took another sip of his sweet tea but it tasted too cloying now and he set it aside. Talking about his past always left him feeling…well, odd. That was the only word for it.
“I’ve reached out to one of my coworkers about your case and if you have time next week, I’d love for you to stop by the office and meet with her. Then you can get the paperwork started to send them to your…I don’t know what to call him.”
Cici blushed. “Baby daddy? Sperm donor?”
“No. That’s not it,” he said. “Mr. Maguire.”
“Once he signs the papers then you’ll be protected and to be honest, he will be too. That way you can’t go back to him and demand anything from him.”
“I would never do that,” Cici said.
“I know. But it will give him peace of mind and make him more amenable to signing the papers,” Hoop said. He’d handled a lot of cases like hers and knew that having a binding contract wasn’t always enough but it gave each party some peace of mind. He wanted to make sure that Cici was protected.
“Good. I just want that done,” she said. “I think once this is settled, well I can really start to figure out things for the baby.”
“Like what?” he asked. He didn’t know what a child would need or what a single mom would. Seeing Cici on her own made him wonder if his own mother had been like this. Did she have a friend to talk to? He’d never know. He knew that but it stirred questions all the same.
“Like the nursery colors and theme…and then I have to find a preschool and get on the waiting list,” she said.
“You haven’t even given birth yet,” he said, but he knew from one of his co-workers who was struggling to get their kids into the right school how hard it was.
“You have no idea about all the things that I have to decide,” she said.
“On your own?” he asked softly.
“I haven’t told my mom and stepdad yet. I mean Hayley and Iona have been great but this kind of thing is definitely something I have to figure out.”
“I can ask around at my office and get a list of the best schools,” he said. “Maybe see if someone can write a letter of recommendation for you.”
“You’d do that?” she asked.
“Yes. We’re friends. You’re going to need lots of them,” he said.
She took another sip of her water, finally getting full. She leaned back against the seat and watched Hoop. The kiss…she’d been ignoring it since they’d left the ballpark because she wanted to focus on friendship but he’d stirred something deep inside of her. Something she thought would be dormant now that she was expecting. And that her life was up in the air.
But it wasn’t.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” she said, wishing he hadn’t caught her staring at him. “I was just thinking how I need to build up a network of other parents. I remember when I was young, before my mom met Steven, my stepdad, how alone we were.”
“That’s not going to happen to you,” he said.
“No, it’s not. I always thought when I had a kid I’d be more sensible about the planning. My dad was in special forces and so his job was dangerous…I mean I know they couldn’t have guessed he’d be killed but I just thought, if I was smart about it, then I could do it right.”
“Right?” he asked. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
“Just that I’d find a guy and have kids with him and we’d both raise them. No divorce or risky jobs. That way the kids could grow up in a house where they knew they were loved.”
Cici realized how that sounded. That maybe she’d said too much. “Sorry about that. I think all the food is going to my head. This place is great.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, arching one eyebrow over at her. “It is great. Was that your way of saying you’d had enough of the conversation?”
“Yes,” she said. She didn’t want to think about the fact that her child was going to want to know who their father was at some point. And she’d have to tell them about Rich not wanting to be a part of their life. God, that was going to be hard. When she met with Hoop’s lawyer friend maybe she’d ask if there was a provision they could put in just in case the child wanted to meet him.
“Fair enough,” he said. “What do you want to do now?”
“I think I’m ready to head home,” she said. She had a lot to think about. And she wanted to try to forget the kiss they’d shared. It had been incredible. “The game was a lot of fun. I wish I hadn’t gotten sick.”
“Me too. But that’s to be expected. You seem better now,” he said. “I’m glad. Do you know how long morning sickness lasts? I think with my sister she had it for four months.”
“The book said each expectant mother is different,” Cici said. She’d gone to a few websites as well and her doctor had told her once she relaxed and learned to listen to the changes in her body it would help. “I really hope it ends soon.”
“I bet,” he said. He signaled the waiter for the bill.
She reached for her wallet and he cleared his throat.
“What?”
“I know you are not going to try to pay for lunch,” he said.
“What if I was?” she asked. She always paid her own way. She had already calculated the cost of her portion and the tip.
“It’s a date, Cici. That means lunch is on me.”
“It’s the twenty-first century, Hoop, a woman can pay,” she said, though she knew she was needling him. She thought it was nice when a guy paid after asking her out.
“Well I’m old fashioned that way,” he said.
“What other ways are you old fashioned?” she asked. “You wanted to pick me up at my place. That sort of thing?”
“I guess. Just seems polite to pick you up from your place. You know how I told you I was in trouble a lot as a teenager?”
“Yes.”
“Well I spent a lot of time reading books and I picked up some things that…I don’t know, I guess resonated with the kind of man I wanted to be. You know Mr. Fillion, my pops, influenced me when I got to their house but before that I had to find my own male role model.”
She wanted to find the little boy inside of him and give him a hug. He’d struggled growing up and she reminded herself that she didn’t want her child to have to go through that. “Is that why you volunteer with Big Brother?”
“Partially. We all need to know we have someone to reach out to,” he said, handing his credit card to the waiter.
She waited
