The brow rises higher.

  “Soon, Rose. I promise.”

  “Good.” She matches a blouse with a skirt. “Preferably before you’re crowning.”

  I cringe. “Well, that’s a mental image I’ve been trying to avoid.”

  “Just don’t look up what an episiotomy is.”

  “Oh, keep joking, Rose,” I say. “Just remember that anything that happens to me will happen to you when you bear halfback’s gigantic offspring.”

  She blinks, terrified. “Yikes.”

  “Uh-huh.” I gesture down my body. “Behold your future.”

  “I will no longer tease you about gross baby stuff,” she says. “I swear.”

  “Thank you.”

  She hands me an outfit. “Try this on.”

  I take them from her as I rise off the bed.

  “So, you and Hunter are going for it for real, then?” she asks as she takes my empty spot.

  “It would appear so.” I peel my T-shirt off. “And if I were being super honest with myself, that’s the part of this whole thing that freaks me out the most.”

  “But you’re the queen of relationships.”

  I slip the blouse on. Usually not my style, but I don’t hate the bright blue color. “I’m the queen of ending them, maybe,” I say. “But we’re having a baby. There’s way more pressure to get this one right.”

  “Don’t worry about getting it right. Just worry about the basics. Take it slow. You already know there’s chemistry, right? There were sparks during conception, yes?”

  I step into the skirt and pull it up. “Yeah, and… earlier tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yeah.”

  She stares. “You slept with him again tonight?”

  “… Yeah.”

  “Wow.”

  “It just happened,” I say. “Maybe I’ll get to play the hormone card every time I do something slutty, too.”

  “Man, getting knocked up is the perfect scapegoat for you.”

  “It really is. Maybe I should have done this sooner.”

  She rises, coming up behind me to help me tuck the blouse in. “Daisy, don’t think too hard about it,” she says. “If he’s the guy for you, then you’ll know it.”

  “And if he’s not?” I ask.

  “Then you’ll know that, too. Until then, follow your gut. He’s got top marks from me so far.”

  “Yeah?”

  “The guy hit three home runs, visited you in the hospital, found out you were pregnant, got you your dream job — all in one day — and still had the energy to bang you. I’d say he’s worth a second look.”

  “You’re probably right.” I check myself in the mirror, head tilted and brow furrowed. “You know, this actually isn’t bad.”

  “I told you.” She waves an arm over our heads. “Fashion.”

  “Hm.”

  Rose claps once. “Okay. I’m gonna go pee and then we’ll talk accessories.”

  She skips into the hallway, leaving me alone.

  I take a breath and hold it as I pivot to the side. No bump. Yet. Though, maybe there’s a slight one? I push my stomach out, running my palm over it. Now that I know for sure, I see it. Or maybe I just think I do…

  The apartment door opens and closes, followed by a loud shuffling of thick feet down the hallway.

  John stumbles into the bedroom behind me and spots me in front of the mirror. “Hey, baby…”

  “Uh—”

  Before I can stop him, he moves in and curls his arms around me from behind. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers, a pungent scent of cheap beer on his breath.

  “John.”

  “I love you so much.”

  His hand moves dangerously close to my breast.

  “Halfback.”

  He freezes. “You’re… not Rose.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  John hops back. “You are not Rose.”

  I turn around. “No, I am not.”

  He gestures at my clothes. “Why are you wearing that?!”

  “Why?” I strike a pose. “Do you like it?”

  “Ah, shit.” He steps backward into the hall, his pained voice retreating. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  I deflate. While that was fun, it’s more than obvious this place isn’t big enough for the three of us.

  “Yeah,” I whisper to myself. “Shit.”

  So much for taking it slow.

  Rose returns, her eyes wide. “Everything okay in here?” she asks.

  “Rose,” I say.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m moving in with Hunter.”

  “What?!”

  CHAPTER 13

  HUNTER

  “So, let me get this straight.” Dennis throws the baseball back at me. I jerk my gloved hand toward my face to keep the fastball from colliding with my nose. “The girl you knocked out with your home run is knocked up?”

  I toss the ball back to him. “Right.”

  “And the kid is yours?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because you two had a one-night stand a few months ago?”

  “That about covers it.”

  He shakes his head. “That’s some weird shit, man. Either you two won the messed-up coincidence lottery or the universe is trying to tell you something.”

  He fires another fastball at me. The impact sends ripples up my arm. I wince and pull my hand free from my glove. “Take it down a notch, Dennis.” I shake it out with a laugh. “Jeez.”

  “Sorry,” he says. “I just get a little excited when my friend pulls me out of bed, drags me to campus to play catch in the quad, and dumps his problems on me.”

  I slide my hand back into my glove and throw the ball at him. The impact echoes throughout the silent, empty lawn. “Well, I had to tell somebody. I was losing my mind.”

  “You know me, man. I live for gossip,” he says. “I just wasn’t expecting the lost episodes of The Twilight Zone to come out of your mouth.”

  “Oh, it gets weirder,” I say. “Guess who’s going to be at every game from now until the end of the season?”

  “That sexy Sports Illuminated reporter!” He winks. “I heard a rumor. Is it true?”

  “It’s true.”

  “Nice.”

  “Her and…”

  “And…?”

  “And.”

  He tilts his head. “Your baby mama?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s the photographer for the article.”

  He laughs. “Okay, that’s way too much to be coincidence,” he says before throwing another hard pitch my way.

  I catch it and hold it as I walk to the nearest bench on the sidewalk. “That part isn’t coincidence. I got her the job myself.”

  He follows me. “Why?”

  “Because she’s having my baby.”

  “And?”

  “And I’m trying to secure a good future for it.”

  “And…?”

  “And what?”

  He sits beside me. “And you’re securing a warm bed buddy for the long away game road trips full of dudes.”

  “It’s not like that. I mean, yeah, it’ll be nice to spend some time with a woman after being packed into a bus with you assholes all day.”

  “Hell yeah, it would.”

  “But it’s different. We agreed to start from the beginning, but how do I get to know her without constantly thinking about that baby inside of her, you know?”

  “Well…” Dennis pauses. “Okay. Do you have any siblings?”

  “Only child.”

  “I’m the oldest of three,” he says. “My mom had my little sister when I was fifteen, so I remember the details pretty well. The most important thing to realize is that yes, she’s pregnant, and yes, that thing is probably dominating most of her thoughts, but she’s still a woman. She’s still a person. And, as I regrettably discovered one afternoon when I came home from school early and walked in on her and my dad at the wrong moment, she still has needs.”

  I chuckle. “Sounds traumatic.”

  He shivers. “It’s burned in there, man. Anyway, the point is, I thought the same thing when I found out she was having another kid, but she was still my mom. Still a grown ass human being. That never changed.”

  “That’s oddly poignant.”

  “There’s more to this pitcher than a good arm,” he says, flexing his thick bicep. “I also have a heart of gold and balls of steel — as that hot, redheaded reporter will soon find out.”

  “She’s all yours, buddy.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. You focus on your baby mama and her needs.”

  “I will.”

  He slaps my shoulder before standing up. “I’m going back to the dorms. You cool?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’m cool.”

  I sit alone, staring forward across the quad. My mind wanders from one place to the next, never quite slowing down long enough for me to feel better.

  Daisy’s still a person. She’s still a woman. She has needs.

  And I know next to nothing about her.

  That should scare me, but a rush of excitement rattles my nerves. I adore what I know about Daisy Hawthorne. I’m eager to learn more. She’s worth taking a second look.

  I can do that.

  My phone vibrates. I reach for it in my pocket, wondering who would text me at this time of night.

  You up?

  It’s Daisy.

  I tap call. It only rings once.

  “Oh,” she says. “I guess you’re up.”

  “Yeah, I’m up,” I say. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Everything’s… fine. Is this a bad time?”

  “No.”

  “I guess it is your spring break,” she says. “You’ve probably got things going on.”

  “Daisy.”

  “Parties and whatnot.”

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “Nothing, it’s just…” She takes a breath. “Can we meet?”

  “Meet?”

  “Yeah, like… in person.”

  “Now?”

  “If not, that’s cool, I can just—”

  “Now is fine,” I say over her. “I’m on campus.”

  A short pause. “You are?”

  “I’m on the quad.”

  “Really?”

  “I was throwing a ball around with a friend,” I say. “Was about to head back home, but I can meet you at your sister’s place, if you want.”

  “No, I’ll come to you.”

  “You—”

  Something on the sidewalk catches my eye across the quad. I look up, stunned to see Daisy making her way toward my bench.

  “Hey,” I say, standing up.

  She hangs up. I do the same. “Hey,” she says, breathing a laugh. “You know, if the circumstances were different, I’d think this was a little creepy.”

  “It’s still a little creepy,” I joke.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” She glances around. “You were with a friend?”

  “He left.”

  “Ah.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Me neither.”

  “How’s the head?” I ask.

  “Better. Ish,” she says. “The doctor gave me some baby-safe painkillers, so it’s not too bad.”

  I swallow hard, clenching at the word. Baby-safe.

  “You wanna sit?” I ask, gesturing at the bench.

  Daisy nods. I quickly snatch my glove off the seat, giving her room. “Thanks,” she says.

  I sit beside her. We fall into a heavy silence. After a minute, Daisy grabs the baseball resting between us. She rolls it between her fingers, touching the stitches, balancing it on her fingertips. It’s strange to be here, to sit so close to a person I’ve experienced so intimately, and have no idea what’s going on inside their head.

  It’s exciting, too.

  “So, this is Chicago North,” she finally says. “Never seen it this late before.”

  “It’s not usually this dead,” I say.

  “People have other places they’d rather be.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said,” she says, shifting to face me.

  “What I said?” I ask.

  “Yeah, about me staying with you. I think…” She looks down, left, right. Anywhere but my eyes as she fidgets with the baseball. “I think it’s probably a good idea.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Her throat clears. “I mean, Rose’s place is just so cramped, you know? It’s only one bedroom.”

  I nod. “Right.”

  “And she already lives with someone — her boyfriend. John. And he’s big. He’s a big guy. Takes up a lot of space.”

  “I hear guys do that.”

  “And I don’t want to intrude on their… you know.”

  “I know.”

  “So, if you were serious about me taking that other bedroom…”

  “I was.”

  “Okay, then. I guess I… will.”

  I smile. “Daisy.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll be able to contribute yet as far as rent and utilities go, but I should have numbers for you after I talk to Trisha tomorrow.”

  “Daisy.”

  “And I have no stuff,” she continues. “Just an old suitcase and a hairbrush. So, I won’t take up that much space.”

  I snatch the baseball from her hand. “Daisy.”

  Finally, she looks up, meeting my eyes. “What?”

  “I want you to stay with me,” I say, not blinking. “I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”

  “I just…” She pauses. “I don’t like being a burden.”

  “You’re not a burden. Okay? You’re wanted and welcome.”

  Daisy nods once. “I’ll do my fair share.”

  “You’ll do what you can, when you can. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

  She smirks. “And I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “You’re not sleeping on the floor,” I say, shaking my head.

  “And I’ll vigorously scrub the toilet after each use.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “With a toothbrush.”

  “Stop.”

  Her smile digs deeper. “Thank you, Hunter,” she says.

  I reach for her hand and she lets me take it. Our palms touch as our fingers entwine, a warm caress that spreads to my elbow.

  “We’ll figure it out as we go, Daisy,” I say, needing to hear it again myself. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She nods, maybe not convinced, but still smiling. “Okay.”

  I look down, eyes drifting from our hands to her stomach. She turns my hand in hers, slowly unraveling it and placing it against her belly.

  “What’s it feel like?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “I don’t feel anything,” she whispers. “It doesn’t seem…”

  “Real?”

  “Yeah.”

  But it is. This is all very real.

  We stare into each other. For a moment, I lose myself in her eyes, those bright blue irises a cool breeze on an otherwise warm night.

  Daisy shifts up, and I pull my trembling hand away. “I should probably get back,” she says.

  I stand with her. “I’ll walk you.”

  “You don’t have to. It’s not far.”

  “Daisy, I will not let a pregnant woman walk around Chicago in the middle of the night by herself.”

  Her lips twitch. “Fine.”

  I let her lead the way through campus. My palm itches, missing her touch, but I keep one hand in my glove and the other in my pocket. She keeps hers busy as well, lightly tossing up and catching the baseball she successfully stole back from me.

  We reach the apartments — an old building I’ve passed by a thousand times before. I follow her up the stairs, determined to see her safely inside before leaving.

  Finally, Daisy stops by a door and faces me, smiling. “This is it,” she whispers, mindful of the time. “Rose’s place.”

  I admire the clean hallway. “It’s nice,” I say, matching her volume.

  She bites her lip. “I’d invite you in, but…”

  “It’s late.”

  “Very late.”

  “People are sleeping.”

  “Oh, I hope so.”

  She shifts closer to the door, placing her ear against it.

  I chuckle. “What are you doing?”

  “Rose and John can be quite… affectionate.”

  “Ah.”

  “But I hear nothing right now,” she says, drawing back from the door. “At least, not in the living room.”

  “We could always go to my place,” I say. Our place now. “Nice and quiet. Guaranteed.”

  Daisy grins. “No.”

  “No?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when we’re alone together, I do very bad things.”

  “Oh, I’ve noticed,” I say, making her laugh. “I actually kind of like that about you.”

  “I bet you do.” She opens the door. It’s dark inside. “Goodnight, Hunter. Thanks for walking with me.”

  “My pleasure.” My lips tingle, but I don’t dare appease them. “Goodnight, Daisy. I’ll see you at the game.”

  She extends her hand, offering me the baseball. I take it. For a moment, she regards me with a smile, then she steps inside and closes the door behind her.

  As it latches, I suck in a breath, my legs locked in place beneath me, stuck in a moment that nearly never was.

  We’ll figure it out as we go.

  I turn to leave, then the door opens again. Daisy closes the gap between us, suddenly cupping my face with both hands. She kisses me. Or I kiss her. Either way, I curl my arms around her to hold her close.

  She breaks the kiss, but she doesn’t move. With closed eyes, she smiles and bites her bottom lip. We linger for another moment, quiet and blissful, before she slowly lowers her hands.

  “Bye,” she whispers.

  “Bye,” I reply.

  And just like that, she’s gone again. A closed door. An empty hallway. A racing heart pounding against my ribs.

  Dennis might be right.

  Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

  All right, then.

  I’m listening.

  CHAPTER 14

  DAISY