“I don’t know how to do this,” I admit to him. “In my whole life, I’ve never had anyone to depend on but myself.”
“Stick with me, baby. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” He kisses my lips. “Now, I have to get to the jobsite for a bit. Then why don’t I come back and we can go out to lunch?”
“I don’t know. I would hate to go out and have people see me, and then it gets back to the station that I was out galivanting when I just called in sick.”
“So how about I pick something up, and we can have lunch here together?”
“I can make us lunch.”
“You are supposed to be off your feet,” he snaps, “and you need to call the doctor. Why don’t you do that while I make you breakfast?”
“It’s—what time is it?”
“Alarm rang at six-thirty.”
“Well, I don’t think the doctor is there, but I can leave a message. I’ll go and do that now.”
“That would be great. I’ll start your breakfast.”
He starts to walk out of the room when I call his name. “Theo.” He looks over his shoulder. “Thank you”—I put my hand on my stomach—“for everything.”
“It’s my pleasure, Collins.” His smile is full, lighting his eyes. “That first night I met you, I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m not saying it to say it. I’m saying it because it’s true. Not only are you the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, but you have a heart that is so pure I don’t think there is another person on this earth who is like you. I just know our child will have the best parts of you, and for that, I’m the luckiest man alive.” He smiles again and heads off to the kitchen.
I have to sit on the bed to take in his words while he makes me breakfast. Then he’s rushing to get dressed and kissing me on his way out. “I’ll be back for lunch. Call the doctor.”
“I already left her a message. She’s going to call me back.”
“Well, if she doesn’t call you by nine-thirty, why don’t you call her again?” He gets into his truck. “It’s an emergency.”
“I haven’t had any cramping since last night, so I don’t think it’s an emergency, plus there has been no bleeding,” I remind him again. I’ve told him five times now.
“Why are you still standing there? Go inside.” He shoos me away, and I close the door, laughing as my phone rings from the kitchen.
I run to answer. “Hello?”
“You have a collect call from Montgavin County Jail from inmate Harris Henderson.” I sink down on the couch at the automated voice. “Say yes if you would like to accept.”
“Yes,” I say, even though I know I should say no.
“You need to bail me out.” My father skips right over saying hello. “I’m going to court today, and you need to be there and talk to a bail bondsman. Sign whatever they need you to sign for collateral.”
“What did you do?”
“I did nothing,” he snaps. “I’m going in front of the judge sometime today, so get your ass down there.” Someone says something to him in the background. “Fuck you,” he swears at them. Then he says, “I have to go.” The call cuts off abruptly.
My hand is shaking like a leaf on a tree in the middle of a storm. “Stay calm,” I tell myself, but I can feel my teeth clattering.
My eyes fix on the screen saver of my phone. My heart is hammering. The breakfast Theo made me threatens to come up. I put one shaky hand on my head as the doorbell rings.
I don’t know how I do it, but I walk to the front door and open it.
My mother, face streaked with tears, barges into the house before I can speak. “Are you ready to go?” she snaps out, looking me up and down. “Your father was arrested last night.”
“He just called me.”
