“I’d love to,” I said. “I want all the fresh air I can get.”
Hand in hand, we went over to the balcony. It was a beautiful summer’s day in New York, the air warm enough to be pleasant but not hot enough to be overbearing.
“Look at it this way,” she said. “You’re going to miss the dog days of summer when the temperature’s over a hundred and the sun hits the bags of garbage on the sidewalk.”
I laughed. April always had a way of lightening the mood.
“It’s going to be hard,” I said. “But like you said, we’ll get through it.”
“Right. It’s going to take more than a few months of prison to tear us apart.”
“And you’re fine with looking after Willa while I’m gone?”
We’d discussed the matter plenty, and April had left no doubt that she was. But still, being apart from my little girl was enough to keep the issue lingering in my mind.
“I shouldn’t even need to answer that at this point,” she said. “Me and Willa, we’ve got this.”
“That’s a lot of growing-up I’m going to be missing out on.”
“You’re not going to miss out on anything. We’re going to be visiting you all the time.”
I nodded, my eyes on the city.
“And things are going to change when I come back. I’ll need to start fresh, start a company of my own.”
“Yes, you will. We will.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to be a part of it?”
“Of course I do. I was thinking we could start something together…maybe something nonprofit. A place for kids who might not have many opportunities.”
“A company like you’ve always dreamed of opening,” I said, realizing what her words meant.
“That is, if you want to do it with me.”
“It’d be a way to give something back after I’ve taken so much.”
She squeezed my hand. “You’ll have plenty of time to think over a business model. And we can talk about it every step of the way.”
“Sounds perfect.”
April took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. There was clearly something more on her mind.
“What’s up?”
“There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s…big. And I’ve only known for a few days, before you say anything. I’ve been thinking about the right time to tell you, and the more I consider it, the more it feels like there isn’t a right time, and…”
She shook her head, clearly overwhelmed by the subject—whatever it was.
I turned and took her hands into mine. “Tell me. No matter what it is, I’m here for you. I always will be.”
Another deep breath. “I’m…kinda…sorta…pregnant.”
The word went off like a bomb. I had no idea what to say, what to do. My mouth hung open, and my eyes were wide.