When I finally had the courage to walk downstairs, everyone was gone, including Katie. There was a note on the counter from Adele's mum saying she would watch Angelo for us and to come get him whenever we were ready. I reached into my pocket and dialed Katie's number. 'Hello...' Katie answered in a hushed voice. 'Hey, it's Simon. I think we need to talk.' My heart was beating fast and I felt like any minute my whole world was going to come crashing down. 'I think so, too. Where do you want to meet?' She asked, agreeing to my request. 'There's a park near my house. Can you meet me there in half an hour?' I asked. 'Okay, just send me the address.' Katie responded.
I left the house without bothering Adele. She needed her space and I had to respect that even though I wanted nothing more than to run up to her and tell her how sorry I was. When I got to the park, I saw Katie sitting on the swings waiting for me. In my head I had already decided what I was going to say but as I got closer to her, all my thoughts vanished. I sat on the swing next to her and for a few moments it was silent.
'Is it mine?' I suddenly asked, hoping that while we were together something happened with someone else. She looked at me with furrowed brows and nodded her head. 'You were the only one I was with.' My heart sank and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. 'When do you find out?' I responded. 'The day you left me.' Once again silence filled the space between us.
'Simon, I'm not asking for anything from you. Out of respect for you and this child, i thought you deserved the right to know. When you left I thought maybe it was a sign not to go through with this pregnancy. But then I started thinking and realized that maybe this child is my second chance. If you don't want to ever see this baby, that's fine. But if you do decide that being a father to our child is something you want to do, the door is always open.' Katie was trying her best to get through talking while sobbing but she stopped to catch her breath. 'I just wanted you to know that I'm pregnant and what you chose to do about it is up to you.' She looked at me calmly and got up to walk away.
I quickly got up and ran after her, 'wait.' I shouted. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry you have to go through this and I ruined your life. Please just let me talk to Adele and figure all this out. I want to be there for you and the baby. I... I just don't know how.' She reached out and touched my arm. 'This baby is the best thing that has happened to me, Simon. You didn't ruin my life, you gave it a more beautiful meaning. And whether you're in the picture or not, I'm going to love this child and let them know their daddy is an incredible man. Take all the time you need. But please let Adele processes this in her own way and then make the decision together. Because even though this baby is mine and yours, she's a part of this.' And with that Katie was gone.
