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She pulls back and smiles back at me. I can see that she’s still a little doubtful, perhaps waiting for me to get mad or retract my love. And I admit that our history hasn’t exactly warranted her having any confidence in me, but at least she has to know that I never lied to her. And I'm not lying to her now.
And I would never abandon her. Ever. I’ve never been in love before because I didn't believe much in love until I met her.
But now I know why. I've never met anyone like her, a woman who makes me let down my guard, who makes me want to protect and take care of her.
And for her, I’m willing to try my absolute hardest to be the man she needs me to be. The man she deserves.
Finally, she seems to make up her mind, as her eyes drop shyly and she says, “I love you too.”
***
“Hey sis,” I announce the next day, dropping a quick kiss on my sister's forehead before I sit at our customary get-together restaurant. I’m in an unusually good mood, and for good reason—the woman I love is pregnant with my child, and when I stopped by the police station to file the restraining order, the cops from yesterday let me know that news of what Jane did had spread around town through police gossip. While I didn’t like being the butt of gossip, Jane was planning to move out of town to avoid the embarrassment of everything, so that was double good for me.
Melly frowns at me. "What's wrong with you?”
“What do you mean?” I gesture for the waiter. When he hustles over, I say, “Water please.”
“Just water?" my sister asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah,” I announce. “Cutting down on my alcohol.”
"Since when?"
"Since today." Now I have a child and a woman relying on me. I know I’m in good health but I could always be better, and I’m going to cut out anything that could shorten my lifespan. I plan on staying alive and well for a very long time with her.
My sister shakes her head. "Ok, no, seriously, what’s wrong with you?”
“Once again, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
"You seem different,” she says, eyeing me suspiciously “Almost like you’re glowing…"
“Glowing?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” she nods. “If you were a woman, I would say that you were probably pregnant.”
She laughs to herself, for a few seconds, before I shrug and say, “Close enough.”
That stops her in her tracks. The smile still curves her lips because it seems like she isn’t quite sure whether I’m still messing with her, but I say nothing as I wait for it to come to her.
It’s not exactly how I planned to tell my sister about Delilah’s pregnancy, but it’s not something I plan on hiding from her or anybody. And now is as good a time as any to reveal the secret.
“Wait, what?” she blurts out at the same time the water arrives.
I push it toward her instead. “You’re going to need this.”
A few minutes later, after I tell her the entire story, she’s staring at me with the same astounded expression on her face like she can’t quite believe what she’s hearing.
Then she takes a deep breath, digesting it all.
“Oh, Ollie,” she says with a disappointed shake of the head.
“I know,” I respond. “And trust me when I say I never planned for any of this to happen. I just wanted to help her out and let her go at the end of the month.”
"And then you fell in love with her.” My sister’s disapproval is clear on her face.
I shrug and can’t deny that I’m not entirely comfortable with our age difference. Had I chosen, I wouldn't be with a woman who’s that much younger than me.
But as the saying goes, you don't choose who you fall in love with.
