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Thank goodness for best friends and car services. As promised, Lana shows up the next day, ready to shop. She brought our other bestie,Jess, along with her. Originally, Jess wasn’t going to come. She claims that anything to do with babies gives her nightmares. Lana must have convinced her otherwise.
I’ve put off this shopping trip several times, and now I know why. Five stores. That’s how many baby stores Lana and Jess have dragged me to so far.
Baby shopping is a lot of freaking work. And a lot of freaking money. Do they need all of these clothes? According to Lana, they need at least thirty adorable little onesies to survive babyhood.
I couldn’t stop her when she whipped out her credit card to buy the stroller. She insisted it was her gift to me. She also insisted on the Mercedes of baby strollers. I’m pretty sure the stroller cost more than my entire apartment.
“I’m done. D.O.N.E.,” I protest when Lana suggests a sixth store. “I’m tired and hungry, and the baby is, too.”
“But we haven’t shopped for the furniture yet! Where’s the baby going to sleep?” Lana asks.
“I don’t think the baby will care,” Jess says, trying to back me up.
Lana laughs as she instructs the driver to head to our favorite restaurant, McKinley’s Steakhouse. “Okay, okay, I know when to call it quits. Let’s get this hungry baby some food.”
It’s a short drive to the restaurant. As soon as we walk in, I quickly peruse the tables. This restaurant is one I love to frequent with my friends, but it is also a favorite of the Anders family. And the last person I want to run into is Ethan Anders. Ever since our run-in at the elevator yesterday, I’ve been on edge.
I finish looking around the restaurant. Satisfied Ethan isn’t here, I follow the host, Jess, and Lana to our table. The servers know us well.As soon as we’re seated, they bring us our usual drinks. I feel a pang of jealousy when Lana and Jess are brought our favorite wine, and I’m brought out water.
After the server takes our orders, Lana and Jess cast sneaky glances at each other. They don’t even wait until the server is out of earshot before the grilling starts. I wish I had been better prepared for their friendly attack.
Lana is first. “So, you are almost thirty-three weeks along, correct?”
“Yeeessss, but you already know this. We talked about it today,” I say, confused.
“Hmmm. Well, what’s the status with the father situation?” she fires back.
Here we go again. I should’ve known. They haven’t asked me in what, at least five days.
“There’s no situation,” I protest.
Then Jess joins in. “Liz, we’ve been talking. You told us you were going to contact the baby’s father. But you still haven’t. And you’re due very soon. Don’t you think he should be told about the baby?”
I try to gather my thoughts before responding to my friends. I know they’re concerned, but it’s also none of their business. It’s a complicated situation.
“I’m going to tell him. I understand what you’re saying, but I have to do this in my own time.” I don’t know how to make them understand. There are reasons for my hesitation. Reasons I don’t want to get into right now.
Lana leans forward, her eyes filled with concern. “Liz, we want what’s best for you and the baby, but the father should help you. Not just with financial support, he may want to be therefor the baby as well.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t need anyone’s help. I’m capable of doing this on my own. Besides, if there is one thing I am certain of, it’s that the father of my baby doesn’t want anything to do with either of us.”
Lana reaches for her glass of wine and then taps the table. “You can’t know that for sure. I think it’s time you come clean about who the father is. We’re your friends. We can help you.”
I blow the errant hair that has fallen into my eye. I want to tell them, but I just can’t do it yet. They will be shocked when they find out. They didn’t even know we were seeing each other.
“I can’t tell you yet, but I promise I will . . . soon. I just need to talk to him first.”
Jess reaches out to put a comforting hand on mine. My usually bubbly friend is much more subdued for this discussion. “We know that you’re scared to tell him, whoever he is. But he deserves the opportunity to be there for you and the baby. Or at least to be given the choice.”
As much as I hate to admit it, my friends are right. I’m certain he’ll want nothing to do with me or the baby, but I need to have that talk with him anyway.
I can’t put it off much longer.
I need to speak to him. But there’s something I didn’t tell my friends. Something I’ve been keeping to myself.
Something I don’t want to even think about because it causes pain in my chest.
Yeah, there’s something my friends don’t know.
