“You can’t stand too fast. Your body’s redirecting all your?—”
“Yeah, I know.Slow down.Eat snacks.Sleep when the baby sleeps. I got it. How doyouknow all this stuff?”
“My sister’s an OBGYN.” He smiles, and it strikes me this is the first one I’ve seen from him since I shared the news. I’ve never seen him go this long without it. He must really be freaking out inside. “She made me watch a ton of medical documentaries with her growing up. I could have gotten an honorary degree.”
“Cool.” I give him a sarcastic thumbs-up and scan the empty room again, suddenly realizing how much I don’t know about this man. By the looks of his apartment, he might be a serial killer. “Why haven’t you decorated? Did you just move in?”
“Nope. It’s been”—he blows out a breath—“two years now? I’m hardly ever home, so it feels like a waste of time.”
“It’s weird, Trevor.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. My sister had toforce me to decorate my room growing up. When I moved out after high school, it just never seemed that important. Military life helped with that too.” He sits on the couch next to me, flexes his fingers, and slowly reaches for my hands. “Look, I’ve been trying to figure out how to start this conversation. So I’ll just… Are you…do you want to keep the baby?”
“Of course I do,” I say with a bite to my voice, trying to pull my hands free. “If you don’t want to be involved, that’s fine?—”
“Whoa. Hey. I didn’t want to assume. It’s your body, and I’m trying to be supportive. Have you had your first appointment yet?”
“It’s on Thursday.”
“Okay. I’ll fly out Wednesday night.”
“What? No.” I shake my head emphatically. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Willa—”
“This thing is smaller than a blueberry. The appointment will only be, like, ten minutes long. I can handle it by myself.”
“No.” He shakes his head.
“What the hell do you mean, ‘no’?”
“Willa, you’re not doing any of this alone. I’m as much responsible for this as you are, and I have a duty to take care of you while you grow our child.”
Our child. There’s no hesitation from him. No reticence. He said it so casually, as if it’s absurd for me to think he wouldn’t come to my first appointment. Like I should know he’s all in. “It’s fine. I’m used to doing things by myself.”
“Well, not this. Not with me. Whether you like it or not, we’re doing this together. I’ll fly into LAX on Wednesday night and drive you to the appointment on Thursday.
“So you’re my handler now?” Heat flushes through me as I scowl. “I’m pregnant, not dead. I can drive myself.”
“No.”
“Trevor—”
“Nope. I’m flying out, and I’m driving. Find a way to cope with it.”
I’m speechless, mouth hinged open as I stare at his dimpled smile. He’s not being rude about it, but the assertive way he keeps shutting me down has me reeling. This man is determined to drive me crazy for the next nine months, and because he’s half of the speck of life growing inside me, I don’t have any other choice but to let him.
CHAPTER TEN
TREVOR
Me
How are you feeling?
Willa
You already asked me this morning. I’m fine.
