Chapter 7 Now
I punched Evie's number into my phone time, and time, again but I couldn't bring myself to hit send. Who was the man she was with last night? I didn't see a ring on her finger, but he must have been her child's father right? Gabe, I think that's the name he used. I wonder how old he was, or if she'd gotten her PHD like she had planned. I know calling her would be easier than sitting here speculating, but I was chickening the fuck out. Seeing her again after all the time that's passed was surreal. We weren't the same people anymore, would she even like who I became?
Shaking my head, I dialed her number one more time, and before I could psych myself out, I pushed send. She answered on the fourth ring, and the sound of her voice had my stomach doing a dance somewhere between elation, and indigestion. “Hello?” She said again, when I couldn't bring myself to form words. Clearing my throat, I said a shaky hello back, and waited.
“Jake?”
“Yea, it's me.”
“I'm glad you called. Can we meet? For coffee maybe?”
“Uh, yea. Sure. You have some place in mind?”
“What about that little all night diner we used to go to. Is it still around?”
“Yea.” I smiled. “Thirty minutes?”
“See you soon.”
“Bye.”
“Bye Jake.”
I placed my phone back in my pocket, and let out a slow steady breath. The easy part was over, and in half an hour, I would finally get some answers. I had resigned to the fact that I would never know what happened to Evie, and the anticipation of the truth had me physically shaking. I had never been so nervous about anything in my life. Even going into a potential war zone was far less threatening than the discussion of feelings, and I had quite a few to discuss. Anger, being at the top of my list.
Grabbing my keys from the hook by the door, I headed out to the garage, and made my way to the little diner. It was only ten minutes up the road, which was why it was one of our favorite spots. We'd spend all night in each other's arms, wake up early, come here, and stuff our faces with all you can eat pancakes. Evie always put whipped cream on hers, and I wondered if she still like them that way.
I was the first to arrive, so I took a seat in one of the corner booths so I could watch for her car from the window. It wasn't long before I spotted her. She was driving a newer SUV, red, her favorite color, and her hair was flowing freely in the wind. I watched her as she exited her vehicle, and approached the building, glancing down at the menu when she walked in.
The atmosphere in the room changed immediately, and I was suddenly hyper aware of how close she was to me. “Is this seat taken?” She teased, slipping into the booth directly across from me.
“It is now.” I teased back, passing her a menu.
“I doubt the menus changed much since we were here.” She smiled, opening it up and scanning the selections.
“You're probably right.” I agreed, signaling the waitress. I ordered us a couple of coffees, but it was clear neither one of us were in the mood for food.
“How long are you home?” She asked, her eyes locking on mine.
“Three weeks. I'm dog sitting for Zoe, and Wes.”
She laughed. “You hate dogs.”
“Rocko's grown on me.” I smiled, the sound of her laughter making me feel that familiar sting in my chest.
“I bet you have a lot of questions.” She said, her mood changing from playful to serious.
“Do I call you doctor now?” I asked, choosing to start with something easy.
The smile on her face returned tenfold, and she lit the entire room with it. “Dr. Evie Perez at your service.” She sighed. “It's better than I imagined. I love working with kids.”
“Perez? Does that mean you aren't... I mean the man you were with last night.. he isn't.. your husband?” I stammered.
“Antonio!?” She laughed so hard, she started snorting, and that sting was back, hitting me right in the heart.
“What's so funny?” I asked, and I couldn't help but smile.
“Antonio's just a friend, and he's soooo gay.” She said, the laughter still lingering in her voice. “He's my roomate, and he helps out with Gabe- with my son, Gabriel.”
“Why Evie?” I asked. I couldn't wait any longer, I needed to know.
“Remember the last time we seen each other? You were deploying, and you weren't sure for how long. We talked about our future, and what it held. Your plans, were very different than mine. I had a few more years left of residency, and you were more determined than ever to get promoted. I knew that night, when we said goodbye that our lives were going in different directions.”
“How could you have known that?”
“You never wanted kids Jake.” She said, point blank, laying her cards down on the table.
“We had that discussion when we were kids Evie. We were barely legal. Of course I didn't want kids, not then.”
“And now?”
“I'm not even seeing anyone, I haven't even thought about seeing anyone, let alone having a child. Where is this coming from? Are you telling me the reason you just up and split is because I said I didn't want to have kids when I was eighteen years old!” I said, the anger rising in my voice. “That's your reason, for leaving me high, and dry, with no friends. Do you know how bad it was over there? I had no idea where you were, if you were safe, why you just packed up and left. I was stuck in another fucking country, without a God damned clue. I searched for you. Do you know that? I called the police Evie! You couldn't even call me, text me, something!”
“Jake, please-”
“No Evie. I thought I could do this, but being here, seeing you, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Nothing you can say will make me understand your decision.” I said, making to stand.
“Jake wait!” She yelled, reaching for my wrist, and stopping me in my tracks. “Please, sit back down. I need to tell you what happened. Please.” She begged me, and her eyes began to fill with tears.
Sighing, I sat back down, and she released her grip on my wrist. “Five minutes, and I'm leaving.”
She nodded frantically, grabbing a napkin to blot at her tears. “You had been gone for two weeks, and I had come down with some sort of flu or something. I could barely get out of bed I was so sick. I thought something was seriously wrong so I went to the emergency room. I was there for an hour, and when my blood test results came back, everything made sense.”
“Blood tests? You were sick? Was it cancer? What Evie?” I asked, concern, momentarily masking my anger.
“No Jake. I found out I was pregnant.” She said, looking down at her hands. “My son Gabriel, he's yours. You're his father.”