Now, she’d have the baby she’d always wanted, without the encumbrances or expectations of a partner. Because Rory’s response to the news told her exactly how much of a part he wanted to play in their child’s life: absolutely none. He’d been stunned, understandably, but the first question that popped out of his mouth about whether she would keep the baby or not spoke volumes.
He didn’t want to be a dad.
And she didn’t need him to be.
But she’d been disappointed, nonetheless. She’d hoped he’d hold her in his arms and tell her how excited he was. In fact, a small part of her had envisioned him being so swept up in her euphoria he’d try to convince her how they could make this work. Co-parents. A team. Pathetic, considering she’d given up on fairy tales around the time she realized her marriage didn’t live up to the Bollywood hype.
Her cell buzzed with a text, and her heart leaped. Seeing either Pia’s or Rory’s name on the screen would cheer her up.
However, when she glanced at the screen and saw “Manny,” her hope deflated. She speed-read his text.
HAS YOUR MOM BACKED OFF?
OR R U FALLING IN LINE WITH HER PLANS AND
FALLING 4 MY CHARMS?
For the first time all day, the corners of her mouth twitched into a semi-smile.
She fired back: BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN U.
She expected to see tiny moving dots on the screen to indicate he was responding, so when the cell rang, she jumped.
When she answered, Manny said, “I thought talking would be easier than typing with my gammy thumbs.”
“How can a doctor have gammy thumbs?”
“Probably signing all those exorbitant paychecks before I cash them.”
This time, her smile turned into a short laugh.
“So what’s happening? What are these big problems?” He cleared his throat. “I hope I didn’t make things worse for you by showing up to lunch. Is your mom still hounding you to make an honest man out of me?”
“No, that’s not it.”
She couldn’t tell him, not before she’d told her mom. Then again, it could be good to get an impartial opinion from a person not emotionally invested in the outcome of her pregnancy.
The crazy thing was, she’d never contemplate telling anyone so early into this pregnancy. She hadn’t had any tests yet, beyond a blood test to confirm it. Any number of things could go wrong between now and her first scan at twelve weeks, which was when most excited parents blabbed the happy news.
But she’d been lying here for the last two hours wishing she could talk to someone about this, someone who would offer comfort rather than judgment.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he said. “You know, despite all my teasing about falling for me, and the fact we haven’t known each other long, you can talk to me as a friend.”
“I’m pregnant.”
A long silence, finally punctuated with a low whistle. “Congratulations.”
He sounded like he meant it, warmth tempering the surprise in his voice.
“You’re the first person that’s said that to me,” she said, and burst into tears.
“Hell, are you okay?”
She hiccupped in response and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on her bedside table to dab at her eyes. “Yeah, just a tad emotional.”
“Want me to come over?”
Yeah, she did, but it wouldn’t be fair to him. Because for all his jokes and banter about their friendship, she couldn’t forget that a small part of him must’ve been interested in her as prospective marriage material to agree to meet in the first place, and she didn’t want to take advantage of the tentative friendship they’d established.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be okay. It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”
“Actually, I don’t, but if you’re knocked up, I’m here for you.” He paused. “I assume that guy you’re seeing is the father?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
She swallowed down a sob that bubbled up again. “I already did.”
“And?”
“He’s not thrilled.”
“Prick.”
Surprised by the vehemence in his tone, she said, “I told my cousin Pia too, and she went ballistic.”
“Why?”
“Because her husband’s sterile and they’ve been struggling with infertility for years.”
“Ah . . . that must be tough.”
“It is, and I get it, but she’s my best friend, and I thought she’d be here for me . . .” Samira swiped at her eyes again. “She’ll come around, but that’s two important people in my life who didn’t react to the news as I hoped.”
“What about your mom?”
She sighed. “I haven’t told her yet.”
“Why not?”
“I’m feeling a tad fragile and need to be in a stronger frame of mind to tell her.”
“If it makes it any easier, I can marry you.”
She barked out a laugh. “Thanks for the offer, but that’s not going to happen. I can do this on my own.”
“I know you can.” He cleared his throat, and she sensed a shift in mood from teasing to serious. “Just thought I’d put it out there.”
She assumed he meant it as a joke, but a small part of her knew there was more behind his offer. Chivalry? Something more? Whatever his rationale, she imagined what it would be like to have his support through the pregnancy and beyond. Being a single parent could be tough. Having someone to share the load with had its attraction. But she’d already entered a marriage with doubts once before; she couldn’t marry for the sake of a child when she could do a fine job of parenting on her own.
“And what do you get out of this platonic marriage apart from raising some other guy’s kid?”
He chuckled at her sarcasm. “I don’t want kids, never have, so this takes the pressure off with my gran. As for the platonic bit, we can work on that.”
She smiled. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
“No, I’m being a good friend.” He hesitated. “Seriously, Samira, I’m here for you. And while I’m confident you’ll work everything out, know that you can off-load to me whenever.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, touched by his support. “Means a lot.”