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“Can I see you tomorrow night?” I ask.
I was hoping she might invite me in, but she yawned a few times on the drive to her house, so I imagine she’s exhausted and she’ll want to shower and get some rest.
“Sure,” she says. “Just call or text, and we’ll figure something out.”
She’s about to open her door, but before she does, I lean in and press my lips against her cheek. Her skin is soft, and her scent is sweet, and all I want is to lift her into my arms and carry her into her house so I can spend the night holding her. But I don’t think she’s ready for that, so instead, I tell her good night and wait until she’s inside and she’s locked the door before I go to my car.
Then, I do the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I drive away from the woman I’m in love with while I try to figure out how I can make her mine.
Dad
Why did I overhear Dustin say that you got a woman pregnant?
Dustin
Dad knows. Sorry.
Carmine
Mom knows about Paige being pregnant.
Jesus,it only took less than a day for everyone inmy family to find out. It shouldn’t surprise me though. With us working together and being a close-knit family, we rarely keep any secrets from each other.
Since there are three missed calls from my mom, I call her back.
“Nathan,” Mom says when she answers, “tell me it’s not true. Tell me you didn’t hook up with a woman and get her pregnant.”
“Mom,” I sigh.
But before I can finish whatever I’m about to say, the call abruptly ends, and a second later, she calls back, using FaceTime.
Damn it. I knew this was coming, which is why I wanted to tell her in person.
I click Accept, and the second her frowning face pops up, she says, “So, it’s true. You got a woman pregnant.”
“Yeah,” I admit. “But she wasn’t just a hookup. She’s the woman I’ve been talking about that I met in London. I love her.”
I haven’t said the words to Paige since the one time I told her I’d fallen in love with her and I was begging her not to walk away before we parted ways. But it’s the truth. I fell for her in England, and every day since, my feelings have only deepened. I thought maybe it was all in my head until she walked into the office and I knew what I felt was real. And that was before I knew she was carrying my baby.
“Okay,” Mom says slowly. “So, you found her?”
It’s not a secret that I’ve been pining after the woman I met in London. Mom told me on more than one occasion to reach out if I thought she was the one.
“Yeah, she works for the company we’re doing business within Houston.”
“That’s why you’re there?” she says, connecting the dots.
“I came to handle the partnership so I could have an excuse to see her again, but I had no idea she was pregnant.”
“Cary,” Mom yells, “get in here. Our son apparently forgot all the sex ed we’d taught them and got a girl pregnant.”
“Jesus, Mom,” I groan. “It’s not like that.”
Once Dad joins her, I spend the next few minutes explaining Paige’s and my time together. Our chemistry. The way I knew she was the one, but she wasn’t having it because of the distance. When I’m done, Mom has hearts in her eyes because she’s a romantic and Dad’s brows are pinched together because even though he’s my dad, he’s also a businessman.
“So, what are you going to do?” Dad asks.
“Marry her, of course,” Mom answers. “Didn’t you hear him? He’s in love with her.”