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I retrieved my cell and impulsively tapped out a text.
A few days later I sat shredding the napkin on the table in front of me. I should have chosen a more private location for this conversation.
He walked into the restaurant and looked around.
Shitfuckdamn, I forgot how good-looking he was. A spark of latent interest smoldered in my belly.
This could be a new beginning.
Or, I acknowledged to myself, it could go phenomenally badly.
His eyes lit up when they found me, and he smiled easily as he made his way over to my table. He leaned in, covered my shoulder with his big hand, and kissed me on the cheek.
Wow, he smelled good.
“Hey,” he greeted me. “It’s good to see you.”
My mouth twisted to the side involuntarily, and his smile faltered. “It’s not good?”
“Uh,” I began. “Maybe you should sit down.”
“Uh, oh. This sounds ominous.” He placed his palms flat on the table and swung his long body into the seat opposite me. Lacing his hands together on the table in front of him, he met my eyes, his knowing. “Give it to me.”
“I’m pregnant,” I stated baldly.
He dropped his chin to his chest for a moment, then took a breath and looked back up at me. He offered a shaky grin. “I thought after so much time had passed that we’d dodged the bullet.”
I smiled tentatively back. “No such luck.”
He nodded, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly his eyebrows snapped together, and his brow furrowed. “Are you going to get rid of it?”
My eyebrows mirrored his. “No!” I snapped. “And it’s not an it.”
“Thank God,” he said, sitting back with his big palm over his heart, looking out the window for several long moments. He turned back to me and reached a hand across the table.
I hesitated before putting mine in his. He shrugged and grinned. “What do you want to eat?”
I laughed and we ordered.
Over the next several months, we got to know each other. We dated and had sex, lots of it, starting from that first date. The fun we had at the wedding was not a one-off, which boded well for our future because we were preparing for a baby, and they tended to tie people together quite handily.
We were not in love, but the loneliness that had become such a deep-seated stain on my soul abated. Excitement over the baby, and Drew’s easy-going manner and sweet attentiveness put me at ease.
Yiayia made her feelings about me dating an artist clear, but the news about the baby delighted her. Thoughts of Vander never disappeared entirely, but they receded to the realm of reminiscences, and they did not ever enter the zone where my future hopes lay.
In a different lifetime, Drew and I might have been best friends, or we just might have been everything to each other. Damn my stubborn heart. I supposed I could do worse than to shack up with my best friend, and I gave it serious consideration when we started talking about moving in together after the birth of our baby.
Drew accompanied me to all doctor appointments and ultrasounds. Astoundingly, he immediately joined the short list of people with whom I could comfortably go anywhere. I scheduled my appointments around his availability. Although he knew I got anxious going out, as well as in certain social situations, he did not understand the extent of the fear that dogged me, and I didn’t fill him in.
My pregnancy progressed smoothly, so I continued working at Spuds as per usual. Any plans for franchising had been moved to the backburner, possibly permanently. I maintained my practice of sitting down with my planner morning and afternoon to ensure I mentally and emotionally prepared for appointments.
The weeks progressed smoothly until I was well into my sixth month and Amber was overdue.
The lunch rush at Spuds ended. I settled my growing bulk at my usual corner table and opened my planner to prepare for the week ahead.
My cell phone rang, the vibrations causing it to dance across the table in front of me. I scooped it up and glanced at the screen.
“Hi, Angus!” I greeted cheerfully.
