“She was pregnant, and I didn’t want to be in a real relationship. She didn’t either, for your information, but it worked out in the end. I get to be a dad, and she gets to have the baby she’s always wanted.”
“Mom and Dad will be so disappointed,” Fran says.
A stab of worry goes through me. “You’re not going to tell them, are you?”
“No,” she says, “but they’ll have to know at some point.”
“No, they don’t. A couple of weeks after the baby is born, I’ll tell them that Cora and I broke up, but we’ll raise the baby together.”
She stares at me. “Unbelievable.”
Fran’s phone rings, and after a glance at the screen, she turns to me. “I have to take this one.”
As she whispers into the phone, an overwhelming urge to hear from Cora comes over me. I fish my phone from my pocket and type out a message to her. I’ve missed her, and I want to be there for her.
Memories from the past come over me, and I recall what an asshole I’d been after Tessa passed. I wasn’t there for her, and that is something that I have to live with. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.
I ask her if I can stop by in the evening, and she says yes.
Just that is enough to change my mood and the rest of the day. My afternoon appointments go fast, and at six, I’m at home taking a shower. I leave for the Chinese restaurant at quarter past six and pick up the take-out that I’d ordered earlier.
Cora’s car is at her usual parking space, and a few minutes later, after I ring the bell, she buzzes me in.
She opens the door to her apartment, and when I see her, it feels like my world has righted itself. She looks freshly scrubbed and relaxed in joggers and a fitting T-shirt.
“You look gorgeous,” I tell her as I lean forward to plant a light kiss on her lips.
“Thanks. Whatever you’re carrying smells great,” she says.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re more interested in the food than in me?” I say as I follow her into the house.
“That’s because I am,” Cora says, and I laugh.
I hand her the package, and she carries it to the already set table.
“I remember that you loved Chinese food. I hope that’s still the case,” I say as I pull up a chair and sit down.
“I did, and I do,” Cora says as she serves the food onto plates. “Yummy.”
I’m not as hungry, and I spend more time observing Cora more than I do eating. She really is gorgeous, and she doesn’t have a self-conscious bone in her body. When she notices me staring at her, she just grins impishly and continues eating.
Later, after clearing up, we settle on the couch with our drinks. Coffee for me and water for Cora.
“I feel at peace with the world,” Cora says and stretches.
“You mean at peace with your belly,” I tease.
She giggles. “That too. I’ve never appreciated food more.”
A comfortable silence descends, and although I’d decided that I wasn’t going to ask her until she offered, I find myself asking anyway.
“How is Riley?”
Cora is surprised by the question. “Fran told you.”
“Yes.”
“She’s okay. She was discharged today but has to be on bed rest. They don’t know for how long.”
“She’ll be fine, and so will the baby. Her doctor is one of the best,” I said.
“Yeah.”
I wait for a beat before speaking. “I thought we were friends, Cora. I was surprised and a little hurt to hear about something like that from my sister.”
She holds my gaze. “We are. The sort of friends who tell each other when they’ll be out of town.” Her voice drips with sarcasm.
I inhale sharply. I deserved that. “Look, I’m sorry about that. I was having a rough time.”
“I don’t understand,” Cora says.
“The accident you had with Fran took me to a very dark place. It reminded me of losing Tessa, and I needed some time to come to terms with the thought that I might have lost you too.” I can’t believe that those words have left my mouth.
“It was a scrape,” she says.
I shrug. “I know, but a half a second earlier, it could have been worse.”
“Oh, Thomas.”
After a moment, Cora gets comfortable on the couch and stretches her legs over my lap. I massage her feet softly as the earlier tension dissipates. It’s odd that after admitting something so heavy to her, I’m still comfortable in her presence.
“Do you think that one day you’ll heal from losing your wife?” Cora asks softly.
I don’t know how to answer that question. Do you ever heal from something like that?
Chapter 21
Cora
“I’m going crazy,” Riley says as she sits on her bed propped up by several pillows. “I miss going to work. The days are long, and I’m going crazy thinking about all the things that could happen with my baby.”