She wrinkled her nose. “That does not mean I’m going to parade around in my birthday suit.”
“Noted. I’ll fire all the staff.”
She burst into laughter again. “No, you won’t. I’ll keep a robe handy from now on.”
I winked. “Good idea.”
Chapter 24
Cherie
I ran through the drive-thru of my favorite coffee shop and ordered my usual egg sandwich and coffee before heading to the office. I had a full day and was running late. I had been at Evan’s until late the night before. I was always at Evan’s, it seemed like. I had stayed over a few times, but it always felt strange to wake up in his massive house.
He had offered me what was the equivalent of a drawer. In actuality, half of his closet which was the size of my bathroom. I wasn’t sure I was ready to take that step. I had been enjoying our time together. It was good to have him back in my life. I had not realized how much I missed him until we started spending time together.
The sex was fabulous, but it was his laugh and the way he called me baby when he got in one of those playful moods, which tended to be almost all the time. It was the way his blue eyes flashed when he was amused or darkened when he was horny. It was his generosity and subtle touches when we were watching TV or moving through a crowded restaurant.
I was falling deep, deep in love with him and wasn’t afraid of it at all. It had been a month of us being back together, and every day, it got better. He had been pushing for something serious. I had resisted at first, afraid it was the rekindled romance fueling the desire, but now I believed it could be the real thing. He had not said the three little words, but every time we made love, I felt like he was trying to tell me with his body.
I got to my office, juggling my sandwich and coffee with my bag in one hand while I unlocked the door. I wasn’t surprised that I beat Tara into the office. I usually did, even on the days when I was running late. I put everything down on my desk and pulled out my breakfast sandwich. I was starving. I had woken up ravenous.
The moment I unwrapped the sandwich, I was assaulted by the smell of egg. I clapped a hand over my mouth and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before things turned very ugly. After I was sure I had vomited every last ounce of what was in my stomach that had soured, I got to my feet and ran the cold water. My hands were shaking as well as my legs as I looked at myself in the mirror. That had been unexpected and without warning.
“Hey,” Tara’s soft voice came from outside the door that wasn’t all the way closed.
I splashed my face with cold water before grabbing a paper towel and wiping my face. “Good morning.”
She scoffed. “It doesn’t look all that good to me.”
“It was until about three minutes ago,” I mumbled.
“Are you okay?”
I dampened another towel and rubbed it over the back of my neck. “I think I must have gotten bad fish or something last night. I wonder if Evan is sick this morning.”
She gave me a look. “Did you feel sick last night?”
“No. I was fine. We ate at his restaurant. We’ve eaten there several times before and it’s never been an issue.”
“Did you feel sick when you got up this morning?”
I shrugged. “I was fine until I smelled—” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Can you take that sandwich off my desk? I don’t want to look at it or smell it. I think I’ll be sticking with crackers for the day.”
She smirked. “I will. Are you sure it isn’t morning sickness? Usually bad fish is pretty fast to hit. Maybe you’re knocked up.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not—” I didn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t say the words.
Her eyes went wide. “No way!”
I tried to think of when my last period was. I should have gotten it a few weeks ago, I realized. I had been so caught up with Evan and being wined and dined, I didn’t pay attention. “Oh shit,” I murmured. “Oh shit. Oh my god.”
I put a hand to my stomach as if that would somehow give me the answer. We had not used condoms. That had been foolish. It had been so fast and furious, I never stopped to think about birth control. Back in the old days, I had been on the pill. I had stopped the pill when it became pretty apparent I was never going to have sex again. Then Evan walked into my life. I never thought there would be sex between us.
“Wow, I was kidding, but obviously, you think you are.”
“I don’t know if I am. I mean, I guess it’s possible, but I—I can’t be. That couldn’t happen. We just got together.”
“I guess your mom never told you it only takes once,” she said, putting a hand on her hip.
“I know it only takes once, but it’s never happened before.”
She slowly nodded. “All right, I’ll take care of the sandwich and then we’re heading to the drugstore.”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t. I don’t want to.”
“You plan on waiting until your uterus drops a baby on the floor? You have to take a test.”
I gave her a dry look. “No, but I need a minute to process. This is kind of a lot to take in, especially on an empty stomach. I’ll do it another time.”
“You can process if it’s the real thing. It could be a false alarm. You take a quick test and then you figure out whether or not you have to freak out.”
I grimaced, suddenly feeling sick, but not the kind of sick where I tossed my cookies. “Oh my god. How did I let this happen? It can’t be happening. This is one of those dreams where I get scared and decide to fly right. I’ll be a good girl. I’ll use protection from this point on. Lesson learned.”
“If you’re asking me, then I think that answers your question. It’s called sex. Judging by how happy you’ve been lately, I would say a lot of sex. Unfortunately, you were a naughty girl and got your groove on without suiting up.”
“So much sex,” I said, shaking my head. “So, so much unprotected sex.”
“Thanks for rubbing that in. I’ll grab your purse.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying to process the idea of being pregnant.
I didn’t feel pregnant, but then again, I didn’t know what it felt like to be pregnant. What would I do if I was? I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t panic yet. I had been late or skipped before. We walked down the block to the drugstore and bought two tests from different manufacturers. I wanted to be sure.
“Go, go, go,” Tara squealed when we got back to the office.
“I don’t have to pee,” I said, trying to put off the test.
“Yes, you do. Go.”
I groaned and took the bag into the bathroom. I took both and set them on the counter before walking out. I didn’t want to know. I wanted to know, but I didn’t want to know. “Now we wait.”
She grinned. “Let’s check.”
“I can’t look.”
She clapped her hands. “I can.”
I couldn’t let her look without me. I followed her back into the bathroom. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see the results. The two pink lines didn’t lie. I wasn’t sure I even needed the lines. I already knew. I blew out a breath.
“Wow,” I said, at a loss of words.
“You’re pregnant!” she shouted.
“Shh.”
“Who’s going to hear?”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “I don’t know, but still, I don’t want anyone to know.”
“Uh, hate to tell you, but it will become obvious.”
“I need a minute,” I said.
“What do you think Evan is going to say?”
I laughed. “I have no idea. This is kind of out of left field.”
“I’m guessing there wasn’t any birth control involved. It can’t be that far out of left field.”
“Things are going so good between us. We’ve been reconnecting, getting to know each other all over again.”
She bobbed her eyebrows up and down. “I’d say you reconnected all right.
You got a little peanut growing in your belly because you reconnected very well.”
“Ha. Ha. Aren’t you funny?”
“Are you happy?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know what I am. We talked about kids when we were young, but we haven’t mentioned it since we’ve been back together. A baby would certainly change a lot of things. I’m not sure how to feel about it.”
She shook her head. “It’s crazy that when you were kids in no position to have kids, you talked about having a family. You guys are stable, mature adults. Why not talk about babies? You two would make beautiful babies. Wait, scratch that. You already made a beautiful baby.”
“I think because we’ve been so caught up in each other. He’s been all in from the very beginning, but I was holding back. I wasn’t sure he was serious about me. I didn’t want to be a rebound or a way to pass the time until he found his next model. We come from different worlds now. We’re not the same young kids from nowhere with no real future.”
“Do you think he’s looking for another model?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “No. I don’t think he is. I know he isn’t.”
She smiled. “You love him.”
“I do, but it’s scary. He’s so perfect and has so many options. I don’t feel like I’m worthy of him. He has his own island. He can buy anything he wants, while I fret over buying a stupid breakfast sandwich in the morning.”
“And he has chosen you over and over. You told me he isn’t a snob. You can’t let a little thing like money hold you back from what you want. Does he lord it over you?”
“God no,” I quickly answered. “He doesn’t really act any differently. I mean, there are the obvious things, like a cook and a limo, but he isn’t flashing wads of cash.”
She slowly nodded. “And he has made you feel special? Like you are his chosen one?”
I nodded, getting that warm and gooey feeling just thinking about the way he treated me. “Yes, he has. I guess he might be happy about a baby.”
“When are you going to tell him?”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t know. I think I’ll wait a little bit. I want to enjoy the little bubble we have. I want to give us some time—just the two of us. Things are really good between us and I don’t want to ruin that.”
“Don’t wait too long,” she warned.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Because if he finds out on his own, he is going to be upset. He’s going to want to know why you kept it from him. Secrets are big no-no’s in relationships. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been pregnant for five minutes. I get to have some time with this. It’s not a secret unless I don’t tell him for months or if I sneak off and have the baby without telling him. That’s a secret.”
She scowled. “You’re afraid to tell him.”
“I’m not afraid to tell him,” I argued. “I just don’t want anything to come between us right now.”
“Your belly is going to get between you, sweetie,” she said with a smile.
“I’ll tell him before that happens.”
She shrugged. “Okay. So, now what?”
“Tara, give me some time. I need some time to process this. You’re freaking me out. I’m trying not to lose my shit and you are making that very difficult.”
“Do you want a boy or a girl? Maybe it will be twins!”
“Stop!”
“Do I get to be an aunt?”
I took a deep breath. “I have to get busy on the Snyder wedding. I don’t have time to do this right now. I need to focus on work. I’ll worry about the other thing later.”
“It’s called a pregnancy, a baby,” she reminded me, as if I could forget.
I picked up the tests and tossed them in the trash before walking out. I sat down at my desk, afraid to inhale and get a whiff of the offending egg again. I pulled out my laptop and tried to focus on the wedding program I was putting together. All I could think about was the pregnancy. A baby. Evan’s baby. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what life would be like with a baby. Everything was going to change. I needed to know how long I had before that change happened.
I started doing a rewind, trying to pinpoint when it could have happened. It was impossible to know. I hadn’t been lying when I said there had been a lot of sex. I had to assume it was one of the first times, considering I was a good three weeks late.
I tried to predict what his reaction would be. Would he be thrilled? Would he be pissed? Would he freak out? I was sure it would surprise him, but deep down, I had a feeling he would be happy with it—once the shock wore off.
For the immediate future, I was going to carry on with business as usual.
Chapter 25
Evan
I felt like I was floating. Life was good. Everything was good. I had everything I had ever wanted. I had Cherie back. I had a way to support her and keep her happy for the rest of our lives. Things were good. I knew I had convinced her that I was in it for the long haul. She had been much more relaxed. I had seen the moment her guard went down and she let me in.
It was time. I was ready to take the next step. I knew some people would think it was too soon, but it was different with me and Cherie. We’d known each other for years and had once been ready to take the next big step. We had a minor hiccup on our path to the altar, but we were getting there now.
I was going to ask her to marry me. I had made up my mind sometime in the middle of the night. I had been lying in bed after she had gone home, and I realized I never wanted to sleep alone again. I didn’t want her to go home. I wanted her to be home when we were together.
“That’s a weird look,” David said as he walked into my office.
I looked up and smiled. “Good morning, little brother.”
“What do you have up your sleeve? I know that look. It means you’ve either done something or you’re about to do something.”
I grinned. “I’m about to do something.”
“What?”
“I’m going to go ring shopping.”
He groaned and flopped down in the chair he always sat in. “Again? I feel like you just did this. Do you have an addiction to popping the question?”
“No, I don’t have an addiction.”
“I’m going with you,” he said, jumping to his feet.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I told him.
“I’m going along to try and convince you to wait before you ask another woman to marry you. You’re moving kind of fast.”
“It’s not fast. It’s right. She’s the one for me. She’s always been the one for me. We’ve already wasted too much time. I don’t want to wait any longer.”
He rolled his eyes. “This is going to be a clusterfuck.”
I walked out with him hot on my heels, holding to his promise to follow me. He listed no less than twenty reasons why I shouldn’t ask her to marry me on the ride to the jewelry store. I ignored him. My mind was made up.
“You just got out of a relationship,” he hissed next to me as I asked to see a ring. “An engagement. Did you get the ring back from Amber?”
“No, I didn’t get it and I’m not asking for it. She can keep the damn thing. Cherie would never want something that big and gaudy.”
“Cherie broke your heart before,” he said. “What makes you so sure she won’t do it again?”
I shrugged. “I just know.”
“I’m sure you thought you knew back then too,” he retorted.
“I want her.”
“Why can’t you be happy to date for a while? Spend some time getting to know one another again? What’s the big hurry to get married?”
I turned to look at him. “We do know each other. We’ve known each other most of our lives. I know all I need to know about her. I know she loves me. She loves me for who I am and not for my money. She knows the real me and it doesn’t bother her.”
“What about Amber?”
<
br /> I grimaced at the name. “What about her?”
“You asked her to marry you. Did you think she loved you for you?”
“Not a chance in hell. She would never associate with me if I didn’t have the money I do. She didn’t like me. We had nothing in common. Our conversations were always about her and what she was doing. She could give a shit about what I liked or what I was interested in. She wanted me to fit into her world, no matter how much I hated it. Amber and Cherie are totally different. Cherie gets me. She understands me. She’s a beautiful woman inside and out. Amber can’t hold a candle to the woman Cherie is.”
He was silent for a few seconds. “You know I’ll support you in whatever you decide, but I really, really wish you would give this some time. You guys just reunited. Time changes people. You guys aren’t the same kids you were back then. I’m sure things are great right now, but what happens when you realize it isn’t quite what you thought?”
“No, we’re not the same people, but we’re still who we have always been at our cores. I can’t explain it, but I know she’s the woman for me. I knew it back then. I can’t say for sure what went wrong back then but I’m sure it had a lot to do with her being young and getting cold feet. I was young. I was dumb to think I could offer her nothing and expect her to just ride it out with me. Now, I can give her everything.”
He slowly nodded, appearing to accept my decision. “Okay.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll support you. I’ll need to run this by the PR team. They’re still trying to do damage control with the Amber fallout. That seems to be lessening but I’m not ready to let our guard down just yet.”
“Good plan.”
“This is probably going to come back and bite you in the ass. Bite all of us in the ass.”
I realized he was right. I could handle Amber’s wrath, and I knew the company would be okay, but if Amber knew about me and Cherie, it would get very ugly. I had to protect the woman I loved from the woman I nearly married. The thought of how close I had come to marrying the woman still made me shudder with horror.
Heart Breaker Page 15
