“He’ll suspect something is going on.”
She nods her head. “That’s probably true. But you have to carry this around, too, for those four days. This is what we’re going to do. I’m going to order pizza. We are going to eat, cry, and watch more movies. You are going to text him and just tell him you’re feeling a little under the weather and you’re going to go to bed early tonight. Got it?”
Her eyes hold mine with such confidence that I find myself bobbing my head up and down.
“Good. All you need to do is text him. I’ve got the rest covered.”
She picks up her phone and orders the pizza while I grab mine. My hands are shaking, making it hard to type out the words. A tear falls down on my screen. I wipe it away and keep going.
When I’m done, I put my phone down on the coffee table and wrap myself up in a blanket.
He was starting to open up to me, to the idea of us. With this, he’ll probably shut down. Pull away from me. I place a hand over my stomach.
I suddenly feel protective over this possible baby that might be growing in my belly. I don’t want to lose him, but I can’t make him be somebody he isn’t.
I think he’ll be a great dad, but if he has one foot in, one foot out, then I would rather do this alone. I don’t want my baby to think they are not worth loving.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Roman
Drew slides the papers across my desk. I scan them, looking at the final numbers for the week.
“It looks great. You plan to start on the top three floors first?” I ask as I hand them back.
He leans back in his chair. “That’s the plan. The lobby and the restaurant should be done in the next two weeks. We can work our way down three floors at a time. It will still give you enough rooms to maintain the numbers you need to stay profitable.”
“I have to say, I expected more hiccups along the way with the lobby being renovated.”
He chuckles. “Me too. Eva did a great job with finding vendors that delivered all the custom items on time. Nothing was delayed.”
Just hearing her name has my stomach feeling uneasy. It’s been three days since I invited her over for dinner, and she’s dodged each invite I put out there. I tried to stop by her place the other night, but she wasn’t there.
Something feels off. It feels like she’s pulling away from me. I’ve had this sinking feeling for days.
“Eva’s one of a kind,” I admit through the thick of my dread.
Drew stands and pulls at his neck. “Well, I should get back to the hotel. Gotta make sure my guys stay on schedule. I’ll catch ya later, boss.”
After work, I try to tell myself that I’m going to let her come to me. I’m done trying to see her and getting rejected.
I opt to walk home from work, sending Aaron home early. It’s nice out, and I can use the time to myself.
But as I walk down the streets, my mind races with reasons why Eva might be putting distance between us. Maybe she doesn’t want to take a chance with me when I’ve already told her I don’t do love.
Or could it have to do with the fact that I ran into her bathroom like a chump at even the mention of the word?
Fuck, I’m such an idiot.
Weakness got the best of me.
I pull out my phone and send off a text.
Any plans for tonight?
I don’t even recognize myself anymore. This is not like me. I’m not the type of guy whose whole life revolves around one person, but that’s what she’s doing to me.
She’s making it hard for me to move from one thing to the next without wondering what she’s doing or when I’ll get to see her again.