Page 258 of Cheater

“Do you care what color we paint the baby’s room? I like this one if it’s a girl. If it’s a boy, I’m not sure which blue I like. Maybe this one?”

His eyes are on me with laser-focus. “The baby’s room?”

“My room was purple when I was a little girl. I just loved it. I didn’t want pink. If it’s a girl and she wants it to be pink, it’ll be pink, but I was thinking a soft lavender first and go from there. If it’s a boy… this blue is kind of nice.” I point to the one closest to robin’s egg. “Though if he or she wants it pink or purple or heaven forbid… neon green – blech – we’ll paint it that.”

Derek jumps up. Not to the floor. He’s standing on the bed, looking down at me.

“Baby’s room?” he repeats.

I bite my lip and nod.

He stares at my naked body and frowns.

“My belly hasn’t popped yet. It probably will in a couple of weeks, though. I haven’t had morning sickness yet, but I’ve been super-tired, and my boobs have been sore.”

“You…” He gives his head a shake. “Wait. What?”

“The pill was in my bra, Derek. I didn’t take it. I thought about it. Believe me, I did. I even unwrapped it. But I couldn’t do it.” I shrug.

“There weren’t any doctor’s appointments in the logs.”

I shake my head. “I called my doctor and she said to start taking prenatal vitamins and to come in at twelve weeks for my first official appointment. I’m not at twelve weeks yet. Do you want to come?”

At least no one was listening to my calls while he was in the hospital.

He falls to his knees on the bed. I sit up and reach to undo his necklace.

“You’re carrying my baby?”

“That’s why you can’t finish all the milk, Derek.”

He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh. “I drank all the milk.”

“Yeah. Don’t do that.”

He winces. “I threw you on this bed.”

“It’s okay. I landed on my back. I bounced. Put these on me.” I pull the rings off the gold chain.

“Fuck, Chloe.” He puts his forehead to mine. “Fuck, baby.”

His hand splays across my stomach, then he moves down, kissing his way down to my stomach.

When he gets there, he presses a kiss just above my belly button, then just below it, before resting his chin there, love shining in his eyes.

“When you were here for me when she died and at her funeral, it meant so much. When you finally started to let me in, let yourself fall that afternoon, it was everything. I… I’m sorry I fucked it up,” he says.

I swallow down a lump of emotion, eyes filling with tears.

“I’m sorry for all the times I made you sad, scared, angry.”

I nod, chin trembling.

“And you should know… I’d do it all over again to be right here, you looking at me like this, my child growing inside you.”

“I know,” I tell him, handing him the rings.

He carefully puts them on my ring finger and kisses it.

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