All Chapters of Loved From Afar: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Jordan could still remember the very first time Evan mentioned her. They were juniors in college…“You’ve got to meet this girl,” Evan told him as they walked toward the quad after class one late September afternoon. “I think she might be the one.”“The one?” Jordan said, incredulous that ‘Mister One-Night-Stand’ himself would even think about monogamy. “You don’t even know what that means. You go through women like water. You, Evan Anders, are a poster boy for players and heartbreakers everywhere.”“You’re not wrong,” Evan grinned. “But there’s just something about this girl…anyway, I’m bringing her to the Omega party tonight. I seriously want you to meet her.”“Whatever, dude,” Jordan replied, shaking his head.“You’re going, right? Jordan – tell me you’re going. Too much studying isn’t good for you.”“And you really shouldn’t be going,” Jordan shot back. “You really need to do more studying, Evan. Football’s only gonna get you so far, man, and it’s hard to find a team to play on if

The alarm sounding later that afternoon caused Jordan’s brows to furrow tightly.“Already?” he mumbled, snaking his hand out from under the covers to press the snooze bar on the device and drifting off again.But the machine’s insistent beeping ten minutes later caused him to snarl and throw the covers back.Come on, lazy, go run, he chided himself. And then get ready for what will probably be a long Friday night.He staggered his way over to the dresser and grabbed shorts and a t-shirt. As he got dressed, he could hear his phone buzzing repeatedly from the kitchen, but it stopped before he could finish tying his shoes.Jordan moved through his apartment toward the counter where he had plugged in his phone. He picked it up and saw multiple texts from Evan.About time you came to your senses, he told his friend silently as he read Evan’s words.But Jordan also noticed Evan had not mentioned any plans to confess to Karli.Why not tell Karli what he’s been up to anyway? his conscience as

Eight days later…Karli had somehow managed to navigate Evan’s funeral service and burial, although she still wasn’t quite sure how. A lot of that time was still blurry in her memory, a blessed numbing of senses mixed with adrenaline that she felt certain had carried her through that fateful Tuesday afternoon.She was grateful for it. Some things, she did not want to remember clearly.Almost as a temporary cease-fire, her stomach issues had dissipated for a few days, then returned with a vengeance around midnight on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, she had had enough, and at three p.m. she was sitting in her family doctor’s lobby waiting for her name to be called.The nurse collected her and walked her over to the scales, then handed her a specimen cup. Once Karli had completed giving a urine sample, she followed the nurse to an exam room.The woman took her vitals, made note of Karli’s symptoms, then said, “Dr. Hollard will be right in.”Another twenty minutes passed, and the doctor kn

Sarah grabbed Karli in a one-armed hug the minute she got through Karli’s front door.“I brought ice cream,” Sarah announced, holding up the bag and shaking it. “Come on, girly. Let’s talk it out.”“Sea salt caramel?” came the shaky but hopeful whisper from Karli.“You know it.”They moved to the kitchen, and Sarah got out bowls and spoons.“Okay, Karli. Talk to me,” she prodded as she began to scoop ice cream. “What’s up?”“Um… I kissed somebody,” Karli said, her voice riddled with guilt.“What?”“Jordan and I went to dinner, and I broke down, and he called me honey. And I liked hearing him call me that, and I kissed him goodnight on the cheek, and I’m a horrible person,” Karli wailed.“Not horrible, Karli. Human,” Sarah said softly.“But I’m being disloyal to Evan,” Karli protested.“I can see where you might feel that way,” Sarah observed.Karli nodded.“There’s more, Sarah.”Sarah handed her one of the bowls.“What’s that?”“I’m five weeks pregnant. I found out this afternoon.”“O

“You didn’t, really,” Karli answered quickly. “It’s just…I don’t think it would be proper, you and I living together.”“I get that, and I respect it,” he assured her. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”“And I appreciate you for that,” she told him with a smile as she reached over and squeezed his hand.“Now. I need to form a battle plan. We only bought this house a year ago. Even if I could sell it quickly enough to cover everything, I still owe so much on it that I wouldn’t get very much out of the deal.”“Have you thought about renting it out?” Jordan asked. “My aunt is a realtor, and she’s always saying she has almost as many clients asking about rentals as she does buyers. I can call her if you like.”“Do you think that could happen fast enough to help me out?”Jordan shrugged.“We won’t know if we don’t ask, Karli. The worst she can say is you’re better off selling.”“Okay,” Karli said on an exhale. “Let’s call her and see what she says.”Jordan pulled out his cell phone and