"I had a great time tonight." Easton unbuckled his seatbelt after I stopped my car in front of his house.

"Me too," I said.

Just tell him you can't keep the baby. It's now or never.

Or it was now or later...and now would be much better than telling him later when I was handing the baby over to a social worker.

His hand hesitated on the door handle.

"So are you going to walk me to the door or what?" he asked with humor in his voice. "You did ask me out on the date."

I smiled nervously before clearing my throat. "Actually, do you want to hang out a little longer?"

His eyes widened, and then a grin stretched across his lips. "Hang out?"

"I was thinking it would be fun to grab a blanket and look at the stars."

He raised his eyebrows, and I wondered what he was thinking I'd meant when I'd said hang out.

"I'll grab a couple of blankets from inside and we can head out back," he said.

His dad was sitting in their living room, watching some crime show when we walked inside.

"We're just going to head out back for a while," Easton told his dad.

Mr. Stevens eyed me, his gaze taking in my stomach for a moment before he said, "Just don't stay out too late. You have work in the morning."

I tried not to worry about how he probably thought I was trying to seduce his son again.

Easton grabbed two quilts from the family room downstairs and led me out back.

Their backyard was awesome. It had tons of trees around the perimeter, but there was a small hill right in the middle of the lawn that Lexi and I had spent many summer nights reclining back on and just looking at the night sky.

Easton spread out a red-and-blue quilt on the grass. Then he opened the other one and placed it across our legs as we huddled together on the ground.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" Easton asked after we'd settled in. It was chilly outside, but every point of contact between us was super warm. I probably should have suggested we do something else, since my brain was having a hard time remembering why I'd suggested we come out here in the first place. Instead, it kept thinking about how nice it was to be cuddled up beside Easton and how it would be so easy to forget all my worries and just kiss him instead.

It would certainly feel nice, anyway.

But I needed to focus on what he was saying instead of the way his mouth moved as he spoke.

"What does this remind you of?" I asked, once I remembered his question.

"It reminds me of when we got snowed in at Noah's cabin."

I smiled. "That seems like so long ago."

He nodded. "A lot has changed since then, and yet, not a lot has changed at the same time."

I knew what he meant about the things that had changed. He knew I was pregnant and that he was the father.

But what did he mean by what hadn't changed?

"Are there things you wished had changed since then?"

He looked at me, and it was a quiet look that made my stomach muscles tighten.

"I wish you trusted me more."

"I do trust you."

"I don't know." He shrugged and trained his gaze at the night sky. "It feels like you have all these walls up and that you're afraid to let me in again."

I looked up at the sky as well. It was super clear tonight, and the stars were bright. The expansiveness of the universe made me feel so small. Was I making a much bigger deal out of these things than necessary? Did my choice really not matter that much in the grand scheme of things?

I spoke in a quiet voice. "I'm not trying to have a ton of walls. I just..."

"You're just worried I'll hurt you again?" He peered over at me.

I shook my head. "I'm worried I'm going to hurt and disappoint you."

He reached his arm around my shoulder, pulled me closer to his side, and kissed the top of my head. "You couldn't ever disappoint me, Juliette. You are amazing."

I nuzzled my head into his chest, knowing what he was saying was so far from the truth. But I didn't correct him because I wanted to pretend like everything was going to work out between us, just like he had wanted to pretend we could go back in time that night a couple of months ago.

I breathed in his cologne, letting his familiar scent calm me. We could get through this. If we were meant to be, our deep feelings for each other would get us through this difficult time.

They just had to.

He laid down on his back and I curled up against him on my side, letting his arm pull me even closer to him as I rested my head on his chest. We were quiet for a while, watching the sky above us. It was a chilly night, but beneath the blanket I felt warm—I didn't want this moment of peacefulness to ever end.

But I knew before the night ended that I would have to tell him I couldn't keep our baby. It would just keep getting harder and harder if I continued to put it off.

I sighed and let my fingers trace along the design on the front of his hoodie.

Easton lifted his head slightly from the ground to look at me. "Is something wrong?"

I sighed again, focusing on the way my fingers were tracing along his chest. "I have something I need to talk to you about...but I kind of don't want to talk about it."

He let his head fall back to the ground again. "What is it?" He sounded wary.

My hand stilled on his chest as I tried to figure out the best words.

But no good words came, so I said, "I don't think I can keep the baby."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and when I dared peek at Easton, his jaw was set and his eyes had hardened.

"You still want to give away my baby?" The look he gave me was one that I'd expect someone to give a friend who had betrayed them on the deepest extent possible.

But he had to have known this was coming. I'd told him all along that I didn't think I could be a mom while still in high school.

I looked away, focusing on the shadow of a tree instead of him. "I just don't think I can do it. He deserves to have a mom and a dad."

He sat up, forcing me to sit as well. "Why don't you get it, Juliette? I'm willing to be a dad," he said loudly, the frustration in his voice obvious. "I'm willing to be there for our kid so he can have two parents. The only problem is that you don't want to help me."

I shook my head, feeling tears surge to my eyes. "I can't do it, Easton. Every time I think about the future and trying to take care of a baby while still going to school and college, I feel the life go out of me. I don't want to resent our baby. I don't want to be like your mom and feel like I'm so trapped that I end up just leaving someday."

Easton pulled his head back. "But you're not my mom. You're different."

"I don't think I am. I think I'm the same."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "But I have everything figured out. Our families are supportive. Maddie did it with Grant."

"And she did a great job. She was lucky to have so many people to help her."

"Those same people will be there to help you."

I looked away. He wasn't listening. He was so set on his way that he couldn't see mine.

After a long moment, he said, "I should have a say with what happens to my kid. He's mine just as much as yours." He sighed. "But if you aren't willing to help me, I'll raise him on my own. I'll deal with the consequences of my actions instead of taking the easy way out."

Was that what he thought of this? That there was only one right way to deal with consequences?

I glared at him. "You think this is easy?" I scoffed. "I've never had to do something so hard in my life."

His expression softened, and he turned toward me. "But what if things do work out between us? I ..." He sighed and brushed some hair behind my ear. "It’d kill me to know that I gave up our first child. If we ever got married, how could we explain to our kids that we already had a baby together but that they wouldn't know him? How do you think that would make them feel? They'd probably always wonder if we were going to give them away, too."

"Not every kid feels the way you do about your mom." I shook my head, my lips trembling with all the emotions I was feeling. "Things have been so up and down between us. It's not fair to bring a baby into such an unstable environment when there are other options. There are lots of great couples out there who could give our baby everything he needs."

"But we aren't always going to be high school students." He took my hand in his, running his thumb across the back of my fingers. "We're going to grow up, too. People do this all the time. We can do it, too. I have faith in us."

I stared at our hands. This was probably the last time he'd ever willingly take my hand in his.

When I spoke, my voice came out just above a whisper. "But what if I just want to be a regular high school student?"

His thumb stopped, and his grip tightened. "Then I guess you can sign over all your parental rights if you don't want to do this. I plan to take responsibility for my actions."

He was so narrow-minded right now. All he could see was his way of thinking and he was ignoring everything else.

But life wasn't always black and white. Sometimes you had to live between the shades of gray.

I touched his arm gently. "Sometimes taking responsibility is admitting you can't do something and making a hard choice."

He shook his head and pressed his lips together. I watched his whole demeanor change as a storm of emotions crashed over him. And I knew there was something even deeper behind his reasoning that he hadn't told me about before. This was more than just a sense of duty to him. More than living with the consequences of his choices.

There was something raw inside him that kept him from seeing any other alternatives.

I touched his arm gently. "What is it, Easton? What aren't you saying?"

The muscles in his jaw flexed, his eyes vulnerable. "Do you remember what I looked like after my mom turned me away in Ithaca?"

I nodded as the image of him completely breaking down on the bench behind the coffee shop came to mind. It had been gut-wrenching to witness. I'd watched an almost-grown young man, completely fall to pieces.

"That's why I don't want to give my baby to someone else."

"I don't understand."

"I don't want my son to ever feel like I did." His voice broke and there were tears in his eyes. "I don't want him to ever think I didn't want him."

And then the strong boy at my side broke down and cried.

He lifted his head and spoke through his tears as his jaw trembled. "Is it so wrong that I don't want my son to go through the same thing I did?"

I put my arms around him and pulled him close, my heart breaking for him. This was why he’d been so stubborn about the whole thing. It all stemmed from his feelings toward his mom and his fears that he would do the same thing.

I rubbed his back. "You're nothing like your mom, Easton. The very fact that you're willing to raise a baby on your own shows just how loyal you are to those you love."

He pulled away and wiped at his eyes. "I don't just love the baby, Juliette."

I went still, not daring to let myself interpret what he could be saying. "You don't?"

He gently traced his thumb along my cheekbone. "Of course not, Juliette. I never stopped loving you."

My insides swelled when the meaning of his words crashed over me. Easton loves me?

He had never stopped loving me just like I had never stopped loving him.

My voice was raspy when I spoke. "I love you too, Easton."

His eyes filled with so much hope it felt like my heart would burst.

He took my hands in his, his eyes earnest. "We can do this, Juliette. We can raise our baby together."

"No." My stomach went to my throat, and it felt like it was choking me. "I can't, Easton. I can't do this. Our baby deserves more than I can give him right now."

He sighed. "What if we got married?" He watched me cautiously. "You've been so worried about the baby having two parents who are married. This would fix that."

I looked down, my pulse pounding so hard in my body.

Get married? Right now?

Before meeting his gaze again, I asked as calmly as I could. "Would you be talking about marriage if there wasn't a baby on the way?"

This was a serious conversation, and he needed to really think it all through. Not just throw out a proposal because he thought it would fix everything.

I held my breath as I waited.

His brow furrowed. "No. We're young and in high school."

I nodded, my chest constricting. "That's right. We have a lot of growing up to do."

He shook his head, finally understanding. "But there is a baby involved. I'm sure we'd get around to getting married, anyway. You just told me you loved me."

My heart felt heavy, and I couldn't help but feel so sad about this whole situation. "That's not the kind of proposal I want." I made myself look at him. "I want a guy to ask me to marry him because he can't imagine going through life without me. Because he's so in love with me. Me...not a baby. You would feel like I trapped you."

"But I wouldn't."

I drew in a deep breath. "I would. I'm not ready for that. I have things I want to do. I can't get married and raise a baby when I'm still growing up myself. I still have a whole year of high school after this. You'll be in college. That's different. But can you imagine going to high school and being a dad at the same time?"

"But you can do it," he said, almost desperately. "You're amazing, Juliette."

"But I don't want to. That's the missing ingredient in this whole situation. I don't want to give up all my plans when the baby can go to a great home with parents who are so excited to have a chance at raising and loving him."

His eyes hardened. "I'm keeping the baby. And if I have to, I'll put a block on the adoption."

I touched his shoulder, just feeling so hopeless about everything. How could two people who cared about each other have such differing opinions?

He stared at me, like he thought I might change my mind after hearing his ultimatum.

But instead of giving in to make him happy, I said what I knew deep down to be true. Something that had been there all along, just waiting for me to finally figure it out.

I took a deep breath and spoke my truth. "I really don't feel that the baby was sent here to be with us. I think he just had to come through us to be with someone else."

Easton opened his mouth, like he was going to say something. But after a moment, he just shook his head and stood.

"That's where I think you're wrong, Juliette," he said as he gathered up the blanket, making me shiver as the warmth was taken away from me. "I don't understand why a baby that was meant for another couple would be inside of you right now. I think that's just a cop out to make yourself feel better about your selfish decisions."

I put my hand to my chest as his words and their meaning washed over me. Easton really thought I was a horrible person. And I didn't know what I was still doing sitting on the grass. So I rolled over onto my knees and hefted me and my huge belly up to a standing position.

"Wait, Juliette." He stood in front of me before I could waddle up the hill. "I didn't mean it. Can we just talk about this a little more?"

I crossed my arms. "I don't think there's anything more to talk about. We obviously see very differently on this subject, so I think the best thing to do now is for me to just go home before you say any more things that you'll regret."

So I left, and he didn't come after me this time.