"Yes, of course. I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and did my best to ignore the funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as I tried to dive back into the file in front of me. My stomach rolled in anticipation of talking to Chase, and I found it harder to concentrate the more I tried. After ten minutes, I grabbed my legal pad and jotted down some things I wanted to make sure I brought up to Chase. I wasn't about to blow another chance with him. I needed him to realize that I was serious about this.
I saw a few drops of rain on my windshield as I pulled up outside of Malone Law. Chase stood on the sidewalk and waved when he saw my car pull up. He looked just as tired and worn down as I felt. I waved as he approached my car, my stomach doing that anxious little flip again. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Since he had called, I had been absolutely useless at work, and even working on the list of things I wanted to mention to him had been of no help. I quickly tucked the legal pad between my seat and console so that he couldn't see it when he climbed in.
He opened the car door and climbed in, doing up his seat belt before he turned and looked at me. "Hey! How are you?" he mumbled, giving me a nervous smile.
"I'm okay. How are you?"
"Okay." I swallowed hard and pulled away from the curb and headed towards The Manor House. Chase was oddly quiet on the drive, looking out the window as we made our way the five city blocks to the restaurant. I pulled into the parking lot and right up beside Chase's car and cut the engine.
We walked side by side into the restaurant, neither of us saying anything. The tension between us was unbearable, and all I kept thinking to myself was that I was the one who had created this tension. Me and my silly ideas.
Within ten minutes, we were seated at the back of the restaurant, bread basket sitting between us on the table, while the waitress was waiting to take our drink orders.
"I'll have a soda water with lemon," I said, looking to Chase.
"Crown and Coke." He coughed into his hand.
"Um, how about just a coke? I don't want a repeat of last night." I giggled.
Chase rolled his eyes and dismissed the waitress. As soon as she had walked away, he looked over to me. "I'm fine, you know. I'll be fine." He opened the menu in front of him.
I stuck my head into my menu and sat staring at the page, the names of the dishes eventually all blurring together. I was beginning to doubt if I could indeed go through with this whole thing again, after what had happened last night. I sat there trying hard to find something that I wanted to eat, and that was when my worst fear entered my mind. What if he said no? I really didn't know how I would react to that answer.
Chase slapped his menu shut, causing me to jump and draw my attention to him. He reached for the bread, but I quickly swatted his hand away. "Let me." I grabbed the knife from the table and took the bread, cutting it into pieces.
"How is your hand anyways?" I asked.
"It's okay," he said, looking down at his bandaged hand and reached for a piece of bread.
"I felt awful that you cut yourself."
Chase shrugged as he buttered his bread and took a bite.
"All right, so back to what we were talking of last night," I said, finally putting the knife down and grabbing a piece of bread for myself.
"Yes, about that. I have a few things that I want to say," he said, clearing his throat, but I put my hands up to stop him.
"Before you say anything, you should know I want to do this natural," I bit out as he buttered his second piece of bread, fearing he may stab himself with the butter knife.
"What? Childbirth? Of course, both Carter and Hunter have said that Heather and Hope have said they wouldn't have done it any other way, so I can totally understand that."
I shook my head and took a drink of my soda water before continuing. "Um, no, not childbirth. Well, no, yes childbirth, but making the baby. Thought perhaps we should start here first. I also don't want you to worry. I won't hold you accountable for anything."
Chase looked around the restaurant and then back to me. So far so good, I thought to myself.He hasn't cut himself or passed out yet.
"Okay. Go on." He swallowed hard.
"Okay, so this is what I was thinking. You'd spend the week at my place. Now if you stay in October, which is next week, I've counted everything out, and if everything goes according to my plan, then I will be good to work right through tax season before the baby comes. However, it has to be the first week of the month. One week earlier or later, and it will mess everything up."
Chase finished chewing and took a drink, placing his glass down on the table. "I see you've really thought this out."
I nodded. "I have. I'm very serious about this, and that also is exactly the right time. I've been tracking my cycle, and next week is the most optimal time for me to get pregnant."
Chase was just about to say something when our food was placed in front of us. His eyes met mine as the waitress announced each dish and finally walked away. We both dug into our plates and ate in silence. Once our plates were cleared and the bill was delivered to the table, Chase sat forward.
"Listen, Sophie, I'm still going to think about this. I will have a decision to you in a couple of days. Does that sound okay?"
I nodded. I felt confident that I had laid everything out on the table. Chase hadn't fainted or cut himself, and I felt satisfied and hopeful with his answer. I went to reach for the bill, but Chase grabbed it first. "You got last night. The least I can do is get lunch." He winked.