Chapter 2
Mom opened the door in a dressing gown with her hair wrapped up in a towel. "Susie, Jesse, I wasn't expecting you back."
"Why not?" I asked, "I am staying here for my break."
"I just thought you two wanted to...catch up," she replied, unable to look at the still fine specimen that is Jesse. He smiled because he understood what she was hinting.
"No, Mrs. Ackerman, we didn't have much to catch up on. We stayed in touch when I was over there."
"Oh, I see," she said, narrowing her eyes, "would you like to come in? I'll just pop upstairs to get dressed."
The house was exactly the same. Not even the ornaments on the mantlepiece had moved. We sat down next to each other on the sofa.
"So you're not going to tell me who the father is?"
"You'll meet him."
"When?"
"After you finish your trip. You'll like him. You have a lot in common." If only this was a sitcom; the audience would be crying with laughter.
"Will you at least tell me his name?"
"Paul."
"What?!"
"No, Paul's standing behind you. What are you doing here?"
"Andy wanted to give me some advice on being a father," Paul replied. Then he looked at Jesse as if to notice him there for the first time. "Oh shit!"
"Jesse knows, Paul," I said.
"You told him? I never actually thought you'd do it. After all, you were all so: "Jesse will give everything up for his-"" He started in a too high imitation of me.
"Jesse doesn't know who the father is." I cut Paul off with a warning glance.
"Oh," he said. Jesse eyed Paul suspiciously.
"So you're not going to tell me either?" he asked.
"Not if Suze doesn't want me to."
Andy walked in behind us. "Jesse!" he exclaimed. We turned to face him and they did the man-hug. "I'm so happy for-" I know he was either cut off byte death glare I gave him or Paul jumping up and down behind us, but he quickly amended to say, "-to see you!" at the end.
"It's good to see you again too," Jesse replied with a strange look on his face.
"Jesse knows about the baby but not about the father," I explained.
"Oh." Andy seemed disappointed. Keeping the secret was going to be harder than I thought. Every time someone accidentally said something, he'd get more and more suspicious. "Can you tell everyone that Jesse is not to know who the father is?" I asked.
"Sure." Andy walked upstairs, presumably to find Mom.
"Can you at least tell me his name?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I was hoping he'd live to a ripe old age."
"How old is he?"
"Just a little older than me."
"Be more specific."
"No!"
Mom and Andy were throwing a...gathering (a party that you don't call a party for fear the the person who it is for will get mad after she explicitly said no parties). Everyone who knew about the baby was here. Well everyone who happened to be in Carmel was anyway. I just hope that the news had spread about Jesse jot knowing just as fast. Paul, Jesse, me, Ceecee and Adam we stood around a table drinking alcohol-free punch. It was red and it tasted like strawberries. Paul and Jesse were stood either side of me and Paul had all too casually draped his arm around my shoulders. Ceecee had to take Adam's off hers to stop Jesse feeling like a gooseberry. I appreciated that.
"This is nice punch," I said.
"It was my idea not to put alcohol in it. It would be unfair if you couldn't drink at your own...gathering." I kissed him on the cheek. I appreciated that too.
"Thanks, Paul. You're so thoughtful." Ugh, I sounded like a groupie, but it was true and I didn't know what else to say. He's done so much for me. The thought raised a lump in my throat. Thankfully, Jesse changed the subject.
"So how long have you and Paul been together?" He asked.
I laughed as if it were a daft question out of discomfort. "Paul and I are just friends."
"Are you really, Suze?" Ceecee asked.
"Yeah," I replied, looking at Paul.
"You just seem like the perfect couple- with the baby and that Paul is movie.g in with you after the break..."
"What?!" Jesse shrieked.
"Well, I wasn't going.g to be able to look after the baby from the other side of the campus," Paul replied, sarcastically.
"Okay, be honest here, are you two genuinely not together?" Adam asked.
"We're friends...at the moment."
"Paul!"
"It's true. Suze knows my intentions." I don't know how he can be so cool about this.
"Are you going to tell me who the father is?" Jesse turned to Ceecee and Adam.
"Nope," they said in unison.
"We're sworn to secrecy," Adam said.
"Adam threatened to beat him up, but he's too strong," Ceecee added, "Paul has had fights with him a few times though." I looked at her and I knew she was finding this funny.
"About what?" Jesse asked.
"Not about the baby, just a difference of opinion," I said quickly.
"Yeah, over Suze," Adam said, barely able to keep from laughing. I gave hint a death glare and he faked a cough.
Paul was called over by Jake, my step-brother and Ceecee took Adam to get more punch.
"Susannah, why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?"
"That would be because I'm not. You don't know who the father is."
"I wish you would tell me."
"You don't need to know. Yet."
"Why don't you trust me?"
"I know you. I trust you with my life and even my unborn child, but I can't trust you with this information."
Jesse sighed and walked away. Unfortunately, Dopey took this as an opportunity to talk to me.
"Are you actually not going to tell him he's the father?!"
"Sssshhhh! I don't want hint to find out!"
"So no, then. I think you should. He seems like a decent guy. In fact, too decent to have slept with you..."
"Jesse is the father, Brad."
"Whatever you say, Suze."
He's the only person who hasn't supported me during my pregnancy. It annoys me so much because it reminds me that being pregnant is a bad thing. I went to find Jesse.
A/N: So Paul is lovely. And will she tell Jesse? And I still want to know who she should end up with. So review, please.
Love ya,
Iheartbooks.