The following week passes by in a whirlwind of nausea-filled chaos.
And then, I’m on the West Coast of Canada, waiting for Fiona to pick me up at the airport. The hug she gives me as soon as we see each other is exactly what I need.
Her couch, however, is not.
And after just one night on it, I know I can’t stay here long, because my back will hate me even more once my stomach starts to pop.
Discomfort and fatigue aside, I’m happy to be here, sitting next to my best friend, sipping coffee in my pajamas.
“One small cup of coffee a day is not going to be enough,” I say, frowning down at my cup that’s already halfway empty.
Fiona shrugs. “I think I’d miss wine more. The winery that’s just outside of town is so good. Once the nugget is here, we’ll have to go.”
I smile fondly at her nickname for the baby. “If I’m still in the area, then yes.”
She arches a brow at me. “Why wouldn’t you be? Don’t tell me you want to continue traveling all over the damn country while you’re pregnant. That’s insane, Sage. Stay here, where I’m around to help out, at least until the baby’s old enough to travel with you.”
Shifting forward, her hand lands on my knee. “I know you hate staying in one place for long. Hell, don’t think I’ve forgotten the time I tried to surprise you for your birthday by flying to Calgary, only to get there and find out you were on the road to Edmonton for a new job.”
“I paid you back for your flights,” I protest, even as my lips curve up, remembering that debacle.
“Not the point, bestie. Having a baby is going to mean changing how you live your life.”
I lean back against the couch with a sigh. She’s right. This baby is going to change everything about how I’ve spent the last several years. Something I’m not sure I’m ready for, even if I don’t exactly have a choice in the matter. So, even if the idea of staying here long-term makes my skin itch, I’ll just have to get over that. Being somewhere I have support throughout my pregnancy and the early days just makes sense.
“Okay, fine. But before you get too crazy about me staying here forever, can we focus on finding the baby daddy? I mean, if he lives in Nova Scotia, does it make sense for me to stay in BC long-term?”
“Fair enough.” Reaching for the coffee table, she picks up her laptop and opens to a social media platform. “Time to put my internet sleuthing skills to work. So you know his name is Brady, he knew some people inManitoba, but he wasn’t staying in town long. Anything else?”
“He was hot as hell and fucked like a god,” I say, smirking.
“And used his godly powers to break through two strong forms of contraceptive to knock you up.”
We both laugh at that. I’m just glad Icanlaugh at the insane situation I’m in.
“Alright, focus. Your nugget needs us to focus. Oh, I know!” Fiona starts typing, and the next thing I know, she’s on the profile page of the bar where I met Brady.
Sitting up straight, I set my mug down. “Wait, that’s genius. Maybe there’s photos he’s tagged in from that night.”
But when we finally get to the posts around the date I met him, there’s nothing. I slump back against the couch. “So much for that.”
“Don’t give up so easily. What else can you remember?”
My shoulders lift and then fall. “He had kind eyes and he made me feel safe. I think he was young, probably mid-twenties, like us. But he had an old soul. Oh, and he said something about having younger twin siblings.”
Fiona blinks at me slowly. “So, should I search for Brady with kind eyes, an old soul, and twin siblings?”
Grabbing a throw pillow, I hit her with it. “Obviously not, but what do you want me to say? It was a one-night stand. We didn’t exchange last names or phone numbers on purpose. Your internet sleuthing is not going to work.”
Leaning back next to me, Fiona sighs. “Okay, okay. I’ll think of something else.”
Much to my annoyance, my eyes start to burn with tears. I swear, pregnancy hormones are wild. “Don’t bother. It’s pointless.” A ragged laugh escapes me. “God, did we really think we’d be able to find him so easily? This is why making plans is so ridiculous. They never work out.”
“Sage, no, don’t think like that, you can’t give up so easily.”
Then my stomach lets out an embarrassingly loud gurgle. I huff out a half-hearted laugh. “Okay, baby’s hungry. Can I take you out for breakfast to thank you for always being there for me and for trying to find my needle-in-a-haystack baby daddy?”
“Absolutely. Food helps my sleuthing skills, and I know just where to go.”
