First message
I’d been sitting outside your house for twenty minutes, staring at the last message Nicolla had sent me. Pregnant. She was pregnant, and there was a very real possibility that the baby was mine. I’d spent the entire drive rehearsing what to say, but nothing sounded remotely adequate. How exactly did one tell the girl he intended to marry that he’d slept with his ex at a party? Worse, that he might be having a child with her? I felt physically sick as I finally climbed out of the car. Two years. Nearly two years of loving you, and I’d managed to jeopardize everything in a single night of selfishness. You greeted me with your usual enthusiasm, throwing your arms around my neck before I could even speak. Christ, that nearly finished me. I held you for a moment longer than usual. When you pulled away, you noticed my expression immediately. “Gabriel? What’s wrong?” I followed you upstairs, my stomach twisting at the sight of our photographs scattered across your bedroom. There was one from our first anniversary, both of us grinning like idiots. I couldn’t bear looking at it.
“Baby, I need to tell you something.” My voice sounded terrible. You sat beside me, instinctively reaching for my hand, and I almost lost my nerve. Almost. ” At Oliver’s party a few months ago, Nicolla was there. We talked, and things happened that shouldn’t have.” I swallowed, forcing myself to meet your eyes. “I slept with her. I cheated on you, and got pregnant. She says the baby is mine ”