stand there, awkward as you please. He’d obviously failed to comfort her, the gentleness he’d offered much too fleeting. He definitely needed to go home, but he lingered a moment longer.
Finally he opened the gate and passed through it, glancing back one last time—at the beautiful young woman carrying his child.
* * *
Kaley arrived on Saturday. They went out for sushi and Eric worried the entire time, trying to figure out how to tell her his news when they returned to the house. On the drive back, he stared out the windshield.
His emotions were a freaking mess. Maybe he shouldn’t tell Kaley this soon. Maybe he should wait until closer to the baby’s birth.
No, that wasn’t a good idea. It wouldn’t be right to keep it a secret from his daughter. But damn, he wished that he’d never gotten himself into this situation.
And Dana. Sweet Dana. How difficult this must be on her. He remembered her saying that her being a single parent would crush her family and that she would be crushed by it herself, too.
So what did that make Eric? The man who’d crushed her?
He parked in the driveway, and he and Kaley went inside. He looked at her, thinking how lovely and grownup she was. Grownup enough to accept his news? God, he hoped so.
He took another look at her and realized that she had a similar style to Dana’s. She favored gypsy-type clothes, too. Not as wild as Dana’s, but similar nonetheless. Of course she and Dana were only eight years apart. They were practically the same generation.
“Kaley,” he said.
“Uh-huh?” She removed her sequined flats and left them by the front door. Her sweater had a row of sequins on it, too.
He said, “I need to tell you something.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. Her long dark hair was sleek and straight with a hint of red that shone in the sun, courtesy of her birth mother.
She furrowed her brow. “Is something wrong? You’ve been kind of spacey all day.”
Yes, something was very wrong. “Sit down, okay?”
“Now you’re scaring me.”
“It isn’t scary.” Not the kind of scary he knew she was thinking, like when Corrine had gotten sick.
She plopped onto the sofa, and he took the chair opposite her. “Okay, Dad, shoot.”
He started off easy. “I went out on a date with someone.”
“Really? Oh, that’s great.”
No, it wasn’t. “I had relations with her, too.”
“Relations? Seriously? That’s so corny.” She laughed. “So you slept with her? That’s cool.”
Again, it wasn’t great or cool or any of that. “She’s pregnant, Kaley. We messed up and she got pregnant.”
His daughter’s eyes went wide. She was stunned into silence.
He hastily added, “The protection was old and it failed.”
More silence.
Eric felt as if he was heading to the gallows. Off with his head for being the man who’d crushed Dana and confused Kaley.
“You’re having a baby?” she finally asked.
“Yes. She wants to keep it.”
“Two old people having a kid. Who would have thought...”
Oh, cripes . Here came the rest of his admission. “She isn’t old. She’s only twenty-six.”
Kaley’s eyes went wide again. Super wide. “ Dad . Oh, my God. Dad .”
“I know. It’s crazy. She’s a waitress at a diner where I used to eat, and she invited me on a date, and then I stayed the night with her. It was just that once. I knew she was too young for me. I knew better.”
“When is the baby due?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“She didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. All I know is that she’s around five weeks and they’re going to do an ultrasound at six weeks.”
“It’s still really early.”
“Our date was around Valentine’s Day. It was the gallery opening I mentioned to you.”
“Oh, yes. I remember that. So what’s your baby mama’s name?”
His baby mama? He didn’t like that phrase. It was too carefree a depiction. “Dana.”
“Is she nice? Will I like her?”
“Yes, I think you’ll
Finally he opened the gate and passed through it, glancing back one last time—at the beautiful young woman carrying his child.
* * *
Kaley arrived on Saturday. They went out for sushi and Eric worried the entire time, trying to figure out how to tell her his news when they returned to the house. On the drive back, he stared out the windshield.
His emotions were a freaking mess. Maybe he shouldn’t tell Kaley this soon. Maybe he should wait until closer to the baby’s birth.
No, that wasn’t a good idea. It wouldn’t be right to keep it a secret from his daughter. But damn, he wished that he’d never gotten himself into this situation.
And Dana. Sweet Dana. How difficult this must be on her. He remembered her saying that her being a single parent would crush her family and that she would be crushed by it herself, too.
So what did that make Eric? The man who’d crushed her?
He parked in the driveway, and he and Kaley went inside. He looked at her, thinking how lovely and grownup she was. Grownup enough to accept his news? God, he hoped so.
He took another look at her and realized that she had a similar style to Dana’s. She favored gypsy-type clothes, too. Not as wild as Dana’s, but similar nonetheless. Of course she and Dana were only eight years apart. They were practically the same generation.
“Kaley,” he said.
“Uh-huh?” She removed her sequined flats and left them by the front door. Her sweater had a row of sequins on it, too.
He said, “I need to tell you something.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. Her long dark hair was sleek and straight with a hint of red that shone in the sun, courtesy of her birth mother.
She furrowed her brow. “Is something wrong? You’ve been kind of spacey all day.”
Yes, something was very wrong. “Sit down, okay?”
“Now you’re scaring me.”
“It isn’t scary.” Not the kind of scary he knew she was thinking, like when Corrine had gotten sick.
She plopped onto the sofa, and he took the chair opposite her. “Okay, Dad, shoot.”
He started off easy. “I went out on a date with someone.”
“Really? Oh, that’s great.”
No, it wasn’t. “I had relations with her, too.”
“Relations? Seriously? That’s so corny.” She laughed. “So you slept with her? That’s cool.”
Again, it wasn’t great or cool or any of that. “She’s pregnant, Kaley. We messed up and she got pregnant.”
His daughter’s eyes went wide. She was stunned into silence.
He hastily added, “The protection was old and it failed.”
More silence.
Eric felt as if he was heading to the gallows. Off with his head for being the man who’d crushed Dana and confused Kaley.
“You’re having a baby?” she finally asked.
“Yes. She wants to keep it.”
“Two old people having a kid. Who would have thought...”
Oh, cripes . Here came the rest of his admission. “She isn’t old. She’s only twenty-six.”
Kaley’s eyes went wide again. Super wide. “ Dad . Oh, my God. Dad .”
“I know. It’s crazy. She’s a waitress at a diner where I used to eat, and she invited me on a date, and then I stayed the night with her. It was just that once. I knew she was too young for me. I knew better.”
“When is the baby due?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“She didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. All I know is that she’s around five weeks and they’re going to do an ultrasound at six weeks.”
“It’s still really early.”
“Our date was around Valentine’s Day. It was the gallery opening I mentioned to you.”
“Oh, yes. I remember that. So what’s your baby mama’s name?”
His baby mama? He didn’t like that phrase. It was too carefree a depiction. “Dana.”
“Is she nice? Will I like her?”
“Yes, I think you’ll
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