Page 35 of Claiming What Is Mine

“I haven’t been able to decide what the right way is, so I’m just going to say it, okay?”

Oh God,this is the talk.

“Mer—”

Meredith leans forward. “I’m pregnant!”

I fall back into the seat beside her, stunned.

Tick—Think something. But I can’t. My mind is frozen. The best I can manage is to think about how I need to think of something. And fast.

Tock—Say something.I recognize the longer the silence, the worse things will be, but my brain is numb.

Tick—Do something.Hug her? Kiss her?I search for the right response—something comforting—but find nothing.

Tock—She’s looking for a reaction.

Tick—Anything is better than sitting here frozen, like an idiot.

“How?” I don’t know where the word came from, but it leaps out when I open my mouth.

Great question. Well done. On second thought, sitting here frozen might have actually been better.

Meredith chuckles as she wipes at the edges of her eyes. “Uh. Well, you see when a man and a woman care about one another…”

“No. I mean. Are you sure? We’ve always been, you know, careful.”

“Almost always,” Meredith corrects.

I shake my head. “When weren’t we? I made sure…”

“Our first time.”

The holes in my recollection of that night are big enough to drive a semi through. I can’t pretend to be surprised that I missed a step. I feel the muscles in my face shift.

Meredith’s face twists with confusion. “Gabe Wilde. Why on Earth are you smiling such a big, cheesy smile?”

“How could I not be? The last piece of the puzzle just fell into place. This is amazing,” I say, as I pull Meredith to her feet. I wrap my arms around her waist and spin us in a circle. “I’m going to be a dad?” My brain hasn’t had time to fully process the implication of the words, but I’m over the moon at the thought. Thunder claps in the distance as the wind picks up.

Meredith stops and backs away to look me in the eyes. “You’re happy?” Her shoulders relax and her look of confusion fades into one of hope. “I thought you’d be devastated.”

“Devastated? Are you kidding me? I’ve been on cloud nine for weeks. The woman I love—the woman I’ve always loved—is back in my life. And now you tell me we’re going to have a family. It’s more than I could’ve wished for. Wait. Why do you seem…less than excited? I thought you wanted kids?”

“I did. I do. I know the timing is all wrong and I should be completely terrified, but being a mother to your child has been a dream of mine since forever. I'm not sure how to take your reaction though. Of all the scenarios I imagined on the drive over, none of them came close to this. I was afraid you'd think this was the worst thing that could ever happen.”

“Not at all. Okay, it’s not the traditional way. I get that. We’re still trying to figure us out. But Mer, if it was ever going to happen, I couldn’t ask for a better woman.” I brush a tear from her cheek. “As for the little Wilde-thing growing in there—” I point to her belly “—I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he—or she—has everything…uh…they need. Just wait and see.”

“But…” Meredith perches on the edge of her seat. “I don’t know what I’ll do about the how and the where?” Her head falls, and the tears return, spilling into her lap. “A baby needs so much. And I don’t exactly have the kind of job to enable me to keep up with diapers and clothes and car seats. I don’t even have a place of my own. It’s overwhelming to think about.”

“Mer. Babe. Hey, look at me.” I crouch in front of her and lift her chin with the tip of my finger. “Everything will be alright. What makes you think you have to solve this all by yourself? We can pack your stuff and move you in here, tonight. As for the rest, we’ll figure it out.”

Meredith shakes her head. “I hardly think that’s a good idea. I mean, it's a sweet thought. It really is. But we're still so new and the last thing I want is to put too much stress on our relationship.” She sighs. “As if a baby isn't stress enough... ”

“Well, respectfully I disagree, but I figured that’s what you’d say. Anyway, it’s an option. A good option, in case you’re keeping score. Consider it a standing invitation. Now, come here, you.”

I take my seat again, and pull Meredith onto my lap. She buries her head in my chest and we sit like that for a while as the thunderstorm moves in. Neither of us seems to know what to say next. Finally, I break the silence. “How did your folks handle it?”

Meredith looks away. “I haven’t told them.”

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