He held my gaze for a long moment, then turned and walked back to his car. I watched him drive away, the black Mercedes disappearing around the corner.
Mama put her arm around my shoulders. “That man’s in love with you.”
I looked at her. “I know.”
“You in love with him?”
The question hung in the air between us. I wanted to say no. Wanted to say it was just the contract, just the hormones, just the situation. But the lie wouldn’t come.
“I don’t know,” I said finally.
But I did know.
I just wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet.
My phone rang an hour later while I was lying in bed, staring at the ultrasound pictures.
“Hello?”
“Truth?” Kaisen’s voice was warm, familiar. “It’s me. How’d it go?”
I sat up, surprised. “How did you know I had an appointment?”
“You mentioned it the other day. Said you were getting close to finding out.”
Had I? I couldn’t remember. The past few weeks were a blur of hormones, hope, and fear.
“It worked,” I said. “I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
Then, “Truth, that’s amazing! Congratulations!”
His excitement was genuine, infectious. I found myself smiling despite the exhaustion pulling at my bones.
“Thank you,” I said.
“We need to celebrate,” Kaisen said. “I know you were stressed about this. It’s a big deal.”
“I don’t really feel up to going out?—”
“Then come to my house. I’ll cook. Nothing fancy. Just… I want to celebrate with you. Please?”
I hesitated. Going to a man’s house—a man I barely knew—felt like crossing a line I wasn’t sure I should cross. But Kaisen had been kind. Supportive. And I didn’t want to be alone right now, didn’t want to sit in my childhood bedroom and spiral into fear about everything that could still go wrong.
“Okay,” I said finally. “But I’m driving myself.”
“Deal. I’ll text you the address.”
Kaisen’s house was in Lakeview—a nice neighborhood with tree-lined streets and houses that had survived Katrina and come back stronger. I pulled up to a modest but well-maintained bungalow and sat in the car for a moment, second-guessing my decision.
My phone buzzed. A text from Kaisen:You here?
I took a breath and texted back:Yeah. Coming in.
The front door opened before I could knock. Kaisen stood there in jeans and a t-shirt, grinning like I’d just made his entire day.
“You came,” he said.
