“I didn’t say that. Exactly,” I muttered.
“Yes, you did,” my mother put in. “Exactly that. And I have to say, sweet pea, all this has me concerned. You used to tell us everything. Now we’re totally left in the dark and you don’t seem happy.” She laced her fingers with my father’s. “Maybe we never should have left you here alone. We thought the independence would be good for you, but—”
“The independence is good for me. Very good. Which is exactly why I don’t want some man deciding for me that I’m going to get married and quit my job just because I was honest about my someday-in-a-perfect-world dreams. That isn’t my world, Oliver.”
His eyes flashed. “No, but you’re carrying my baby. We can’t just bury our heads in the sand. Decisions have to be made. It’s time to grow up and act like adults.”
“Right. And you’re the guy I had serious doubts could even deal with a child, because for all these years, the only th
ing you’ve ever held is your dick.”
My mother gasped, but I wasn’t through.
“You were so careful about making sure you had no permanent entanglements, but now I’m supposed to believe you want to be a father and a husband, just like that?”
Oliver gripped the edge of the stove until his knuckles whitened. “People change.”
“They most certainly do. But you need to make someone believe that, not just say it and assume they’ll take it as fact with no corroborating evidence.” I jerked to my feet. “Oh, and FYI? I am acting like an adult. I’m taking care of myself and my child, and it’s up to you if you want to be involved. But I thought I made it very clear last night that I can handle this on my own. I can stand on my own two feet and take care of what has to be done without anyone making decisions for me because I’m too feebleminded to make them myself.”
“For Christ’s sake, woman, I never said you were feebleminded. I was trying to do what I thought you wanted.”
“Oh yeah? How about asking me? How would you like it if I went to your father and told him we were getting married without running it by you first? How would that make you feel?” I covered my face with my hands, unable to believe this was my reality right now. “I know you think you were doing the right thing, but it wasn’t. Not even close.”
“Well, then, for fuck’s sake, tell me. Tell me how I’m supposed to make this right, because it all seems very wrong.”
I dropped my hands. “You can’t,” I said finally. “You know why? Because in all your rational decision making, you forgot one vital ingredient. Do you know why people usually get married, Oliver?” My voice was brutally soft as I stepped forward. “Hint: it’s not because it’s the solution to a problem. It’s because they’re in love and want to spend their lives together.”
He stared at me, his stony jaw set and unyielding.
“I know you don’t love me. That’s okay. But I won’t live a pretend life just so I can try to convince my child of a pretty lie. I told you last night that this isn’t a Seth and Marjorie situation, and it isn’t. You don’t have enough money in the world to make me give up my baby.” I swallowed hard, determined not to cry. One more facet of being an adult. “Nor will you strong-arm me into doing what you think is best for our child.”
“You have no clue what I’m thinking. Or feeling.”
“Maybe I don’t. But now you know what it’s like when someone assumes.”
I turned to face my parents, who looked about as stunned as I felt. “I’m so glad you’re in town. I’ll talk to Ally today and we’ll coordinate when we can all have dinner and you can meet the baby.” I moved forward to give my mom a long hug, then did the same with my dad. “I’m sorry this morning was so weird. We’ll talk more later, I promise.”
“So that’s it?” Oliver asked. “You’re just leaving?”
“I have to get to work.” I reached up to touch the bow necklace he’d given me, oddly drawing strength from the smooth rose gold under my fingers. “We’ll talk soon.”
He glanced at my mostly still full plate. “You barely touched your breakfast.”
“Guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.”
18
Oliver
I’d never been dumped by a woman before.
All right, that was a lie. There had been one who’d “let me down easy” in college, and she’d been the teacher’s assistant I’d lost my virginity to, which had completely sucked. There had also been several women where it had been mutual. But this putting myself on the line and being turned down flat was a wholly new experience.
I didn’t like it.
I’d followed my usual modus operandi. I had come up with a plan of sorts and begun to execute it, certain it was the correct choice for Sage and my child. Only to be kicked back with a heavy dose of the truth.
I hadn’t asked her to marry me. Frankly, it hadn’t even occurred to me. I knew people made a big show of proposals. There was that airplane banner we’d seen in Vegas, and of course my own brother had gone with fireworks to propose to Ally. He’d needed to give her romance, so he’d offered her pomp and circumstance. The difference there was, they’d had ten years to build a foundation of love and trust and friendship. Sage and I had been frenemies until a month ago.