Page 28 of Before I Loved You

I scratch the back of my head. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to him…

“He seemed pissed about something,” Sarah murmurs, staring at his door.

“Yeah.” I lift a shoulder. “I’m sure it has something to do with Vanessa.”

“Are they…?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway. But from that little show, I would say it won’t be much longer,” I note with amusement.

Sarah laughs, and it sends a ripple of tenderness through me.

“Good for them,” she says, folding the jersey. She takes a step toward me, filling the space. “Good night, Paul.” She curls her finger, motioning for me to lean down toward her. Standing on her tiptoes, she rests her free hand against my chest and presses her lips on my cheek.

I stand straight as she smiles and turns, a whiff of her alluring apple and honey aroma filling my nostrils as she enters her apartment.

“Good night, Sarah.”

seven

SARAH

“You’re Sarah Fleur? Paul’s girl?” The older man with salt and pepper hair behind the counter asks with a big, warm smile.

“I…umm, what?” I ask, confused.

“Paul told me he had a ticket on hold for a girl, but he’s never had one put aside for a girl before, so I figured you must be pretty important to him,” he muses, reaching for an envelope.

“Oh. No. I’m just…a friend.”

Baby mama.

Friend.

Either way.

The man hands me my ticket, chuckling. “Well, enjoy the game, Paul’s friend.”

I smile, take the ticket, and head toward the court entrance.

I spent the entire day rehearsing my speech, preparing to give Paul news that would inevitably change his life forever. I had thought the more I repeated the words, “I’m pregnant” and “You’re the father,” the more I would feel ready for what I needed to do. Instead, I feel nauseous and unsure.

I’m overthinking everything.

But I’m prepared to give Paul a choice. He can be a part of our baby’s life or not. It’s up to him. Either way, I know what I want, and if I need to do it alone, then so be it.

As I walk through the hall and into the arena, my mouth falls open in shock. This place is enormous and vastly impressive. I marvel at everything. The lights. The crowd. The atmosphere, which is buzzing with excitement. No wonder why so many people flock here for home games.

Even if, like Paul had mentioned, this isn’t a real game. It still feels like one, though, making me wonder how insane a real game must be.

“Do you need help finding your seat, Miss?” A petite older woman with reddish-brown hair looks up at me as I look down at her.

“Actually, yeah.” I flip over my ticket, revealing my seat number.

“Ah, you’re in the friends and family section. Follow me,” she instructs, turning around and leading us in the right direction.

I follow close behind her, walking on the edge of the court. The teams aren’t out yet, but the game should be starting soon.

“Here you are.” She points to a black leather cushioned seat in the front row directly opposite the home team’s bench. “Enjoy the game.”

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