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Is he crazy? “How could you say that, given everything?”

“Because given everything, as I’ve told you already, I still love you. If you were carrying my baby, I would love that baby just as much as I love you.”

Did he believe the baby could only be his? Or was he just choosing to ignore that it could be Rafe’s? I wasn’t about to ask.

“Look…” Calder walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “If you are pregnant, I’ll take care of you and the baby. You won’t have to ever worry about me doing my part.” He sighed. “Maybe this is a blessing. It could be exactly what we need to find our way back to each other, a fresh start.”

I might’ve been delusional about some things, but I knew with absolute certainty that bringing a human into this world was not going to solve our problems. It might distract from the situation, but it would never fix anything. It wasn’t fair to put that kind of burden on a poor little baby, either.

“Look…” he said. “If you’re pregnant, we have no choice but to pivot and find the positive in the situation.” Calder stroked my hair. “I’ve always known you would be an incredible mother, and nothing that happened over the past couple of months has changed that.”

I had to give Calder credit for being strong about this, even if his attitude was a little crazy. At some point, I was going to have to make clear to him how I felt about Rafe. “Well, thank you for trying to make me feel better.”

“We have no choice but to accept things we can’t change in life.” He squeezed my shoulder. “But you do know it’s sort of stupid for us to be speculating about something we could get an easy answer to, right?”

I nodded. “A test is inevitable. But I’m not ready tonight. Maybe tomorrow, okay?”

He shrugged. “It’s your decision.” Calder looked into my eyes. “But you still owe me an answer on one thing…”

Shit. Here it is. The part where he asks me whether I believe Rafe is the father.

“What?” I gulped.

“You want some of my pasta or not?”

Relieved, I laughed shakily. “No appetite. But thank you.”

Calder finally left me alone. After taking a moment to breathe, I began to feel badly about sharing something that very well could’ve been Rafe’s and my business. Maybe it was wise to take a test before I said anything to Rafe. I went back and forth on the issue for the better part of an hour until I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get Rafe’s opinion on the matter. Not only should I prepare him just in case, but I needed his reaction to the fact that it might not be his. Guilt consumed me. If Rafe had a child on the way, I knew he would never leave New York. This would derail his opportunity in Vegas.

Nonetheless, I picked up the phone and dialed him before I could change my mind.

My heartbeat pounded as the phone rang. There was no answer.

Twenty minutes later, I tried again.

Still no answer.

Come on, Rafe. Pick up.

Finally, another thirty minutes went by and I tried yet again.

This time, someone picked up.

“Hello?” she said.

It felt like the walls were caving in. “Is this Rafe Rivers’s phone?”

“Yes.”

Unable to catch my breath, I immediately hung up.

Who the hell was that?

Why the hell didn’t you ask her?

I knew why. I was afraid to learn the answer.

How had my life derailed so quickly? The room felt like it was spinning. I made my way over to the couch to avoid passing out. I did nothing but stare into space until there was a knock at the door.