Page 19 of Zone Protection

“I mean, it’s not ideal timing for either one of us. But I gotta tell you, there’s something about this girl. It wasn’t just good sex. For the first time in my life, I felt a connection. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since that night. You know I’ve been looking for her. And regardless of how this turns out, I’m not letting her out of my sight again.”

I round the front of the truck to get in on the driver’s side, and Pitz opens the passenger side and hops in. When I get in the truck, Pitz looks at me.

“You really do like her then.” He barks out a laugh. “You know, just because she’s carrying your kid, doesn’t mean she’s gonna fall in love with you.”

“Who said anything about love?”

“The way you’re swooning all over the damn living room says a lot. This could be the first girl who breaks your heart.”

“I just found out I’m gonna be a dad, and you’re already trying to spoil the good news.”

“Just looking out for my boy. This is a lot to take in. Never thought I’d see the day, man. I mean, maybe when we’re in our thirties, but not now, for sure.”

“You know how much my family means to me. I had the best role models for parents. Marriage, kids—I’ve always wanted that. I was just having a good time while I was here. But this changes things.” I turn on the truck and pull out onto the road.

“Daddy Archie. Who woulda thought?” He laughs.

And me? A deep sense of pride fills me. I’m gonna rock the shit out of being a dad, but also, I’m gonna show Emma that I’m all in. For her and the baby.

CHAPTER

FIVE

EMMA

After I left Archie’s,I got my car from one of the lots on campus and made my way to practice.

We ran some swing drills, but then the sky opened up and started pouring rain, so we had to call it early. Coach asked me how I was feeling today, and while I didn’t feel my best, I needed to suck it up while I was golfing, or my teammates will figure it out fast.

I’m on my way back to my apartment now, and my cell starts ringing. I see a 940 area code, and it says Denton, Texas. In a college in Oklahoma, it’s not uncommon to see a Texas area code. But I’m guessing this is Archie.

I tap Accept on the screen in my car that connects to my phone. “Hello?”

“Emmaaaa,” Archie’s deep grumble rolls out.

I can’t help but smile. “Hey, Archie. You called, and I answered.”

Despite the stress of the situation, I don’t think going through this with him will suck. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went over to his house today, but the fact that he actually mademe feel … okayish about this pregnancy helped defuse the anxiety a little. Gives me hope that we’ll be able to co-parent together. We still have so much to talk about and figure out, but at least he’s sweet. And nice to look at. And those butterflies, yep, they’re there, but I’ll just squash those down for now.

“I’m a man of my word, Emma. So, what are you up to? Y’all get rained out?” It sounds like he might be in his car too.

“Yeah, we called practice early, so I’m on my way home. Did you finish early too?”

“Yep, I’m on my way home now, but I wanted to see if you might be up for getting some food with me. I figure we should probably spend some time together and make some tentative plans, yeah?”

At the mention of food, my stomach rolls. I know I need to try to eat though, so maybe I could try some soup or something. “I can meet you now, if you want. I was just on my way home, too, but I can detour. My appetite is a little picky right now, so can we try something simple?”

“Oh, right. I didn’t think about that.” He clears his throat. “Are you, like, sick to your stomach?”

“It’s really only been a week or so, but it’s been a rough one. I passed out at my tournament on Saturday.” I huff a laugh, trying to play it down.

“You did what now? You passed out on, like, the course?” His voice inches up a notch.

“Yeah, I did. It wasn’t fun. And I threw up on the course after my rotation. I was mortified. But I thought it was just a bug or something, but then yesterday, my roommate was eating some yogurt, and the smell did me in. That’s when we figured that I had better take a test. It’s been a wild weekend, for sure.” I wince.

“That sucks. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Well, let’s try something easy. You aren’t worried about being seen with me, right?”

I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “No. I mean, atsome point, everyone will know, and I’d rather it not be as big of a surprise as it will be anyway. Unless you have a problem being seen with me.”

---