Chapter 18

“Michael, you don’t have to. I don’t need to know…” Anelise said, her fingers tightening around his.

“No, I want you to. After everything you’ve shared with me, it’s only fair,” he replied.

“Kara and I, we met at Drake University during grad school. I was working on my master’s in accounting, and she was wrapping up law school. We started dating, and when we both landed jobs in Chicago, we decided to move in together.”

“We found this amazing condo on the South Side. It was a blast. I met Craig during my first week at work, and we clicked right away. We were just living life, not a care in the world.”

“We’d go on vacations, hit up nightclubs and restaurants, and probably drank more than we should have,” Michael began, his mind drifting back to those days.

“Did you guys ever get married?” Anelise asked.

“No, Kara didn’t want to. She was happy with how things were, and I was okay with that,” Michael said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“About four years back, I came home from work to find Kara in tears. She’d been feeling off and had gone to the doctor. Seeing her cry, I thought she had cancer or something. My heart just sank.”

“Eventually, she told me she was pregnant. We’d had a birth control slip-up, and she was already nine weeks along. We never planned on having kids; we didn’t want anything to disrupt our perfect life.”

“We were selfish, liked our late weekend mornings and our heavy Friday and Saturday nights. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she decided on an abortion. So, we made a doctor’s appointment, and I went with her.”

Half an hour after she disappeared into the back room, she was back, sobbing. I walked her to the car, thinking she was upset about the procedure. But then, on our way home, she dropped the bomb.”

“She couldn’t go through with it. We were going to have a baby.”

Anelise stayed silent, just holding his hand, waiting for him to continue.

He took a deep breath and went on, “I had no clue how to be a dad. I mean, my dad is great, but I’d never pictured myself as a father. But suddenly, there it was, staring me in the face.”

“Things changed between us after that. Kara didn’t enjoy being pregnant, and it wasn’t an easy pregnancy. She hated the weight gain, the swelling, not being able to drink. She was miserable.”

“Ollie was born on September 8, and the first time I held him, I was a changed man. Hearing him cry, it was like he had a hold on my heart. I’d never felt so much in a single moment! I couldn’t wait to bring him home, to watch him grow.”

“But Kara, she never took to being a mom; she actually despised it. She never really bonded with him. I was the one who woke up with him, fed him, changed him, everything. We found a good daycare for him, and that’s where he stayed while we worked.”

Michael paused, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. “When Ollie was six months old, I picked him up from daycare one day, and we came home to a note stuck to a big manila envelope.”

“She didn’t want to be a mom, didn’t want to be around him. She found a new job in California, had someone at her firm draw up papers, and signed over all her parental rights. Then she left.”

“I haven’t seen her since. After a while, I bought the house next to your parents and started a new life, raising Ollie. Craig was always around, being Ollie’s godfather.”

“He was a lifesaver, the cool uncle. My parents drop by every few months to check on us bachelors, and my sisters call all the time.”

“Oh, Michael! I’m so sorry!” Anelise cried. “I feel so bad for you and Ollie!”

Michael sighed. “And that’s why you’re so incredible. You love Ollie more than his own mother ever did.”

“And I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for him and me this summer. I’ll never forget you, Anelise Morgan.” She turned in his lap and gently kissed his lips. “Let’s go to bed, Michael. Let me take care of you.”

Michael kissed her back, and they stood up. Anelise turned off the lights, took his hand, and led him to the bedroom. She undressed him slowly, her hands and lips exploring his body.

After another round of incredible sex, they lay together. She was almost asleep when she heard him whisper, “Thank you, Anelise, for making things better.”

He continued, “I could easily fall in love with you, but you deserve more than an old guy and a kid to weigh you down. You deserve the world, and someone who can give it to you. You’re going to be an amazing mother.”

She didn’t let on that she’d heard him, but as soon as his breathing evened out, signaling he was asleep, she whispered, “Too late, Michael, I’m already in love with you…”