"You okay, man?" He steps over to the table picking up the bottle and swirling it around with judgmental eyes.
"No," I respond flatly.
"Dude, it's gonna be fine. He's not getting out this time…"
"I have a baby." I snap.
Carter spins quickly on his heels, "What?"
"I got Blake pregnant."
"What? When? I thought you hadn't seen Blake in months?"
"I haven't. What I mean is Blake was pregnant. I have a son."
"So she lied to you? Is the baby even yours? Is she sure?"
I know her better than anyone, and I trust her when she says it's my son. She has no reason to lie.
"Ryan threatened her to stay away. She said she wanted to tell me, but she was afraid of what he would do."
"Shit," he says, cringing, his brow furrows, "What do you know, have you seen him?"
"We haven't talked much. It's killing me not knowing."
I blow out a deep breath and turn the bottle up to finish it off.
"You better slow down. You can't be getting this drunk."
Fuck. He's right. I'm a dad now. I feel the sudden urge to kick him in the face, but deep down, I know he just cares. I toss the bottle into the trash.
"You're right." I agree and grab a water bottle out of the fridge.
We sit on the couch and watch a Monday night football game as he sits and scrolls on his phone. He can sense my worry and knows I don't want to sit and talk. The silence is refreshing, and I try my hardest not to think about Blake, raising our child alone, or worse, with someone else.
Waking up in this big empty bed sucks. I remember waking up to her on the other side, feeling like an arms-length was too far. Now she's all the way on the other side of town. I roll over to check the clock. Staying up most of the night didn't do much for my natural alarm. I slept way past my usual 8 o'clock and only have about an hour before I'm supposed to meet Blake at the dock.
The shower turns on, and the water runs down over my scalp. I turn the water as hot as it will go hoping that it will erase this shitty way I feel. With no luck, I pull on some jeans and a henley. I want to look nice, but I figure she might think I'm crazy if I show up in a suit. She'd be right though, this isn't a business transaction. I need to remember that. I throw on my vans and slip my watch on my wrist.
I want to text her to tell her I'm on the way, but I'm going to have to get a new phone before I do that. I swing my car into the lot, and I don't see Blake. The near-drowning was the last time I was here, so my anxiety is a little high. Slipping out of my car, I make my way out onto the dock. There's a small bench outside the marina where I take a seat, the parking lot is still in view, so I see Blake pull in.
She jumps out of her SUV and makes her way over with her arms crossed over her chest. She looks indifferent as she's walking toward me instead of her usual vibrant self. I rise to my feet when she reaches me, pulling her into a hug. I expect her to be rigid against me or mad, but instead, she melts into my embrace.
I pull her away, holding her by her hands.
"Are you hungry?" I ask timidly.
"Not really," she states.
"Do you just wanna go inside? Or do you want to go somewhere more private?" I nod toward my boat down the dock.
"We should talk, probably without an audience."
I lead her down the wooden walkway, helping her onto the boat. We walk inside the cabin, and she sets all of her things down on the table.
"You want a drink?"
She rolls her eyes, "I'm fine, Judson. Just ask me what you want to know. Let's not make this more awkward than it already is."