there is no sign of Reed outside. I shouldn’t have agreed to meet him here. The reason I did was I hoped that meeting in a public place would calm him. Keep his reaction restrained.
But I should have known. I just gave him a life-altering piece of information.
I have no idea where he’s gone. Probably back to his home.
I’m debating whether to take a cab and just go home myself. I stick a hand out, but the cabs whizz past without stopping. I can barely keep it together. I want to be alone. In the dark. In the privacy of my own bedroom where I won’t have to face another human being until tomorrow.
I can’t help but blame myself for all this. It’s my fault. Reed said he wanted us to talk about our relationship. He saw us going somewhere. I had the opportunity to have something legitimate and strong with him. Maybe.
My baby could have gotten to know their father.
And now it feels like everything is ruined.
I never should have gone looking for Annie. Reed is right. It is his private business. It has nothing to do with me.
I haven’t even realized how long I’ve been standing by the side of the road with my hand stuck out. No cabs have stopped for me yet.
I’m about to turn around when I see a man jump past me, walking right to the middle of the road. He waves at traffic with both hands, forcing them to screech to a halt in front of him.
I scream because I think he’s going to get hit. My heart is in my hands.
One of the cab drivers jumps out, yelling at the guy. He just looks over at me with a big grin on his face.
“Got you a cab!” he shouts.
I’m so confused. What is wrong with him?
“You could have been killed!” I shout back.
He’s patting the shoulder of the cab driver, who doesn’t want to be friends with him. Then he holds the back door open, indicating for me to get in.
I shake my head. I’m not getting in. Not in a cab where the driver has been forced to stop for me and is clearly in a state of anger. The guy turns to the driver and shrugs before walking back to the sidewalk.
The driver is still hurling abuses but now he has no choice but to get back in and drive away. He’s causing a pile-up.
“What were you thinking?” I exclaim as the guy comes towards me.
He’s older than me but handsome, with a boyish grin on his face.
“You’ve been standing there on the side of the road for ages. A girl like you in a dress like that shouldn’t have to wait for her carriage,” he says. His eyes roam over me. Head to toe. His smile is devious. I can sense he is a man accustomed to having a lot of women falling prey to that smile alone. And he knows it.
“Well, you didn’t have to put your life at risk for a cab.”
He comes closer. Hands deep in the pockets of his jeans.
“I think I would put my life at risk for you any day of the week and twice on the weekend.”
It is utterly ridiculous. This is a guy who is clearly not in touch with the seriousness of life. I should be stomping away from him, keeping my distance, and yet, somehow, I can’t help but smile.
It’s the cue he needs. The ice is broken.
“Are you in a hurry to get somewhere?” he asks.
“Clearly not, if I was willing to wait fifteen minutes for a cab.”
He nods and then turns to walk away, but when he looks over his shoulder, I realize he’s expecting me to follow.
Why am I doing this? Why do I keep getting tangled up with handsome strangers? I’m pregnant. I have enough on my plate already. There are too many complications in my life to deal with.
“What?” I ask when I join him. He doesn’t break his stride, so I am the one who has to keep up with him.
“What? You’re the one who is following me,” he says with a grin.
I know it’s a joke, but his words make me stop in my tracks. Is that who I am? A stalker? A follower? An obsessive silly girl?
He stops too and turns to me, reaching for my elbow casually.
“I was just kidding. Come with me. My car is parked right over there. I’ll give you a ride to wherever you need to