Page 107 of Love By The Falls

“Is everything okay, Caleb?”

There’s a muffled sound, and then, “You haven’t called,” he says.

I look up at the ceiling. “You haven’t, either.”

“Fair enough.”

I push my hair behind my ear. My face and palms are sweating. It’s never been this difficult to talk to him, even when I was worried about looking like an idiot in St. Kitts. “Have you—”

“Are you—”

I smile. “You go first.”

“Are you free this weekend?”

“Me? Well, it depends on what you mean by free. I have some errands to run, and I promised Charlie we’d throw the ball around in the back, but that trip to St. Tropez isn’t until next weekend.”

I can’t see his face, but I picture him smiling, and I smile, too. “Can I come see you?” he asks.

My heart speeds up, and I push my hair off my neck. “Well, I’ll have to ask Sage if the couch is free, but, yeah, I’d like that.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow. And Charlotte?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

I nearly drop the phone. It’s a simple apology, one perhaps made to be polite, but for someone who has never received an apology before, it feels like he’s given me a million dollars. “Me, too,” I say, and have trouble swallowing around the lump in my throat.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you.”

He hangs up, and I put my phone away in my purse. There’s a rocking chair next to me and I drop my butt into it.

It was just one apology, but my heart is beating like a drum.

I smile, thinking about seeing him again. I wonder how to explain everything to Charlie. He knows I’m expecting, but I haven’t told him who the father is, and I need to soon.

I’ll do it this weekend. I’ll tell him everything.

“Can I help you, Miss?” A junior employee stands in front of me with his arms crossed and his face blank.

I stand up. “I’ll take this rocking chair and the crib, please.”

He looks at the white crib. “What kind of car do you have?”

“Um, a compact sedan.”

“Yeah, this won’t fit in your trunk. I’ll have to take it apart, and you can put it together at home.”

“Okay, that’s fine.”

It’ll be a fun project Charlie and I can do together. I pay for the items with the cashier while the other employee uses a drill to take the crib apart. He puts the pieces in a box and carries the crib to my car. “You’ll have to come back with a pick-up truck for the rocking chair. Or we charge $50 for delivery.”

“I’ll figure out a way to borrow a truck. Thanks.”

Pulling up into my driveway, I roll my eyes when I see Jason’s car parked there. He’s not in the yard with Charlie. Instead, I find him lying on my couch watching TV. “Hey,” he says, not bothering to get up.

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