I’m pregnant and…he has to know.
“You’re pregnant?” he asks.
“I found out a few days ago. I went to the doctor and it’sconfirmed. I’m only about six weeks.”
Cayden leans back, probably doing the math in his head. “So,the first time?”
“Yeah, or the second, they weren’t exactly weeks apart.”
“Wow,” he says, pushing his dark hair back, which is histell for the fact that he’s piecing things together.
“I’m not asking for anything, Cayden. I’m going to keep thebaby, and I don’t want you to feel obligated. You don’t have to be involved orhelp financially. I can handle it all.”
He moves so quickly, I almost jump. “I don’t feel obligationto you or the baby.”
“Well, okay then.” I know I said I didn’t want him to, butthat was a little too easy of a statement.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Of course I feelobligated. Jesus, I can’t get this right. Okay, let me start again. This wasn’twhere I thought tonight would go, but it’s here. You’re here and now we’rehaving a baby. I…am shocked, but also, I don’t know, happy?”
I smile a little and hope starts to form. After all he said,I prayed that maybe we could be together. I wouldn’t require it because that’snot who I am, but I want it. I want him and us and the baby to have this chanceat love and happiness.
“What about all you said before?”
His hands cup mine, holding them so tenderly. “I meant itall. I think I fell in love with you the day we met and you told me I was apompous asshole.”
“You were.”
He laughs. “I was, but you smiled at me and I was gone. Thenwe had that night and I fucked up afterwards, trying to brush it off like itmeant nothing.”
I try not to think about it because it hurts. Cayden wasonly the second person I’d ever slept with. I was very careful who I let intomy heart. After witnessing my mother make the wrong choice with a man right outof college, I was terrified to repeat the mistakes of her past.
Cayden seemed so different. He was nice, when he wasn’t aknow-it-all. Even then, there wasn’t malicious intent. The day I fought with myprofessor about domestic violence, it was Cayden who spoke up in my defense,when normally, he was battling against me.
“We were really young and stupid.”
“My point is that we’re not now. I’m not scared and I’m notgoing to walk away. I want to be with you, Hadley. I want to come over afterwork, sit on the floor, eat pizza, and bitch about my day. I want to fallasleep with you in my arms and wake up and you be the first thing I see. Wehave a lot of crap to figure out, but I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’drather be.”
“So, you want to date me?” I ask, feeling a little strangeeven saying the words.
“Yes.”
“You’re sure? Because I can be a single mother. I can…raisethis baby and do all the things if you don’t want that. Dating me means thatyou’re also accepting our child.”
“Do you listen at all, woman?” Cayden huffs. “I love you. Iknow that sounds insane, but I love you.”
I pull my hands away and cup his face. “I love you, too.”
He brings his lips to mine and it’s the softest, sweetestkiss I’ve ever shared with another person.
I can feel all the emotions and all of this is crazy, butyet so perfect.
The waiter clears his throat and we break apart, heatfilling my cheeks. “Sorry.”
He smiles, placing the first course in front of us. “It isnice to see two people in love.”
Cayden and I eat the soup, it’s absolutely amazing. Todaywas a good day with my stomach, I have been able to keep everything down.Yesterday was a different story.
“What did the doctor say?” Cayden asks after our plates arecleared.
