AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s a difference between cocky and confident.”
Shrugging, Ali put the glass down, leaning up against the railing. “Maybe.”
“I’m confident these steaks will be perfectly cooked,” Cornell said, setting a timer on his phone and taking his glass. “I’m confident that if I drink this whole thing, I’ll be flat out on my ass.”
Ali laughed and Cornell took another sip of the lemonade before setting it down, placing his hands on either side of her. She leaned back as he moved forward, dipping his head so they were eye-to-eye. I know without a single fucking doubt that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you, he thought, running his thumb over Ali’s soft bottom lip.
“I’m confident about you and me,” Cornell told her. “Forever.”
Leaning into his hand, Ali’s tone was both playful and serious. “How do you know?”
“Because I’m cocky enough to never settle for anything other than first place,” he told her with a wink.
“Smooth,” Ali told him. “Real smooth.”
Cornell rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to be romantic.”
“Oh,” she said, clearing her throat. “Well, in that case, continue.”
“You and me. Forever. And whatever comes after.”
Ali tilted her head. “What about the things that come with forever?”
Cornell furrowed his brow. “Mowgli?”
“The people,” she corrected him, biting her lip.
Cornell’s head jutted back. Oh shit. She… is she? Oh shit. No. No way. “I thought you had that thing.”
“Thing?”
“You know,” he said, motioning down at her stomach. “The thing inside.”
Ali squinted in question for a moment. “Yes, I have an IUD. And no, I’m not pregnant.”
Okay. Okay, good.Cornell gave a silent nod and let out a long sigh of relief.
“But if you’re so nervous, maybe you should also wear a condom,” Ali quipped, crossing her arms.
Cornell shook his head. “I didn’t mean… ”
Didn’t mean what, exactly? he asked himself. To sound relieved you aren’t pregnant? Okay, maybe I am. Definitely, I am. Because I don’t know the first thing about being a father. How could I?
Cornell’s mother did a great job at being both parents, but the physical and emotional absence of his father was palpable on every given day, even though she was the one who was there every step of the way. But her face in the crowd of a school play, her voice cheering him on from the bleachers at a game was never enough to compensate.
Ali sighed, yanking him from his thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”
One hand left the railing, lifting the light material of her shirt. “This,” Cornell said, tracing a circle along the velvety skin of her tanned stomach. “I’m thinking about this getting bigger. Did you know I was like ten pounds when I was born?”
He could tell Ali was trying to keep the annoyed look on her face but lost the battle when the corner of her mouth twitched. “Your poor mother.”
“I don’t know if you could handle a ten-pound baby.” He pressed his hand flush against her. The span of his hand was nearly the length of Ali hip-to-hip.
Ali looked down. “Well, thank God for c-sections.”
“I don’t know if I could handle any sized baby,” Cornell admitted.
“It’s not happening now,” Ali said, reaching out to Cornell’s face, forcing his eyes away from her stomach and back to hers. “Now would be less than ideal timing. I… I do want kids. Some day. And I want them with you. You might think you know nothing about being a father, but I’m confident”—she paused, winking—“you’ll be a great dad. Because I’ve seen you care about a bunch of three-hundred-pound grown babies, and if you can handle them, you’ll probably be pretty amazing with a very tiny one.”
