she looked pleased and greeted him with a platonic kiss on the cheek, inviting him in.
"How are you, Daniel?" she asked him brightly, sitting him on the sofa and getting him a cup of coffee and a cupcake.
"I have some news,” he told her.
"Me too!" she beamed.
Daniel smiled. Even though he was bursting to tell her what was on his mind, he also loved to hear about her day, especially when she was smiling like that, and so he invited her to speak first.
"I met someone today." Carla confessed. "I know because of our history that maybe that's a little strange to hear, but if this whole mess with Brooke has taught me anything, it's that it's best to be honest about these things."
"You've met someone?" Daniel repeated. He felt his stomach drop and his words turned to lead in his mouth. He no longer wanted to speak about the potential to go to the city or anything else on his mind. He wanted to know who had the gall to hit on the pregnant woman who meant far more to him than he'd ever admit. "A man?" he added needlessly.
Carla laughed at the way he said it and nodded. "He was at the stroller store."
"You went to the stroller store without me?" he lowered his brow.
"You said you had a business meeting."
"I did."
"Well, anyway, I was at the stroller store and this nice guy; a divorced father of two, just started talking to me and we kind of hit it off. He's going to take me for a coffee to give me some advice about the pregnancy and having a newborn."
"He can't be that nice if he's divorced." Daniel muttered.
Carla's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the tone of his voice. "Are you jealous, Daniel?" she asked him.
"No!" he snapped a little. "You can do what you like."
She turned to face him more fully with an upset expression on her face. Daniel instantly felt guilty to have put it there. Carla had said not a word against him even when she had found out that he'd slept with her while dating Brooke and he had no right to be jealous of her now.
"We've spoken about us a hundred times,’ Carla said carefully. "You told me it wasn't what you wanted."
"It's not,” Daniel replied quickly. "You're great, Carla, but we're just too different. We'd be fools to force something just because there's a baby on the way. We have to stay logical, even when we're getting emotional."
Carla rolled her eyes. "You never get emotional."
Her words hurt. Even now, Daniel felt like everything was falling apart. He was on the precipice of a great victory, but also on the precipice of a great fall. He could leave and chase his dreams, but break his promise that he would be there for Carla and leave his child behind, or he could stay, miss out on the one opportunity life would give him to fulfill his potential, and watch the love of his life grow close to another man. He swallowed back his feelings because he was not a man to show such things and he stood up to leave.
"Daniel!" Carla exclaimed. "Where are you going? You haven't even touched your coffee."
"Work." Daniel mumbled angrily.
"You said you had news for me,” Carla reminded him. "You came all the way here, so it must have been important."
"News?" Daniel repeated. His mind went blank for a moment as he searched for an excuse to be here and then found one. "I've got another witness for the case."
"That's great." Carla smiled. "Thank you."
Daniel simply grunted instead of telling her that she was welcome and let himself out with barely a goodbye. He strode away from the building in a foul mood. Inside her apartment, Carla had no idea what she had done to make him so irritable.
Was Daniel really so upset that she'd been asked on a date? He'd had months to make his move and hadn't done anything. She'd watched him date that blonde bimbo and was now suffering the consequences of his relationship, and yet she had never said a word, so how could he be so callous now? Carla called Lily to talk about it.
"So he came in, heard about the date and stormed out?" Lily summed up after hearing
"How are you, Daniel?" she asked him brightly, sitting him on the sofa and getting him a cup of coffee and a cupcake.
"I have some news,” he told her.
"Me too!" she beamed.
Daniel smiled. Even though he was bursting to tell her what was on his mind, he also loved to hear about her day, especially when she was smiling like that, and so he invited her to speak first.
"I met someone today." Carla confessed. "I know because of our history that maybe that's a little strange to hear, but if this whole mess with Brooke has taught me anything, it's that it's best to be honest about these things."
"You've met someone?" Daniel repeated. He felt his stomach drop and his words turned to lead in his mouth. He no longer wanted to speak about the potential to go to the city or anything else on his mind. He wanted to know who had the gall to hit on the pregnant woman who meant far more to him than he'd ever admit. "A man?" he added needlessly.
Carla laughed at the way he said it and nodded. "He was at the stroller store."
"You went to the stroller store without me?" he lowered his brow.
"You said you had a business meeting."
"I did."
"Well, anyway, I was at the stroller store and this nice guy; a divorced father of two, just started talking to me and we kind of hit it off. He's going to take me for a coffee to give me some advice about the pregnancy and having a newborn."
"He can't be that nice if he's divorced." Daniel muttered.
Carla's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the tone of his voice. "Are you jealous, Daniel?" she asked him.
"No!" he snapped a little. "You can do what you like."
She turned to face him more fully with an upset expression on her face. Daniel instantly felt guilty to have put it there. Carla had said not a word against him even when she had found out that he'd slept with her while dating Brooke and he had no right to be jealous of her now.
"We've spoken about us a hundred times,’ Carla said carefully. "You told me it wasn't what you wanted."
"It's not,” Daniel replied quickly. "You're great, Carla, but we're just too different. We'd be fools to force something just because there's a baby on the way. We have to stay logical, even when we're getting emotional."
Carla rolled her eyes. "You never get emotional."
Her words hurt. Even now, Daniel felt like everything was falling apart. He was on the precipice of a great victory, but also on the precipice of a great fall. He could leave and chase his dreams, but break his promise that he would be there for Carla and leave his child behind, or he could stay, miss out on the one opportunity life would give him to fulfill his potential, and watch the love of his life grow close to another man. He swallowed back his feelings because he was not a man to show such things and he stood up to leave.
"Daniel!" Carla exclaimed. "Where are you going? You haven't even touched your coffee."
"Work." Daniel mumbled angrily.
"You said you had news for me,” Carla reminded him. "You came all the way here, so it must have been important."
"News?" Daniel repeated. His mind went blank for a moment as he searched for an excuse to be here and then found one. "I've got another witness for the case."
"That's great." Carla smiled. "Thank you."
Daniel simply grunted instead of telling her that she was welcome and let himself out with barely a goodbye. He strode away from the building in a foul mood. Inside her apartment, Carla had no idea what she had done to make him so irritable.
Was Daniel really so upset that she'd been asked on a date? He'd had months to make his move and hadn't done anything. She'd watched him date that blonde bimbo and was now suffering the consequences of his relationship, and yet she had never said a word, so how could he be so callous now? Carla called Lily to talk about it.
"So he came in, heard about the date and stormed out?" Lily summed up after hearing
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