Ethan leaned back against the gym door to push it open. His equipment bag was slung over his shoulder and he carried his skates in his other hand. The sun had long since set. They were getting close to the playoffs and Coach Riley was working them harder in practice.
He dumped his equipment bag in the trunk of his GTO and slammed the lid. A car pulled up slowly behind him. He turned around. Claudia was in the car, waving to him. She rolled down the passenger side window.
"Get in," she said.
He looked around. The parking lot was empty. He opened the door and got in. She drove to the other end of the parking lot, out of range of the lights, and parked by the fence. She left the car running, but didn't speak for a long time.
"What's on your mind?" he said.
"I have news. I missed my period. I'm pregnant," she said.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're the father," she said.
His mouth hung open. "How can you be so sure it's me?"
Claudia looked away. "I think it might have something to do with the fact that you dumped a load of cum in my pussy."
"Yeah, but that was ..." He stopped. "Are you sure it's me?"
"You're the only man I've had sex with in the last six months. I'm pretty sure it's yours."
His hands rested limply in his lap. He couldn't make them move.
"What do you want me to do?" he said.
She let out a deep sigh.
"Nothing for now. Just let me take care of it. My husband's home tonight. I'll let him fuck me, then try to convince him it's his."
Ethan couldn't think of anything to say. It was hard to grasp the idea that he was going to be a father.
"I should do something," he said.
She put her hand on his knee.
"No, you should do nothing. You should forget about it. You can never have anything to do with this child. If anyone ever learned that you were the father, it would screw up all of our lives. Just forget about it."
"Just like that?" he said.
"Just like that."
He looked away, staring out the side window into the darkness with his hand on his chin. The baby was not yet born, and already he felt an overwhelming sense of loss.
"There's more. Carrie's getting married," Claudia said.
"What? Who?" he said.
"A friend of her cousin's. You don't know him."
"How can she get married? She's only eighteen."
Claudia shrugged. "She says she loves him. I think she's doing it to spite you, to spite both of us."
His sense of loss became a pit deep in his stomach. It was as if his entire world had caved in. The woman he loved had abandoned him for a guy she surely couldn't love, and he had only himself to blame.
Claudia's hand was still on his knee.
"You must feel awful about this," she said. Her hand moved down to his crotch and squeezed. "I can make you feel better."
He stared into her eyes while her hand rubbed his penis. He let his legs spread. His penis stretched down the leg of his jeans and swelled.
"We'd better not. This is how we got in trouble in the first place," Ethan said.
Her hand stroked a few more times before she took it away. In her face, he saw Carrie's face, and the hurt in her eyes was the hurt in Carrie's eyes.
"Whatever you say. I'll take you back to your car," she said, but she didn't sound convinced.
"That's ok. I'll walk."
"Ethan? She wants to invite you to the wedding," she said as he was getting out.
"Me? Why?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea. But you'll come, won't you?"
"I guess. When is it?"
"In six months. In June. She'll send an invitation."
He nodded. "I'll come."
"Good. Maybe by then I can talk some sense into her."
He got out and shut the door. Claudia drove off. He walked back to his car, all the way across the parking lot, glad for the bite of the cold air on his cheeks. It did nothing, however, to reduce the size of the erection in his jeans.
* * * *
Ethan parked across the street from the turn of the century inn. A small group of people was gathered outside, all dressed in formal clothes. The railing of the porch that ran the length of the building was strung with white flowers. All the men wore similar white flowers in their lapels.
It was a perfect spring morning for a wedding. He hated it. This was the last place he wanted to be. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, wishing Mom hadn't pulled the tie so tight, and crossed the street.
He recognized none of the faces in the group standing on the lawn and the sidewalks. They would all be Carrie's family, of course, or the family of the guy she was marrying. Nothing could have made him more uncomfortable.
The inside of the building was decorated with the same strings of white flowers. It was like a small museum of the city's history. The walls were covered with ancient black and white photos, and all the furniture was old.
The biggest room was lined with rows of chairs facing a podium at the far end. A few people milled outside the room. A woman came toward him and it took him a second to recognize her.
It was Claudia. She walked with a waddle. Her belly was huge. She was pregnant, of course. Never would he have believed he would see any woman carrying his child.
"Ethan, I'm so glad you came," she said, and touched his cheek. Her face was radiant.
"You look beautiful," he said. He looked down at her belly. "You're really gonna have a baby."
Claudia looked around. "Your baby. A son. I pray he's as gifted as his father," she said in a soft voice.
"What about your husband?"
She shook her head. "He was not pleased."
"Does he believe it's his?"
"No. He knows I slept with someone else." She was quiet for a second. "We're getting a divorce."
"What about the baby?"
"I'll raise it on my own. Don't even think about trying to help. You can't."
He swallowed hard. That was something he did want to think about.
Someone else walked toward him, a guy in a black tuxedo. He greeted Claudia with a smile and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Ethan, this is Brad. He's marrying Carrie today," she said.
"Hi, how you doing? I'm so glad to meet you. Carrie's told me a lot about you," he said. He thrust his hand out and shook Ethan's vigorously.
"She has?"
"Oh yeah. You're like a brother to her." He was grinning and shifted from foot to foot. "Can you tell I'm nervous?"
"No, not at all."
Brad laughed. "Well, I am," he said. He waved to someone across the room. "Excuse me," he said, and walked off.
They watched him go. Ethan's jaw clenched. That should have been him, waiting nervously for Carrie to come down the stairs, waiting to see her in her beautiful dress, practically glowing from within.
"He's a nice boy, but not too bright. I don't know what Carrie sees in him," Claudia said. She took Ethan's hand. "By the way, she's waiting to see you."
"Waiting to see me? What for?"
"Who knows with that girl anymore."
She waved at a young woman in a bridesmaid's dress with a corsage on her wrist. She came toward them. She had straight black hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin and high cheeks.
"Yes, Aunt Claudia?" she said. She looked at Ethan and smiled.
He smiled back. She looked about the same age as Carrie.
"Courtney, this is Ethan, Carrie's friend. She's waiting to see him. Could you take him upstairs, please?"
"Yes, Aunt Claudia."
Courtney took Ethan's hand and led him up the old, wooden staircase with the carved bannister.
Her hand was very soft. She didn't seem as old as she looked, but that was probably because of her family. Everyone in Carrie's family was younger than they looked. He couldn't help glancing at her legs. She was wearing sheer, pale hose under a very short skirt.
"Were you going out with Carrie last year?" she said.
"Yes."
"I thought so. I'm her cousin."
At the top of the stairs they went down a short hall to a door. Some people came out, a photographer, Carrie's father and others. Ethan greeted Carrie's father, but he was in a hurry. Courtney opened the door and they went in.
She crossed the room and sat in the chair in front of the dressing table. Ethan stood in the doorway, unable to move. Carrie was standing by the tall, wide window. The spring sun shined through the white lace curtains like the light from heaven. She was like an angel. The lacy parts of her white dress floated around her like a delicate mist.
"Ethan. I wasn't sure you'd come," she said.
"My God. You're ... beautiful," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Carrie blushed.
"Close the door," she said. She came around the bed and sat on the edge, shifting the huge skirt of her dress. "Sit down," she said, and patted the bed beside her.
He pushed the heavy oak door until it clicked, then sat beside her on the bed. Courtney was studying an antique mirror and hairbrush made of silver.
"You don't know how much I missed you," Carrie said.
She was looking deep into his eyes and he couldn't stand it. He had to look away. He stared down at his hands and fiddled with the tassels on the bed covering.
"I missed you, too," he said. Finally, he looked up. "Do you love Brad?"
"No. That's not the point."
"What is the point?" He glanced at Courtney. He was uncomfortable discussing this in front of her. "Why do you have to do this? You shouldn't marry him if you don't love him."
Carrie put her hand on his knee. "Ethan, I've already made up my mind. Brad is the one I've decided to marry and we're going to do it today."
He was quiet again, staring down at his hands.
"You got my Mom pregnant, didn't you?" Carrie said.
Ethan looked at Courtney. She was staring back.
