"What are you doin’ here?"
"I spoke with Max."
"How’d that go?" I couldn't see any injuries, so that was a good sign!
"He’s not real happy with me, but I told him I’m home now, and I’ll be here for you."
I scooted into a seated position and leaned back against my headboard. I still couldn’t believe he was here. He kept staring at me and smiling.
"What?" I wanted to know what he was thinking.
"Nothing."
"How’s your head?"
"It’s pounding, but I deserve it. Sorry I came here and bothered you last night."
"You didn’t bother me," I said, assuring him.
"I hope I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself." He looked down at my stomach.
"Do you remember anything?" I ran my hand over my little baby.
Please remember, please remember!
"You let me touch your stomach." He smiled.
Yes!
"I’m sorry, but I don’t remember much after that," he said shyly. "I must have passed out."
"You did." I giggled. "Did it make you feel better?"
"Getting drunk?"
I nodded.
"No." He looked toward the window. "It was stupid and immature, and I shouldn’t have come here like that."
"Why did you?" There was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to answer that.
"I was really wasted by that point, but I had to see you," he told me. "Zack kept trying to talk me out of it, but I knew I hurt you with what I said at my house."
"I understand why you brought up adoption, but you have to understand that’s not what I want." He needed to know that wasn’t an option.
"I know, and it was insensitive of me to bring it up like that." He looked at my stomach again. "This baby has been a part of you for six months."
I nodded, but I wasn’t being fair, either. "You only just found out, and I should have listened to what you were thinking. Finally having you here and telling you what’s been going on was overwhelming, and when you asked if I’d considered adoption, well, I thought that . . . ." I didn’t want to finish; I still wasn’t sure how he felt.
"You thought I didn’t want this baby," he said.
"Do you?" I had to know. I figured it was better to know than to keep hoping for something that could never be. Hearing how he really felt was the only way I could move on.
He gently pressed his palm to my cheek and nodded.
"Oh," I whispered. His confirmation broke open the floodgates, and before I could control my emotions, I started to sob.
"Jocelyn," he whispered as he pulled me into his chest. "I said I wanted to keep the baby."
