“Pretty sure I didn’t insert a spawn in you.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “Leaked a spawn in me.”
“Ew, come on.”
I laugh out loud and move past him to my dresser, where I spritz myself with perfume and then slip on my boots. “I was planning on going to the bookstore. Think we can stop there as well?”
“Sure, oh, you know, there’s a deli right around the corner from the bookstore on Commercial Drive that’s really good.”
“I can’t have deli meat,” I say.
“Oh shit, that’s right, I read that somewhere. Uh, then what are you in the mood for?”
“Soup,” I answer. “And bread. Can we get that?”
He smiles softly. “Soup and bread, it is. I know the perfect place. A French café if that works for you.”
“That seems charming. I’m in.” I head into the main living space, where I grab my brown leather jacket that’s draped on the back of my chair and zip it up. Eli is standing at the entryway, leaning against the wall, eyeing me. “What?” I ask as I fluff my hair out of the collar.
“You look cute.”
I quickly glance at my black jeans, brown boots, and now covered-up white sweater. “This is nothing to write home about.”
“Just take the compliment, Penny.”
My cheeks flame with embarrassment. He’s right. I should. “Thank you.” And just to toss one his way, I say, “You, uh, you always look nice.”
He chuckles and shakes his head while walking over to me and looping his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s get going.”
“If you have something you want to look for, you can go peruse. No need to follow me,” I say when we enter the bookstore.
“I don’t need anything.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m just going to be looking at pregnancy books. You know, boring stuff.”
“Oh great, I’ll look with you.”
Not exactly what I wanted, but I have to give him credit for being interested. I’m not sure how many non-romantically attached fathers would be walking into the pregnancy section of a bookstore excited to peruse.
“Is there anything I can help you look for?” he asks as he walks side by side with me.
“Uh, not really. Just searching for a journal sort of thing.”
“What kind of journal?”
“One where I can write down my feelings and such as I move through the pregnancy. My mom kept one when she was pregnant with both me and Pacey. She just used a notebook, though. I know there are some out on the market that guide you. So, you know, just looking for that.”
“That’s pretty cool. Do you have yours from when your mom was pregnant with you?”
“Yes, I do. She gave it to me when I graduated high school. I really enjoyed looking through it, so I thought it might be nice to have one for our kid.”
“That is nice.” He’s silent for a second. “Have you told your parents yet?”
I shake my head as we round the corner to the pregnancy section. “I honestly have no idea how to break the news to them. I don’t know what they’re going to say. I’m pretty sure my dad just assumed I’ve never had sex and wants to keep it that way in his mind.”
“Do you want to tell them together? That way, you have someone to fall back on in case it doesn’t go well?”
“I know it won’t go well. I love my parents, but I don’t think they expected to be grandparents without a wedding beforehand. And they’re pretty chill about a lot of things, but I think this might be a hard one for them to accept.”
“Either way, I’ll be there for you. Like we said from the very beginning, this pregnancy isn’t for you to shoulder alone. We’re in this together. Just let me know when you want to tell them, and I’ll be there.”
“That means a lot to me, thank you.”
“Of course.” He glances at the stack of books and pulls one off the shelf. “The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People.” This seems like fun. He flips it open and starts laughing. “Oh, this is good. Look, you can draw pictures of the people who annoy you while you’re pregnant.”
“Isn’t that charming?”
“Ooo, and it has quizzes.”
“Uh, that doesn’t really seem like what I’m looking for.”
“Well, I’m sold,” he says while leaning against the shelf and flipping through it.
“Sold as in you’re getting it for yourself?”