Page 109 of Untethered Heart
“I wouldn’t mind being married first.”
“Not a problem,” he says quickly, his usual confidence back in full swing.
We pop the pizzas in the oven to cook, and Caleb tops up my wine glass while we wait. Kisses are trailed up my neck, and each little one feels like a silent thank you. He’s always so generous with his affection, and it’s the exact kind of love that I need. To be reassured that he’s in this with me. I wish I could give him that feeling back. I hope that I love him hard enough that he knows what he means to me.
My phone rings on the counter. I try to pull out of Caleb’s arms, but he pins me down for a moment, nuzzling my neck harder before letting me go.
I smile when I see my brother’s picture on the screen.
“Hey, Dyl.”
A fractured breath echoes through the line, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. “Dylan?”
“Lex.” He sounds so exhausted, lost even. “Shit.”
“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” With those words, Caleb rushes back to my side, his face hovering in front of mine, looking for any pain he can erase.
I pull the phone away and put it on speaker so Caleb can hear.
“I don’t even know how to say it,” Dylan breathes.
I turn my face to Caleb, and mouth,what the fuck?He brings a hand to my back, rubbing up and down, allowing me to lean into his side and absorb his reassuring affection.
“I’m gonna be a dad.” His voice breaks on the last word, and my mind splinters, trying to piece together the meaning.
“What?”
“There was this girl a few months back, we hooked up, but she was just a tourist passing through.”
“I think we can skip that part, Dylan.”
He blows out a breath. Maybe he needs to say the whole story out loud to himself so he can understand how he got here as well.
“She came back into the tavern tonight. She’s pregnant.”
Caleb waves his hand in front of my face to grab my attention, then points at himself, I guess asking if it’s okay for him to be listening in. He points down at my phone and then to himself again, and I realise he wants to say something, so I nod my head.
“Dylan, it’s Caleb.”
“Oh. Hey, man.” There’s a slight sigh of relief in his response.
“Hey. I have a little experience with being handed this news, so maybe I can help. First things first, you need to ask for a paternity test.”
“She already offered that. She’s certain it’s mine, but she understood I’d probably want to be sure.”
“That’s great. Take her up on that. What else did she have to say, anything about her expectations?”
“She’s not from Australia. She’s travelling from Baltimore on a twelve-month visa.”
“Okay, I’m going to have my friend Anna contact you first thing in the morning. She’s a lawyer.”
The line goes silent before Dylan speaks in a hushed tone. “She’s staying in my guest room.”
“Do you get the sense that she’s got a different angle other than letting you know you’re both expecting?”
“I don’t think so. She just seems surprised. A little jumpy.”
“Okay, keep things friendly, but don’t overpromise until we get the paternity test results. I’m going to try to call Anna now.”
