Dream On(61)

Devin casually drapes his arm over my shoulder as he chats with Jai about their fantasy football league. It’s hot in this crowded bar, and I resist the urge to put some space between us when sweat threatens to gather on the back of my neck. Jai’s wife, Anisha, joins us then. She’s pulled her long black hair into a high messy bun, and I notice she’s switched from hard seltzers to a clear cocktail. The scent of lime wafts in the air between us.

“You guys…” she says, flicking her finger between Devin and me, “are too cute together.”

Devin chuckles softly.

“Thanks,” I murmur.

“Just don’t let Sadie find out,” she adds to me with a wink. “She was always the jealous type.”

Devin’s expression immediately shutters. “Don’t worry, she won’t. I blocked her months ago.”

Anisha shrugs. “She’s in Cleveland now, you know.”

“What?” splutters Devin.

“Yeah. She moved here not too long ago. At least, I don’t think it was that long ago.” Anisha taps her full lips as she thinks. “May, maybe? She posted a picture of her new apartment on Instagram—I think it’s in Slavic Village.”

Jai sticks his finger in the air. “I thought you said it was Old Brooklyn.”

“You’re right, duh. Old Brooklyn,” she repeats.

Holy shit. The Old Brooklyn neighborhood is only ten minutes away from mine.

The color leaches from Devin’s cheeks as he unloops his arm from my shoulders and clears his throat. “Jai, you knew about this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jai’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry, man. I thought you knew.”

“No. I didn’t.” His voice is so low it’s barely above a rumble.

My gut squeezes like a wrung-out towel as I study Devin’s face. Confusion, anger, and something I can’t quite name flickers across his expression. I lean in and lower my voice. “Can I talk to you outside for a sec?”

Devin blinks down at me and nods.

“Well, it’s officially sweltering in here. I could use some air,” I say to the group as I fan myself. “Come with me?” I add to Devin with a smile I hope isn’t too forced.

I lead Devin away from his friends and up a set of stairs to an open-air patio. It’s not as crowded out here, and I suck in a deep lungful of clear summer air, grateful for the breeze cooling my overheated skin. We settle next to a concrete wall that overlooks a vast parking lot and, beyond, a smattering of skyscrapers.

Leaning my hips against the wall, I face Devin. “Are you okay?”

“Sure. Why?” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes.

“You seemed kind of… upset… over the news about Sadie.”

“Why would I be upset? My ex-girlfriend decided to move ten minutes away and none of my friends told me.”

I wince. “I’m sorry.”

We fall silent for several long seconds. Laughter and music from a myriad of restaurants and bars tangle in the night, creating a cacophonous buzz. “Why didn’t you tell me you and Sadie were so serious?” I finally ask.

His eyebrows furrow momentarily before he nods in understanding. “You’re referring to what Mikey said earlier.”

“Right. It would have been nice knowing that before meeting your friends.”

“Sorry. It’s not something I like to talk about.”

“I get it. I feel the same way about my accident.” I scoot closer until we’re only a few inches apart. “Look, if there’s some big, ex-girlfriend-shaped skeleton in your closet that’s going to come after us, I should know about it, right? Whatever happened, you can tell me. I’m here for you.” I lay my hand on his and squeeze.

He sighs. “Fine. Sadie is a wild card, and I wouldn’t put it past her to try to get at me through someone I’m dating—she’s that kind of person…” He sucks in a deep breath. “So basically, she faked a pregnancy in an attempt to get me to marry her.”

My jaw falls open. “What? No way. That’s ridiculous. No one actually does that.”

“She did.”

“How do you know she was faking it? What happened?”

“We’d been together for about seven months when one day she tells me, surprise, she’s pregnant.”

“She wasn’t on birth control?” I blurt out the first thought that comes to mind and immediately grimace.

“Yeah, she was, which is why I was so shocked. I didn’t think getting pregnant was a real possibility, especially since we’d been taking other precautions. But even though it was a complete surprise, I had no reason to think she’d lie. And she seemed genuinely excited about it.”

“Were you? Excited, that is?”

“Not at first,” he admits. “I was pretty freaked out when she broke the news and showed me a picture of the pregnancy test, but I loved her. I thought she was the one I’d end up with in the long haul, so a pregnancy simply fast-tracked our plans by a few years. So when she said she wanted to keep the baby, I supported her choice. We even started looking for an apartment together and talking baby names…”

By the faraway look in his eye, I’d bet he was more excited about the prospect of a baby than he’s letting on. My heart constricts and I rub the center of my chest. Poor Devin. To have his excitement over becoming a father build up only to have it ripped away? I can’t imagine what that feels like.