Page 73 of Love By The Falls

“Sure.”

“I can get it,” says Jane, but this time I use Austin’s move on her. “I need to pee, anyway.”

She smiles knowingly and sits back down.

Before heading to the bathroom, I order a soda with the server and point him in Charlie’s direction. Then I stand next to Austin over the buffet. “Oh, that smells so delicious,” I say, inhaling the creamy pasta and tiny Swedish meatballs.

“It doesn’t smell as good as my Alfredo sauce, right?” Austin asks, looking genuinely concerned.

“Oh, it absolutely does.”

He tickles me relentlessly, the bastard, knowing that I can barely contain my bladder. “If I pee all over this floor, Austin, I’m going to kill you.”

He laughs and pulls me in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Char. I forgot what it’s like.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you never actually knew what it was like.”

“Oh, Jane made sure I did.”

We both laugh and look over at Jane. But I get this feeling at the back of my head, and a shiver runs down my spine.

I look over my shoulder, and my body freezes. Everything is still, except for my heart that beats like a drum in my chest.

Am I imagining this? Am I going crazy? Is this pregnancy brain?

“Caleb,” I whisper, and Austin turns to look at the man staring at me with his mouth open and eyes as big as baseballs.

I smile, but his face is blank. He stares at me and then at Austin, and finally, he mutters a rushed, “Excuse me,” before turning on his heel and quitting the room.

“Do you know that guy?” asks Austin.

I nod, unable to speak. My hands drop to my bump.

My worst fear has come true. He took one look at my pregnant belly and left. His face paled and then he ran as fast as he could.

My hands tremble, and my breathing is shallow. I’m scared I’m going to faint. I hold on to the table next to me and Austin notices. He leaves, but I don’t pay attention to where he goes. I blink, expecting him to return, willing him to.

“Char, what’s going on? Austin said I should come to you.”

“It’s him, Jane.”

“Who?”

“Caleb. He’s here. Or he was… I—”

“Where?”

“He saw my belly and ran.”

“No. I don’t believe that.”

“It’s true.” A tear escapes, and I wipe it away angrily. I was prepared to raise this baby on my own, but to be so unceremoniously rejected before I could even tell him the baby was his was humiliating.

“Let’s sit down.”

“No. Just give me a minute. I’ll be fine.”

It was a lie, but what should I have said? Why does every man in my life run from me?

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