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I close my eyes, feeling tears prick at the corners. "Yes," I whisper. "It's yours."
There's a long pause before Jesse speaks again. "I...I need to see you," he says. "I need to talk to you in person."
I laugh, but there's not much humor in it. "Guess it's a good thing I'm in Portland, then."
"I'm leaving right now," Jesse says. "You're at the Greyhound station?"
"Yeah," I say, tears filling my eyes. "Jesse...fuck, I don't know if I'm ready to confront your family about this. I didn't...I assume they don't..."
"None of that matters," Jesse says. "I'm coming to get you. Stay put and keep your phone charged, okay?"
"Okay," I say.
And as I hang up the phone and gather my things, I know that everything is about to change.
Hopefully for the better.
Chapter seven
Jesse
Ipanicfortheentire drive back to Portland.
I was just here for mom's appointment this morning, and now I'm headed back out of the mountains, toward the city...toward Piper. I can't believe she's actually here, and she's...
Fuck.
I don't know.
I don't know if I'm ready to be a dad.
I thought about it a lot while I was making roadtrips to San Francisco, but it was always in a kind of silly fantasy way. I would think idly about our future...daydream images of Piper pregnant in Fern Hollow, joining our family. It all seemed so far away, given her history with Caleb
But now she's here.
And if my math is right...she's got to beverypregnant.
As I get close to the bus station, my mind races. I don't know what to do. I can't believe she's pregnant with my child. I never thought it would actually happen. I thought we were just having fun, but now it's real.
I want to run.
But I have to help her.
Autumn leaves fall from the trees around the bus station as I pull into the passenger pickup, scanning the crowd for Piper. I spot her after a few seconds, and my heart is in my throat at the sight of her.
Yeah...there she is.
The woman I think I've loved for a long time.
The woman I feel an almost undeniable urge to run away from.
She's sitting on a bench by the entrance to the bus station, a backpack at her side and an olive green jacket draped over her shoulders. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun, her eyes darting around, her thumb at her lips as she chews anxiously on her nail.
And she's definitely pregnant.
I swallow hard and get out of the car before I can stop myself, walking around the front at a quick pace. Piper sees me a second later, then hauls herself to her feet and meets me halfway.
I'm not sure what to say as we come face to face, but I know I have to say something. I clear my throat and take a deep breath before speaking.
