“What are you doing here?” So much for my mind playing tricks on me. No confusion here; Camden is standing outside my apartment building with a small suitcase. I cross my arms so he doesn’t notice that they are trembling.
“Can we talk?” He points to the door.
I’m so mad at him that I want to send him back home and never speak to him again, but I know that’s not the right thing to do. We do need to talk because, like it or not, I’ll have a tie to Camden forever. Even if he decides he wants nothing to do with this baby, every time I look at him or her, I’ll remember Camden.
“Yeah.” I unlock the building door and walk in, holding the door open. Camden walks in behind me, both of us waiting for the elevator in silence.
I fidget with my keys as it dings open and step inside, every drop of nerves hitting me at once until I’m fighting against them in a losing battle. As if I were swimming upstream against a violent current.
The entire ride up to the fourth floor is filled with more silence, only amping up my anxiety. I can’t even think about what he’s going to say, but I’ll let him speak first. I already told him what I needed to, but I won’t force him to play Dad if that’s not what he wants. I’m not looking for someone to pity me. If he wants to be in this baby’s life, we’ll make it work.
“The place is a mess, and I’m not just saying that to fish for compliments about how non-messy it is. You won’t walk into a spotless apartment, especially after this weekend.” I open the door and walk in, allowing Camden to enter behind me. He places his small suitcase by the entrance and sticks his hands in his pockets.
He must catch me eyeing his bag because he says, “Don’t worry, I booked a hotel.”
I swallow thickly and nod. “Good, because I only have one bedroom, and I’m not giving up my bed,” I shrug.
“I would never ask that. Jesus…” He mumbles the last part as he runs a hand through his hair.
“So, what can I do for you?” I cross my arms over my chest and arch an eyebrow. Camden gives me a dubious stare, something mixed with insanity, too, as he furrows his eyebrows.
“Uh… You kinda dropped a bomb on me, and I wanted to talk in person.” I can’t believe he’s here.
“And you dropped a bomb in me,” I grit out, pointing to my stomach.
Camden snorts, trying to hold back his laughter and failing, which only causes me to glare harder. “Sorry, Kiwi, but that’s kinda funny. I guess my sperm is uber-fast and determined.”
“Camden!” I rake my hands through my hair and turn around, blinking to dry up my tears.
“Hey,” his voice is soft, and I tense upon feeling his hand on my shoulder. “I was just joking, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Trust me, I’m as scared as you are.”
I shake my head and turn around. “No, don’t come at me with that. You aren’t the one carrying this baby. You aren’t the one living in a foreign country, questioning how the hell you’re going to overcome this. You’re the one that gets to choose to walk away and wipe your hands from this…this…this thing,” I’m at a loss for words as my emotions spike.
“I flew over here to talk, to work this out. I’m not going to leave you alone and abandon you to deal with this.” His jaw ticks.
“Fine,” I surrender because he’s right. He flew all the way over here, and he doesn’t deserve my attitude of doubts.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go eat since I know you have to get back to work, and we can talk. We can meet once you’re done to discuss more if you want to.
“Wait… How did you find out where I live?” My eyebrows pull together as it dawns on me that I never told him.
He looks at me out of the corner of his eye with a lifted brow. “I’m a computer whiz. I know how to hack into systems and get the info I want.”
“You hacked a computer to get my address? That’s creepy, Camden.” I cross my arms. Goodness, this is the father of my child.
“What you call creepy, I call efficient.” He gives me a boyish smile, and my tension begins to melt away as I laugh. I hold my middle, manic cackles taking over at what my life has become.
“Uhh… Are you okay?” Camden’s wide eyes stare at me, which causes me to laugh harder. I nod before throwing my head back, tears prickling the edges of my eyes.
“Oh my God…” I try to catch my breath. “Be right back!” I race to the bathroom before I pee my pants, still laughing as I sit on the toilet.
Camden flew all the way from Richmond after ignoring my message, so we could talk in person. Then, he hacks a system to get my address instead of being a rational adult and telling me he’s coming and wants to talk. This poor kid is in trouble with parents like us.
My hand lands on my stomach, my giggles turning into cries that clutch my stomach. I swallow them back, but it’s no use. My vision clouds as I stand in front of the sink to wash my hands. I look at my disheveled reflection, which only makes me cry more. I try to control my emotions and wash my face. I guess
