Chapter 20: The Unexpected Gift
The champagne bottle was still on the coffee table, a silent monument to a celebration that now felt like it belonged to another lifetime. The neon accent lights cast long, colorful shadows across the velvety chaos of the living room.Wrapped gifts were stacked haphazardly next to an unplugged ring light.
Josh set down the last of the bags, his arms finally free. The silence after the baby shower’s forced cheer was a physical thing, thick and awkward. He was hyper-aware of every sound: the hum of the refrigerator, the distant wail of a siren, the soft rustle of Caisey’s dress as she moved to the kitchen.
“You want some water or something?” she called, her voice slightly strained.“I’m off champagne, obviously. I’ve got seltzer.”
“Water’s fine,” he said, standing in the middle of the room, feeling too large, too present. He looked at the photos on the wall—CaiseyLucia in a sequined bikini on a beach, CaiseyLucia laughing over her shoulder in lace lingerie. The woman in the kitchen, padding around in bare feet, her dress a simple, dark blue cotton, was a stranger to those images.
She returned with two glasses of water, handing him one.Their fingers brushed.A tiny spark of static.
“Thanks for helping,” she said, not meeting his eyes.She took a long drink.
“It was a nice shower,” he offered, the words hollow.
“It was fucking surreal,” she corrected, a wry twist to her mouth. “My mom kept asking about the ‘father figure.’ My aunt from Ohio asked if I’d be doing maternity content. I think my cousin just came for the free prosecco.” She finally looked at him, her gaze flat.“You were the only normal part of it. Which is saying something.”
He didn’t know what to do with that. He set his glass down on a coaster, next to a framed picture of her and a friend in Vegas. The condensation began to form a ring almost instantly.
“Listen, I, uh…” He reached into the pocket of his chinos, his fingers closing around the small, velvet-covered box.It felt suddenly monumental, a potential grenade. “I got you something.Not for the baby. For you.”
Caisey’s playful mask vanished, replaced by pure wariness.“Josh.We said no…”
“I know. Just… just look at it.”
He held the box out. She stared at his hand, then slowly took it.She opened the clasp, lifted the lid. Nestled inside was a simple, polished silver locket on a delicate chain. She picked it up, the metal catching a shard of neon pink from the wall light.With a careful thumbnail, she pried it open.
Inside, tiny and perfect, was the first ultrasound image.The grainy, bean-shaped blur.Her breath hitched. She didn’t speak. She just stared at the tiny photo, her lips pressed into a tight, trembling line.“I thought,” Josh said, his voice quieter now, “you might want something. To remind you that you’re not… you’re not alone in all this.”
A single tear escaped, tracking a path through her perfectly applied makeup. She closed the locket, holding it tightly in her fist, the chain spilling over her knuckles.
Then, without warning, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. The hug was fierce, desperate, and over almost as soon as it began. She pulled back, her face flushed, eyes shiny and embarrassed.“Shit,” she whispered, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. “You’re supposed to be just the bank, remember?Direct deposits and logistical coordination. You’re not supposed to do… this.” She waved the locket.
He offered a rueful half-smile.“I know. But I’m also the guy who bought every raffle ticket. Seems like I’ve got a history of over-delivering.”
A startled laugh burst out of her, raw and real. It was the first real sound he’d heard from her all day.He laughed too, the tension between them softening, melting into something warmer, more complicated.
She was still close. The scent of her shampoo—something clean like coconut—mixed with the fading notes of her perfume.Her eyes dropped to his lips, then flicked back up. The air in the neon-lit room changed, growing heavier, charged with all the things they’d signed contracts not to feel.Slowly, deliberately, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek. Not a quick peck.A soft, lingering touch that burned straight through him. She stayed there for a breath, two breaths, her warmth seeping into his skin.
When she pulled away, her expression was unreadable.“You should go,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.
He didn’t move. “Caisey…”
“This is a terrible idea,” she breathed, more to herself than to him. Her hand, still clutching the locket, came up and rested flat against his chest.He could feel the tiny pendant digging into his palm through her fingers. “The worst idea.”
“Probably,” he agreed, his own hand coming up to cover hers, pinning it against his heartbeat.She looked at their joined hands, then back into his eyes. The shrewd business mind, the careful calculations, were all gone. In their place was just a tired, vulnerable, beautiful woman who was as lost in this as he was.He didn’t kiss her. He let the possibility hang there, a thread stretching taut between them.
Finally, she slipped her hand from under his and took a step back, creating a necessary distance. She fastened the locket around her neck, the silver resting in the hollow of her throat.It looked like it belonged there.
“I’ll see you at the appointment on Tuesday,” she said, her voice regaining a semblance of its usual firmness.He nodded, picking up his jacket. “Tuesday.”
At the door, he paused. She was silhouetted against the vibrant glow of her own domain, one hand unconsciously fingering the new piece of jewelry. It was a picture of contradictory truths: the online goddess in her temple, and the mother-to-be, utterly human and alone.
“Goodnight, Caisey.”
“Goodnight, Josh.”
He stepped into the dim hallway, the door clicking shut behind him with a sound of finality that felt entirely provisional. The taste of her kiss, soft and fleeting on his cheek, lingered all the way down in the elevator and out into the cooling night.