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"Hey, what's up?" he asks, looking me up and down. "I...didn't think you woke up this early."
"We need to talk," I say, my voice serious.
He nods and steps aside to let me in. I take a seat on his couch and he sits across from me.
"Coffee?" he asks. "I just started a pot."
"Yeah, that would be great," I say.
"You mind taking Ryan?"
"Of course not."
I take the baby from him and set him on my knee, Ryan reaching out with a tiny little hand to grab my t-shirt. I smile at him, wishing this didn't just make me think of Piper and the future we almost lost last night.
Fuck...it's been a night.
When Caleb sits back down, he can immediately tell something's wrong. He frowns as he takes the baby back after setting down our coffees, and Ryan coos as he sets into a bottle in Caleb's hand.
"Is mom okay?" he asks. "Reagan had to go, I was worried..."
"Yes," I tell her. "I mean, yes, mom is fine."
"Then what is it?" he asks.
I hesitate for a moment, unsure of how to start. But then I remind myself that I need to be direct.
"Piper is the one in the clinic," I tell him. "She's pregnant. She was..."
I pause at the shock in his eyes, and I swallow the lump in my throat.
"She was sick," I finish.
"What...Piper's here?" he asks. "Why?"
"Because we're together," I tell him.
He blinks. The bottle gets dislodged and Ryan starts to cry, bringing Caleb back to reality. "How...?" he says weakly.
But before I can respond, he figures it out.
"All those trips down the coast," he says. "I figured you were going to see a woman, but I didn't know...it was her? This whole time?"
I nod.
"I'm sorry, Caleb," I murmur, "but I love her."
Caleb's face falls in disbelief. "She's a junkie, Jesse. It's not that I want her back or anything, that's in the past...but she's dangerous."
"She got clean before you even came here," I tell him, defensive of her. "And you know she's been through a lot."
"That doesn't give her a pass."
I start to get angry. "She's carrying my kid."
"How do you even know it's yours?"
"Because we have something special, Caleb," I snap. I stand up and stalk toward the kitchen, leaving my coffee untouched as I start to pace. "Piper and I...this wasn't supposed to happen, but it did anyway."
