Chapter 26 Before
Before
Annabelle twirled the stem of her wineglass in her hand, hoping that Randy wouldn’t notice she’d yet to take a sip. She’d arrived at his house a little while ago and was trying to work up the nerve to tell him her news.
“What do you think about going to the Bahamas over spring recess?” Randy asked, taking a long swallow of his wine.
“Um, yeah, maybe. But there’s something I need to talk to you about first.”
He put his glass down. “What is it?”
She blew out a pent-up breath. “Okay so, remember a while back, when we didn’t use a condom?”
His eyes grew wide. “Yeah?”
“Well, turns out we should have. I’m five weeks pregnant.” Annabelle looked straight ahead as the words left her lips, afraid to meet Randy’s eyes.
“Oh. I was not expecting that. What, I mean, how are you…what are you thinking you want to do?”
“I’m not sure. I guess I was wondering what your thoughts were.”
He stood up and began to pace, not speaking for a few minutes, then came back over and sat down, taking her hands in his.
“Look, I love you. This is a shock for sure, but I’m here whatever you decide.
I’ve always wanted kids, and if you want…
I mean, it happened quickly, but we know how we feel about each other. ”
She looked deep into his eyes, trying to discern if he was merely trying to make her feel better, or if he was sincere.
“I was really freaked out at first, but, yeah, there’s a part of me that thinks maybe it’s meant to be.
I think I’d like to keep it. I’ve always been a believer in fate.
But what about money? You’re still trying to make a name as a journalist, and no offense, I can’t believe the university pays its professors that much. ”
“None taken. And you’re right. I’m not rolling in it, but we can figure it out. If you move in here, that saves your rent.”
“What about James? It’s not fair to him for me to move in. And then when the baby comes, what then?”
“Slow down. You’re due when?”
“September.”
“It’s February. James won’t care if you move in now. You’re here a lot anyhow, and he adores you. Our lease renews in August, so at that point he can find a new roommate, and you and I will get a place together.”
“I don’t need to move in yet. Everything’s happening too fast. I haven’t even decided for sure what I’m going to do. I’m still worried about finding a job. I mean, who’s going to want to hire me when I’m out to here?” She held her hands out in front of her stomach.
“You’ll find a job.” Randy bit his lip. “You know what, let me check with a friend of mine. He’s got a marketing company that does social media for a bunch of brands.”
“That would be great,” she said, her spirits soaring. This was going so much better than she’d dared hope. She put a hand on his arm. “Are you sure about this? I need to know that you really want this. I couldn’t take it if you started to resent me.”
He gave her a tender kiss on the lips. “Annabelle, I love you. I’m not going anywhere.”