My molars clenched, but she wasn’t wrong. “We agreed it would just be a one-time thing. Did youwantme to stay?”
“Two-time,” she reminded. “And I didn’t expect you to stay or anything. But you have to admit, it didn’t give me time to judge what you’d do when you found out. All I know is that you don’t want to be tied down.”
“That’s gone out the window. I’m the father, right? That means I’m a part of this.”
Grace stared at me for a long time, so long that it made me want to go over everything I’d said and done to her and try to figure out just what she had been thinking I’d do.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t make me feel any better.
“I took a test because my friend picked up on me saying I felt weird. It was positive, obviously.”
I blinked, unsure of what she meant for a moment. Then I realized she was answering one of my questions.
“And how did you feel?”
“Tired and more emotional than usual. And it had been a while since ... you know, my time of the month.”
“You can say period in front of me, you know.”
Grace’s eyes darted to mine and her brow furrowed. “You’re not bothered by that?”
“I’m not a child.”
She did a double take, and it hit me that she’d probably thought I was exactly that.
My choice to stay away from people had always seemed like a good one, but now, staring at Grace, it hit me just how much that had backfired.Terribly.
“A-anyway,” she said. “I have more testing to go through. It’s definitely not normal to find out at sixteen weeks, but so far, everything looks normal.”
My shoulders lost some of the tension I’d carried ever since I’d found out. “That’s good, right?”
“Yes, it is. But that means this is really happening.” An awkward silence settled over both of us. “I have a lot to figure out, obviously.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I need you to figure out what you’re willing to do. I know you said you’re a part of this, but I know plenty of guys who changed their minds halfway through when things got hard. My dad was one of them.”
I opened my mouth. And then closed it. “I ... didn’t know that,” is what I eventually settled on.
“You have time to make sure this is what you want. But if you think that at some point you’d prefer your current way of life, then walk away now. That would be easier.”
Grace met my eyes and looked at me with the same flat expression she’d had the day before. I’d only ever seen it when she was thinking about Brooke.
And what did that say about me?
“I know what I’m gonna do. I want to be a father.” I wasn’t sure why, but I needed her to believe me. I needed her to know that I wasn’t just a playboy she’d met. It was my choice not to have relationships, but that didn’t mean I was an irresponsible person.
“You might think that’s what you want, but I don’t know if you realize all that it means.” Her voice was soft as if that alone could pad the words. “So take some time to think on that. I do need to open my shop for the day, but you have my number if you need anything, right?”
“Yeah, I have it.”
“Feel free to use it,” she said, and then gestured to the door.
It was a clear dismissal. Usually, I wouldn’t mind those, but this felt unfinished.
She still didn’t believe me.
I gave her a tense nod before leaving to head back to my hotel in Knoxville.