At his declaration, all of the anger drained out of me, leaving me exhausted and confused.
“Take your time,” he said again, before giving his parting words and walking out my door. “Call me when you make that appointment. I’m going with you.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven ~ Reardon
I’d never been so pissed off and so fucking hopeful at one time.
I walked home, leaving my car parked at Chloe’s. I needed the air to clear my head.
As I was walking up my path, I pulled out my phone, searched for the name I needed, and put in a call.
“Can you come to my place?” I asked.
Dillon must have heard something in my voice, because he simply said, “On my way,” then hung up.
I let myself in, walked to my office, and poured two glasses of whiskey out of the decanter. I set one on the coffee table, then sat down on my loveseat and took a sip from the other one.
One of the perks of small-town living was that it didn’t take long to get anywhere, so it only seemed like a few minutes had passed before I heard Dillon let himself in.
“What’s up?” he asked as he walked and sat down in the chair next to me. “I was at the hospital when you called, so I know Gabe and company are great. Did something happen with you and Chloe?”
I waited until he was sitting back comfortably in the seat, glass in hand, before I answered.
“Chloe says she’s pregnant.”
Dillon choked on his whiskey, his green eyes shooting to mine as he slowly set his glass back on the table. He didn’t say anything, but he knew I didn’t need him to, not yet anyway. I just needed him to listen.
“She seemed pretty sure, although she mentioned that she hadn’t been to the doctor yet.” I shrugged one shoulder and took another sip of my drink. “But, our first time is a little fuzzy, and it was after Gabe’s wedding, so the timing is right. That’s not the issue, though.”
Dillon sat forwarded, his elbows hitting his knees, and prodded, “Then what is?”
“She’s comparing it to what happened with Gabe. Comparing me with Gabe.” I shook my head and stood up, unable to remain seated any longer. “I get why she’s upset, really I do … She’s been in a situation similar to this one before, and it was with my own damn cousin, so I understand her having a freak out over the whole thing. What I don’t get is her taking it out on me, rather than realizing that she could be using me for comfort, or as a sounding board. It’s not the same, because although it occurred during a crazy drunken night, we are not the same … We’re in a relationship.”
“Maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to that yet, Rear. Put yourself in her shoes. The last time she had a surprise pregnancy after a crazy night, she was left to give birth and raise her child alone. No, it isn’t the same, but of course her mind is going to take her back there. It’s the only experience she has to compare it to. And, going off of what Chris said, she’s never been in a real relationship before, so she may not realize that she can depend on you now. At least not initially … Give her time.”
I let Dillon’s words filter through my brain as I paced the room and drank my whiskey.
“How can I convince her that this is different?” I asked, eager for any advice he could give.
“My guess is just by being there for her. Be there for every appointment; assure her that you’re there for her no matter what the outcome.” He looked at me over the rim of his glass and clarified, “That is what you want, right?”
“Yes,” I said, feeling calmer after our talk. I went back to my seat and relaxed. “That’s absolutely what I want. What I’ve always wanted. I love her, and if she is pregnant, it’ll make me profoundly happy. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“Awesome,” Dillon said, and raised his glass. “Then here’s to you and Chloe, and I hope like hell she is pregnant, because you will make a terrific father.”
We were both drinking when I heard my door shut and loud footsteps coming toward us down the hall.
Gabe rushed in, looking harried and really, really tired.
“I had to run to the house to get Zoey’s favorite notebook and pen. I can’t believe I forgot to pack it,” he began hurriedly. “Evie was asleep when I left, but she could wake up at any minute, so I want to get back … But, Dillon got that call from you and rushed out, so I had to make sure everything was okay.”
I felt the familiar rush of love that I often felt for my family, and grinned up at our oldest cousin.
“I just needed to get something off my chest, and Dillon came to help me out and offer advice. Now that you’re here, however, I’ve realized something tremendously awesome.”
“What’s that?” Gabe asked, confused and obviously eager to get back to his girls.
“That there’s a chance we will get to raise our kids together.”