Page 90 of The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand
That’s odd. She normally doesn’t call me.
“Hey, Billie. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah…just, um…calling to see how you’re doing.” She paused. “I had lunch with Devyn yesterday, and she ended up telling me about the pregnancy.”
My mouth fell open. “Exactlyhow muchdo you know?”
“I know it might not be yours.”
“Wow. Okay. I’m surprised she said anything. I didn’t think—”
“She wasn’t planning to, but she got pretty emotional, and it sort of came out.” She paused. “Don’t worry. I haven’t told Colby or anyone else and don’t plan to.”
Phew.Because if Colby knew, the other guys would inevitably find out.
“How are you holding up?” she asked.
Billie wasn’t someone to beat around the bush.
“Not good.” I sighed. “I’m like an oscillating fan. My brain keeps moving from side to side—one second I’m angry and jealous that she could be carrying some other guy’s baby, and the next, I’m hoping it could be mine.” I stared over at an old woman peeling an orange on the bench across from me. “But I’m also scared, Billie. Because I don’t know shit about babies, and I’m not ready for this. On the other hand, I’m also not ready to lose Devyn.” I stared up at the sky. “It’s just…a lot.”
“You have every right to be confused and scared, Owen. It’s not an easy situation. I mainly called because I wanted to let you know I’m here if you want to talk. Like I said, I won’t say anything to Colby until you and Devyn tell me to. It’s not my news to share. I assume you might want to wait until you know whether it’s yours.”
The idea of having to tell the guys Devyn was pregnant with someone else’s baby made me nauseous. Fucking Brayden would continue to try to guess who “the actor” was. And I’d want to punch him.
“Thank you, Billie. I appreciate your discretion, and I have no idea when I plan to tell anyone. I haven’t thought it through. I’m trying to grasp the magnitude of this myself before I begin letting other people’s opinions in on the matter.”
“I hear you.” She sighed. “Life is funny, Owen. We don’t always know why certain things happen. Sometimes you have to go along for the ride and see where it leads.”
I shut my eyes for a moment. “How was she—Devyn—at lunch? You said she was emotional?”
“She’s stressed to the max. She feels terrible for putting you in this position.”
I shook my head. “She shouldn’t. It takes two to tango. This is as much my responsibility as it is hers.” An urgency to see her grew in my chest. “I’m glad you called. I’ve been trying to give her space, but now that I know she opened up to you, I feel better.”
“I don’t get the impression that space is what she needs right now.”
My chest hurt. “Thank you.” I nodded. “I needed to hear that.”
After I hung up with Billie, I shot off the bench and went back to the building instead of back to work. In my rush to leave, I disrupted a group of pigeons, who flew away from me in unison. I laughed for the first time in days, thinking about the giggling little boy.
And about my little boy—or girl.
My child—or not.
***
When Devyn opened the door forty-five minutes later, I held up a Key lime pie I’d picked up on the way home.
“I thought maybe you could use this.”
Her mouth spread into a smile. “It’s not gonna solve all of my problems, but it sure as heck won’t hurt, Dawson. You know I never turn down Key lime pie.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”
“I heard the way to your heart is through your stomach.” I placed my free hand on her belly.That sort of has double meaning now.A jolt of electricity shot through me as I felt the heat of her abdomen.My baby could be in there. Holy shit.I shook the thought from my head. Devyn covered my hand with hers. Our eyes locked for a few moments, and even though I wanted to kiss her, I refrained. It didn’t seem like the right moment.
Instead, I set the pie on her coffee table and said, “You know what I realized today?”
“What a clusterfuck my life is?” she answered.