“But you trusted me and I screwed up.”
I scoff. “Who could remember to take a pill with the schedule we were keeping in Vegas? Seriously, Kat, if the situation were reversed, I would have missed a wholeweek’sworth of pills, I guarantee it.”
Kat lets out a little whimper.
“Whatever the increased odds were after missing one pill, I’m sure I would have taken them in advance, I just wanted to fuck you so goddamned much.”
Kat laughs through tears.
“I’m sorry I’ve been a prick this week—I guess I had some shit to work out.”
“You haven’t been a prick—you’ve just been extremelypolite.”
“I made you feel like you’re alone in this, and you’re not.”
Kat sniffles loudly but doesn’t say anything for a long beat. “I thought maybe you were done with me, Josh. I was scared you didn’t want me anymore.”
“Done with you? Are you mad? No fucking way.”
Kat breathes a huge sigh of relief.
“Are you done withme?” I ask, holding my breath.
“No fucking way,” she says. “I’ll never be done with you, Josh.Never.”
My heart lurches like a guard dog on a leash. “So, hey, how ’bout that grape,” I say. “Pretty crazy, huh?”
“Crazy corn chowder,” Kat replies.
“That’s a total Henn-ism, you know.”
“I think that’s where I got it.” She sniffles again.
“Seeing the baby’s heartbeat made everything seem soreal,” I say softly.
“Totally,” she agrees. “This shit is real, man.”
“Crazy.”
“You know, it’s so weird,” she says quietly, “but when I saw the heartbeat, I started feeling protective about the grape—like I don’t want anything to happen to it, after all.”
“Immortality through reproduction, remember? It’s evolution, baby.”
“But I’ve never wanted a baby. I don’t even think babies are cute. They just look like tiny old men.”
“Your heart’s answering the call of the wild, babe.”
“But it’s so unlike me.”
“Yeah, I guess we’re both doing things we never thought we’d do, huh?” I pause, hoping Kat will address her soul-crushing rejection of me in the hospital, but she doesn’t. “So, hey, PG,” I say, clearing my throat. “It turns out I’m moving on Wednesday.”
“Yay,” she says.
“I’ve got to see you,” I say, my heart racing. Fuck me. That’s the understatement of the century.
“Shoot,” Kat says. “Wednesday’s not good for me. Colby’s getting out of the hospital and my entire family’s gonna hang out with him. Can we do Thursday?”
“Thursday it is. I’ll text you my new address. Seven o’clock?”
