I stand up, feeling happier than I’ve ever felt before. “I should go,” I say quietly. “Have a good day.”
He nods as he stands too and walks around his desk. “You too.” He holds his hand out towards Thomas, smiling. “Can I see him?”
I hesitate as I wonder if he knows Thomas is his, but then I nod. He doesn’t know that night, so he doesn’t know who Thomas is. I hand Thomas to him, and he smiles as he holds him.
“Hi, Thomas,” he smiles. “Don’t you worry, okay?” He smiles again as he looks down at me. “I promise.” He hands Thomas back to me a minute later and cups my chin. “Don’t forget to call me, okay?”
I blush, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Okay.”
He smiles and kisses my forehead lightly before pulling back. “I’ll see you later then.” He steps back towards his desk and waves his hand towards the door. “Go on. Have a good day.”
I nod as I hug Thomas tighter and walk out of the room.
I lean against the wall in the hallway and smile. I feel happy for the first time in a while. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe he’s the one.
I feel happy. Maybe I can live a normal life with him.
I walk back to my brother’s office later to check in on him and Thomas. I knock on the door lightly and turn the handle to open it. “Hello?” I say as I walk inside.
My brother looks up from his chair and smiles. “Hi, Cait.” He motions towards Thomas, who’s sitting on the ground in front of a toy. “How was your meeting with Zachary?”
I sit down in one of his chairs and hold Thomas to my hip. “It went well.” I smile. “He’s nice.”
My brother nods and smiles again. “Yeah. He is. I knew him in college. He was my roommate.” He smiles again.
“Oh.” I hadn’t known that. “Well, he wants to see me again.”
My brother nods. “Good.” He smiles again. “You should give him a chance.”
I nod, hugging Thomas tighter to my chest. “I already said yes.”
My brother nods again. “Good. I knew you would.” He smiles at me, standing from his chair. “Want to go get lunch?”
I smile too as I stand up. “Sure.” I follow him to his car, holding Thomas tight.
I get in the back seat with Thomas and hold him in my lap as he plays with a toy my brother found. I smile as I watch him and remember what Zachary said to me earlier: “Call me, okay?” I wonder if I should call him.
I want to.
But what about Thomas? Should I tell him?
I don’t know.
He doesn’t seem like a bad person, but what if he’s not happy with the baby? What if he hates me because of Thomas?
I frown as my brother pulls into a diner, turning to look at me. “Cait, what’s wrong?”
I shake my head, looking down at Thomas as he squirms in my arms. “Nothing.” I smile again. “Let’s go in.” I want to talk to Zachary. Maybe he’s a good person.
But I don’t know for sure.
I follow my brother and Thomas out of the car as we walk into the diner. We take a booth by the window and sit down.
My brother picks up a menu and looks through it. “What are you going to get?”
I shrug and smile, looking at Thomas. “Whatever you think is best for me.” I pick up a straw from the table and hand it to him. “Look, Thomas. It’s a straw.”
He giggles and grabs onto it, sticking it in his mouth.
My brother laughs as he looks over at Thomas and me. “He likes you a lot, Cait.” He looks back at the menu and sets it down on the table. “Maybe you should call Zachary later.” He glances over at me again. “If you want to.”
I nod, smiling. Yes, I want to.
I’m going to call him tonight.
Later that night, I sit on my bed with the card he gave me and stare at it. I want to call him, but I’m afraid. What if he doesn’t like me? What if he’s not the one?
I sigh and look down at Thomas, who’s sleeping in his crib next to my bed. I want to be happy, but I don’t know if I can. Maybe he’s not the right person.
But what if he is?
I stand up and walk over to my dresser, picking up my phone and putting in the number on the card. I hesitate before pressing the call button.
He answers after a few rings. “Hello?”
I take a breath before speaking. “Hi.” I try to sound calm, but my voice shakes.
“Who is this?” he asks, and I can hear a smile in his voice.
I take another breath. “C-Cait,” I stutter.
“Oh! Hi, Cait!” He chuckles. “I thought you were going to call me?”
I nod, feeling my face heat up. “I-I am. I mean, I did.” I pause, wondering how to say it. “I wanted to see if you want to hang out.”
He laughs again, and I smile too. “Yes! That sounds wonderful.” His voice sounds sincere.
I smile again, feeling happy. “Good.” I pause for a second. “Um... what should we do?”
He laughs again. “Do you like movies?” he asks. “We could watch a movie.”