A Familiar Ring

CHAPTER 19: Running Late

A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS NOW COMPLETE. 2,546 WORDS. AND A FEW TIME SKIPS.

    Prosper was heading out of the nearby CVS with an array of pregnancy tests and, for reasons he wasn't sure of, condoms. He'd only ever done this once before—with Cadence. He remembered himself feeling excited, happy, and nervous all at once. He loved Cadence and wanted a family with her and, yeah, they were a little younger than he had hoped when he made that initial late night CVS run but he was okay with changing his life's trajectory if that meant he was building a family with her. The first time Prosper thought he was becoming a father, he was proud. The first time he went to CVS in the middle of the night for pregnancy tests, he didn't also buy condoms.

But this was not the first time. And his purchase was not for the same woman.

Prosper found himself feeling... nothing. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't anxious, he wasn't even remorseful. He simply was just... numb. Immediately upon hearing Nola mention that she was late, he consoled her. He kissed her. He upheld his promises to her. He reaffirmed her. Prosper wasn't an asshole. His mother and father had raised him right. It took the drive back from CVS for his feelings to finally catch up to him. That's when the tears began to swell in his eyes. These were tears of confusion.

He very much wanted to be a father and he'd felt that it was time for him to transition into his role as a parent for some time now. So the very real possibility of him becoming a father was now in front of him and he was ready to gladly accept the new role. So why the tears? Prosper found himself sitting in his driveway whimpering because he realized that all this time he wanted to be a father and a husband to Cadence. Even with the years that passed between them, he felt in his soul that she would still be the woman to make him a father and a husband. And now as he sat in his driveway he realized that may never come to fruition. That's when the feelings of regret started to seep in. He didn't regret Nola, he didn't regret the possibility of being a father to her child. He was regretting the fact that he never told Cadence how much she truly meant to him, how much he treasured her, and how much he wanted her to be his wife.

Unfortunately for Prosper, when a bag full of pregnancy tests and condoms are already in your lap it is too late for regrets. He wiped his tears on his hoodie and searched his console for the visine drops he kept. After some brief rummaging, he found them and put drops in both eyes in attempts to hide the fact that he'd been crying from Nola. He tilted his head back and let the final tears roll before dabbing his eyes yet again and letting out a small chuckle. What was he even doing all this for? Nola wouldn't even notice that he'd been crying because she didn't pay attention to him like that. That's something only Cadence would've acknowledged.

Once he felt his eyes were normal, he exited the car and headed inside. He removed his shoes and his hoodie before heading straight upstairs. Nola was exactly where he left her except she'd put on sweats and one of his t-shirts. He'd never seen her like this.

"So I got 5 different pregnancy tests just in case. I googled the best ones to get," Prosper spoke.

"Thank you," Nola replied in almost a whisper, "You want me to take them now?"

"Nah shawty," Prosper said as he sat the bag of pregnancy tests and condoms down to lie on the bed with Nola, "We'll either be parents or we won't. I'm more concerned with how you really feeling right now."

As he went to spoon her and kiss her cheek, he could tell that she'd been crying too.

"Can we just lay here for awhile?" Nola asked through quiet sobs.

"Of course," Prosper replied as a tear flowed down his cheek.

***

THE NEXT DAY