Forbidden Neighbor: A Contemporary Romance Boxset (Forbidden Saga Book 2)

by Summer Brooks

  I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm pretty sure one of these would do. Let's go take it."

  She shook her head. "I don't want to."

  "Ooookay," I said slowly. "You kind of need to. Or we could just wait and see if you give birth in nine months, but I think you might want to know so you can, like, plan some things out, you know?"

  "Your sarcasm isn't helping," she snapped.

  I held up my hands. "Fine, fine. I'm just trying to offer some comic relief."

  "You're not funny. I could be pregnant, Jaz, this is no time for being funny." She looked at me with a mix of fear and excitement.

  I gave her a hug. "Okay, I'm here for you. I mean, don't you kind of want this?"

  She nodded her head yes, then shook it. "Yes, but no, but…I don't know. This is crazy."

  "Calm down. Just go in the bathroom and take the test. I'll be right here and we'll look at it together."

  She stared at me blankly. "You want me to go in there and pee on that thing alone?"

  "Freya, I would take the test for you, but I don't think it works that way."

  "Shut up. Just come inside the bathroom with me. I want you to take one, too."

  "But I'm not the one that's late."

  "I don't care. I'm your big sister and I said to do it with me, okay?"

  "Fine, let's go pee on sticks together." I held out my hand to her and pulled her off the couch. We walked into the bathroom and I carefully unwrapped the box to read the directions while Freya sat on the toilet and chewed her lip. I had never seen her so nervous in all my life.

  "We can't both do this at the same time."

  She finally gave up. "Fine. Just tell me what to do and turn around while I do it."

  Now we were getting somewhere. I handed her the plastic stick and read the directions aloud. "It says we need to wait three minutes to read the results," I said, setting the timer on my phone after she had done the deed.

  "Three minutes? That's crazy." She washed her hands and started brushing her hair. The timer went off and she squealed before rushing out. "I can't look at it. You do it."

  "Okay, okay, I'm looking."

  I picked up the plastic stick and looked at the display, which showed two lines. Freya was pregnant.

  "Sis?" I said, finding her in the living room, curled up on the couch. She peeked at me.

  I just nodded and smiled and that was all the confirmation she needed.

  "I'm…?" she asked.

  "You are. You're pregnant."

  The color drained from her face and she fell back, breathing heavily. "I don't believe it. That's why I got so many tests. I want you to go take one so we can compare. You said you're not pregnant, well, go take one. I want to make sure they work. What if they're all bullshit tests and just show up positive all the time?"

  "You're ridiculous."

  "No, I am not. Just do it. I need a frame of reference." She stared at me, not backing down. I knew the easiest way to get her to calm down was to just do what she asked. She had plenty of these tests, so I might as well just do it.

  "Fine. I'll go now and show you what a negative test looks like." I shook my head and headed to the bathroom. I'd never taken a pregnancy test before, maybe I should get some practice for when the real deal happened. After all, Blake and I had just talked about trying in the future.

  I did the deed and waited for my phone to beep, then grabbed the stick and headed back to the living room without looking at it so I could wave the negative test in her face and prove to her that she was having a baby.

  "See?" I said, tossing the test in her lap. "This is what a negative test looks like."

  She picked it up and compared it to hers. "Um, no. This one is positive, too." She laughed.

  My stomach dropped. "You better be fucking with me."

  She continued laughing, and handed my stick back to me. I felt dizzy when I looked down and saw the two pink lines.

  Freya just laughed and pointed.

  "Oh, now this is funny?" I asked, panic-stricken. How could I be pregnant?

  Images of Blake and I making love carelessly over the past few weeks, me begging him to finish in me in the heat of our passion, sprang to my mind. Suddenly, I knew that these tests weren't garbage.

  Freya and I were pregnant.

  "Ok, let's do this one more time, each and then we can be sure."

  I nodded, no longer in the mood to joke around. We went through the routine again, getting the same results.

  Defeated, with a pile of positive pregnancy tests in front of us, we both burst into a mixture of laughter and tears, collapsing into each other's arms. "We're going to be moms," Freya cried.

  "And aunts," I added. We hugged each other tightly, dancing around the room with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces.

  "Jaz, I am so happy that we're going to get to do this together. How lucky are we?" Freya squealed, once we’d managed to stop twirling and crying and threatening to faint.

  "I am too. I am so glad to have you as a sister. You're going to be such a good mom and aunt. And just think how our kids are going to get to grow up together!"

  We both squealed and hugged again, not even noticing when the door opened.

  "What is going on in here?" I heard Eric's voice and we both stared toward the door, wide-eyed.

  Eric and Blake were standing there with confused looks on their faces. "Do we even want to ask?" Blake said hesitantly. "Or is this another one of those weird sister moments that we should just slowly back away from and come again when it's…safer?"

  I burst out laughing. "This is definitely a weird sister moment," I said.

  Freya, in her typical fashion, blurted out, "We're having your babies!"

  We each rushed into the arms of our husbands as they tried to make sense of the situation.

  "I think I need to sit down," Eric said, and Blake followed him.

  "Isn't this wonderful?" I asked, looking around the room. Blake and Eric finally smiled, looked at each other and then at us.

  "It is wonderful," Blake said, pulling me in for a kiss, as Eric did the same with Freya. "We're going to be the happiest family in Chicago. I just know it."

  Accidental Roommate

  1

  Myra

  I dug in my purse for the keys as I stepped off the elevator and shuffled down the hall toward my condo. Somehow, no matter how organized I kept my purse, the keys always managed to find their way to the very bottom. I fished around until my fingers wrapped around them and I could pull them out. Unfortunately, when I did, I also pulled out my planner and a pack of tissues, and everything scattered on the ground at my feet.

  "Damn it, I just want to get inside and get my shoes off," I thought, scrambling to gather my items and throwing them back in my bag. I straightened up and hurried to my door, unlocking it and stepping inside. I’d finally shut the door on the rest of the humans in the world who were scrambling home from work and trying desperately to decompress before it was time for bed and they had to do it all over again tomorrow.

  Oh, to be a part of the rat race.

  No sooner had I acknowledged the comfortable silence of my cozy apartment that my phone began to ring. Nobody ever calls me except my family, and they know better than to call me at dinner time. I dug back into my bag for my phone, curious to find out why it was ringing.

  It was a friend from work, Anjali. Great. I really didn't feel like talking about work related things right now. I worked for an investment firm, and while there were more stressful jobs to be had, mine wasn't exactly a leisurely stroll through the park on any day. The competition in the investment banking field was fierce and for a good reason. The top tier corporate employees were all very well off financially. I wanted to join their ranks more than anything, not really because I had a passion for banking, but because I had a passion for living a comfortable lifestyle. Not to mention, I owed it to my parents to do what I had set out to do. They had supported me all the way through my childhood and through college, an
d I didn't ever want to let them down. So I worked hard to get to where I needed to be. I wasn't there yet, but I was moving up through the ranks slowly but surely.

  But if Anjali was calling me, it must be something important. Otherwise, she would just text, or wait until tomorrow.

  "What's up?" I put her on speaker and set my phone down on the side table as I plopped down and kicked off my heels.

  "Did you not hear what happened to me today?" she asked.

  "Um, no, should I have?"

  "I figured everyone would be talking by now. I was fired, Myra."

  I sat up straight. "What? You're fucking kidding me?"

  "No, but I wish I was."

  I couldn't believe it. Anjali was a great employee - creative, conscientious, perfect attendance.

  "Why would you get fired?"

  "Downsizing. At least, that's what Pam told me." Pam was our firm’s manager. She was an older woman who had been with the company for nearly forty years. Anjali and I both dreamed of having her job one day.

  "I never heard anything about the company needing to downsize before. I'm so sorry, Anj. What are you going to do? Is there anything I can do to help?" I was mainly asking to be polite. Not that I wouldn't have helped her, but I knew she didn't need it. She came from a very well-to-do family. Both of her parents had been surgeons, and her husband was also quite successful in his career as an architect. She had plenty of safety nets, and she’d even expressed to me before that she might just quit and be a stay at home mom one day. Her family could afford it. Still, I felt sorry for her for being fired like this without warning.

  She sighed. "No, I'll be fine. I mean, Aaron and I were thinking of trying for a baby soon, anyway. Maybe I'll just do that and forget this whole corporate life."

  "That's the spirit," I said. "But I'm here if you want to grab a drink or something."

  "Thanks. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, not to scare you or anything, I'm sure they wouldn't get rid of you, but when I got home, I just got to thinking. I'm glad you're safe."

  Now that she pointed this out, I certainly didn't feel safe. "You haven’t heard anything about me, have you?" The paranoia was creeping in.

  "Of course not, you know I'd tell you if I had. I was totally blindsided by this."

  "Yeah, it's a shock, that's for sure."

  "Well, I'm going to get off the phone and let you eat some dinner. Let's keep in touch, okay?"

  "Of course. I'll keep you posted about what happens in there. Please let me know if there is anything at all I can do for you."

  "Thanks, Myra. Good luck, and just keep your eyes and ears open in that place. Full of snakes, as far as I'm concerned."

  "Yeah, thanks. I will. Bye Anj."

  I ended the call, my relaxed state shattering. If it could happen to someone like Anjali, it could happen to me. Although, Anjali did have a reputation for being a bit of an office gossip. Maybe the bit about downsizing was bullshit. Maybe her mouth had gotten her in trouble. I rose from the couch and headed to my kitchen, pulling out some veggies from the fridge. As I began to chop and prepare to make a quick stir fry for myself, my mind wandered, and the feelings of unease crept back in.

  I couldn't afford to lose my job. Issues of pleasing my parents aside, I literally could not afford my lifestyle if I lost my job. San Francisco was not a cheap city and I didn't have much of a savings account. Sure, I made good money, but it cost good money to keep making it. I needed to live close to work, which meant paying an ungodly amount for rent. I needed to look the part in the office, which meant spending a pretty penny on an updated wardrobe every season.

  I poured myself a glass of wine, trying to calm my nerves. This is not how I wanted to spend my evening. This was my time to take care of myself. I took a long sip from my glass and reminded myself that I was the best employee in my section, if not the entire office. Yes, I didn't have the experience that some of the others had. I'd only been on with the company for three years as opposed to ten, but I held my own, and I had advanced faster than anyone else that started with me. I was an asset to that company, and surely they would see that.

  Whatever happened with Anjali must have been a fluke. After dinner, I turned on a romantic movie to take my mind off of things, and fell asleep on the couch in front of the television.

  When my alarm went off, last night's worries came flooding back into my consciousness. Along with those pleasant thoughts came a sore neck from sleeping on the couch. Today was going to be lovely.

  I poured a cup of coffee from my pre-programmed machine that had a fresh pot brewing for me every morning, and quickly gulped it down. The best way to ensure that I didn't lose my job would just be to work harder. I decided that I would start going in early and leaving late, putting in that extra time to make sure they knew that I was in this for the long haul. Besides, it's not like I had much of a social life that extra work would cut into.

  I got dressed and headed out the door, reciting to myself like a mantra that I had nothing to worry about. As I walked to work, I actually recited my own resumé to myself in my head, going over all of my credentials from my undergrad years through the present. I had a lot to be proud of. I had graduated at the top of my class with a double major in finance and business. I was worth a lot, and Pan would be able to see that. Plus, I never started trouble in the office like Anjali did.

  I was fine. I was safe. I was secure.

  By the time I had reached my building, I had convinced myself of these things and approached my desk with confidence. I was the first one to arrive, and the dimmed lights along with the silence of the empty office were reassuring. I put my purse in my bottom drawer and settled in at my desk, my eyes falling on my name placard. I deserved to be here.

  As my machine booted up, I relaxed a bit at the familiar whirring sound coming from the desktop computer. I immediately clicked on my email icon, diving right in.

  I was ready to tackle whatever came my way. What would be first?

  I leaned forward, sipping from my water bottle, clicking on my first unread message.

  It was from Pam. She wanted to see me today at ten, in her office. She didn't allude to what the meeting was pertaining to.

  Suddenly, my confidence was replaced with sickening dread.

  For the next two hours, instead of getting a head start on my work, all of my mental energy was spent trying to talk myself down from a full blown anxiety attack. Pam couldn't fire me. I had credentials. I was a hard worker. I was smart. I was young. I was always on time.

  Yeah. Anjali was all of those things too.

  When I reached Pam's office, the door was closed. I had the ridiculous idea to just turn around and go back to my desk, pretending like I hadn't gotten the email. Of course, that wasn't going to work. I couldn't just avoid my boss. If she was going to can me, she wouldn't change her mind after I ignored her email. I reminded myself that there could be another perfectly reasonable explanation as to why she had called a meeting with me. Maybe she was going to give me a promotion instead.

  I didn't even believe that one. After standing in the empty hallway and staring at her closed door for a full half a minute, I summoned the courage to knock.

  "Come in," I heard her slightly frazzled voice call from the other side of the door. I pushed the door open with a heavy feeling in my gut.

  I tried to force a cheerful smile, chirping, "Good morning, Pam!" as I entered, feigning a carefree energy. If I was happy and cheerful, maybe she would feel too bad about telling me any bad news and would change her mind.

  I was met with a tight lipped smile. "Have a seat." She gestured to a chair in front of her desk and then she went back to rifling through some papers, avoiding eye contact with me until I was seated.

  "Myra, I brought you to this meeting today to share some bad news with you. The company is downsizing, and your position is being cut. I'm sorry to do this, and I want you to know that myself and everyone else at the firm appreciates all that you have done
, but you are one of our newer associates, and so of course, you have less seniority and when it comes time for cuts, well, you know how the corporate world works."

  I felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer. My greatest fear had come true. When I entered this office, I had convinced myself that I probably wasn't going to get fired. That my fears were unfounded, like they usually are.

  "What?" I stammered. "But I thought that I was doing really well, and proving myself. I haven’t had any warnings, and believe me, if there is something that I could do better, I'd be so happy to do things differently."

  "Myra, this isn't about your work performance at all. You're an excellent employee, but there is nothing I can do. The CEO insists that we trim the firm down to a skeleton crew. I am upset by this, too, but there is nothing that I can do. Believe me, I 've tried."

  I met her gaze, and I could tell that she was telling the truth. I was stunned.

  "I will always offer you a good reference, and I know you will go far in this line of work. You're young, you'll get scooped up by another firm, I'm sure of it."

  I just nodded, not moving. I'd never been fired before. What was I even supposed to do now? Was I just supposed to leave the building, or finish out the day or-?

  "If you need help cleaning out your desk, I can get Barry to give you a hand," she offered to call the custodian.

  I guess that meant I was supposed to get the hell out right now. "Um, no, I don't have much. That won't be necessary." I stood to leave. "Thanks, Pam."

  Why did I just thank my boss who fired me? I really wasn't good at this.

  She stood to shake my hand. "It's been a pleasure Myra, and thank you. Please reach out if there is anything I can do for you."

  How about giving me my fucking job back? I thought.

  I smiled politely, then showed myself out of her office.

  By the time I returned to my condo, it was noon. I realized I had never been in my condo at noon on a Tuesday before. I also realized, with a horrifying sense of panic, that this wasn't going to be my condo for much longer if I couldn't find another job.