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carolina
“Oh,my gosh, can you believe it? Twins! And it’s incredible, they’re in there with you, and she could see them, and see the sex and …” Owen was over-the-moon for me, talking non-stop after leaving the hospital while I still reeled from more jaw-dropping news.
How much more could I take before I snapped?
He pulled my door open. “Are you excited? I’m excited.”
I stood there for a moment, staring at nothing in particular as my mind turned over, trying to process all of this. I’d gone from trying so hard for eight years to be a mother, to becoming a mother of two overnight, thanks to my young boss.
Maybe Arizona was right. Maybe it was fate. I wasn’t supposed to have a baby with my ex because it was Owen who was going to give me everything I’d ever dreamed of.
“Carolina? Are you okay?” He finally noticed my dazed and confused expression as he moved in front of me, keeping his face close to mine. “Are you not excited?”
“I’m still taking it all in.”
“Oh, of course. Well, thank you for letting me come with you. I’ve always wanted to be a father.”
My head snapped up to look at him in surprise. What did that mean?
“So, being a part of this, even just for today, was amazing. Can I buy you dinner? You gotta be hungry. I know a good place.” He lifted my hand to help me into the truck, and I followed his lead. I was now overthinking what he could’ve possibly meant by “always wanted to be a father” coupled with the knowledge that he’d donated sperm.
I was still dazed as he drove away from the hospital right up until he pulled into a parking lot outside a diner. He climbed out, helping me from the truck, and walked us in, asking for a booth with a jukebox. The diner was designed to be one of those retro ones, complete with waitresses on roller skates.
“They have great burgers here if you eat meat.” Owen flipped open the menu and looked down at it as if he had to think about what he wanted. I watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking—what I was thinking.
He looked up, and our eyes met. “Thank you for agreeing to this date.”
“This is a date?”
My face must’ve looked alarmed because Owen laughed at first and then cleared his throat to cover his discomfort. “I was hoping it was.” He reached out, his calloused fingers brushing against the top of my hand. “I really like you, Carolina.”
My eyes lifted from our hands to meet his, and he smiled, the same smile that warmed me right through, even on the coldest days.
“But I’m so much older than you, and I’m pregnant … with twins.” It was strange to say, but now that I’d said it out loud, the same excitement Owen had expressed earlier bloomed through me.
“So? What does that matter? I like you, and I find myself trying to spend more time in the office just be near you. And babies don’t scare me. I’ve always wanted to be a father.”
What does it matter? Arizona did it, unabashedly, after meeting Malcolm, and now look at her. She was the happiest I’d ever seen her, although she’d done it the “traditional” way with a man closer to her age.
But my traditional relationship had failed, so why shouldn’t I take a chance on someone I was not only attracted to, but also wanted to spend time with.
“I’ve liked you since we met,” I admitted softly, my cheeks turning hot.
Owen’s eyes lit up with hope. “Really?”
“Yes.” I was about to say more when the waitress appeared beside us.
“Hey bean! How are you two cool cats doing?” She popped a bubble of gum and smiled at us both.
“Good, thank you.” Owen smiled back at her, flipping his hand and sliding it under mine. Without looking at me, he slid his fingers between mine and squeezed them. “We’ll take two Elvis burgers with a side of Chantilly Lace fries. And I’m going to have a chocolate malt shake. How about you, Care?”
I glanced down at the menu and read over the milkshake options before looking back up at the waitress, “I’ll take a banana malt.”
“Perfect. Can I interest you in a starter, or anything?”
“Just the burger platters, thank you.” I smiled at the waitress, but it was something else altogether that was making me grin.
It felt like a weight had been lifted as I turned to look at Owen. Never in my wildest fantasies had I believed any of them would come true, and now, here we were, on a date. I’d let myself get too carried away in my grief and heartbreak to believe that I was a woman who was still worth something. But seeing the look in Owen’s eyes, and the way he smiled at me, made me realize that even if my ex didn’t want me, it didn’t mean there wasn’t a young man who was ready and willing to help pick up the pieces.
“Can I interest you in a starter?” Owen asked, his smile widening into something a bit more roguish.
“Starter?” I tried to catch up with what he meant as he let go of my hand and came around the table to my side of the booth.
He slid across the small vinyl seat until his thigh was pressed tight against mine, and he reached out, cupping the farthest side of my face as he turned my mouth toward his. “Yeah, a starter—a taste of what’s to come later, if you want.”
“Starter,” I repeated, my gaze glued to his lips as he spoke.
When I didn’t say no, he leaned in slowly and pressed his lips to mine, guiding them to open as his tongue coaxed mine into a dance. Desire curled through my belly as I reached out, pulling Owen closer and tighter to my body. If this was the starter, I sure as hell wanted the whole meal.
