Page 35 of Twins with Daddy’s Bestie

Olivia doesn't need me. She made up her mind about what she was going to do before I even involved myself in it. This is a mistake. A huge mistake. I shouldn't have gotten involved with Olivia in the first place. I'm not ready to be a father, and I have forced myself into this role because of my feelings.

“Drake?” Olivia says, standing beside me fully dressed with her arms crossed and confusion plastered across her face. I didn't notice the appointment end and the doctor walk out of the room. “What's going on? You've been spaced out for the past half-hour. You missed the entire thing.”

She's irritated, and she should be. I promised to be here for her, and the first time she needed me, I messed up.

“I don't know if I can do this,” I say as I watch her heart break in two.

“What do you mean?” she asks, not understanding my sudden change of heart.

I stand and lead her out of the office so we can have this conversation in private. She's hesitant to follow, and I can't blame her. She must be shocked. As soon as we're in my car, she turns to me expectantly.

“I don't know if I can go through all this. I never wanted a family, and I don't know if I'm ready,” I say, hardly able to look her in the eye.

She's quiet for a moment. I glance up, not knowing what to expect, and watch as her eyes shift between confusion, heartbreak, and anger. I brace myself for each of them.

“Why are you saying this now? You're the one who wanted to be a part of this.” Her voice is sharp, loud, and filled with frustration. “I told you I had a plan, and you were angry because I made one without consulting you. What changed?”

“I don't know,” I say more defensively than I need to. “This is a big deal, Olivia. This isn't trying to figure out what restaurant we're going to for dinner. This is bringing a life into the world and figuring out how to raise it.”

“Do you think I don't know that? I've been thinking about this every day since I found out I was pregnant. I made up my mind, and you convinced me otherwise.” She's yelling now, furious with me for my indecisiveness. “I thought things were going well. Maybe I was stupid, but I thought we might have a future.”

The weight in my chest is dragging me down now. “Things are going well between us. I care about you so much, Olivia. I just don't think I'm ready for this.”

Olivia looks at me with her mouth hanging open. She doesn't know what to think, and neither do I. I feel bad for everything I've said. I wish I could take it back, but I know that wouldn't be good for either of us.

She opens my car door and moves to step out before I grab her hand and stop her. “If you're not sure about this, that’s fine. But you’re not going to toy around with me. You're not the only one who needs time to think now.”

She slams the car door and heads back into the doctor's office, presumably to call an Uber. I consider going to talk to her, but I don't want to make a scene. I wait in my car for a few minutes before deciding the best thing to do is leave and give her space.

I just don't know if I can fix this when I see her again.

23

Olivia

I feel like a fool. How could I let myself get excited about this pregnancy because of Drake? Of course he isn't ready for this. Why would I trust a man who has never been in a serious relationship enough to consider raising a child with him?

The Uber drops me off outside of my apartment, and I hurry to the door, doing everything in my power to hold back the sobs. The last thing I need is a public meltdown.

Callie greets me from the living room when I walk in, but I don't quite hear it as I rush to my bedroom and close the door. I can hear her footsteps and the delicate raps on the wood as she tries to get my attention, but I ignore her. Eventually, she just opens the door to let herself in.

“What the hell did he do?” Callie asks, knowing it's because of Drake. I've been doing this a lot lately, and all roads lead back to him.

“You were right.” I wipe my eyes and force myself to take a deep breath to calm down. “I let him get me excited about this, and now he doesn't think he's ready. I should have never trusted him.”

Callie pulls me into her arms without saying anything and hugs me, shaking her head as she comforts me. We stay there for a moment before I back away and wipe my eyes again, forcing myself to look away so I don't lose control.

“I don't know what to do now. We were getting to know each other, and I felt good about it. I was imagining a world where we were together with the baby.” I pause to laugh in disbelief. “I don't know where we stand now.”

“What do you want?” she asks, and I shrug.

“I'm falling for him, Cal,” I whisper, hardly able to admit it. “What if this isn't even about the baby? What if he's not ready for me? He told me he didn't want a girlfriend, and I believed him when he said he wanted me.”

We lie on our backs and look at the ceiling in my room. She doesn't say anything else, she's just there to listen to me vent my frustrations. I eventually fall asleep, and Callie makes her way to her bed. I wake up wishing Drake was next to me, my heart heavy with the impending pain I'm bound to feel after this is over.

I don't hear from Drake again until Monday at work. A part of me considered avoiding him at all costs, but if he's not going to be around, I need to make sure I’m financially supported. Finding another job might be inevitable, but until then, I need every penny I can get from this one.

Luckily for me, today's workload is relatively small because the whole staff is at a corporate lunch-and-learn workshop. It leaves me free to reorganize the kitchen inventory and place orders.