“Everything looks good,” Dr. Parker says, handing me a couple of tissues. “Before you leave, make your twenty-week checkup.” She eyes me sternly before she walks out, but she doesn’t have to worry. I’ll be here for sure. This baby only has me and I’m going to make sure I give him everything he needs, just like my parents did for me.
My parents… My dad… Oh my God, I haven’t spoken to my dad. I haven’t gone by to see him, but it’s not like him not to call me. And then I remember my phone. It was turned off because it was on Isaac’s account. Noah said he would take care of it, but I’ve been so lost in my grieving, I haven’t thought about anything else.
“Do you have my phone?”
Noah’s brow furrows. “No. You haven’t asked about it. I forgot.”
“I need to go see my dad. I haven’t spoken to him. I’m sure because of the news, he’s heard about Isaac’s death, but he doesn’t know that I’m pregnant.” I wipe the gunk off my belly, pull my shirt down, and sit up, on a mission. It’s like I’ve been sleeping these last couple months and I’ve finally woken up.
“Can you take me to see my dad, please?”
“Yeah, but it’s already late and I have some work to do. Why don’t we go home and we can go in the morning?”
His words sound reasonable, but something about the way he says them leaves me feeling uneasy, but I push it aside. “Okay, thanks.”
I hop off the table, and after scheduling my next appointment, and Noah paying for this one since I don’t have insurance, we head out.
“I’m going to need to look for a job,” I say, once we’re in the car.
“For what?” Noah asks, glancing at me before averting his gaze back onto the road.
“To make money…” A million thoughts plink around in my head as the reality of my situation hits me. “I have a baby on the way, nowhere to live, no way to feed or clothe him.” I was barely surviving when I met Isaac. I was homeless and penniless and now I’m back in the same situation, only I have a baby that will be here in a little over five months.
The rest of the ride back to his place is done in silence. I excuse myself to shower, and when I come out, I find him sitting in the reading chair waiting for me.
“We need to talk.”
“Okay…” I sit on the middle of the bed, facing him. “What’s up?”
“I think we should get married.”
It takes a second for my head to wrap around what he’s just said, but once it does, I’m not sure I heard him correctly. “Come again?”
“I think we should get married.” Okay, yeah. I guess I heard him correctly.
“I…” I don’t even know what to say. “I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Taking me in, giving me a bed and a room to sleep in. Being there for me while I mourned Isaac…” Not that I’m done mourning him, but after seeing the baby on the screen today, it finally feels like I’m past the darkness and can see a shred of light.
Noah moves to the bed and cups my face in his big palm. We’re so close, I can smell his cologne. It’s not masculine and woodsy like Isaac’s, instead it’s more citrusy and sweet. And I wonder if there’s a way I can find out what Isaac wore. I never paid attention, but now I wish I had.
“I care about you and your baby,” Noah says, taking me from my thoughts. “Marry me and I’ll take care of you...” He rests his other hand on my stomach. “Both of you.”
“Noah,” I breathe, dizzy by the sudden turn of events. “I can’t marry you. I’m in love with Isaac...”
“He’s not here,” he says harshly, making me sit back slightly to break our connection.
“I know he’s gone, but that doesn’t change how I feel. He was”—I clear my throat—“is the love of my life. My other half. He owns my soul and I can’t just marry someone else.”
“Give me a break,” he scoffs. “You knew him for a damn minute.”
The brashness of his statement has me climbing off the bed. “Fuck you.” I don’t know who this guy is, but this isn’t the same man who’s been here for me these last several weeks… Or maybe it is and I’ve just been too lost in my own head to notice.
“Look,” I say calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. “I appreciate what you’re offering, but I can’t marry you. I think maybe it would be best if I go…” I’m not sure where the hell I’m going to go, but suddenly it feels like I can’t be here.