over the back of the sofa. “I thought that’s all it was — a one night stand in the middle of finals. And one more time, right before I came down here to Palm Beach for the summer.” He looked down at his hands. “She called me that morning on the beach. The morning I woke up next to you.”
Lauren cupped her chin in her hand and waited. Something told her not to interrupt him, not now. Even so, the deeper he delved into the story, the more she wanted him to stop talking so she could spend the rest of the day counting the threads in the blanket and forgetting all the pain of the past.
“You were still asleep, right there on the beach towel.” Trent smiled a little. “God, you looked so beautiful.” He shook his head. “And she had… she had news.”
Lauren raised her eyebrow, able to guess what came next. “She was pregnant?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not.”
Trent grimaced. “That was about the time my life turned into one of those bad Lifetime movies my mom watched in the ‘90s.”
Lauren stood up. “I think I need more wine,” she said, sensing that Trent had much more to tell her. “Do you want some?”
“We’ve already drank half the bottle. Why not?”
Lauren walked to the kitchen, picked up the remaining bottle and returned to her place on the couch. Trent regarded her with a haggard look. “We should have brought it out here with us,” he said, and chuckled to break the tension.
“Wine always comes in handy.” Lauren poured him some and filled her own glass. “And I think I have more if we need it.”
“Are you mad?” he whispered. “I hate not knowing.”
“I want you to finish your story.”
“Cynthia was pregnant. Of course she was.” He sipped his drink. “And the thing was, I couldn’t remember much about either night she and I slept together.” He sputtered, choking a little on the wine and his emotions. “Jesus. I thought it was a regular call when I got up. And I was standing there on the beach and she sounded like she’d been crying...” He broke off as his voice cracked.
A wave of pity crashed over Lauren. She scooted close to him on the couch, her heart breaking as she watched him crumble under the weight of a story he’d carried around for ten years. Trent looked so broken, so alone. It scared her. Maybe she’d been harsh, too cold. Perhaps she should just forgive him. He didn’t have to tell her the rest of the story. She could forget what he did.
Couldn’t she?
“It happens a lot,” she said under her breath. “People make mistakes.”
Trent rubbed his face again and didn’t acknowledge her. “Not like this one. I didn’t know what to do. She said she wanted to keep the baby. She wouldn’t change her mind. I tried to reason with her, but she—”
“Did she keep it?”
“I went back to Amherst. School was about to start anyway. I went home that morning to my parents’ place and booked the first flight I could get. I thought I would convince her that we couldn’t take care of it...” He stopped his story when his voice broke again. To steel himself, he took another drink from his glass. “Cynthia wanted to keep it. She did. She insisted.”
Lauren moved a little closer to him and put her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I wish you’d told me.”
“Things got so bad.”
Lauren tightened her grip on his shoulder. “Not so bad. I don’t think so. Sounds like a normal mistake to me.” She shrugged and patted him a couple of times, to show him she didn’t have any anger toward him. “So you have a baby with a woman you don’t love. Happens a lot.”
“But that’s just it.” Trent stiffened and looked down at the floor again. “I don’t.”
6:00 PM
hat?” Lauren’s voice echoed in her ears and she wasn’t sure she’d heard Trent right. She frowned as the twist in his story sank in all around her. “What do you mean, you don’t?”
Trent looked up and met her disbelief. This was
Lauren cupped her chin in her hand and waited. Something told her not to interrupt him, not now. Even so, the deeper he delved into the story, the more she wanted him to stop talking so she could spend the rest of the day counting the threads in the blanket and forgetting all the pain of the past.
“You were still asleep, right there on the beach towel.” Trent smiled a little. “God, you looked so beautiful.” He shook his head. “And she had… she had news.”
Lauren raised her eyebrow, able to guess what came next. “She was pregnant?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not.”
Trent grimaced. “That was about the time my life turned into one of those bad Lifetime movies my mom watched in the ‘90s.”
Lauren stood up. “I think I need more wine,” she said, sensing that Trent had much more to tell her. “Do you want some?”
“We’ve already drank half the bottle. Why not?”
Lauren walked to the kitchen, picked up the remaining bottle and returned to her place on the couch. Trent regarded her with a haggard look. “We should have brought it out here with us,” he said, and chuckled to break the tension.
“Wine always comes in handy.” Lauren poured him some and filled her own glass. “And I think I have more if we need it.”
“Are you mad?” he whispered. “I hate not knowing.”
“I want you to finish your story.”
“Cynthia was pregnant. Of course she was.” He sipped his drink. “And the thing was, I couldn’t remember much about either night she and I slept together.” He sputtered, choking a little on the wine and his emotions. “Jesus. I thought it was a regular call when I got up. And I was standing there on the beach and she sounded like she’d been crying...” He broke off as his voice cracked.
A wave of pity crashed over Lauren. She scooted close to him on the couch, her heart breaking as she watched him crumble under the weight of a story he’d carried around for ten years. Trent looked so broken, so alone. It scared her. Maybe she’d been harsh, too cold. Perhaps she should just forgive him. He didn’t have to tell her the rest of the story. She could forget what he did.
Couldn’t she?
“It happens a lot,” she said under her breath. “People make mistakes.”
Trent rubbed his face again and didn’t acknowledge her. “Not like this one. I didn’t know what to do. She said she wanted to keep the baby. She wouldn’t change her mind. I tried to reason with her, but she—”
“Did she keep it?”
“I went back to Amherst. School was about to start anyway. I went home that morning to my parents’ place and booked the first flight I could get. I thought I would convince her that we couldn’t take care of it...” He stopped his story when his voice broke again. To steel himself, he took another drink from his glass. “Cynthia wanted to keep it. She did. She insisted.”
Lauren moved a little closer to him and put her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I wish you’d told me.”
“Things got so bad.”
Lauren tightened her grip on his shoulder. “Not so bad. I don’t think so. Sounds like a normal mistake to me.” She shrugged and patted him a couple of times, to show him she didn’t have any anger toward him. “So you have a baby with a woman you don’t love. Happens a lot.”
“But that’s just it.” Trent stiffened and looked down at the floor again. “I don’t.”
6:00 PM
hat?” Lauren’s voice echoed in her ears and she wasn’t sure she’d heard Trent right. She frowned as the twist in his story sank in all around her. “What do you mean, you don’t?”
Trent looked up and met her disbelief. This was
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