“Is that right?”
Everett shifts a little on his feet, and it’s all I can do not to grin at him. I wonder if he’s ever been nervous in front of a woman before. Something tells me that if he has, it hasn’t been for quite a few years.
“I’m sorry,” he blurts.
“I know, you said so in your message. Although I’m not sure what exactly you’re sorry for. Getting me pregnant? Calling me a liar? Being a jerk at the hospital?”
He scrubs his jaw. “All of the above, and probably a few others you’ve forgotten about.”
“Wonderful. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve had a really long day. I just want to go home and put my feet up.”
“We can order in,” he suggests.
The thought of him setting foot inside my new building, let alone my tiny apartment, sends a shot of fear through me. He can’t see that.
“No,” I say in a rush.
“O-okay. I thought…I thought you wanted me to be a part of this,” he says, gesturing toward my stomach.
“Yeah, I do. I just—” My words are swallowed as a sob erupts.
It surprises me as much as it does him, but despite not wanting to cry in front of this man, my body, or more so my emotions, are a law unto themselves right now.
“I’m sorry,” I force through my sobs. “Hormones.”
I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that I’ve never seen a man more terrified in my entire life. If I weren’t such a mess, I’d laugh.
Hesitantly, he reaches out and pats my upper arm.
The fact he has a little sister flickers through my mind, along with the fact he’s got a willing bunny waiting for him in every state. Surely, he’s better at dealing with women than this.
Thankfully, my amusement quickly overrides my emotional outburst.
“I do want to do this together,” I confirm. “I guess I just assumed you weren’t interested with that apology. A bad apology at that.”
“I’m sorry. I really don’t know how to handle…” If he says me, I’m going to knee him in the balls. “This situation.”
“And you think I do? Contrary to popular belief,” I say, narrowing my eyes so he knows I’m talking about him, “I didn’t actually plan for this. I didn’t have any plans to grow a human anytime soon. My life is already busy enough as it is, I have plans and dreams and…this wasn’t it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop fucking apologizing,” I almost shout. “It doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t erase your shitty behavior or the fact that you’ve got some magical freaking super sperm who escaped the condom and put two fingers up at my birth control.” I groan when all he does is smirk. “It’s nothing to be proud of,” I cry.
His smirk only grows.
“Ugh, you’re a nightmare.”
“Get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”
Internally, I do a little happy dance. But I refuse to let him see, so I keep my expression neutral.
“So, what did you have in mind for dinner?” I ask, conceding. I’m starving, and if he’s willing to pay, who am I to argue?
“I’ll eat anything. Your choice.”
I consider my options for a few moments.
“Mexican.”
