By the tenth time I walked by Jordan’s office and the lights were still off, I decided to give up in continuing to seek him out in his office. I guessed he had back-to-back offsite sales meetings that day, which was fine because I still had no idea what I would say to him.

Plus, I had other, more pressing matters on my mind. It turned out that Shirley Temple was friendly with the landlord…very friendly (much to the chagrin of his wife). She had insisted that I was a nuisance and that I needed to be evicted, and he didn’t argue. I had a mere week and a half to get my stuff out and no place to go.

I headed home that evening more depressed than I could ever recall being. It seemed that the world was closing in fast, getting ready to swallow me whole. The most logical thing to do would be to move to Florida and live with my parents for a bit until I got myself on my feet. They could help with the baby and I could find a job at some small company in Fort Lauderdale. But this thought only made me more depressed. All I wanted to do was go home, curl up in a ball and go to sleep. Perhaps I would be able to make sense of all of this after a good rest.

The stairs to my apartment seemed more daunting than usual. It felt like I was wearing a ball and chain on my legs that only increased in weight with every step I climbed.

Finally, I got to the top and turned right toward my door. However, that’s when I noticed something strange. The door was slightly ajar. Had I not closed up my place properly before I left this morning? That was certainly a possibility since I had been in such a dazed state.

I placed my hand on the door and lightly pressed to reveal every inch of my apartment covered in roses of all colors: Red, white, yellow, blue, green, purple. It was a glorious mix of color in my otherwise plain, 1-bedroom abode.

I stepped further inside and there was Jordan, standing in my living room looking as adorable as ever with a fresh haircut and a grey suit.

“Please don’t be mad. I have some things to say to you.” He walked closer to me and took my hands in his.

“I don’t know why you came to my place last night, but believe me, the thoughts in my head have gone to every extreme possible. All I know is that seeing you at my place last night haunted me; it just felt so right.”

I couldn’t stop my eyes from beginning to well up with tears of joy.

“I’m so sorry you saw me the way that you did. The guy who was there means nothing. Yes, I invited him to my place last night but, I couldn’t do anything with him. And when he kissed me, all I could do was think about the fact that he wasn’t you. I quit HFS today, so you no longer have to worry about our relationship being unethical. As for your ex, I know I can’t make up for what he did to you, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying.”

At this, I looked into his eyes, which were also beginning to fill to the brim with his own emotion.

“You…you quit? For me?”

“It wasn’t only that. It was time. But you were a big part of it for sure.”

Suddenly I remembered the big elephant in the room, which was still unknown to Jordan. I removed my hands from his and looked down at the ground.

“Jordan, I have to tell you something and I have no idea how you’ll feel about this.”

He was clearly taken aback. “I’m listening.”

“I’m pregnant.” Sheepishly, I glanced back up to see his eyes widen.

“You’re…what?”

“We should have been more careful at Hamilton House. I don’t know what we were thinking –”

“Stop. Stop right there. You’re really pregnant?”

“Yes. That’s why I came to your house. I wanted to tell you in person. If this is too much for you-”

“No. No, it’s not too much for me.” His brown eyes began to soften, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard. I’m going to be the father of your baby.”

He gently placed his hand on my belly, which bared not even a hint that there was a life growing inside. His eyes met mine and he gave me a look that made everything inside me melt into a puddle of safety and deep love.

His one hand remained on my belly as the other reached out to touch my face. “I can think of nothing I’d rather do than raise this baby with you.”

Like someone who had been deprived of water for weeks, I couldn’t help but quench my undying thirst by grabbing his head firmly with both my hands and pulling him towards me.