Page 36 of Remember That Time

Gianni snorted as he glanced away. "A little thing like a baby or two. Seriously?"

"My hope is that I am the father of your baby," I admitted. "I'd be thrilled if you were carrying my kid and not some random stranger’s. You need to remember, I tried to date you before I even knew you were pregnant so this isn't about the baby. It's about us."

That was as real as I could get at the moment. I felt as if we were both holding our breath until we got those test results back. We were in limbo, not being able to go forward and not being able to go backward.

"There's nothing we can do anyway until we get the test done and the results come back, but I would like this all to be out there in the open. I want to date you, whether it is your baby and my baby or our baby, with the idea of pursuing a possible future with you."

Gianni just stared at me, making me grow nervous. Was he against the idea of us dating? He had said he wasn't in a place in his life where he could date, but that was before his admission that he was pregnant. Was that still true?

"What do you think?" I finally asked, growing nervous. "You haven't said a word."

"You really want to date me even knowing that I could be pregnant with some random stranger's baby?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "If you understand and accept the fact that there might be some random stranger out there pregnant with my baby."

After a moment, Gianni nodded and my heart began to flutter with joy. "Do you mean that? You'll date me with the idea of a possible future together?"

"I think at this point, we should stick to the getting to know you phase, but I suppose you could consider this our first date."

I mentally thrust my fist into the air.

"Okay then." I grinned at Gianni, flashing him my brightest smile.

Vasso delivered our dinner right after that. I could barely contain my excitement as we began to eat. Gianni had agreed to date me. It wasn't marriage by any means, but we could work up to that. I wanted him to know I was serious about us. I wasn't just trying to get him into bed.

"You said you planned to take a year off?"

Gianni nodded. "Once the term ends, which is in a couple of weeks. I don't think it's a good idea to be pregnant and working my crazy schedule at the same time."

"So, what are your plans then?"

"I don't have any actually. I'll be moving back to my parents' house for right now. Whether I remain there or move out on my own remains to be seen. I'm not going to make any major decisions right now."

That was probably a good idea.

"If you ever need a sounding board or just someone to talk to about everything, I'm available."

Gianni smiled brightly. "I appreciate that."

Our conversation was stilted for a bit and then it wasn't. The more we talked, the easier it seemed to get. By the time dinner was done and Vasso had cleared away the dishes, we were both relaxed.

I think that was a good thing.

"So, do you like my view?"

Gianni chuckled. "I do. It's very relaxing."

I'd always thought so.

"It's especially nice in the summer months, but the winter is nice, too. I tend to stay indoors then, of course, but I like keeping the curtains open so I can watch the snow fall. Up here, looking down on the city when it's covered in snow, it's kind of magical."

"Do you ever dance in the rain?"

I blinked at Gianni. "I haven't in the past, but I'd be open to it." If Gianni wanted to dance in the rain, I'd be right there holding my hand out to him.

"I love to dance in the rain," Gianni admitted. "Not storm rain, but just your normal every day rain. There's something cleansing about it."

I guess I could see that.

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