I suck in a deep, cleansing breath.
“You’re not going to ask if the baby’s yours?” she asks, looking up at me with curiosity.
“You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t,” I reason. “And you don’t strike me as the type of woman to be sleeping with two guys at the same time, so it’s pretty easy for me to do the math.”
She nods, taking another sip of her water. “Yeah, I’m not that girl.”
“I know.” After a beat, I ask the burning question. “Now what?”
“Well, I guess I need you to know I’m keeping this baby. Whether you want to be involved in his or her life or not, I’m having my child,” she says, absently placing her palm against her abdomen, as if protecting it.
Reaching down, I cover her hand with my own. “I’m in, Charli. You won’t be alone through this.”
She swallows hard, her eyes filling once more with unshed tears. “I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to do this. I wouldn’t say anything to Camden or the rest of my fam?—”
“There’s no reason for you to even continue this line of thought, Charli. I said I’m in, and dammit, that’s what I mean.”
Her nod is almost wooden. “Okay.”
“So, now that that’s settled, what’s next?”
“I wish I knew,” she replies with a chuckle. “I mean, I have to make an appointment with an OB, get some prenatal vitamins, and oh yeah…tell my family.” Fear crosses her features. Not because she’s scared of them but clearly worried about their reaction.
“I’ll be there for all of it. I mean it, Charli. Don’t tell them without me. You’re not alone, and I won’t let you handle something this big by yourself.”
Relief washes over her. “Okay.”
“Good,” I respond as she stands up. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I murmur, “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You and our baby. We’ll take this one day at a time, all right?”
Charli nods before opening her mouth and hesitating. “Do you, uh, want to go to my first appointment?”
“Absolutely,” I insist, my heart starting to pound a happy little beat in my chest. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Okay. I’ll text you when I make the appointment.”
“Sounds good. And we can tell your family together, when you’re ready.”
She agrees. “All right. I’m not quite ready yet, but we’ll do that soon.”
“Together.”
She cracks a smile. “Together.”
“Good, now how are you feeling otherwise? You said something about nausea and sore boobs?” I can’t help but grin cheekily with that. “I’m more than capable of helping you with both of those.”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “You’re such a man.”
Leaning in, I whisper, “All man, sweetheart.” Then, I add, “Tell me about your nausea.”
“It just happens in the morning, really. I wake up feeling a little sick and it continues until I get something in my stomach.”
“You feel fine the rest of the day though?”
She lifts her shoulders. “I have to snack several times throughout the day, but I’ve found if I eat some of those peanut butter crackers, I don’t get queasy.”
I file that away for another day.
“What about work?” I ask, concerned about her being on her feet most of the day.
