Page 38 of Valentine's Day Proposal

“You can’t leave the city, Charles. You’re getting sworn in in two days. You can’t leave for at least a week, maybe two. You have a duty to the people of Maryland now.” Peter put his hand in the center of my chest and held me back, but I pushed my way toward the door.

“Get out of my way, Peter.” I glared at him, my chest pounding. Willow was having my baby. I knew it was my baby. She was only with me; there was no one else. I had gotten her pregnant. It was my baby. I needed to be with her.

“I can’t let you leave, Charles. Listen, you need to sit down and think this through. What good will rushing off to her side do you? She left because she was angry. You need a plan before you jump into this. And you need to think about your career.”

I could have slugged him. “I need you to move.”

“No, you need to listen to me.” He pressed on my chest, and I took a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax. I wasn’t about to start a fight with him. “She will still be pregnant in a few weeks. I’ll make the arrangements. We’ll have a car drive you out there, find you a nice hotel. You can make it a week-long trip and have a relaxing time. If you rush off right now people are going to question things. Okay? Just trust me.”

I scowled, turning to the window and staring out at the gloomy sky. I pressed my palm against my forehead. Willow hadn’t told me she was pregnant at all. I was hurt, but I was also worried about her. I had hurt her pretty badly, and instead of telling me this, she kept it a secret. Back in the day the only thing she kept from me was the thing she was most ashamed of, her grades.

“Fuck, Peter. How did this happen? Why didn’t she tell me?” Everything inside of me screamed to go after her.

“Women do stupid things when they feel hurt, okay?”

“Do you think I fucked up?” I couldn’t look him in the eye. I was so angry with myself.

“I think you both have a lot of talking to do. You two didn’t fool anyone. You were totally in love the entire time, Charles. I knew that from the minute we sat in her apartment and you two bickered about the marriage contract.”

I shook my head. It was obvious to everyone but me and her.

“Trust me, okay? Just stay here. Let’s get through swearing in and then we’ll head out there. You can say your piece. If she won’t accept you, then we can come back and focus on the career.”

“We?” I turned to face him. “You are a campaign manager.”

“And for now, I’m a friend. So, sit down and let me worry about the details. You focus on being prepared for the shift, okay?”

I couldn’t sit down, but I nodded. Willow had a lot of explaining to do, and I felt like half of that was my fault.

34

WILLOW

Iwoke up early, seeing the mounds of fresh snow and still hearing the bird’s chirp. It looked beautiful outside. If not for the hint of frost on the window I’d have thought by looking only at the sky this late January morning could have passed for summer. A bright blue sky overhead with full sun was my love language.

It felt odd to wake up and crave the outdoors. When I took the agreement with Charles almost a year ago, I had pretty much given up my running habit. I used to wake up and run three or four mornings a week. During tax season I got fewer runs in usually, but not knowing Charles’s neighborhood I put a hold on running. And then our campaign schedule didn’t allow it. Now my bulging stomach made pretty much any form of exercise impossible.

Still, I yearned for the feeling of the breeze on my skin, so I dressed in layers, donning my winter boots and selecting a sock hat and mittens. A quick glance at the forecast on my phone’s weather app told me it wasn’t’ as cold as I thought, so I tossed the mittens back.

Mom was in the kitchen making Dad some blueberry pancakes, and I kissed her on the cheek as I passed.

“Going somewhere?” she asked cheerily.

“Just out for a walk. I want to keep moving or I’m going to lose all my muscle tone. Maybe if I make a baby registry, Aunt Sonya will buy me one of those awesome jogging strollers.” I patted her arm and headed for the door.

“Maybe… Guess we have to plan a shower, don’t we? You have how many weeks left?” She flipped a pancake and watched me open the door.

“Eight weeks. It’s getting close.” I rested my hand on the bulge in my coat. The baby moved as if on cue, and I smiled. “I’ll be back.”

I ducked out the door, down the walk. Dad must have shoveled this morning leaving a clear path toward the driveway. I tried to stay out of the deeper drift as I walked, but it wasn’t that easy. I headed toward the pasture, the horses out in the deep snow pushing through to find any vestige of vegetation that remained. I made my way over to the fence line, but the horses did not come my direction, so I stood watching them try to graze.

Even in the cold I loved the outdoors. When I was a kid, I could spend hours or even days outside, once choosing to sleep in a makeshift clubhouse composed of a few tree branches tied together and layered with pine boughs. I smiled at the memory, imagining that my child would one day have the same opportunity to fall in love with nature and the outdoors. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear someone come up behind me until they spoke.

“Willow?”

The voice made me freeze, prickling my neck before I even turned to see who it was. I didn’t need to look. I knew that voice better than I knew my own. I held my breath, not sure what to say. There was no buffer this time. He hadn’t called and asked my mother to speak to me. He was here, standing behind me.

“Can we talk?”

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