Page 7

I eat in silence. I can feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look up.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I put down the fork and wipe my mouth with a napkin. I look up, meeting his gaze.

“Say something. Please.”

Then, before he can, I say the rest of it, because it’s the first question anyone would ask and I’d rather not sit here and watch him decide whether to. “It’s yours. Declan had a vasectomy four years ago. There hasn’t been anybody else.”

He looks at me like I’ve said something strange. “I wasn’t going to ask. What I wanted to ask is what do you want? Forget about the club and your family. What do you want?”

I thought he’d ask about the pregnancy, the logistics.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what do you want from me?” he says, his voice soft. “What do you need?”

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “I… I don’t know. I just… I wanted you to know. I didn’t want to keep it from you. It’s your right to know.”

He nods, his eyes never leaving mine. “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.”

I blink, surprised. “You’re not mad?”

“Mad?” he repeats, his brow furrowed. “Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know,” I say, looking away. “I thought… I don’t know what I thought. I just… I didn’t know how you’d react.”

“Alycia,” he says softly. “It takes two to create a kid. This isn’t on you alone.”

I look back at him, my eyes filling with tears. I didn’t expect this kindness, this understanding.

“I’m scared,” I admit, my voice breaking. “I’m scared of being a single mom, of doing this alone. I don’t want to raise a child without a father.”

He reaches out, taking my hand. “You’re not alone. I’m here. I want to be a part of this, if you’ll let me.”

I squeeze his hand. “You do? I mean… you’d be okay with that?”

“I’d be more than okay with it. It’s unexpected, yes. But it’s ours.”

Ours. That word hits me right in the chest. It makes this real, tangible. It makes me feel less scared and alone.

“But what about your life?” I ask. “Your job, your family? This changes everything.”

“It does,” he agrees. “But not in a bad way. It’s a new chapter. And I want to share it with you. I want to be a part of it. In any way you’ll let me.”

I came here expecting the worst. “You’re sure about this?”

“I’m sure,” he says. “A hundred percent.”

Something heavy lifts off my shoulders. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he says. “Just eat your tortilla. And then maybe we can go for a walk, talk some more. Unless you’d rather go home and rest.”

“No, I want to stay. With you.”

“Good,” he says, his eyes shining. “Because there’s a lot we have to talk about, but don’t worry. We have time. Five more months, and everything after that.”

I laugh, feeling happier than I have in days. “You’re right. We have plenty of time.”

“More lemonade?”