Page 40 of His Bittersweet Regret

Opal: Why is Marsh waiting outside my doctor’s office?

Ryker: I couldn’t miss school today and he deserves to go to at least one appointment, don’t you think?

Opal: He’s had eight months to do that.

Ryker: Technically, he’s only had about a month since he found out. Let him do this, Opal. I think you both need it and before long my nephew will be here, and he will need for his parents to be able to have a conversation without yelling and anger involved. That has to start somewhere.

Opal: Fine.

“You want me to go with you for support?” Joe asked, making me realize we’d been sitting there idle the whole time.

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, Joe. I was just hashing something out with Ryker.”

He chuckled. “Opal, it isn’t a problem at all. My offer wasn’t meant to get you out of my car. It was a legitimate offer. If you need a buffer, I’ll come stand by your side while you go through your appointment.”

“Thanks, but I think I can handle it.”

“Do you want me to wait until you’re done?”

I shook my head. “There’s no telling how long the wait will be once I get in there, so if you get another customer, you should take it.”

“All right, just text when you’re done, and I’ll head back this way. If you need someone before then, let me know.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because you strike me as one of those people who deserves to be treated well, but it seems like everyone else has been dropping the ball. Maybe one day, when you’re ready, you’ll let me prove that there is someone out there who will appreciate and put you first. No pressure. You have enough on your plate right now, and I get that.”

I blushed profusely. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

“Yeah, Opal. I’m telling you that when you’re ready, I’d like to take you out on a date.”

“But, I’m about to have a baby,” I argued.

“That might be true, but you’re still a wonderful person with a great sense of humor, even when life has you down. I spend a lot of time with my nieces, so I’m not afraid to date a woman with kids. The ups and downs of parenthood aren’t new to me.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I chose to remain silent, but offered a smile and a nod as I got out of his car.

“Who is that?” Marsh asked as he bent down to get a better look at the man who just dropped me off. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Seriously, Marsh? You can fuck whomever you want, and rub it in my face, but you’re getting defensive because I got out of the back seat of some man’s car?”

The tips of his ears turned red. Whether shame, embarrassment, or jealousy caused that, I didn’t know and honestly didn’t care either.

“It was just a question, Opal. He looked familiar.”

“He’s a friend of Jimmy’s, so that’s altogether possible.” Marsh seemed relieved by that statement, and it bothered me, so I threw in the latest development in my life for him to chew on.

“He did ask me out though. He was a gentleman about it, and patient with my situation, knowing I wasn’t ready yet. Who knows? After the baby arrives, I might take him up on it.”

“Are you trying to hurt me?”

I stopped walking and turned to look him in the eye. “No. I’m not trying to hurt you at all. It’s just the reality of what’s probably going to happen. Better that you have time to adjust now. I know what it’s like to be blindsided by you telling me that you were leaving so that you could be with other women. At least you have the chance to get used to the idea and figure out how to deal with it. Besides, you left me seven months ago. You couldn’t possibly think I’d wait around on you to come back, could you?”

“Jesus, Opal,” he breathed out while holding onto his chest. I wasn’t a fan of hurting people for the sake of hurting them, or even out of revenge, but maybe Marsh needed a better understanding of what he’d put me through for all these months.

“I’m really not comfortable with you attending this appointment with me.”

“That’s my baby,” he murmured.

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