Page 119 of Need You To Choose Me

“I’m fine. I just fainted.”

Becky’s mouth falls open. “You fainted?!”

Sighing, I tell her everything that played out that day, the diagnosis I got from Dr. Gonzales in the ER, and my checkup appointment a few days later.

“So let me get this straight.” Becky shakes her head once I’m done. “You had a fight with Daniel, and you fainted, so Blake took you to the ER, only to find out that you have gestational diabetes, but you’refine?”

There is no missing the skepticism in her tone.

“I’m doing better,” I reassure her. “My sugar levels have been in the normal range for the last few days, and now I know what I’m dealing with and the reason I felt so shitty for a while now. So, while no, it’s not ideal, I’ll take it as a silver lining.”

“I guess when you put it like that…” Becky sighs and looks around. “What were you up to anyway?”

I tilt my head toward the hardware store behind me. “I really need to start working on the nursery.” The corner of my mouth lifts in a tentative smile. “Wanna help me pick out the colors?”

Becky rolls her eyes. “How is that even a question? What are we looking for?”

I pulled the door open for Becky and let her pass in front of me. The bell rings, and when I look up, I find Malcom Jamison glancing up from behind the counter, where he’s serving the old Mr. Timms. His smile grows bigger when he sees us, “Becky, Savannah, how are you ladies doing?” His attention shifts to me, his smile falling as he takes me in. “I heard about the ER. Are you okay?”

Freaking small towns.

Becky coughs and gives me an I-told-you-so look, which I pointedly ignore.

“I’m doing better.” I force out a smile. “I’m actually here to look at the paint colors you have.”

“Oh, sure.” He rubs the back of his neck. “They’re on the back wall, so you can check it out, and I’ll join you ladies in a bit.”

“Perfect, thank you.”

Shooting him a grateful smile, Becky and I make our way to the back of the shop, where the smell of the paint is the most intense.

“Do you know what you want? I’m guessing something neutral?”

I hum non-committedly as I take one of the sample sheets and flip through the colors. “I think so. I’m considering gray, maybe like this one?” I show her the color I have in mind. “Levi bought this adorable stuffed elephant for Munchkin, so now I’m kind of thinking of running with the theme since it’s pretty gender-neutral.”

“That’s so cute. Levi will be an amazing big brother.”

“I know, right?” A smile spreads over my lips. “He’s so excited about the baby.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. That boy is born to be a big brother. He’s a caretaker just like his daddy.”

The image of Blake’s serious face inches away from mine as he held me in his arms while I had a panic attack the other day flashes in my mind. He was a caretaker, all right. He made me feel safe, unlike anybody else. He made me want to let go and lean on him, although I knew better than to rely on others because, like it or not, people left, and yet…

I bite the inside of my cheek. I could see him, clear as day, the determination written all over his face, but then his eyes turned that stormy gray color, and I could have sworn that he was going to kiss me. And I wanted it. I wanted it so badly.

“So… How are things going with your baby daddy?”

“Umm…” I blink, pushing the thoughts of kissing Blake out of my mind. “Fine.”

“Just fine?” Becky arches her brow, her grin growing wider. “Because a moment ago, you had that look that would suggest something’s going on.”

Shit, I was so caught.

“You’re imagining things.” Color starts rising up my cheeks, so I turn my back to her and shift my focus on the samples once again. “We’re just two friends trying to figure out how to navigate this mess we’ve created. What about this one? Maybe the first one was a bit too dark.”

“Savannah…” Becky starts but is quickly interrupted by Malcom.

Thank God.

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