I smirk. “I don’t think she’s actually judgy. I think she’s leery because she’s protective of her brother. Trust me, I have a huge family. My aunts, especially my Aunt Callie, are like that.”
“Well,I can see how this is confusing and also… unexpected,” Angie admits as she tucks her blonde hair behind her ears. She’s staring at me, biting her bottom lip, and I know she’s got something to say so I wait for her to find her words. “I got the results. They came in while I was at the grocery store. I was going to wait to look at them because we agreed to open the email together…”
I sit straighter, leaning forward. “But you didn’t wait.”
“Lola called in a panic, saying something was wrong with Landon, and I got here, and the doctor looked worried and?—”
“Angie, it’s your body. You have a right to look without us,” I interrupt. My whole body is tingling with fear and anticipation. I’m studying her face, trying to figure out if I’m going to be a dad.
She sniffs and almost smiles, but her bottom lip trembles. “I really wanted it to be his…” she says, and my heart leaps into my throat. “But now that it is… and he might be sick again… this just got even more complicated and I’m terrified the baby will lose him before she’s even born.”
A fat tear slips down her cheek, and as it falls, so does my heart. Landon is the dad. I’m not going to be a father. I thought I would feel relief, but I feel disappointment. It’s not soul-crushing, but it’s there. I mentally shake it off and stand up to Angie and hug her. “It’s okay. It will all be okay. Landon is going to be so happy.”
“Not if he’s sick,” Angie sniffs. “When he was sick, he gave up on being a dad. It was the first time in our whole relationship that we were on the same page. And Grady, he was so sick there were days he couldn’t get out of bed. You can’t care for an infant like that.”
“He has me,” I whisper into the top of her head as a sob shakes her body. “And I’m sure his parents will help, and those siblings he claims he’s not close to. They’ll be around. He would still want to keep it.”
“Her.” Angie sniffs and lifts her head. Mascara smudges stand out on her pale skin. “It’s a girl.”
I smile without even thinking about it. “Landon is having a baby girl.”
“I am?”
We break apart and find Landon standing in the doorway with a nurse. They wheeled him out of here for his CT, but he’s walking back, which I can’t help but take as a good sign. Angie steps between us. The nurse slinks off. Landon doesn’t even notice. His eyes are wide and stuck on his ex… the mother of his baby girl.
Angie nods at him. “It’s yours. Surprise! Your boys still swim, and they made a baby girl.”
Landon laughs, but it’s a thick sound clogged with emotions. He hugs her. I take a step back. My ego feels a little bruised as they share this moment, but my head knows how stupid that is. They have a history together, one that I respect. And now he’s tied to Angie forever. She says she doesn’t want to keep this baby, which is inconceivable to me, but it’s another thing I respect. She’s making the right choice for her.
“Holy shit…” Landon looks at me. His eyes are slightly panicked, but his smile is pure joy. I haven’t seen him that happy since I handed him the Cup on the ice the night we won.
“Congrats!” I say, and he lets me hug him. I try not to read too much into that.
“CT scan was completely clear,” he says over my shoulder as I hold him.
“Oh, thank God!” Angie sighs as my whole body sags in relief. Landon must feel it because he squeezes me harder for a second before letting go. “So what caused the vertigo?”
Landon shrugs. “Doctor isn’t entirely sure, but he mentioned that sometimes anxiety can cause it. We did more blood work to look for leukemia markers just in case, but he’s confident I’m okay and so am I, now.”
Fuck. Did this situation make Landon so stressed that he got physically ill? I feel guilt, but also relief, because if that’s what caused it, I can fix it. Angie smooths her hair with her hands. “So… what now?”
“Well, my parents are going to be here in three seconds or so and are about to find out I’m bisexual and going to be a dad, so that should keep things interesting,” Landon quips, but his blue eyes are clouded with worry.
“You don’t have to tell them the bisexual part.”
“And I can sneak out right now so they don’t see me. I can stay at Grady’s while they’re here,” Angie suggests.
Landon shakes his head. “Hiding all of this is causing my stress, and so… no. I’m just going to tell them everything.”
“Do you still want me to go?” I ask quietly.
He looks at me for a long time, and I can almost see the debate he’s having with himself. Angie shoves his shoulder. “Landon, don’t be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. Remember, life is short and promised to no one.”
He sighs, and his eyes shift to me. “I’m still pissed off at you. And I don’t know where we stand. But… I don’t want you to go.”
“Good, because I don’t want to go,” I say and try not to smile, but I kind of want to. Still, we have work… I have work to do to earn my spot in Landon’s life.
“Landon!”
