He turned, his hair curling around the edges, shirt still damp from sweat, skin slightly pink from the sun.
“Cal.” I repeated myself. “There is a problem…”
His brow furrowed and I could feel his anxiety quaking across the room.
“Not a problem with the baby.” My hand came to my still-flat stomach. I’d known I was pregnant for what, five days? At least that was what it felt like.
“What’s wrong?” His voice was gruff but not with anger. Concern blanketed every one of his interactions with me for the last forty-eight hours.
“Remember when you said you were in charge?”
“That’s right, I am. I don’t mean you’re not a part of this, the most important one, but I am running the show. I’m the father, and currently the doctor. Not Frank or Ford.”
“Well, there are other things Frank and Ford are meant to do. And when you shut them out, we were spotted.”
“So?” He walked toward me and picked up my glass of juice. He held it out for me to take and resume drinking.
It was some combination of spinach, avocado, mint, and mango blended with yogurt and almond milk. I had the recipe somewhere for Glory…I tried to remember where it was while I took a slug.
“We’re on the internet.” The ocean slapped against my words as if it was emphasizing the problem.
“So?” He’d sat down across from me, mimicking his sentiment from earlier.
“Want some toast?”
“Willa, forget the toast. What is going on?”
I swallowed the tension rising in my throat. “We went out the front entrance, against Frank’s recommendations. We were photographed. And as of now they’re calling you an unidentified mystery man, but that won’t be for long. By the end of today they will know who you are and what you do. They will link you to me romantically or tie you to me medically…”
“Isn’t that funny? I’m both your lover and your doctor for the moment. I don’t see the issue. You’re having our baby, Billy. I’m here. We’re going to be linked at some point.”
I ran my hand through my hair and pulled it back in a messy bun, thinking I might need to throw up in the near future. “For starters, Frank is livid. I’m sure Ford will be annoyed this type of news was leaked during filming. And then there’s me. This undeniably affects my career, my status, my everything. And I would’ve rather shared when I was ready.” I felt a tear drop from my eye and roll down my cheek. Swiping it away, I couldn’t even look at Cal. “Plus, we are…we are…barely talking… I mean, what is happening here? You’re dropping off juices and going for runs. You barely look at me other than ordering medical tests.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you never wanted to share me with the world.” He spoke softly, sitting across from me. “If anyone should be upset, it’s me. Now I’ll never know if you really wanted to let the universe know about us, or if the baby forced your hand. I’m not only here in a medical capacity…I’m waiting for you to shed this Hollywood BS. I’m more than your doctor and baby daddy. But you need to admit that to yourself, Willa.”
It felt like he slapped me. I caught my breath in my throat and tried to exhale. “Cal, be fair. I was trying to save you from the constant nagging of the paparazzi. You help grow and create lives, bringing them into the world for the most appreciative parents. Mostly because they didn’t think they could have a child. That’s hardly the type of material forUS Weekly. To make you interesting they will dig away, looking for dirt and scrounging up whatever they can. Being with me is a job very few want to do. I’m sure your patients don’t want their doc splattered all over the magazines in the grocery checkout.”
“Well, I applied for this job, and apparently I’m the finalist. By default or not.” His hair was damp from his run, sweat pockets swirling around his underarms, and his eyes squinted at my belly. He wanted some sort of declaration from me, and I couldn’t find a way to give it. That wasn’t in my repertoire.
“The finalist?”
“Yeah, that’s me. This is the final round. We’re an us, Billy. I love you, and I’m pretty sure you love me. Baby or not.”
No way I’d admit it, but Cal was sexy when he was bossy.
“I wanted to tell the world I had a baby daddy when I was good and ready. Not to mention my mom is going to go into public relations mode…demanding statements and photos.”
“Willa.” Cal spoke softly again, inching his chair closer, taking my hands in his, steadying my world in a way that shouldn’t be possible. “Let’s go backward. Okay?”
I didn’t respond or move, only stared at the man in front of me.
“I can’t worry about your mom. I only know a little about the woman, but I gather Beatrice is gonna do what Beatrice is gonna do—”
“You should put that on a T-shirt,” I interrupted. “You captured my mom’s essence perfectly without ever meeting her.”
He scowled. “Look, you can’t worry about Beatrice because you’re going to be a mom yourself, and your main priority is the baby growing inside you, not your mom anymore. If she ever was significant. You and Ford have made a job of shedding her and her wants.”
I choked on a laugh, shaking my head. “She is gonna do what she is gonna do, and make everyone miserable while doing it,” I said. “Just making sure you really get that. Ford and I definitely do, which is why we fight it as much as we can.”
