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Countless thoughts race through my mind until I finally see her response.
Aurora: I don’t want to fight with you. I know this is a shock. I’ve had a few months to let it sink in. I understand you didn’t want this. It was a mistake, and I won’t force you into anything. I’m not about to disrupt your life. I won’t ask you for a single thing. You can pretend it never happened.
Ouch.
I reread her words, trying to grasp their meaning. I read them again, still conflicted. Does she truly want nothing to do with me, or is she saying what she believes I want to hear? She almost sounds afraid. But why?
Me: You disrupted my life the moment I laid eyes on you.
Me: It’s not a mistake if I’d do it again.
Me: I can’t pretend it didn’t happen when I think about it daily.
I may have taken things too far, but she and our baby have consumed my every thought since I found out she was pregnant. How could they not? And why should I hold back?
Jackson. That’s why.
But fuck, I don’t want to.
Aurora: What do you want?
Me: You. My baby. Tell me what you need and when I can see you.
Aurora: I don’t need anything. Next week, I fly to NYC, and I’ll be there for a month.
Me: No.
Aurora: No?
Me: You were in the hospital. No work. Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it.
Aurora: That’s funny. What am I supposed to do when I’m no longer pregnant? I’m not quitting my career.
Me: If Jackson isn’t taking care of you, then I will.
Aurora: Jackson and I aren’t together. He doesn’t take care of me.
Me: Even better.
Aurora: Don’t be difficult, Blackwood.
God, I love her. I need to choose my words wisely. She’s independent and will resist me every step of the way, but there’s no chance she’s traveling the country with my baby.
Besides, I want to see her, and I need to know where she is.
I owe her an apology. I can’t imagine she’d turn down an apology.
Me: Where are you right now? What’s the address? Can I send you something for being such an asshole?
Aurora: You’ll have to ask Jackson. It’s his penthouse.
Me: Of course it is. Will my son be living there too?
Aurora: Not that it matters, but I plan to find a place soon.
Me: Where?
Aurora: Santa Monica. My grandmother lives there.