I had not been able to get in touch with Brielle for three months and it was killing me.  I missed her and could not stop thinking about her.  I got that she didn’t want to be involved with the whole Sarah thing but I really needed her to understand that she didn’t have to be.  I was not getting back together with Sarah and I wished there was a way I could convince Brielle of that.  I decided to back off of the calls and texts for a while to give her some time to cool off and I was planning to reach out to her again after the baby was born.  Sarah was constantly calling me and asking for help with this, that and the other so it was probably best that Brielle stayed away during that time.  She wanted me to help decorate the nursery but that was going too far.  I didn’t want Sarah to think there was any chance of us getting back together so it was best that I just gave her financial help.

 

The day I ran into Sophie at the grocery store my heart skipped a beat.  Seeing her brought all my feelings for Brielle rushing back to me and all I could think about was seeing her.  She told me they were graduating the following day so I thought it was best that I wait a couple of weeks to contact her to ask to meet for coffee.  I was sure she was going to be busy with family, friends and graduation parties and I did not want to intrude on her celebrating.  Graduating from college was a big deal and I wanted her to have a positive memory of that time.

 

I canceled all of my upcoming fights when Sarah told me she was pregnant.  There was no way that I would have been able to focus and be in the right headspace for a win.  Zach totally understood but made sure I still practiced like I was getting ready for a fight.  He didn’t want me to lose any of the techniques we had perfected and practicing actually helped me get out all of the frustration I had about the whole Sarah thing.  Zach was the one person who knew everything about me and it was good to have a friend like him to vent to.  Two weeks before Sarah was due we went to grab lunch and it turned into a venting session.  Something about the timing of everything was really starting to bug me and I needed to run something by Zach.

 

“So, how are you doing man?  You ready for your life to change?”

 

I looked at him and took a deep breath.  “I don’t know.  Something I saw the other day reminded me of the way Sarah broke up with me.  Do you remember how surprised I was?”

 

“Yeah dude, it totally came out of left field.  She was acting really weird at Dave’s party the night before but I just thought she was in one of her famous moods so I didn’t think twice about it.  Then when you told me the next day that she broke up with you it kind of made me think that maybe she was going through something.  I don’t know.  I just felt bad for you because of the cold-hearted way she did it.”  He shook his head.  “And now she’s pregnant with your kid.  Dude, make sure you get a paternity test.”

 

“It’s already lined up.”

 

“Good.”

 

I looked down at the ground and then looked at him.

 

“Did you ever see her with another guy when we were together?”

 

“No.  I would have told you if I did.  You know that.”

 

“I know, I know.  Something about this whole pregnancy does not feel right, Zach.”

 

“You said something you saw reminded you of the way Sarah broke up with you.”

 

“Yeah, remember Tim Waverly?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“He posted on social media that his girlfriend dumped him out of the blue but he said he should have had his eyes open a little wider because she was cheating right under his nose.  He said she spent a lot of time with her study group because they were working on some big final project and it turned out her study group was one guy.  He was the one she was cheating with.  He put all of his business out there for everyone to see.”

 

Zach’s eyes got really big.

 

“Wait a second!  I remember you were complaining because Sarah was spending so much time practicing at the dance studio hoping to get a big break.  Do you think there was another guy?”

 

“I don’t know.  I didn’t even give it a second thought at the time probably because my ego was so big.”

 

“Was?”

 

I punched him in the arm and he chuckled.

 

“Sorry dude, I couldn’t resist.  Go on.”

 

“Anyway, maybe she was messing around on me.”

 

“You know how I feel about the girl so I wouldn’t put it past her.  No one is more manipulative than her.  You’ll know the truth in two weeks or so, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Don’t let her get out of taking the test.”

 

“I won’t.  We’re doing it at the hospital right after the baby is born.”

 

“If you want me to be there just give me the word.”

 

“Thanks, dude.”

 

“So what’s happening with Brielle?”

 

“Nothing yet.  I ran into Sophie a couple of weeks ago and they were getting ready to graduate so I thought I would wait a couple of weeks to reach out to her again.  Hopefully she will take my call.”

 

“I’m sure the baby on board thing freaked her out but I bet she’ll come around.  I saw the way you guys were with each other and that wasn’t just a casual thing.  There is something there.”

 

I let out a deep sigh.  “Chicks, man.”

 

“Dude, I know.  Speaking of girls, when you do talk to Brielle can you put in a good word for me and tell her I’d like Sophie’s number?”

 

I raised my eyebrows at him.  “Oh really?”

 

“Yeah, we had a chance to get to know each other on the flight back and she’s pretty cool.”

 

“Zach, why have you waited so long to reach out to her?”

 

“With everything you had going on with Sarah and Brielle I didn’t think it would be a good time.  But I can’t stop thinking about her so I want to ask her out.”

 

“Good for you, dude.  I’ll let Brielle know.”

 

Later that night just as I was climbing into bed my phone rang.

 

“Declan!  I’m in labor and I’m scared!”

 

I jumped out of bed, grabbed my keys and raced to meet her at the hospital.  My heart was pounding in my ears as I thought about how my life was possibly about to change.  They were wheeling her in just as I got there and I was quickly given a gown to wear.  It all happened so fast.  Her parents were in the waiting room and I barely had a chance to acknowledge them.  The whole thing was very awkward and I couldn’t wait for it all to be over.

 

Two hours later Sarah gave birth to a baby boy and I couldn’t let myself be excited until I knew the truth.  Her parents came in to see her and I went to have the nurse take my DNA sample from my cheek. After that I decided to leave and let Sarah have that time with her family.  If he turned out to be my kid I would be much more involved, but until I knew for sure, I was staying away.  The nurse came in as I was saying goodbye and Sarah begged me not to leave and she tried to make a scene but I didn’t play into it.  Was that fear I saw in her eyes as the nurse took her DNA sample?  It wasn’t the kind of fear people had when they were afraid of being left alone.  It was the kind of fear people had when they were about to get caught.  I would know in three days if it was the kind of fear I thought it was.