Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
I laughed. “Neither. His couches were comfortable and navy blue, and he had a couple beige chairs. Bathroom was white marble. I was not in his bedroom, so I cannot tell you if there were mirrors, but he has a couple huge TVs. Nice kitchen.”
“Sounds like an above-average bachelor pad. So did you order in?”
“No, actually, he cooked dinner for us.”
“Really? What did he make?”
“Spaghetti. It was really good. He said it was his family’s meat sauce recipe.”
“He loves giving you the family meat sauce, doesn’t he?”
I laughed. “Very funny.”
“Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Well, it sounds like it went as well as you could have hoped, right?”
“I think so.” I recalled sitting across from him, watching him cook, the easy way he moved around in the kitchen, the things he said about his family, the excited way he talked about hockey. He’d also made an effort to ask about my job and my family. “It was nice getting to know him a little better.”
“So is there any chance the two of you might . . .” Her voice trailed off on a hopeful note.
“No,” I said firmly. “No chance.”
“You sound very sure about that.”
“I am. He seems like a good guy, and he’s hotter than the business end of a blowtorch, but he is not for me. He’s not for anybody right now. The love of his life is hockey. The love of my life is gonna be this baby.” I paused. “Which is why when he asked if I wanted to stay the night, I said no.”
“He asked you to stay the night?” Ari’s voice rose to a high pitch.
“In the guest bedroom.”
“Oh.” Her tone said womp womp. “Why’d you say no to that? You could have saved money on a hotel room.”
“I’d already checked into my hotel room, but besides, I don’t want to blur the lines. We’re getting to know each other better so we can amicably co-parent. That’s all I want.”
“God, you’re so logical! I’d have been like, ‘Of course I’ll stay over, and just so you know, the bedroom door will be open.’”
I laughed. “I won’t deny that I find him incredibly attractive. But I have to rise above it. Number one, so I don’t get hurt. Number two, so this kid doesn’t end up with a mom and dad who can’t be in the same room together or have nothing nice to say about each other. I don’t need him to be my boyfriend—I just want him to keep his word about being involved in this baby’s life. That’s more important than my crush on him.”
Another sigh. “Again. You’re so darn reasonable.”
“I’m talking a big game,” I admitted. “Underneath the words, my emotions are all over the place. I still have whiplash. I’m scared that I have no idea what I’m doing. But I know it’s right.”
“Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut. And I’m really glad he was supportive.”
“This morning, he texted me asking when and where my ultrasound appointment is.”
She gasped. “Is he coming?”
“He can’t. Training camp starts next week. But he said he’d like the information anyway, so he can remember to ask me about it, and I seriously almost cried. It just helps knowing I won’t be totally in this alone.”
“When will you tell your family?”
“Tomorrow, I think.” The whole Buckley clan was gathering at my dad’s house for a Labor Day barbecue. “I’m nervous.”
“You’ll be fine. They’re going to be supportive.”
“I know they will eventually, but I just hope my brothers don’t go all caveman and start slapping their fists into their palms or acting like Joe took advantage of their innocent baby sister.”
Ari laughed. “Yeah, they might act a little like that.” In the background, I heard Truman start to fuss.
“I’ll let you go,” I told her. “Just promise me you’ll be on my side tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow and always,” she said. “Drive safely.”
The following day, I joined all my siblings and their families over at the home where we’d grown up. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the temperature hovering right around seventy-five degrees, a breeze rustling the leaves of the giant maple tree in our backyard.
Austin and my dad were at the grill. Xander, Devlin, and Dashiel were playing T-ball on the lawn with any of the nieces or nephews who could swing a bat and run the bases. Austin’s wife Veronica and Devlin’s wife Lexi were watching the smaller ones splash around in a plastic baby pool, and Ari and I were sitting at the umbrella table with Xander’s wife Kelly and her mom, Julia, who had married my dad a couple years ago. Nearby, baby Truman slept in his buggy in the shade.
It was an idyllic afternoon, and I was surrounded by love, but my stomach was uneasy.
I kept trying to talk myself into breaking the news to one family member or another, but I never quite worked up the nerve. Finally, when all the adults were squeezed in around the umbrella table and the kids were all set up at the little picnic tables my dad had purchased to accommodate all his grandkids, Ari nudged me with her foot.