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ChapterSix
Hallie
I stared up at Chase, my heart hammering in my chest. I didn't know what I’d expected, but I supposed it wasn't this. I was startled that he wanted to come to a doctor’s appointment with me.
A part of me wanted to backtrack, but that didn’t feel right.
“It's in the morning. Is that okay?”
“Like I said, I'll make it okay. Morning is actually better for me.”
“Um, okay.” I sat there, not sure what to say next. What do you say to the hottest and only one-night stand of your life? In my mind, I’d tried to intellectualize it and tell myself I'd made him more handsome in my memories than he actually was. Yet having him here in front of me again, living and breathing—holy smokes. Chase Mills was a potent force—pure, raw masculinity with something I couldn't quite sort out. There was an intensity to him. Although I didn't have enough information to make an informed decision, I sensed he was a trustworthy man.
The fact that he’d wanted to look for me—which even I could admit, was a bit thrilling—but hadn't when Delilah had told him not to since I hadn’t given him my last name or number only built onto the layer of trust I already felt for him.
“What do we do now?” I heard myself asking.
Chase sat down in the chair closest to me at this small round table. “I have no idea. I don't know what the rules are for this.”
“For what?” I asked inanely.
“A woman I met once and had the hottest night of my life with showing up and telling me she's pregnant. I don't know what the rules are for that.”
I burst out laughing. It was such a relief to finally find him and tell him because I didn't want to keep this a secret. His responding low chuckle sent my belly spinning in flips. I placed my hand over it reflexively. His eyes dipped down and then lifted to mine again.
“How is it going?”
“What?” I asked.
“Your pregnancy.”
“Okay, I guess. I only had a little bit of morning sickness. I know we used condoms,” I added.
“We did,” he affirmed.
“I, uh, have endometriosis. It's really kind of a surprise that I'm pregnant at all.”
“So we've really beat the odds.” His eyes widened.
“According to my doctor, yes. She pointed out that birth control is never 100 percent. But in my case, it’s even more of a surprise because of the endometriosis.”
“I don't know a lot about endometriosis. I just know it can cause problems.” He shifted his shoulders, his gaze questioning.
I swallowed. “That’s one way to put it. I'm supposed to have surgery, or I was.” He nodded. “But I'm putting it off until after the baby now. Endometriosis is when uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus. It can grow all over your organs nearby and mess up your fertility. It’s not that I'm infertile, but more that the endometriosis can interfere with things.”
Chase studied me and nodded again, so I continued. “I also didn't pick up that I was pregnant a little earlier because, well, things have just been a mess for me for years. I always have weird symptoms and chronic pain and cramping. All of the things that come with pregnancy didn't set off any alarm bells because I rarely have my period either.” I took a quick breath. “Oh god, I feel like I just unloaded a bunch of information on you, and you probably didn't need to know any of it.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. You’re just explaining. Is it going to affect your pregnancy?”
“Maybe? I don’t know. I've had this doctor for years, so she knows everything that's going on, and she's on top of it. Now that I'm past the first trimester, she says things look healthy.”
“Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?” he asked.
I shook my head quickly. “I thought I'd wait to see if I could find you, and we could decide that together if you wanted to be part of this.”
His eyes held mine, the brown darkening to espresso. My pulse kicked off, and I felt a little breathless. I broke away from his gaze, looking down at my hands. My fingers were laced together tightly, and I rubbed my thumb over a ring. When I dared to look up again, his eyes were waiting, steady and calm.
“Look… obviously, this is all news to me,” he began.
