Page 16 of The Curveball
Moving over to a bench off to the side of the store’s entrance, I set down the bags and pull out the bakery box. Sage sits down and rips open the box, before pulling out a croissant and taking a large bite. Her eyes flutter shut, and I see her shoulders drop.
I watch, confused—and a little turned on—as she chews with a smile on her face, and swallows before opening her eyes again.
“Apple now.”
Wordlessly, I hand her one, and she takes a massive bite. After the third time of her going back and forth between croissant and apple, she finally stops and looks at me.
“Sorry.”
My lips tip up in a small grin as I lift my thumb andswipe away a croissant crumb stuck to the corner of her mouth. “For what? Being hungry and adorable?”
She chokes out a laugh, and my smile grows wider.
“Did you know croissants aren’t actually from the French? They were originally made in Austria, and Marie Antoinette brought them to France.”
“Yeah, well, there are over 7,500 different types of apples,” Sage fires back. Then she turns her head, dipping it down to stare at the snack she’s clutching in her lap.
After a minute of silence, I whisper, “I can’t believe you’re really here. What are the chances?”
“Trust me, I can’t believe it, either. I should be in England right now,” she finally says in reply.
I stare at her in stunned silence, my brain struggling to process the words she just said.England?
I knew she wasn’t staying in Manitoba, but I didn’t realize she was leaving the country. Suddenly, the fact that she’s here next to me feels like an even bigger gift from fate than I first thought.
“Instead, I came to stay with a friend.” Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, then she takes another small nibble of the croissant, speaking again once she’s swallowed. “I wanted to try and find you but couldn’t think how. Then my friend and I went out for breakfast, and there you were. Right in front of me, in a photo in the newspaper about a baseball team.”
I’m getting a little confused, mostly about why she wanted to find me. Something tells me there’s a part of this story I’m missing.
But Sage keeps on talking. “I had this big plan ofcoming to the stadium to try and get a message to you, but then I started to feel nauseous and had to stop at the store for a snack and…” She trails off.
“And you ran into me,” I finish for her.
“I know. Trust me, I was just as shocked as you are right now. Did you know the chance of getting pregnant when you’re using a condom and you have an IUD is less than one percent? It’s basically impossible, and yet, here we are.”
I blink. “Wait.What?”
7
SAGE
As I stareinto Brady’s shocked face, I realize I haven’t actually said the words I planned to say.
“Ah, yeah. That night we were together. Um, well, I’m pregnant. About eleven weeks along.” Not knowing what he’s thinking is driving me crazy. So I keep talking. “I’m keeping the baby. You don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to, I’m not telling you about this because I expect anything from you.” I keep my tone firm, faking a confidence I don’t really feel.
He raises his hand and goes to open his mouth, but I’m on a roll now that I’ve started, and don’t let him speak. If I hear his voice, or look into his eyes, I know I’ll falter.
“We don’t even know each other. I only know your last name because of a freaking newspaper article. This was never meant to happen, us seeing each other again, and I know you agreed to that, so you’ve got every right to walk away.”
The words almost get caught in my throat as I say them. I don’t know if it’s because I think he might actually walk away or because I really hope he doesn’t.
Sucking in a breath, I push on. “But if you’re in this, then you need to prove that to me. Right now, I have no idea if you’re a good enough human being to be in my kid’s life. Because make no mistake, this ismybody, andmykid. You contributed some cells, sure, but until I know you’re not some asshole masquerading as a decent human being, I’m going to reserve judgment. Which is why I’m going to stay in the area for a few months. If you don’t want to walk away right now, then I need time to get to know you.”
I finally stop talking, and my hands drift to my stomach before I realize what I’m doing. The second his gaze drops to stare at them, I clench my fists and move them to my sides. My stomach is churning as I mentally replay everything I just said at double speed.
This is it. The moment I find out if the stranger standing in front of me is worthy of a chance or not. A part of me is skeptical. There’s no way a hot baseball player wants to be saddled with a surprise baby. What guy on earth would be okay with that?
Chances are, he’s gonna be just like my dad and bail. Right?
