“Does it matter?” Theo replies with a tightness to his voice.
“No, of course not,” Samantha assures, trying to calm the vibes in the room. “We’re just surprised.” I can feel her staring at me, and I look up, my eyes finding hers. “It’s a blessing.” She inhales. “When are you due?”
I swallow. “December 14.”
“A Christmas baby.” She looks at Blake. “Isn’t that nice?”
Blake stops staring at us and turns to his wife. “It’s very nice.” I can hear in his tone that he’s not as happy as his wife.
I focus on my fingers, feeling Theo get tense beside me. “I’m—” I start to say and then feel like I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack. “I’m going to use the restroom.” I blink away the tears that are fighting to come out.
“I’ll show you.” I’m about to tell him I’m okay, but he just takes my hand and walks to the side of the staircase and shows me the door. “I’ll be here waiting,” he reassures softly.
“You should get back to your parents,” I urge, trying not to be loud, knowing they can probably hear this conversation. “I’ll be okay.” I walk into the bathroom, turn on the light, and close the door, and only then do I let a lone tear run down my face.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THEO
I watch the door close and then brace my hand on the doorframe above my head. I should take a couple of minutes before I speak to my parents, but I don’t know how long she is going to be in there. When she comes out, I want to be here waiting for her.
I step briefly back into the living room. “Are you guys kidding me right now?” I whisper-hiss. “I just told you that I’m having a baby.”
“I’m sorry”—my mother puts her hand to her cheek—“I was not expecting that.”
“It’s a surprise for both of us,” my father declares. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“She was already nervous to come here and talk to you guys, and you made it a hundred times worse.” The anger rages through me at how my parents sat there looking at her. The whole time, she hung her head. If I knew it wouldn’t make her feel even worse, I would have jumped off the couch and told them to get the fuck out. “Now, she’s going to come out of that bathroom, and you guys are going to be on your best behavior.”
“Wait just a second,” my father retorts, “we were not rude. It just caught us off guard. I mean, we didn’t even—” He stops talking when he hears the toilet flush.
I give them one more look before I rush back. The sink water is running. I put my hands on my hips and try to calm myself.
When the door opens, she’s surprised I’m still there. “Theo.” Her eyes are rimmed red and the fury runs through me yet again.
My hand comes up to touch her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I know she’s lying because she avoids looking at me. “Okay, fine, I’m a little . . .” My eyebrows go up, and she smiles a bit and releases a little laugh. “Okay, no.”
“I’m sorry.” I kiss her lips. “That?—”
“It’s fine,” she brushes it off, and I have to wonder how many times she has done this. How many times has someone made her feel like this, and she just brushed it off? I have to stop myself from wondering because again the anger surfaces, and I recall her voice from the car: I’m not the girl you bring home to your parents. “We should get out there. Your parents are going to think I’m rude.”
I shake my head. “You need to stop fucking thinking about everyone else and think about yourself,” I mumble, but I walk out with her.
My parents stand up. “Collins,” my mother starts, “we are so sorry.” I can see the tears in her eyes. “That was . . .” She puts her hand to her chest. “That was not the best first impression of me.”
“It’s okay. I know this is a big thing”—Collins puts her shoulders back—“and the last person you expected was someone like . . .” Her voice quivers. She can’t even finish the sentence.
“Oh, honey,” my mother murmurs, coming to her and hugging her, “it’s not you. Of course it isn’t you.” She rubs her back. “Of course he would want to be with you. Look at you, you’re a bombshell.”
“She’s more than just pretty, Mom,” I snap at my mother.
“I know that,” my mother hisses at me. “I’m just saying that she’s beautiful, so it’s no surprise you would go for her.” I look at my father, who is just watching everything. “I know what it feels like to go to meet the parents of the man you love.” She lets her go, holding on to her arms, rubbing up and down. Collins swallows, and I wonder if she wanted to correct my mother. “The first time I met Blake’s parents was because my ex-in-laws were suing me for custody.” Collins gasps, and her hand immediately goes to her stomach. My mother’s eyes go soft. “You’re going to be a great mother, Collins.” She smiles at her. “And I can’t wait to spoil him or her.”
“As long as the baby is healthy,” Collins responds, “that’s all I wish for.”
My mother’s smile broadens, and she looks at my father. “We have to set up a family dinner and get everyone over so they can meet Collins.”