Stay with Me: A Second Chance Accidental Pregnancy Romance

by Lea Coll

  I’d heard from Wyatt. He wanted to know if I’d arrived okay, if I was settling in, and if I’d found a new doctor. He was present, he was concerned, but I longed for more. I wanted to know if he felt the same way I did. I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones, but I couldn’t block my feelings or numb myself this time. I felt everything—despair, hurt, hopelessness, and guilt.

  The impact of what I’d done washed over me in waves that made me question my decision. I’d broken up our little family—that was how I thought of Wyatt, me, and our child these days—so I could take a stand on my career. It seemed ridiculous. What was more important, the time I spent with my family or a job where people stole your work and pedaled it as their own? The people who’d I’d worked with for years turned their back on me the minute I was fired. They wouldn’t worry or care for me and the baby. No, that was my family, my friends in Chestertown, and Wyatt.

  There was also nothing to do in a hotel room but lie on the bed and watch TV in my downtime, and that’s what I did. I ordered room service because I was constantly hungry and laid on the bed feeling sorry for myself—sorry that I’d come back to Baltimore and that I’d screwed things up so royally with Wyatt.

  Communication with my family had reverted to our old ways where they assumed I was too busy to talk. But I had more downtime since I wasn’t the one creating the projects. I no longer went to the social outings and happy hours, either. I didn’t care if it affected my performance evaluations. I was pregnant and no one wanted a pregnant woman at a bar.

  The elaborate happy hours and parties that had seemed so cool before now seemed frivolous and a colossal waste of money. Instead of finding a place to live, I found myself running numbers, researching event planning and graphic design businesses, and beginning to draft a business plan. The more I researched, the more plausible it seemed.

  My phone buzzed with an incoming call from Jack. “Hey.”

  “How’s my little sis doing?”

  “I’m okay. How about you? How was the honeymoon?” They’d gotten back from Disney World two weeks ago.

  “Awesome. I felt like a little kid again and the suite we stayed in was amazing. We could watch the fireworks every night from our balcony.”

  “That sounds romantic. I’m so happy for you guys.” And I was. They had an amazing relationship, marriage, and now a life together. I could have had something similar, but I’d walked away. I could have had a home with Wyatt, dependable childcare in our families, and the support to start my own business.

  He cleared his throat and I knew he wasn’t calling just to catch up. “I’m worried about you.”

  “I’m fine. I’m researching places to live, figuring things out.” When I wasn’t researching the possibility of starting my own business.

  “Are you still living in a hotel?” His words were soft and measured. “Do you think you can raise a baby in a hotel?”

  I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me through the phone. “I’m not raising a baby in a hotel. Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “How are you really doing?”

  I’m stuck in a weird state of limbo where I live in a hotel and eat take-out. I’m in denial about making a life for myself in the city. In my head, I’m in Wyatt’s house, soaking up his touch, his smiles, his care. Ugh. I was a mess. “Good. As well as I can expect to be doing pregnant and alone.”

  Jack growled. “You don’t have to do this on your own.”

  I was quiet because I wasn’t sure what to do. Was it too soon to admit I’d made a mistake? I’d promised myself I’d give this job a shot. I promised Carl. He’d accommodated my pregnancy. And Wyatt mentioned he’d missed me at Jack’s wedding. There was that moment on the dance floor when I thought he’d been about to say something important—monumental even—but he didn’t. Instead, he was the bigger person, giving me space to figure this out. It made me love him even more.

  “You don’t.”

  “You’re so annoying.” I was annoyed at his interference, yet happy he’d called. I wanted someone to talk me over the edge. To tell me it was okay to quit this job I’d just started. That Wyatt would take me back.

  “I’m your brother. I’m supposed to be annoying and it’s my job to look after you.”

  “That’s not your job.” Wyatt should be looking after me, but I’d told him not to. I knew I could do this on my own but why did I want to? I wasn’t happy unless I was with Wyatt. Was it so wrong to want to share your life with someone and lean on them? Maybe going it alone wasn’t what I thought it would be—no, I knew it wasn’t. I looked around the stale hotel room, the stacks of room service trays by the door, my suitcase on the lone chair.

  “No, it’s Wyatt’s job now but you won’t let him in.”

  “What are you talking about? He chose this.” He didn’t come after me. I hadn’t realized I cared, but when we broke up in high school it bothered me that he didn’t come after me, that he was so quick to say don’t come back. If you walk away, we are over.

  “No, you chose this, and you need to realize that.”

  “I get that.”

  “You have this idea that you have to do things on your own and you don’t. We’re all here for you. If you want to start a business, we’ll help you. If you need a home to live in, we’ll help get you one.” Then I heard a woman speaking in the background. “Just, hold on, I’m talking to her.”

  Then I heard Jack groan. “Sam wants to talk to you now.”

  “Okay.”

  Samantha’s familiar sweet voice came over the speaker. “Hey, I’m so happy I got you on the phone. Stella moved in with Sawyer.”

  “Okay.” That meant her house was empty.

  “She’s looking to rent her house out, but she said you could live there for free.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Just until you can get your business up and running.”

  “I never said I was coming back to run my business and I couldn’t accept that. I couldn’t live there for free.” But as I shook my head no, my chest filled with hope. Could I? Living in my own home, get a business up and running before the baby came?”

  “We’ll help you. We miss you, Lucy. Please consider this.”

  I was silent so she added, “Are you happy there? Truly one-hundred percent happy?”

  Comparing how I felt right now sitting on a hotel bed, with the TV on mute, my takeout tray of greasy food next to me, I knew I wasn’t. And if I said I was I’d be lying to everyone, including myself. “No,” I finally said quietly.

  “Please remember we’re here for you. We want you to succeed. You helped us with the wedding, and we’ll help you.”

  “You paid me for that help. That was different.”

  “You are so stubborn.” Then louder, “Jack, did you know your sister was so stubborn?”

  “I told you she was a pain in my ass,” Jack’s voice carried from far away.

  I laughed. “Samantha, can you smack him for me? Please.”

  “Ugh. Here I’m handing you back to Jack. Both of you are impossible.”

  “Lucy?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah?” Would Carl allow me to work from home on the creative side? It did seem like he didn’t want me to leave and I was miserable being a director. In Chestertown I wouldn’t need as much money to live. Daycare would come from my family and my housing would be free.

  “Come back if you’re not happy. We miss you.”

  “I miss you guys too.” I gripped my cell tighter.

  “I want to see my niece or nephew grow up. I want our children to grow up together.”

  “Is this your way of telling me you’re pregnant?”

  “If we are, you’ll be the first to know. Love you, sis.”

  “I love you.” I wanted that more than anything. There was no way raising a child here by myself, even if Wyatt was here, was the same as having family around. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask how Wyatt felt about me. Was he unhappy too? Did he care? Or was he mad a
t me for leaving? But Jack hung up before I could.

  Dropping my phone onto the bed, excitement filled me at the thought of making a real effort at starting my own business. I was a hard worker. I’d done an amazing job with Samantha’s wedding. I could start my own business. Especially if I had help and if Carl would keep me on part-time. It would be better if he’d let me continue benefits too. I wouldn’t know unless I asked. I’d learned when I got this job that it didn’t hurt to ask for what you wanted. You just might get it.

  The next day, I walked into Carl’s office more nervous than I’d ever been. “What are you doing here, Lucy? Our meeting isn’t until this afternoon.”

  “I need to talk to you about work.” I sat in the chair across from his desk.

  “You’re not happy here, are you?” His hands formed a steeple in front of his mouth as his disappointed eyes studied me.

  I sighed, relieved he realized it. “No. I’m not. I thought I could raise a child here, but I can’t.”

  “I knew that was going to be an issue. When you’re pregnant your priorities change. If you haven’t noticed, not many women here have children and if they do—”

  “They have nannies and au pairs raising their kids.”

  He leaned forward in his chair intent on me. “What can I do to get you to stay? I’ll take you any way I can get you.”

  Hope soared through me. “I miss the creative side. Can I work remotely on creative projects with benefits?”

  “I’ll talk to the president, but I think that’s doable.”

  “I’m not crazy about being a director. I thought it was what I wanted, but it’s not.”

  He stood and walked toward the door. “Let me see what I can do.”

  After leaving Carl’s office, I organized my desk just in case. I placed the few photos in my briefcase to take home. Even if Carl couldn’t meet all my demands, my mind was made up. This wasn’t the job for me. The thought of reporting to myself, of working with clients and making my own designs, had me more excited than anything else I’d ever done in my career.

  At the end of the day, Carl stopped by my desk. “It’s done. You got everything you wanted. Take a day or two to get things ready here for the other director. And then I’ll give you a week or so to settle back in before we send you work.”

  “Thank you so much. You’ve been so understanding about everything.”

  “Well, we fired you after the president’s niece stole your work. We owe you, and your work speaks for itself.”

  I spent the next two days cleaning up things at work. I called Jack and my parents to tell them the good news and I thought about calling Wyatt, but I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. Instead, I texted him telling him I was coming home and asking for a time to meet and talk. I was coming home regardless, so I could speak to him in person.

  When I opened the door to my parents’ house, Dad said, “Please tell me you’re home for good this time.”

  “I am.” I smiled.

  A huge smile spread across his face as he hugged me. “Good.”

  Then I heard my mom’s voice. “Lucy’s here?” She came into the living room. “Look at this adorable baby bump.” She touched my stomach, a beautiful smile on her face. “My grandbaby’s in there.”

  “Does Wyatt know you’re back?” Dad asked.

  “Yes, but we haven’t talked about it.”

  “You better do it soon because word travels fast around here.”

  “That’s true.” I hadn’t decided the best way to approach him yet. Advise him I was back and see what he said? Lay it all out there, apologize and tell him I wanted him back? Words probably meant nothing to him at this point. I wanted to prove to him that I was making roots here—that I was home for good.

  Dad carried my things back to my room and I sat on the couch drinking tea. “So, you’re back for good.” Mom braced herself on the edge of the couch like I was going to dart out the front door at any second. I couldn’t blame people for not trusting me—I’d done nothing to earn and keep their trust over the years.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “What will you do for work?”

  “I’m going to start my own business, but I’m working remotely for Planit in the meantime.”

  “Okay. What does this mean for you and Wyatt?”

  “I hope I can apologize and work things out.” I held that vision in my head of the three of us—Wyatt, me, and our baby. I wasn’t ready to give up on it.

  Lucy

  Jack and Luke helped me move my boxes from my parents’ house into Stella’s cottage that week. I had this overwhelming urge to live in a home—my home—and get the nursery ready. I’d never truly lived on my own. I went from my parents’ home, to a dorm, to living with roommates while I worked, to living with Wyatt. As much as I loved living with Wyatt, I needed to do this first.

  “I still don’t understand why we’re moving you here and not in with Wyatt,” Jack said, carrying another box inside.

  “I want to show him that I’m serious about moving back, and what says serious like getting your own home?” I unloaded the kitchenware from a box on the counter.

  Jack rested his arms on a stack of boxes. “Um, you could try telling him you’re serious. Have you even talked to him?”

  “That’s next on my list. Move back—check. Get house—check. Talk to Wyatt and convince him to take me back—still on the to-do list. I told him I was back, and I wanted to talk to him.”

  Jack studied my face carefully without responding.

  “He was really hurt when I left him for college. I couldn’t understand why he’d let me leave the second time. I wanted him to stop me. I wanted him to come after me, but I get it. In the back of his mind, he thought it was inevitable that I’d leave. So when I mentioned the job offer, he shut down. I need to prove to him that it won’t happen again.” I wasn’t really sure how to prove that other than being sincere.

  “How do you plan to do that?”

  “I think time will be the only way to prove myself, but I’ll make a home, start my business, and be by his side forever—if he’ll let me.” I couldn’t wait to start my life with Wyatt, and I couldn’t wait to lay a foundation for my business—website, brand, logo. The list was endless, and I couldn’t wait to get started. If I stuck to my plan, my dream of us as a family had to come true. I wouldn’t allow myself to think of the alternatives.

  “Okay.” Respect shown in his eyes as he moved to lift the boxes. “Where do you want these boxes?”

  I sighed, relieved he’d let it go so easily. The boxes were labeled clothes in black marker, so I said, “My bedroom. The last one down the hall.”

  He nodded, easily lifting two boxes in his arms. I didn’t have a lot of things to move. Thankfully, Stella left a couch, a bed, and a small dining set in the kitchen. So I had the basics. Once everything was inside, Luke brought in a case of beer from his truck.

  “I don’t think I need that much beer.” I gestured at my belly bump. “I can’t even drink it.”

  “Oh, it’s not for you. It’s for the smoking hot studs who moved you,” Luke said, scratching his belly.

  I snorted. “Yeah, okay. Let me know when the smoking hot studs arrive.”

  “Oh, we’re here all right,” Jack said entering the kitchen, “and starving.”

  I rolled my eyes before I pulled paper plates and cups out of a grocery bag and placed them on the counter. “I ordered the pizza. It should be here any minute.”

  “Emma and Sam said they were stopping by too,” Jack said, sitting at one of the two chairs at the small dining set.

  Luke cleared his throat and his face turned serious. “I hope you figure this thing out with Wyatt.”

  “This thing? You mean our unborn child?” I kept my tone light, but I braced myself for what he was going to say.

  “I’m talking about your relationship. I hope you figure it out for the sake of your child.” His words hit my chest hard and knocked my breath out of me. I hadn’t thoug
ht of what I’d done as something bad for our child. I was thinking of what I wanted and how I could best support my child. But Luke was right. Turmoil wouldn’t be good for the baby. We needed to figure this out before the baby was here. I hated when my parents fought. It was awful. It was one of the reasons I wanted to leave town as a child.

  I heard the front door open and close and laughing as Emma and Samantha’s voices carried down the hall toward us.

  Struggling for space and air, I said, “I’ll be right back,” before fleeing down the hall to my bedroom and into my bathroom before the girls entered the kitchen. Closing the door behind me, I locked it and sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the chipping paint on my toenails. How could I be so selfish? I was doing the same things my parents did—allowing my issues to cause strife for my baby.

  I was sure babies could sense tension and fighting the same as older kids. I didn’t want that for my child. I tilted my head back, hoping the tears wouldn’t fall. I didn’t want to walk into the kitchen with a red face and swollen eyes. I’d fall apart later when I was truly alone.

  I took several deep breaths trying to pull myself together. I needed to get my life together and fix things with Wyatt—sooner rather than later. I owed that to the baby and Wyatt. Thinking back to when I’d lived with him for those few weeks, I realized it had been amazing. I was happy and content. That’s what my baby deserved—a happy mother who took care of herself and her daddy. Not every couple could stay together but I knew we had what it took. I just hoped Wyatt felt the same way.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket.

  Lucy: I’d love to meet with you tomorrow. I have some good news ☺.

  Wyatt: Sure. Let me know when.