Page 81 of Such a Good Couple
‘Yes, please.’ Annie smiled up at her. ‘I’ll have the breakfast special and a decaf Americano.’ She and the server looked to Conor, who still seemed to be in a state of suspended animation.
A couple of seconds passed during which Conor’s gaze had drifted from Annie to the waitress, but still no words were forthcoming.
Annie took the menu from his hands and handed it to the girl. ‘He’ll have the breakfast special as well and a regular Americano. Thank you.’
‘Perfect.’ The waitress bounced back through the café doors.
‘Can you speak?’ Annie dipped her head to catch Conor’s eyes. ‘Will I get you a pen and paper?’ Annie poured out water for each of them and pushed Conor’s towards him.
He gratefully accepted and downed the glass in one. ‘Sorry.’ He ran a hand over his face, massaging his brow. ‘I’m back.’ He shook his head. ‘This is wild, Annie.’
‘I know.’ She sipped from her glass. ‘I feel like I should tell you this up top: I’m really happy and I don’t want any negativity about it.’
‘Why would I be negative about it?’ Conor looked surprised. ‘We’ve been trying to make this happen for so long!’
The ‘we’ jabbed at Annie. She didn’t want to be a ‘we’ withConor. Not anymore.
Also, he was the one who put a stop to the trying.
‘How far along are you?’ He took out his phone and pulled up the calendar app. ‘What were the dates of Provincetown again?’
‘I think I’m about twelve weeks but it’s going to be confirmed today. I have my first hospital visit.’
‘Today?’ Conor’s eyes bulged slightly. ‘But why are you only telling me now? I have to clear my schedule.’
‘You don’t,’ Annie protested. ‘My friend Rachel is coming with me.’
He stared at her. ‘Rachel? But I’m the father.’
‘Yes, but …’ Annie said delicately, ‘Rachel and I have been doing lots of the things together.’
‘What do you mean “the things”? What things? How long have you known about this?’
The waitress reappeared with a tray and set their plates and coffees down before them. Annie was grateful for the brief pause. For a moment she considered lying but she knew that it was pointless, it’d come out.
When the waitress left, Annie picked up her knife and fork just to have something to busy herself with. ‘I’ve known for a bit. I took a test about three weeks ago.’
He absorbed this for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he digested it. ‘Three weeks! Annie, what the fuck?’
‘I just wanted …’ Annie trailed off. ‘I dunno.’ It seemed mean to say the truth, which was that she hadn’t wanted to have a downer of a conversation with him during the happiest weeks of her life.
‘But …’ He took a breath. ‘Okay. Sorry. Let’s not dwell on that. This is so huge, Annie. It’s amazing, sure, but also we have so much to sort out. We need to find a new place.’
There was the ‘we’ again. Annie floundered a little. Find a new place? What was he expecting?
‘Wehave a place.’ Annie placed a hand over her stomach. ‘I’m living with Rachel now. You know that.’
‘But …’ He looked exasperated. ‘What are you talking about? We’re having a baby, the baby we’ve been trying for for so long. We’re getting back together.’
‘No way.’ The words were out of Annie’s mouth before she could put any sheen of kindness on them.
‘No way?’ Conor’s eyebrows shot up.
‘No way,’ Annie repeated firmly. ‘Two and a half months ago you told me that you didn’t want me. And now I’m pregnant and you want me again? No fucking way tothatplan. I have Rachel and the baby, we’re looking at moving into a three-bed so we’ll have a room for the baby.’
‘What?’ Conor sat back in his chair. ‘So it’s all about Rachel now, is it? She’s going to the scan? She’s gonna see my child before I see it.’
Annie resisted the urge to eye-roll because she knew he absolutely had a point. ‘No,’ she said, with exaggerated patience. ‘Look, come as well. If you can,’ she added.
