Before he can respond, I have a tiny finger pointing at me. “Bad word!” Adalyn narrows her eyes at me, making it known she’s not messing around. “Jar.”
I know she’s trying to run a tight ship here—swear jars aren’t to be messed with—but her little face makes me want to laughand still buy her all the candy. “My apologies Adalyn. What’s the fee?”
She thinks about it for a second, and I don’t know how Asher doesn’t give this sweet child anything she wants in life. Or how I’m ever going to say no to my future child. “Five dollars.”
“Fair price,” I say, putting down the basket to fish my wallet out of my pocket. I don’t think anything of the action, that is until I hand Adalyn the money, and I see the look of recognition in Asher’s eye.
“Everything okay Gallagher?”
I don’t know Asher well. He’s also signed to West Athletes, but so are a lot of other players around the city. We’ve made small talk at events we’ve had to attend together, but that’s the extent of it. He was never the friendliest guy to begin with, but then after his wife passed, he became even more closed off. Which I surely can’t blame him for. I can’t imagine being a widow at thirty.
But at this moment, I feel like he’s the only guy I can talk to.
“I’m… not sure,” I say honestly. “It’s… we think she might… we don’t know…”
He nods his head and switches Adalyn to his other hip. “Can I give you a piece of advice?”
I let out a huge breath. “Please. I… this has all happened in the last two hours and I feel like I’m drowning right now. As you can tell.”
Asher laughs as I hold up the basket, which causes two tests to drop to the floor.
“First off, you don’t need all of those,” he says. “But if it makes you feel better, get five different ones. But forty is a bit excessive.”
“I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.”
“Normal response. And so is feeling overwhelmed.” He pauses for a second and gives the slightest glance over to Adalyn,who’s trying to squirm out of his hold. In what I’d deem a pro dad move, he slides his cell phone out of pocket and hands it to her, which settles her immediately. “Even when you’re trying to get pregnant, the moment you think it could be happening, you’re freaked out. Everything suddenly becomes very real and really fucking scary.”
“Bad word!” Apparently Adalyn is listening.
“Bill me,” he says without missing a beat. “What I’m getting at is, it’s okay to be scared, especially if this wasn’t planned. Just remember, so is she. So be there for her. Hold her hand. Be whatever she needs from you at that moment. Just… be there for her. She’s going to need you every step of the way.”
“I’m not leaving her side,” I say with conviction, because that’s the only thing I know to be true. I might be scared. I have no idea what’s about to happen. But I know Gabi will not be alone in any of this. Not because I think it’s my duty. Not because I have to prove to myself that I’m better than my father. But because, even though I haven’t said these words to her yet, I love her. I love the baby that might be there. And I can’t imagine my life missing a moment of anything.
“Then the rest you two will figure out together.”
I hear the slight crack in his voice at his words, and my heart breaks for the guy.
“Thanks man,” I say. “It’s…”
“Exactly,” he says, slapping my back with his free hand. “Now, how about we put some of these back. Save your money for diapers.”
“Good call,” I say as the two of us start getting to work. Even Adalyn joins in the fun and puts back a few on the bottom shelf.
“Gallagher? Did you really get an ovulation test? You know those are for before you get pregnant?”
I laugh. “At that point I was getting one of everything. Bases covered you know?”
He laughs as he puts it back on the shelf for me. “You don’t know it yet, but I have a feeling you’re going to be just fine.”
“Gabi? I'm back.”
Before I left for the pharmacy, she gave me her keys so I could let myself into her apartment. I didn’t know if I would see her in the living room, but she’s not here, and I don’t hear anything coming from the bathroom. Which I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. The problem is, I don’t hear anything else.
Wondering if she’s fallen asleep? I know how tired she’s been over the last few weeks. Which should’ve been my first clue to this being a possibility. There were signs: Her random nausea. How I noticed her boobs were a little bigger, but I thought it was my imagination.
I gently tap on her bedroom door that's jar, which inadvertently pushes it open a little farther.
My heart drops to my feet when I see her lying on her bed. But it’s not the visual that gets to me. It’s the faint sound of her crying.
