Page 30 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

“Reading between the lines, I bet you were a pretty great soccer player.”

“I was decent,” Nico repeated. “But I wasn’t that excited about it. I was the kind of kid and teenager who preferred to be inside with a book than outdoors playing in the grass. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed much more of an enjoyment for the outdoors, but when I was younger, it wasn’t really there. Now, Louis is the opposite. He loves his dinosaurs and reading, but if he has an option, he almost always chooses to go outside and run around than stay inside. It’s been good for me, I think, because it’s gotten me out more.”

“I was quite an outdoorsy child myself,” Lauren said. “My grandfather lived near the edge of town and we spent a lot of weekends exploring the forest nearby or walking around the farms. Even now I don’t know how children can grow up in a city without having plenty of space to run and play.”

“I never knew anything but the city. I think even Louis thinks that the wilderness is the big city park near our house.”

Lauren smiled. “Paris does have some big parks, so I could see how he’d mistake them for the wilderness.”

“Maybe I should take him out of the city more often, though.” Nico tilted his head. Parenting was an issue he felt very strongly about. Since he was Louis’s one and only parent now, he had to be right and he had to do his best. Whenever someone criticized his choices, or even made a casual comment against them like Lauren had done, he felt defensive. But for some reason, Lauren’s comment about children growing up in cities made him think instead of putting him on edge.

“I’ve heard wonderful things about the French countryside. Aren’t there lots of rolling hills and butterflies?”

Nico chuckled. “Sometimes. But I suppose it’s like the countryside most places. There are some idyllic picnic spots and some fields that smell like cows.”

“I suppose.”

“And on that note, we’re here.” Nico opened the door of the café, releasing Lauren’s hand with some regret as he did so. She entered the café and took a deep breath of the chocolatey air. Nico smiled at her obvious enjoyment.

“This smells great.”

“I know. I love it. Here, I like this table by the window.”

They took seats across from each other at the small round table, and a waiter promptly came over to check on them.

“Two classic hot chocolates, please,” Nico said. “If you’re okay with that,” he added in English for Lauren’s benefit.

“Oui,” she said with a grin. The waiter nodded, made a note, and headed toward the kitchen. “I know it’s too early to say, but I think my French is already getting better.”

“You’re probably right,” Nico said. “Sometimes just living in a place where the language is spoken all the time is all you need to improve quickly.”

“Yeah, and it probably doesn’t hurt that I’m actually trying again after years of not speaking any French.”

“True. If you want to speak French with me sometimes, we can. I am your professor, after all.” Nico winked.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Now I’m one of those girls who dates her professor. And for all you know, it’s so that I can get a better grade in your class.” Lauren wiggled her eyebrows.

“I knew it all along.” Nico shook his head. “That’s why you turned up in my neighborhood in distress two weeks ago. You knew even before you got the job at the college that your grade in a casual community French class would be essential to your future happiness.”

“I did.” Lauren nodded firmly. “It’s been hard, but you have to do what you have to do.”

“Et maintenant, nous allons parler en français,” Nico continued. Lauren blinked at him, so he repeated the phrase more slowly. Her confused look cleared and she grinned.

“Oui. Mais je ne parle pas bien.”

“I would have to disagree. That was great!”

“But you switched back to English.” Lauren raised her eyebrows. “That means you must not trust my French skills.”

“Now I’m offended.” Nico clasped his hand to his chest. “Your French is wonderful. Encore, en français.”

They spent the next half an hour or so speaking French. Lauren’s French was still limited and a little clumsy, but she was able to hold up her side of a conversation about the colors of nearby objects, then about their hobbies, then about numbers. Finally, Lauren dropped her head onto the table.

“Please, let’s go back to English for a bit. My brain feels like it’s going to explode.”

Nico chuckled. “I felt the same way when I first learned English as a child. That’s why it was so important to me to raise Louis to be bilingual.”

“Did you just speak English to him half the time until he learned it?”

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