Page 136 of Curveball

He squeezes my hand. “That’s amazing.”

I nod. “I know. And he had two other kids. I have a brother and sister.”

He blows out a breath. “Wow. Have you met them?”

I shake my head. “No. They reached out to my mom about meeting me. I wasn’t in the right headspace at the time.” I quietly add, “With you and the baby.”

He squeezes my hand again. “I’m sorry for how I reacted when I found out you were pregnant. I think I was in shock.”

“I don’t understand what’s changed for you. You’re a different person from the Quincy I’ve known.”

“We’ll talk inside. We’re just about there.”

We pull onto a small, one-way city street. I see a restaurant that clearly serves pizza. “Is this the place you told me about?”

He has a huge smile on his handsome face. “Yep. You have to reserve your dough in advance. It’s the best pizza I’ve ever had, and you know that means a lot coming from me. I can’t wait for you to taste it.”

We walk in, and the owners seem to know him. A few patrons ask for photos and autographs, per normal when Quincy goes anywhere in public. Two or three even recognize me and ask for the same. While we’re always happy to indulge fans, some of them are simply taking pictures of Quincy andme without our permission as we walk through the restaurant hand in hand. He doesn’t seem bothered by it.

I whisper, “I think people are photographing us.”

He shrugs. “Who cares? Let them take their pictures and post them. I have nothing to hide.”

I swallow down my emotions. He has no idea how much that means to me.

We’re shown to a booth big enough for four people, but Quincy sits on the same side as me and pulls me close. I’m confused by this shift in him. Loving, sweet, affectionate Quincy is new to me.

The waitress, in a thick Philly accent, asks us what we want, the only options being pizza or pizza. I leave it to Quincy to pick our toppings.

He pours our wine and holds up his glass. “I know we’ve taken a weird road, but we’ve managed to create the most perfect baby girl. Well, you did almost all the work, so thank you for taking such good care of her. She’s changed my life for the better. You both have.”

Tears fill my eyes as I clink my glass with his. “Quincy, you’re not supposed to make your dates cry, at least not at the beginning of the date.”

He smiles. “You know I’m new at this. I’ll do my best to only make you cry at the end of the night.”

I giggle. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After a few sips of wine, I ask what I’ve been dying to ask since Arizona told me about Quincy’s disappearing act. “Tell me where you went after Thanksgiving. Tell me what’s gone on for you to change your tune about me. About us. I need to understand it.”

He briefly brings his lips together in a thin line asif it’s hard for him to talk about. “I finally had it out with my father after you left on Thanksgiving.”

“I think it was long overdue.”

He nods as he lets out a long breath. “I should probably go back to the beginning. As you know, I spent my whole life drilling into my head that I didn’t want a family, but even before you told me about the pregnancy, I was starting to question things. You know full well I simply couldn’t let you go.”

“I suppose.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this? I’m about to lay a lot on you, but I want total transparency. It’s part of my healing, and I think it’s what you and I need. It’s heavy, and it took me a long time to come to terms with it all myself.”

I nod. “Tell me. I want to understand what’s going on in your head.”

“Since the minute I saw you up on that ladder when you were sixteen, something shifted in me. And then when you fully gave yourself to me two years later, there was never a chance of going back. Any women I’ve been with since were faceless and nameless. A poor substitute for the woman I couldn’t get out of my mind. And then this marriage with benefits thing fell in my lap. It was the perfect solution. We could be together but not in a way that frightened me. It was a good few years. A great few years. And then you told me you loved me. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my behavior. I realized that I freaked out because I felt it too but never wanted to let myself go there. I was immature and mistreated you, and I’ll forever be regretful about that.”

Tears fall freely from my eyes. I whisper, “Quincy.” Him admitting all this to me is a big deal.

He takes my hands in his. “Let me continue.”

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