9. Willa
CHAPTER NINE
WILLA
T he drive to Trevor’s apartment is quiet.
Nope, worse. Silent . He turned the radio off in his SUV as soon as he slid in the driver’s seat, and neither of us have said a word.
How do you open Pandora ’ s box when it should have stayed hidden on the shelf ?
Once he pulls into the parking garage and cuts the engine, we inhale simultaneously.
I haven’t been able to look at him since I erupted into tears in his arms. Talk about awkward.
Weeping over client photos is one thing, but sobbing in the arms of your one-night stand because he knocked you up is another thing entirely.
I couldn’t get ahold of the tears before they fell.
I’m embarrassed, to say the least. This whole situation is embarrassing.
I’m used to being called a screwup, but it took thirty-one years and one drunken night for me to feel like it might be true.
“Come on, Jim,” he says, reaching for his door handle. I take another couple of breaths, and by the time I reach for mine, he’s already opening my door, offering his hand to help me out. Once I’m safely on the ground, he doesn’t let go, despite my tugging.
Trevor’s place is neat, organized, and bare.
He has no pictures or artwork on the walls.
No knick-knacks scattered around the few books on the built-in mahogany shelves.
Not even a throw blanket or pillows on the dark leather couch.
There’s a TV on the wall, a desktop in the corner, and a whole lot of white space.
I’m surprised the windows have curtains.
He slides his wallet and keys onto the white granite countertop in the kitchen and walks toward the fridge. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? If I don’t have it, we can order in. You need lots of snacks when you’re…”
“Pregnant, yeah. I got the whole spiel last week when I fainted at work.”
“You what?” He abandons the fridge and rushes to my side. “You fainted?”
“Yeah. That’s how I found out I was pregnant. I passed out at work. Ashlie had to take me to urgent care. She knows, by the way, which means Hunter does too.”
His face twists like I’m missing the point. “I don’t care who knows, Willa. Are you okay? What did the doctor say?”
“I hadn’t eaten all day, and my blood pressure was low. It’s all better now.” Even as I’m saying it, he guides me to his naked couch and plops me down on it.
“You can’t stand too fast. Your body’s redirecting all your?—”
“Yeah, I know. Slow down . Eat snacks . Sleep when the baby sleeps . I got it. How do you know all this stuff?”
“My sister’s an OBGYN.” He smiles, and it strikes me this is the first one I’ve seen from him since I shared the news.
I’ve never seen him go this long without it.
He must really be freaking out inside. “She made me watch a ton of medical documentaries with her growing up. I could have gotten an honorary degree.”
“Cool.” I give him a sarcastic thumbs-up and scan the empty room again, suddenly realizing how much I don’t know about this man. By the looks of his apartment, he might be a serial killer. “Why haven’t you decorated? Did you just move in?”
“Nope. It’s been”—he blows out a breath—“two years now? I’m hardly ever home, so it feels like a waste of time.”
“It’s weird, Trevor.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.
My sister had to force me to decorate my room growing up.
When I moved out after high school, it just never seemed that important.
Military life helped with that too.” He sits on the couch next to me, flexes his fingers, and slowly reaches for my hands.
“Look, I’ve been trying to figure out how to start this conversation.
So I’ll just… Are you…do you want to keep the baby? ”
“Of course I do,” I say with a bite to my voice, trying to pull my hands free. “If you don’t want to be involved, that’s fine?—”
“Whoa. Hey. I didn’t want to assume. It’s your body, and I’m trying to be supportive. Have you had your first appointment yet?”
“It’s on Thursday.”
“Okay. I’ll fly out Wednesday night.”
“What? No.” I shake my head emphatically. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Willa—”
“This thing is smaller than a blueberry. The appointment will only be, like, ten minutes long. I can handle it by myself.”
“No.” He shakes his head.
“What the hell do you mean, ‘no’?”
“Willa, you’re not doing any of this alone. I’m as much responsible for this as you are, and I have a duty to take care of you while you grow our child.”
Our child . There’s no hesitation from him. No reticence. He said it so casually, as if it’s absurd for me to think he wouldn’t come to my first appointment. Like I should know he’s all in. “It’s fine. I’m used to doing things by myself.”
“Well, not this. Not with me. Whether you like it or not, we’re doing this together. I’ll fly into LAX on Wednesday night and drive you to the appointment on Thursday.
“So you’re my handler now?” Heat flushes through me as I scowl. “I’m pregnant, not dead. I can drive myself.”
“No. ”
“Trevor—”
“Nope. I’m flying out, and I’m driving. Find a way to cope with it.”
I’m speechless, mouth hinged open as I stare at his dimpled smile.
He’s not being rude about it, but the assertive way he keeps shutting me down has me reeling.
This man is determined to drive me crazy for the next nine months, and because he’s half of the speck of life growing inside me, I don’t have any other choice but to let him.