I sat across from Scarlet, feeling more self-conscious than I could remember feeling in a long time. We ate dinner in relative silence, our conversation never managing to cross over into anything beyond small talk. The whole time, I got the overwhelming impression that Scarlet was holding something back. Even though our conversation wasn’t anything serious, she remained only half-engaged in it, continually glancing around the restaurant. She also refused to share a drink with me. She did, at least, seem to enjoy her food.
When I’d eaten as much as I could, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and leaned back in my seat. “Scarlet, what’s going on?” I asked. I may not have known her for long, but I knew that the woman seated across from me was a far cry from the playful and seductive stranger I’d encountered some months ago. She wasn’t even the same woman who walked into my office just a few hours ago.
She smiled and shook her head.
I sat up straight again. “Well, you never did tell me what you were in Chicago for. Business? Visiting? Vacationing?”
“Visiting,” she said.
“Family? Friend? Preston…?” I held my breath after mentioning my look-alike.
Scarlet smirked. “You.”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“I came out here to see you, Tobias. I already told you that at your office. Why else do you think I showed up?”
I rubbed my chin, vaguely remembering that she had mentioned trying to reach out to me. I had simply been so surprised to see her though, some of what she’d said had clearly gone over my head.
I stared at her, confused and flattered at the same time. I also became painfully aware that she was suddenly having a hard time meeting my gaze.
“You came all the way out here to see little ol’ me, huh?” I said. “Well, are you going to tell me why you’re doing me such an honor? It couldn’t have been to just have that little tryst in my office.” At this, she looked toward me, her eyebrows raised. I realized too late that my words had probably sounded a little smug and sarcastic. Softening my expression, I leaned farther across the table. “Because I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you,” I added. Taking my chances, I reached out to take her hand. “I mean that. Honestly. I…I thought about you a lot since the last time we were together.”
“I’ve thought about you a lot too,” she said, a nervous smile coming to her face.
“Has everything been all right with you?” I asked. “Everything good with work and…life in general?”
She let out a long sigh and stared down at the table. “Everything is…Well…”
“What is it, Scarlet? Tell me. You obviously have something to tell me, to have come all the way out here. I’m listening.”
Scarlet looked up at me, tilting her head to the side. “I’ve been trying to tell you all day, but I don’t know how. I don’t even know where to begin. And I don’t want you to…to…”
“To what?”
“To freak out.”
I swallowed, realizing that this was something serious. I stared, wondering what this could possibly be about. “Okay. I won’t flip. I promise.”
“You probably need to wait to hear what I have to say first.”
“Then tell me already! I don’t think I can handle the suspense anymore.”
“Okay,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”
She pulled her hand away from mine and sat back in her chair. Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and she closed her eyes for a moment. “I know it’s been four months, but I haven’t seen or been with any other guys since you,” she said and then paused again.
I stared, a wondering where this was ultimately going. “Okay,” I said, trying to politely encourage her to go on.
“I know you don’t know me well,” she continued, “but I’m hoping that you trust and take my word for this.”
The word ‘trust’ echoed in my brain for a moment, making me uncomfortable. My throat tightened. “Scarlet, what is this about? Can you…Can you please get to the point?”
“Tobias, I’m pregnant. They’re yours,” she spat out in one breath.
A faint ringing that I knew wasn’t really present sounded in my ears and it felt like time itself had stopped.
Scarlet. Pregnant. By me…
Me…?
A baby. Me, a father…
A woman that I hardly knew, pregnant with my child…
Wait a second. She said they’re yours…
“Th-they’re?” I stammered.
She nodded. “Yes. I’m having twins. Tobias?” Scarlet said uncertainly, staring at me from across the table. “Are you all right? Did you hear what I said?”
I’d heard her all right. As for whether I was all right, I couldn’t tell. There were far too many emotions running through me, from elation, to fear and confusion. “Just give me a minute,” I said, my voice monotone.