Page 14 of Can We Try?

* * *

Me: Are you home?

His reply is immediate.

Lachlan: Headed there now. Just left the shop.

Me: Can I come by?

Lachlan: Of course. Is everything okay?

* * *

I’ve never asked to come to his place, and I can only imagine what he thinks my reason is now. I’ve been there with the group, but not on my own. “I’m sorry,” I whisper because I’m about to change his life too.

* * *

Me: Yes. I’ll see you soon.

* * *

Tossing my phone back into my purse, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I don’t want to do this, but I know that I have to. It’s the right thing to do, and I don’t want to keep this from him. It’s only fair he finds out. To be honest, I should have told him before now and asked him to come with me today, but I just couldn’t do that. I needed to do this part on my own. I needed to let this truth sink in before talking to him.

No more excuses. It’s time for the hard conversation. I’ve rehearsed this a million times, but that doesn’t make this any easier.

I pull into Lachlan’s driveway just as he’s climbing out of his truck. I don’t give myself time to stall, so I grab my keys and phone and climb out of the car.

“Hey, you.” He comes over and wraps me in a hug. “What’s going on?”

“Can we go inside and talk?”

“Sure.” He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me onto the porch. With one hand, he unlocks and opens the door, guiding me inside. “Do you want something to drink?”

My stomach rolls. Whoever said morning sickness lied. It’s all damn day. “No, thank you.”

“Have a seat.” I do as he says, and perch on the edge of the couch while Lachlan takes the recliner. His blue eyes are boring into mine, willing me to tell him why I’m here.

Placing my phone and keys on the table in front of me, I fold my hands in my lap, take a deep breath, and meet his gaze. “I’ve gone over this a thousand times in my head, but now that I’m here with you, it’s all gone.”

“It’s just me, Mags. You can tell me anything,” Lachlan says gently.

He’s right. I need to just pull the Band-Aid off, so to speak. “I’m pregnant.” I blurt it out and wait for his reaction.

Lachlan’s mouth falls open, but he quickly closes it. “Okay.” He nods and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

He’s not giving me anything else, so I keep going. “I’m keeping this baby. I want you to know you don’t need to do anything. You don’t have to do anything, but I want this baby.” My hands go to my belly. “I just found out a few days ago, and I just came from a doctor’s appointment, and I love this baby already, Lachlan. So, I’m doing this. I don’t expect anything from you, and I’ll tell the girls I don’t know the father, that it was a one-night stand, and I’ll keep my distance.” I ramble on and then clamp my mouth shut when his shock turns to anger.

“Why the hell would you tell them you don’t know who the father is?” He stands up and paces the small living room. He turns to face me, not stopping his pacing, and slaps his chest hard. “I’m the father, Maggie. Me. That’s my baby.”

“I didn’t know how you would feel, and I wanted you to know that I can do this. I’m sorry it happened, but I love this little one, Lachlan.”

He stops pacing and comes to stand before me. He stares down at me for several heartbeats before he drops to his knees and takes my hands in his. “Don’t apologize to me. I was there. I was in that room, in that moment with you, Maggie, and dammit, to hear you say you don’t want me in my child’s life, that cuts deep.”

“No. No, that’s not—I didn’t mean—” I stop and take a deep breath, and collect my thoughts. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t want you in this baby’s life, just that I didn’t expect you to be. I can handle this, and you have the choice to stay or walk away. Either way, it’s your choice. Just like raising this baby is my choice.”

“There is no choice, Maggie. I’m this baby’s father.” His eyes drop to my belly, and the look of longing I see on his face has tears springing in my eyes. I don’t know why I do it, but I take one of his hands and place it over my still-flat belly.

When he finally looks up at me, there are tears in his eyes. “Can we try?”

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