AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I – I – promise you, I did get one. I have documentation.” He fumbles his phone out of his pocket (I can’t believe shorts that small have a pocket). “I didn’t go to my follow-up appointment and I was careless and –”
“Why did you get one in the first place?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d wrap them around my stomach, but I don’t feel like he deserves to see it. To be reminded. “If you didn’t want kids, I’d think you’d be much more careful.”
Orlie shakes his head. “It wasn’t about that, it was about…”
He lifts his gaze to me.
“I didn’t mean to imply you had slept around.”
“No, youdidmean to imply that.”
“Okay, I did, but what I mean is –” Orlie runs his hand through his sweaty dark hair. “You are not that person. I know you’re not that kind of person. I knew that in my gut, but I was so scared that it was all happening again and…” He trails off with a tense sigh.
Happening again…
“Let me explain.” Orlie places his hands on his bare knees, bracing himself. “I don’t talk about this a lot because it’s – it’s hard.”
Does Orlie Wynters have more emotions than anger and horniness?
“Years ago now, many years – at least that’s how it feels – I was with this woman. Diane. I was young when I met her. That was back when I surfed.”
I can’t keep from gasping. “You were a surfer?”
Orlie laughs sheepishly. “Yeah. And I had bleached blonde hair.”
My jaw drops further.
“Long time ago. Different person.”
It’s good to know that Orlie hasn’t always been this corporate robot. He was a bad boy.
Of course, he was.
“I didn’t have direction, just surfing and living off my dad’s money. And I met Diane and I was living my life for her. Diane and surfing. That was it.”
“Trevor hated that…”
Orlie nods. “Good read. Of course, he did. Despised it. Didn’t like her, didn’t like the surfing, didn’t like the lifestyle that accompanied it. Directionless and lazy. That’s how he saw it.” He blinks. “In hindsight, it was just a response to my mom dying. We didn’t know what to do with each other and – well, anyway –”
Maybe it’s budding maternal instincts, but I’d love to reach out and wrap him in a big hug.
After a few more apologies, Kira.
“So, one thing leads to another and I get Diane pregnant.” He shrugs. “Like an idiot.”
“Oh god.”
“Right, you can guess what happened next. My dad flipped out and cut me off and –” Orlie chews on his lower lip for a moment. “I thought we would make it work. Diane, me, a baby. I was happy. I was excited. But…Diane wasn’t. Because the second I didn’t have access to my dad’s checkbook, she totally tuned out.”
As my heart breaks for him, questions swirl through my head. Does Orlie have a child no one knows about?
“You know, I loved her. She was my life. And I was there every step of the way to support her as best I could. I was there when she gave birth, I held the baby right after her and…” He looks off, his brow furrowing in pain. “I knew something was off. Looking back. But in that moment I was so happy and –” He clears his throat. A couple of months later I found her in bed with my roommate.
“Orlie…I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head vehemently. Doesn’t do well with pity. Who does? ´
“I was going to overlook it. I could get past it. We were young. People make mistakes and –” Orlie’s jaw tightens. “But then he demanded a paternity test and that little feeling I had in the hospital looking at a baby I thought was mine but wasn’t quite sure…well, it made sense then.”
