Page 88 of Protect My Heart
‘Okay, well, I need to get going.’ He takes off.
Nora stares at me, her eyes bugged out. ‘You’re having twins?’
‘No, I just said that to get rid of him. I told you guys won’t go out with me. Did you see how fast he ran out of here when I said I’m pregnant?’
‘I think it was the twin thing. He might’ve been okay with it if you said you’re just having one.’ She pops a chip in her mouth.
‘I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t, which is fine. I’m not looking to date right now.’
‘So, to summarize, you like Jason, you think he’s hot, and you’re not dating anyone else.’
‘Yeah? What are you saying?’
‘I think you should go live with Jason. Spend the summer with him.’
‘I don’t think he wants that.’
‘You said he’s the one who suggested it.’
‘Yes, but then later that day, he barely talked to me. I can’t take all his back and forth. One minute he’s kissing me and the next he’s acting like he just wants to be friends.’
‘Maybe you should cut him some slack. You did kind of appear out of nowhere and tell him he’s having a kid. The guy’s probably just confused.’
‘I know he is, but I don’t want to spend all summer with him going back and forth between wanting to date me and wanting to just be friends.’
‘What doyouwant?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say, looking down at my half-eaten sandwich. I haven’t had much of an appetite since leaving Jason’s apartment yesterday.
‘Yeah, you do.’ Nora nudges my knee under the table. ‘What is it you want, Mia?’
‘I can’t have what I want. That’s the problem.’
‘You could have it for the summer.’
‘And get close to him and then have to leave? Why would I do that?’
‘You never know.’ She wipes her hands on her napkin. ‘Maybe spending three months with him would change things.’
‘He’s not going to move to Boston. And I can’t stay here.’ Islump back in my chair. ‘I never should’ve done the fake engagement thing. It messed everything up.’
‘If you’re really that upset about it, it’s not too late to get out of it.’
‘Meaning I should tell my parents the truth?’
‘Maybe. From what you said, they seem okay with you having a baby. Maybe they’ll be okay with you not being engaged.’
‘They will be eventually, but not yet. Monday, when I was sightseeing with them, my mom kept telling me how lucky I am to have found a great guy like Jason who didn’t run off when he found out I was pregnant. Then she went on to tell me how hard it would’ve been to raise the baby on my own, to the point that I started to think I couldn’t do it.’
‘Of course you can,’ Nora says, reassuringly. ‘Your mom’s from a different era when women didn’t make the kind of money they do now.’
‘Even if I get a good job, Boston’s expensive. And so are babies. What I make may not be enough.’
‘Isn’t Jason going to help?’
‘We haven’t talked about it.’
‘You need to. Even if you two decide not to live together this summer, you still need to talk to him. Why don’t you call him tonight?’
