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We’re sitting in the waiting room of her doctor’s office; a chair between us because I moved the second she tried to sit down next to me.
“You’re being really childish, Everett,” she snaps and her icy blue eyes flit around the waiting room to the other expectant mothers, and she can’t be serious if she thinks that I’m going to put on some fucking show or even appear cordial to her right now.
“I wouldn’t start, unless you really want to see how childish I can be.” I watch as a mother in the corner gives me some significant side eye, and I fight the urge to tell her to mind her business.
She sighs defeatedly and presses her fingertips to her temples. “Everett…can…can we just not do this here?”
“Are you going to tell me the truth? About anything?”
“I’ve told you as much of the truth as I remember.”
“Have you?” I ask her. “Because anytime we talk about anything, I feel like you’ve been vague and you try to talk me in circles.”
“I haven’t, I—”
“Allison Jeffries?” Her name is called and I’m on my feet instantly, following her back to the examining room.
Here we go.
Two days. That’s how soon I’ll have an answer about whether I’ll be a father or not. I cross my arms over my chest as we walk to our respective cars. “Who’s the other guy?”
“Does it matter?”
“No, but I mean…does he know he might be a dad?”
She swallows, and I look at her wondering what’s causing her silence. “I tried reaching out and…”
“And he ghosted you?”
She lets out a sigh. “I didn’t tell him anything via text, I just said we should talk. He didn’t respond.”
“Was it only once?”
She leans against her car, a white BMW, and picks at her nail beds. “More than once.”
“While we were together?”
“Everett, we weren’t sleeping together…you wouldn’t touch me! And you were so obsessed with Leighton! Do you know how much it hurt that it felt like my boyfriend didn’t like me? I was lonely and jealous and…he paid attention to me.”
I rub my head. “I don’t care that you were cheating on me. I care that you’ve been such a goddamn hypocrite about me and Leighton.”
“I didn’t care about this other guy. It was just sex! I cared about you!” she exclaims, shooting her hands in the air exasperation.
“Oh. That makes it better then. I’m the asshole because I’ve wanted to marry Leighton since I was nine years old though.” My lips form a straight line and I bob my head up and down. “I’m glad we’ve got that cleared up.” I snort.
“Look,” she lets out a sigh, “I was drunk.” A tear rolls down her cheek and she brushes it away with the back of her hand. Her cheeks turn pink, and her teeth chatter slightly. “And upset, and I did care about you. I had just gotten dumped and everyone knew you were just there that night as a pity date. I tried to ignore how obvious it was that you loved Leighton, and the fact that you’d dumped me for her. I thought I could make you forget about her.” She wipes her face. “My friends made a joke about drugging you and making it look like we messed around. They were going to take pictures and we were going to send them to Leighton.” I see red. I would have ruined every last one of them. “You don’t understand, I was hurt and so hammered.” She puts a hand over her eyes, and I know if I snap now, I’ll never get the full story. So, despite the fact that I want to rip her head from her body at this confession, I stay quiet.
“But I told them no. I told them I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to just let you go and forget about you. Maybe spread a rumor that you had a small dick, I don’t know.” She lets her head fall back and stares up into the sky. “I didn’t drug you, Everett.”
“But one of your fucking friends did?!” My outburst causes her to find my eyes again. Her eyes are sad and tired and remorseful.
Unlucky for her, I’m in no mood to grant forgiveness.
“I don’t know, and none of them have owned up to it. But…you say you don’t remember and…I was so drunk. I don’t think we had sex. I just assumed when we woke up, and…”
“You fucking bitch,” I growl. “I can’t believe you kept this from me for months! For what?!”
“BECAUSE I WAS SCARED! This baby is real, Everett. A very real baby, I didn’t fake that. This wasn’t immaculate conception. This is someone’s baby! And for a while, I thought it was yours.”
