“He looked like he might pass out. And then he looked angry. And then he left.”
“What the hell?” her voice grew even louder.
“My life is a mess,” I said, running my hands through my hair as I leaned back into the couch. “I can’t bring a baby into the world like this…”
“Are you thinking you might not keep it?” she asked softly, reaching for my hand.
“I don’t know. It seems like life would be a hell of a lot easier if I didn’t. It’s not fair for the baby either…”
“But?” asked Juliet, gently prying.
“I just don’t know if I can make that choice.” My voice shook.
“Look, you have to decide foryou.Not based on your job or based on Chandler. You have to trust your gut. I know how strong you are. You can get through anything, even if that means raising a baby on your own, or making the decision not to.”
I looked at Juliet teary-eyed. She looked so confident in me that it nearly broke my heart. This was everything I needed, and even if Chandler hadn’t been there for me, at least I had someone who was. I didn’t feel so alone.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Chapter 28
Chandler
“So, little bro…what’s next after school?” I asked before taking a sip of beer from my frosted glass. The bustle of servers and chatter in the small restaurant hummed around me, as I sat at the round table with Nathan, my mother, and Greg.
Nathan chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, like he wasn’t so sure.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’m hoping this summer internship turns into something.”
“I’m sure it will,” I said reassuringly. “You’re the hardest worker I know.”
“Yes, he is,” said Greg, butting in. “Top of his class. Nabbed an internship at a high-profile law firm. The future is bright.”
I took another sip of beer, biting my tongue. Greg just had to jump in and offer sappy praise. My mother remained quiet, like she was stewing in her own thoughts. She’d been like that all night, mindlessly playing with the stem of her wine glass. I wondered where her head was, secretly hoping maybe she and Greg were on the outs. I knew it was wrong, but it was all I could think about when I looked over at her.
Our food was served moments later, our table soon overflowing with large bowls of handmade pasta served with marinara, alfredo, and pesto, along with chicken and eggplant parmesan, and a large bowl of the house salad. We were at one of our usual spots in Brooklyn, a small, family-owned Italian restaurant that we had been coming to since I was a teenager and Nathan was a baby.
It wasn’t a Michelin-star and didn’t have a dress code, but it hit the spot. I almost didn’t come with everything going on with Gabriella, but now that the smell of garlic and freshly grated parmesan wafted up toward me, I was happy I did. It was also good to get out of my apartment and have somewhere to be besides work where I had been putting distance between me and Gabriella. Okay, I had been blatantly ignoring her, but I didn’t know what else to do after the bomb she had dropped on me just two days ago.
I reached for the bowl of chicken parmesan and served up a cutlet on my plate, followed by a heaping portion of the pesto tortellini, my favorite. I noticed my mom’s plate was still empty and she hadn’t made a move to change that.
“Mom?” I raised a brow.
She shook her head slightly and looked at me as if she just realized she was at dinner with her family.
“Sorry, honey,” she said sheepishly.
I shot Greg a look. As much as I wanted them to be on the outs, if he had done something to hurt her, I would pummel his ass. He just shook his head slightly as he passed Nathan the bowl of fettuccine alfredo.
“You okay?” I asked, cutting into my chicken parmesan and popping a bite of the breaded, savory meat in my mouth.
I’d hate to admit it to Greg, but this blew any Michelin-star place out of the water.
“Mhmm.” She put on a smile and straightened in her seat slightly. “Will you pass the eggplant, honey?”
Greg reached to the center of the table and served her a large portion of her favorite dish, before looking to me.
“What’s new with you?” he asked.
