Chapter 10
Chapter 40
Leah
When I walk inside the coffee shop, Calch is the first person I see
He is sitting in the corner, and when he lifts his eyes from his phone, I have to fight a gasp.
Fuck. Me. He is so beautiful.
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I’ve seen him from a distance whenever he visits the coffee shop with his new woman, but his looks hit different up close. I pull out the chair in front of him, baffled by how large he looks in his suit. It’s like he has been working out harder, and his glorious, flawless skin–shit. Has he been eating healthier, too? Or am I just thinking he is hotter since I imagine myself looking like shit pregnant?
Either way, I can’t stop looking at Caleb. His blue eyes seem even more ocean–like than before, and his dark brown hair is fluttier somehow. His shoulders are broader, and I gulp at how badly I want to rip off his shirt, climb into his lap, and claw at his shoulders while I ride him.
Fuck, what am I even thinking?! I know I haven’t had sex in a while, but really Leah? I need to get a grip.
I sit down and Caleb’s lips twist into a smile that’s more sad than happy. “I ordered you a latte,” he says, nodding at the cup. right in front of my nose. “It’s the Christmas special.”
Even though I should be thanking him, I keep zoning in and out of reality due to exhaustion. I didn’t sleep a wink last night and kept thinking about this moment, about all the things I wanted to tell Caleb. But now that I’m faced with him, brain is mush.
my
Can anyone blame me, though? I still have a major crush on the guy, but he is with another woman–that fact has turned me into a chickenshit. I’m scared of opening up. And Caleb isn’t making things easier by smiling in that familiar way that oozes confidence. Simply looking into his ocean eyes and curved lips sends me back to our time in Tokyo. Fuck, I wish I could go back in time. It would be okay to hug him if we were still there, to smell and touch himn.
But I can’t keep living in the past.
“Hi, Caleb,” I force myself to say. “Have you been waiting for a long time?”
“For an hour,” he admits, and when I stare at him, he chuckles softly. “It really wasn’t that bad sitting here alone. It’s been…. peaceful.”
Peaceful? I don’t know if I would call this situation peaceful. My heart is pounding so hard I fear it might leap out of my chest. I take a shaky breath, trying to summon my courage.
“Caleb, I… I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. About the baby.” My voice trembles slightly. “I was scared and didn’t know how you’d react.”
His blue eyes soften a fraction as he regards me. “It’s okay, Leah understand. This is a lot to process for both of us.”
“You’re not…angry?” I venture cautiously.
He stares into my eyes, and I swear sweat starts beading on my back, but then he sighs in that way that tells me everything going to be okay–that there is no beef between us.
“No, I’m not angry at you. I’m surprised that you’re pregnant, yes. But not angry.” He leans forward, clasping his hands on
19:17 Sat, Feb 1 BH
Chapter 40
the table. “What I want to know is, what do you want to do?”
I wet my lips. “I’m keeping it
Caleb laughs. “Obviously…
fight
The amused smile on his lips makes me want to kiss him, but I tht the urge and stare down at the table.
“So…unum about us?”
Caleb studies me for a second before doing this miracle read–my–mind–thing he does. “If the kid is mine, then I want to be in their life, but…you wouldn’t mind if I demanded a DNA test, would you? And don’t worry, I googled and it says a prenatal test is a hundred percent risk–free.”
My heart sinks at Caleb’s words. A DNA test? Does he really doubt that the baby is his? I suppose I can’t blame him for being cautious since we aren’t a couple, but it still stings.
“Of course. I understand. We can do a prenatal test, no problem I try to keep my voice steady despite the hurt welling inside me.
Caleb’s shoulders relax slightly as if relieved by my agreement.Thank you, Leah. I appreciate your cooperation.” He takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. “And if the test confirms I’m the father, I want to provide for the child financially. You won’t have to worry about anything
“That’s…very generous of you.”
Caleb just smiles, and my heart clenches in my chest. I have a lot of questions–questions I should take to the grave since he isn’t a single man. But since I’m a horrible person, I blurt out the biggest one.
“How long have you dated her?”
Calebs doesn’t look surprised by my question. We dated for so long that he knows me by now and the same tiny smile that’s more sad than happy crosses his face.
“For a month.”
My heart sinks. “That’s about how long our business trip in Tokyo was…”
“Yup…” Caleb avoids looking into my eyes when he continues, “And I like her, Leah. Sarah is a really nice lady, which sucks. because if I had known about the baby…
“You would still have been with me?”
“Yes…
The right thing would be to be quiet and not ask further questions, but I’m a snake, so I look him in the eyes and ask, “And what about now?”
He meets my eyes, fully serious and scary. “And now I don’t know if I can trust you since you kept the pregnancy away from me for so long, 1 understand why you did it, but if we were compatible, I believe you would have told me.”
I close my mouth, realizing that I have nothing to say to that since he is right.
A better, more mature woman would have told Caleb the truth right away. I’m a shitty person for not telling him sooner- we both know that, and I guess that’s why there’s an awkward silence between us now.
Chapter 49
damn, how do I save this
My hair is suck in a fog. I have no idea how to save us from the tension, and eventually, Caleb mistakes my silence for me being done talking. He gets up from his seat. “I will make someone calls and find you a better place to live. Jeremy’s apartment isn’t a good place to raise our baby!
Since my brain is still not working. I give him a defeated smile. Sounds good. I could use my own place”
won’t complain about Caleby finding me a better place to live Jeremy isn’t going to put up with a screaming baby, so I’m very grateful I just wish Caleh would live with me.
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Chapter 41
