few Saltine crackers. Her hungry tummy gave her hope that she’d be able to keep more than crackers down. She needed some extra energy to think about what to do. She knew that Drew wouldn’t just let her keep running, and honestly, she just didn’t have the energy.
∞
“Hey, buddy, what’s going on?” Ryan’s voice sounded weak and far away. Nevertheless, it sounded damn good to hear his brother’s voice.
“Ryan! How the hell are you? Everything good?” No matter how many times his brother called, Drew always worried that something was wrong while Ryan was deployed.
“I’m good, just checking to see how you are. I had one call, and I just got a letter from mom—”
He didn’t give Ryan the chance to finish his sentence. “And she told you what was going on with me and Karlie, or the lack of what is going on,” Drew finished for him.
“Yeah, so what’s going on with Karlie? You find her yet?” Ryan asked.
“No, I know her father knows where she is, but he won’t tell me. I don’t know if he just doesn’t believe me or if he’s protecting her from something or someone. He seems so concerned about her. He told me things are going on that I don’t understand. I just need to find her, man. I’m going out of my fucking mind.” Drew was running his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. He had done that a lot since Karlie disappeared.
“I know, man, you’ll find her. Have you asked her mom or Jenna if they know where she is?” Ryan questioned.
“They don’t have any more news than I do. Her dad seems to be the only one in the loop. I just feel like, if I could just get two minutes with her, I could tell her—show her how much I love her,” Drew knew he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care.
“Wow, Drew, you have it bad for this girl, huh?” Ryan chuckled, laughing at his brother’s expense.
“I don’t have it bad,” Drew growled, “I’m already gone over this woman. I am going to find her and marry her.” His brother laughed again, causing Drew to scowl.
“How’s Jenna doing?” It was odd that Ryan asked about Jenna. It was probably because he felt guilty about what Jake did to her. Ryan called Drew just after the wedding that never happenedto find out how everything went. After Drew spilled all the details, Ryan cursed and yelled about needing to come home. His brother felt bad that he didn’t warn Jenna about Jake’s lying before he was deployed. Ryan wanted Drew to tell Jenna everything, but he had other things on his mind, namely Karlie. “Is Jake still treating her right?” Ryan went on, “Does she know about all his lies yet? You have to tell her, Drew.” Ryan's words were hurried, and Drew knew that he was running out of time to talk.
“Don’t worry, man, he’s living up to his promise to take care of Jenna. Jake is a snake, but he’s staying out of trouble. I tried to tell Mr. Angel about Jake, but he just stood behind his new son-in-law. I’ll keep an eye on Jake, don’t you worry.”
Ryan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks, man, I just feel so bad that I let Jake get away with all his shit. I feel bad that he did that to Karlie, and I hope, for Jenna’s sake, that he keeps his shit together.”
“Yeah,” Drew laughed, “I’ll make sure he keeps his shit together. Jenna deserves better—her baby deserves better. Remember when she used to follow you around after we first moved here? She was like what—twelve, and you were—"
“Eighteen. Yeah, I remember, and it was so fucking embarrassing,” Ryan growled. “Although she grew up nicely. She could follow me around anytime, now.” They both laughed.
“You know she’s like eight months pregnant, with Jake’s baby, and oh yeah—she’s married now,” Drew teased back.
“Hey man, I got to go—times up.” And, with that, the line went dead. God, he hated only having a few minutes to talk to Ryan. One day soon, they’d have time to catch up and have a few beers.He couldn’t wait to hang out with his brother again.
∞
Drew knew that he was being sneaky, but it was his only way to find out where Karlie was. He drove three hours to Karlie’s old apartment to talk to her former landlord. He knew that Mr. Angel would have returned the guy's call and given him Karlie’s new address. Drew had tried for another two weeks to get Karlie’s address from her dad, but he wasn’t giving up the information. The man could have been trusted with national secrets because he wasn’t giving up anything. He admired Mr. Angel for protecting Karlie, but enough was enough. He was going out of his mind without her. He got rid of his bed and got a new one. When Karlie came home with him, he wanted her completely comfortable and happy, and he did not doubt that she would be coming home with him. His next step was to hire a detective to find her if this plan didn’t work.
Drew found her old landlord in the rental office. The older gentleman looked as tired and run-down as the complex. He couldn’t believe that Karlie had lived in this dump. God, where was she? What if she were in someplace even worse than this hole? He ground his teeth, trying to keep his anger at bay. “Excuse me, sir.” Drew was going for polite, though he didn’t feel it. “I’m wondering if you can help me find someone.”
The old man just rolled his eyes, “We don’t rent rooms by the hour, son. Try down the road.”
“No, sir,” Drew couldn’t help his smile. “I am looking for a woman who used to live here—Karlie Angel. I believe we spoke a couple of weeks ago. You called me for her dad’s phone number.”
“Oh, yes. I remember you; you’re the girl’s boyfriend. She told me, well, to—um, send you packing if you ever came here looking for her. She said some other things about you, but I can’t repeat them. I don’t like cussin’ much.” Drew laughed. God, he missed her. He hadn’t laughed like that since Karlie left. The old man just looked at him like he was off his rocker.
“Yeah, that sounds like my girl. We had a little—um, well, fight. She ran, and I need to find her. I need to make things right with her. I love her, and she needs to know that I didn’t do what she thinks I did.”
