She grabs another tissue and wipes my face. “No. You should never feel anything but happy. Why didn’t you tell me it was that bad?”
I shrug. “Like I said, I thought it was normal.”
“But wait, how do you know it’s not Daniel’s? Did you guys not have a sex life?”
My fists clench as I hear his words in my mind. I close my eyes, letting the anger, frustration, and hurt wash through me before I open them and say, “Because he told me he had a vasectomy a year ago.”
She stands instantly. “He did what? And he never told you?”
I shake my head, placing my palms on my face as more sobs escape my lips. She races back to my side.
“Then you told him you were pregnant, and that’s when he told you it couldn’t be his?”
I nod. She pauses as the silence bounces between us.
“Can I ask who this guy is?” she asks cautiously.
I sit back and slump on her couch. “His name was Travis. I left in the middle of the night when everything sank in. I panicked. So, yeah, I never got his number.”
“But you know where he lives then?”
I nod.
“Are you going to tell him? Or are you thinking of …”
My eyes meet hers, and she knows my answer to the second question she didn’t have to ask. I’m absolutely keeping this baby, no matter what. Just like my beliefs in marriage, I feel the same way about life. Since I already ruined one, the other isn’t even a thought.
She grabs my hand again and smiles brightly. “Well, we’re having a baby. Let’s not let that asshole take that away from you. Maybe that’s why you met this Travis guy. He gave you the one thing you couldn’t get from Daniel.”
A sharp laugh escapes my lips. “That’s one way to look at it.”
Chapter Five
Thankfully, Liz is letting me stay at her place as I figure out what I’m going to do. When her husband got home, he was quick to tell me how much he didn’t like Daniel as well.
It’s weird to learn how everyone has had the same feelings I was starting to experience with Daniel. Yes, they figured it out before I did, but I was blind by hope and empty promises. It’s nice to know they still supported me even though they had certain feelings about him.
I’ve spent the last week in absolute despair, but I have finally faced the facts. I’m ready to pull my big-girl panties up and move on with my life, no matter how different I thought it was going to be only a few short days ago.
As I stare in the mirror, I take a moment to let the fact that I’m pregnant really sink in.
I place my hand on my stomach, closing my eyes as I say, “Hey there, little one. I know you’re entering the world in a different way than I would have liked, but I need you to know that you will always be wanted by the only person who matters—me. I’ll always be here for you, and I can’t wait until we get to meet.”
Tears fill my eyes, and I blink them away. I don’t want to mess up my makeup that I just did. I have an important conversation to have, and I don’t need to look a wreck when I have it.
I exit the room I’m staying in and see Liz in the kitchen, making breakfast. When our eyes meet, she puts down the spatula and heads toward me to give me a hug.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” she asks once she steps back and tends to her eggs again.
“No. I got myself in this mess, so I can do this,” I say with all the confidence I can find deep inside because, honestly, I’m freaking out.
“Here.” She steps around the counter to the fridge and opens it, handing me a glass from it. “I made you fresh juice. You have a baby to care for now. We’ll get you one of these daily to make sure you get your fruits and veggies.”
I take it from her and give her a hug. “Thank you for everything.”
She smiles big. “Go knock ’em dead.” Then, she laughs. “Okay, bad advice for what you’re about to do.” She pauses, searching for the right words. She finally shakes her head with a shrug. “I guess just good luck fits.”
I hold up my glass in thanks again. “I’ll take all the luck I can get.”
I leave her place with my juice in hand and hop in my car, driving toward my destiny with no clue what’s going to happen.
When I pull up to Travis’s apartment, my stomach is in my throat, and I have to calm my breath, so I don’t throw up. I’ve never had nerves like this.
As I approach his door, all the memories of that night and the way I felt alive when I was with him come rushing back. All I can think about is what Liz said when I first told her. I’m a huge believer of everything happening for a reason, and maybe she’s right.
We used protection, yet something went wrong, and I still got pregnant. I was married for five years and never once had a scare—well, that is, before he had his vasectomy. Maybe this is God’s way of trying to show me Daniel isn’t the one I should be with and that I deserve to be happy.
I stand out front of Travis’s door and take a deep breath, knowing this will change both of our lives forever. Before I can chicken out, I raise my hand and knock.
I hear a female’s voice on the other side of the door and question if I should run and come back later. I don’t have time to make up my mind because the door swings open, and a gorgeous blonde with long legs and big boobs smiles sweetly at me. She looks around eighteen, and when I glance down at my summer dress that I barely fill out, my chest tightens.
“Can I help you?” she finally asks when she sees me staring and not saying a word.
I swallow the lump in my throat and ask, “Is Travis here?” My voice cracks, so I cough and then repeat myself when she shows me she missed what I said, “I’m sorry. Is Travis here?”
“Who is it, babe?” a male voice asks from down the hall.
She turns and shouts back. “Someone asking for Travis.”
The guy approaches, and to my dismay or delight—still trying to process things as I go along here—it’s not Travis.
“I think I saw some mail with the name Travis on it,” he says.
The girl turns back to me. “Sorry, we moved in a few weeks ago. You must be looking for the previous tenant.” She takes in my expression, and I feel like I have a flashing neon light that says I’m carrying his baby by the way her face changes. She reaches her hand out to me, placing it on my wrist. “I’m really sorry we don’t have more information. You might be able to ask a neighbor where he moved to.”
I nod and take a deep breath, faking a smile. “Yeah. Um, it’s okay. No worries. Thanks for your help.”
I turn and leave before I make a bigger fool of myself. Once I get to my car, I turn and see she’s following behind me. I stop, and she gives me a sweet smile.
“Hey, do you maybe know where he works? Or you could check social media.”
“I don’t know his last—” I stop myself short. How embarrassing to admit to the girl that I don’t even know his last name. I quickly recover. “I don’t know his last place he worked,” I lie even though I know exactly where my next stop will be.
“Okay.” She smiles again, and I know it’s laced with sympathy.