Safe Haven

Marnie frowned as she pressed ignore for the thousandth time on her cellphone. Kenneth had been calling nonstop, and she was more than fed up with the nasty voicemails he had been leaving her. If it didn’t stop soon, she was tempted to have her number changed, and would do just that if it came down to it. Calling her was one thing, but leaving threatening angry voicemails was another, and Marnie wasn’t going to put up with it for much longer.

Running a hand through her locks of hair, she made her way out of the house with Melina by her side. Scott and Melina were officially leaving to head off to Sacramento, and Marnie couldn’t deny that she wasn’t sad about her brother and sister-in-law moving. However, they had promised each other that they would visit as often as they could.

Marnie hugged Melina before moving onto Scott. The two siblings hugged tightly for only a moment and then they pulled away from each other. Marnie sighed and folded her arms across her chest. It was just sinking in that she was going to be lonely for quite a while. She had no boyfriend, and her only family was moving several hours away, and all of her friends had their own lives to deal with. It was just her all by herself.

“Don’t look so sad, sis,” Scott laughed, “I’ll see you soon, all right?”

Marnie smiled softly, “Yeah, I’ll see soon.”

He grinned, “You be sure to take care of yourself and the little one.”

“Don’t worry,” She murmured, “I’ll be okay.”

He nodded, “Bye Marnie.”

“Bye Scott.”

She stood back away from their car and waved at them as they pulled out of the driveway before taking off down the street. Once they were out of sight, she sighed softly to herself and headed into the house. She wasn’t used to how quiet it was throughout the large house, but she knew she needed to try and enjoy the silence the best she could.

Walking into the kitchen, she sighed out softly. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up half way with some water from the sink before taking a small sip. She wished it were a beer she was sipping on instead, but her drinking days were long gone. Sure, she could have a drink every now and then after she has the baby, but there were no more nights were she could pass out completely drunk out of her mind. Not only would it be irresponsible, but it would be just plain stupid.

Feeling her phone start to buzz from her pocket, she set her glass of water down and pulled out the small cellular device. With an annoyed groan, she flipped it open, ignoring the caller I.D., “Would you leave me the fuck alone, Kenneth? I’m going to file a restraining order if—“

“Whoa, killer!” A familiar voice chuckled through the phone, “It’s just me.”

“Brian,” Marnie breathed out, shaking her head, “I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t even worry about it,” He said, “I just weren’t expecting such a greeting like that to come from you.”

Marnie ran a hand through her brown locks of hair with a small sigh, “I’m sorry, Bri. Really, I am. I just thought you were some else.”

“Problems in paradise, huh?” He questioned.

“You could say that,” She murmured, “Anyways, uh, what’s going on?"

He laughed faintly, “Well, I heard you were back in town and I thought I would give you a call to see if it’s true.”

“Oh it’s true all right,” She smiled to herself, “I’m home and I’m staying for good this time.”

“That’s great, Marnie! I’m so happy to hear that. Why don’t you come out to Johnny’s bar with us tonight to celebrate your homecoming?” He suggested, “We would sure love to see you.”

Marnie frowned at the excitement in his voice. She didn’t want to say no and disappoint him, but she knew she couldn’t say yes and go either. She had no business going to a bar with her friends while being pregnant, and she didn’t feel right about doing so. Plus, no one even knew she was pregnant and she wasn’t ready to tell them either, but she would have to if she went because she would have to explain why she couldn’t drink. All in all, the whole thing seemed like a bad idea to her. She was just going to have to turn him down with the best excuse she could come up with.

“I wish I could, but I-I have to uh— I have a lot of unpacking to do,” She said, “So you guys go and have a drink for me, okay?”

“Really Marnie? You’re going to stay home and unpack instead of coming out with us?” She could hear the evident disappointment in his voice, and she knew damn well he was frowning.

She licked over her lips, “I’m sorry, but I really need to get this done. Have fun tonight, Bri,” She murmured before hanging up the phone.

Marnie instantly felt guilty for lying to Brian and hanging up on him, but she couldn’t tell him the real reason she didn’t want to go out with him. If he knew she was pregnant, he would freak, let alone if he knew she was pregnant with his baby. And honestly, it was becoming quite noticeable. She was nearly five months along and she was already sporting a small baby bump underneath her shirt, and her jeans were a little too tight for comfort. Marnie knew that before she saw any of them she would need to do some shopping for some bigger clothes.

Marnie wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that she was pregnant by any means, but she was ashamed and embarrassed that it was Brian’s baby. She slept with a man who is about to be married to his longtime girlfriend and one of her really good friends. That was what she was ashamed of. She did the unthinkable, and because of it, a lot of people are going to be hurt by what she and Brian did if the truth ever comes out. So for now, she wants to keep the pregnancy hidden for as long as possible until she decides what’s best for her, the baby, and Brian. She just hopes that in the end, her friends forgive her, because they are all she has now.