Page 20 of All Her Broken Pieces

“You need surgery, I take it? And they want to do the procedure soon, but your emergency contacts all have conflicts?”

“They do, but I’ll figure it out.” She withdraws her hand from mine, and I feel the loss of her warmth immediately.

“I can help.”

“No, absolutely not.”

“My Nonna died of cancer last year, and I was her primary caretaker. I spent months as her nurse, so a few weeks helping you would be easy.”

It broke me seeing the strong, feisty woman I loved slowly lose that strength as she succumbed to her illness. This must be the reason the universe put Bridget in my path. I need a do-over. And I can prove to her that I can be helpful and worth her time and affection, and maybe one day her love.

“I’m not asking you to do that.”

“No, I’m offering. Are you worried I’ll have to change your diapers? Because I have experience with that too,” I joke, attempting to lighten her mood.

“Jesus,” she groans, unamused, but I see her turn slightly to hide her smile before she straightens and addresses me. “Look, you’re a nice young man?—”

“Nope, I’m going to stop you right there. You keep throwing my age at me like it’s a weapon. I’m not here begging for more dates with you because of your age or mine. I’m not here offering you help because of age.” I pull her into me before flashing her my dimple, which I’ve figured out is her kryptonite. “And my desire to fuck you has nothing to do with age. I like you as a person, not a number. Please let me do this for you.”

“That fucking dimple.” She drops her head against my chest. “I’m not saying yes. I will keep you as an option, but not if you mention diapers again.”

“Fair enough. That’s all I’m asking for.” For now.

CHAPTER6

Bridget

Ethan stayedthrough dinner before I cut him free with a short kiss at the door. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what he possibly sees in me, and I cannot let him continue chasing me. It’s a waste of both of our time. Especially now with my cyst. While it’s unlikely, and I’m basing most of my information on Google because I couldn’t ask the nurse any questions in front of Ethan, I’ve found out that while this procedure may not make me infertile, the likelihood of me having children will significantly decrease. If my age hasn’t already impacted that.

There’s a sadness that lingers in the back of my brain about it. I’ve never wanted children. But knowing now with certainty that the odds really are against me brings out a melancholy in me I didn’t know existed. Not sadness over not having children, but over the loss of the choice. I’ve felt good about my decision not to have them, but now the choice might not even be mine. And I feel guilty over that when there are women out there who are heartbroken over not conceiving, and I’m heartbroken over the lack of a choice. What is wrong with me?

And then there’s Becka. She’s going to start pestering me with questions about my test results, and if I tell her the truth, she’ll want to stay and take care of me, especially since she already knows that my parents can’t help. And she doesn’t know about the surprise anniversary trip yet. She’ll try to bail on that to help me, and Robert’s worked hard planning this for her. I’m going to have to tell partial truths and find someone who’s not Ethan to help me.

Like clockwork, my phone lights up with a text.

Becka

Any word from the doctor yet?

Are we drinking coffee or wine?

Does coffee mean everything’s fine, and wine means it’s gone to shit?

You get it.

Coffee

Seriously?

Yup, not cancer.

Also, go ahead and prepare that text for Robert

You’re going to be sitting on his face in the near future

Wait, does this mean you’re seeing Ethan again?

I saw him earlier tonight.

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