Page 13 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

He finally blinked, feeling like he’d just surfaced from deep water. “Pregnant?” The word felt foreign, heavy, lodged in his throat like a stone. “But how? I mean… I thought—”

“I know. Me too, but evidently not,” she interrupted, her hands still gripping his shoulders tightly, grounding herself. “But it’s real, and I’m scared.”

He could see the vulnerability in her eyes. He barely knew her, they had just one night that felt more like a passing moment than a connection. The thought of a child—of anything tying them together—was overwhelming. “Why didn’t you—how did you find out?”

“I thought I was sick at first. But when I realized my period was late, I took a test.” She took a deep breath, glancing away as if trying to gather her thoughts.

The impact of her words hit him hard. He briefly considered that she might be lying, attempting to trick him into a false scenario. However, he couldn’t take that chance. She was clearly afraid, and if there was even the slightest possibility of a child being involved, he would stand by her side.

“What do you want to do?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, his mind racing through all the possibilities.

She looked back at him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I don’t know. I just thought maybe I should tell you, because it’s your baby.” The way she said it—tentative, almost as if she were waiting for him to reject the very idea—pierced him.

“My baby,” he repeated, the gravity of it hitting him like a tidal wave. “I didn’t even know you were and now… I just can’t wrap my head around this.”

“I know,” she replied, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I didn’t think this would happen. I didn’t plan for it. But here we are.”

He took a step back, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process everything. “So what happens now? Do you want me involved? Because I don’t even know how to be a part of this.”

Allison swallowed hard, her expression turning serious. “I’m not asking you to decide anything right now. I’m still trying to figure this out myself.”

The tension in the air felt palpable, stretching between them like a tightrope. Angelo searched for words, something to ease the uncertainty, but nothing came. He felt like a deer caught in headlights, completely unprepared for what lay ahead.

“Okay, but I don’t want to walk away from this. I don’t want to pretend it’s not happening.”

“I don’t want you to walk away either,” she said, her voice firmer now, though he could see the tremor still lurking beneath the surface. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Me neither,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But we’ll figure it out.”

A flicker of hope crossed her face, but it was quickly overshadowed by uncertainty. “I don’t want to trap you in this,” Allison said, her voice breaking. “You deserve to have a choice.”

He stepped closer, trying to reassure her. “You’re not trapping me. This is a choice we both have to make.” Angelo’s heart ached at the thought of her being alone in this. “We don’t have to rush. Let’s take some time to think.”

She nodded, her eyes searching his. “Okay. But I really need your support, Angelo. Whatever that looks like.”

He reached out, brushing his fingers against her arm. “How about we go get a cup of coffee tomorrow morning?” he suggested, trying to keep the tone light while knowing the weight of what it meant.

She blinked, appearing momentarily surprised. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, we can talk more about… all this,” he said, motioning between them. “I think we need to lay everything out, figure out a plan.”

Her expression softened slightly, as if the idea of sharing a simple cup of coffee made the situation feel a little less daunting.“That sounds good. I could use some caffeine. And maybe a pastry.”

“Definitely a pastry. We can’t take on the world on an empty stomach.” He forced a smile, hoping to ease some of the tension that still lingered in the air. Angelo took out his phone. “Give me your number. Pick a place and text me the address.”

Allison hesitated for just a moment, then reached for his phone. “Okay,” she said, tapping her number into his contacts. “I’ll send you the details tonight.”

“Sounds good.” He took a breath, feeling the gravity of the situation settling in again.

They stood there for a moment longer, the reality of the situation hanging between them, but at least now there was a small glimmer of hope—a shared understanding that they would face this uncertain future side by side, one step at a time.

Four

ALLISON

Hours after the meeting, Allison was still dizzy over the fact AngelofuckingTaylor was her baby daddy.

Why couldn’t he be a random stranger?

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