“You’re starting to scare me,” Hunter says. “Did something happen?”
I nod, finally blinking, and turning to face him. No use in putzing around, so I might as well rip the Band-Aid off. “I’m pregnant.”
Hunter stares at me for a long moment, and I know he’s just as shocked as I am. When I’m certain he’s not going to say anything, I open my mouth, but then he speaks first.
“Wow…uh. You’re sure?” He brushes his hand through his hair as if he’s trying to process all of this too.
Leaning over to one side, I grab the tests from my pocket and hand them to him.
“Well, I’m 99.99% sure.”
He stares at them as if he’s trying to read a different language.
“Two lines means positive,” I tell him.
“Uh, yeah. I figured that out. I’m just—”
“Don’t worry. It’s not your responsibility,” I blurt out, worried he’s thinking the worst-case scenario. I didn’t tell him because I expected him to do anything, but more so because of our newfound friendship. “Just because Brandon was your best friend doesn’t mean you now have to take care of me or our baby. So I’ll start looking for another place as soon as I can.” I shift to stand, but Hunter grabs my knees and gently pushes me back down.
“Why the hell would you think that’s what I was thinking or going to say?” His tone is harsh, and my heart beats rapidly, my breath increasing at how hurt he looks. “Have I not proven to you over the last two months that I want you here? That this place is just as much mine as it is yours? Have I not shown you that I have your back no matter what?” His volume increases with each question as if he’s upset, which confuses the hell out of me.
“Hunter, I just assumed—”
“Exactly,” he barks. “I’ve apologized to you over and over for the way I treated you. I know I was a dick, okay? I’ve been trying to make it up to you because I didn’t want either of us to grieve alone.” His tone holds so much sincerity that it makes my heart hurt seeing how regretful he feels about the past.
“Hunter, it’s not that,” I try to reassure him. “But this is more than just leaning on each other through a hard time. This is a baby. I don’t even know how to process this, much less expect you to. It’s easy for you to say that you want to be here for me, but what happens when you’re ready to move on with your life? How are you going to bring a girl home when your roommate’s baby cries all night long? Why would you even want that? You’re used to going out all the time. I know you’re going to eventually want that again. You can’t know how this will change everything, but it will. This changes everything.”
Instead of firing back at me like I expect him to, he stands and walks off. Hunter’s done nothing wrong, but here I am, pushing him away. I know it’s for the best. He wants to think we can still go on like this as two roommates, but eventually, he’ll want his old life back. And when he does, I’ll be left to pick up the pieces of what’s left of mine.
When he doesn’t return to the living room, I decide to go find him instead. I hate that he thinks I don’t appreciate everything he’s done because I have so much. This is more than just feeding me and making sure I get a good night’s sleep. This is a life-changing moment, and he doesn’t have to take responsibility for it. I don’t expect him to.
His bedroom door is half open, so I assume he’s in there. Probably to pack up my shit and give me a head start out the door. Hell, I wouldn’t blame him if he did.
“Hunter, I’m—” I push it open to check if he’s inside, and my jaw drops when I see him standing in only his boxers. His back is ridiculously cut, just like the rest of him, and tattoos wrap around his side. Part of me has always wondered what they represent.
He doesn’t turn around at the sound of my voice but continues to dig through his dresser. He grabs sweatpants and a T-shirt and then spins and faces me. “I’m moving my clothes over to the other room, and you should do the same. This room is bigger and will fit a crib and whatever else you’ll need. This is your room now.”
I release a gasp, shocked. “Hunter,” I start, but he cuts me off and closes the space between us. He’s only a couple of inches from me, and I’m pretty sure he can hear the rapid beating of my racing heart.