“I..I..” She stammered, not finishing the thought.
“You what?”
“I didn’t expect you to want to be involved.” Tears sprung from the corners of her eyes. “It throws a wrench in my plans. I don’t know what to do now. I can’t give this baby up for adoption without your consent.”
As if he didn’t already feel like a heel, now he’d made her cry. There had to be a solution. “Does a final decision have to be made now?”
“No, but I’d like to start looking at families.”
“Can we make a deal?”Dear Lord, please let her hear me and know my sincerity for wanting this child. Only after he’d silently uttered the words did he realize he’d prayed for the first time in months.
“Depends.” She offered a weak smile. “What do you have?”
“Don’t make any decisions yet. Let me be a part of this pregnancy, and let’s get to know each other.” He bit his tongue before adding the final stipulation. It was a risk, and he’d never been a gambler, but he knew he had to offer an out. “By eight months, if you don’t think we can raise this child and be co-parents, then I’ll sign the papers.”
“You’d do that?”
“I want what’s best for our child, as well, but we have different opinions on what that entails. Regardless, it’s a decision we need to make together, and to do that, we have to know and trust each other.”
Her head jerked as if she were taken aback. “You’re more than I thought you were.”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew you were a decent guy, but there’s a maturity about you I never realized.”
He couldn’t stop his laughter. “If that were true, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
She shook her head. “But you own up to the consequences. Few men would. And what you said about working together, that makes a lot of sense.”
“So it’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
He extended a hand. “Can we shake on it?”
Accepting his grasp, she smiled. “This should be interesting.”
“What’s next?”
“I have another ultrasound in two weeks. If the baby cooperates, I should find out the gender.”
Emotions he couldn’t describe came alive inside him. “Can I go with you?”
“I think I’d like that.”
“How’s the pregnancy been so far? Does everything seem normal?” Since he didn’t know much about pregnancies, that’s all he could think to ask.
“My blood pressure was high in the beginning, but they put me on a safe medication, and that’s kept it in check. Other than that, everything is fine.”
“What about the medical costs? I can call and see if I can add you to my insurance.” Once he made the offer, he realized that could get complicated since his new job was a contract working on electrical systems in aircraft and didn’t offer insurance. He was pretty sure he could keep his government insurance for a time, if he paid for it. No matter, he’d paid whatever bills she needed, whatever the cost.
“I appreciate the offer, but I have a generous insurance plan through my employer with low co-pays.”
“Let me pay those at least. You shouldn’t have to absorb the entire cost.”
A spark of trust ignited in her eyes. “How about we alternate?”
“Never let it be said I can’t compromise.” His respect for her grew, and he found himself curious about the details of her past. What had transpired to make her so independent? And yet convinced her she couldn’t be a good parent?
