by Melissa Kate
“I feel miserable. Is pregnancy supposed to be this bleh?”
“You’re asking the wrong person. The good news is that the Doc said you can come home with me. They successfully removed your IUD so it’s bed rest for you till you feel better on your feet.
That did cheer her up because the clinical smell of the hospital made her nauseous. “Thanks Em… So, why the Tigger? You buying baby things already?”
Emma smiled lovingly at Brielle, “No. It’s to cheer you up because he’s bouncy and trouncy and fun fun fun.” She made a show of it by dancing around in mimic of Tigger.
Brielle giggled, “Ow, don’t make me laugh. My head may just explode and then you’d have to clean up the brain matter off the walls.”
“Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you dressed and go home.”
A few days later Brielle was feeling in better spirits. The pounding grip on her brain had passed and the goose egg on her head had gone. Now, to deal with the life growing within her.
“Have you decided what to do about the baby issue?” Emma asked, with the uncanny ability to read her mind.
Brielle shrugged. “I just can’t believe that it’s real. We had unprotected sex one time and I thought the IUD was a solid course of contraception. But it’s happened now and I can’t just ignore it.”
“You do have options you know.”
“Yes, but abortion is not one of them,” Brielle was vehement. “No matter how unexpected this is, this child was conceived out of my own sexual choices and I won’t get rid of it like a dirty mistake.”
“Good girl.” Emma announced proudly.
“I thought about adoption, too, but I don’t think I could ever live with myself, knowing that my own flesh and blood is out there and that I just gave it away.”
“Blood of my blood.”
“Ok Daenerys storm born.”
“You know what you have to do first though, right?
“I can’t call him, Em. How can I go to him with this when he basically ran away from me the last time we laid eyes on each other? How will he react to this?”
“You won’t know until you speak to him? He needs to step up and take responsibility. It’s your duty to let him know, regardless of his reaction.”
“I know,” she said resignedly. “But I wouldn’t even know how to reach him.”
“Lucky for you, I did some research.” Emma stood up and walked around her couch to retrieve her cordless phone and the notepad beside it. “Here, I found the contact details for his PR Company.” She handed both the phone and the notepad to Brielle. “Call him.”
Brielle’s stomach heaved at the pending action.
“Take a breath, babe. If you intend to raise this child, then you have to do this.”
Brielle nodded and dialled the number scrawled on the notepad. It rang and rang. Feeling hopeful that she wouldn’t have to deal with this right now, she was about to hang up when a female voice on the other end answered, “Williams PR Enterprises. How can I direct your call?”
“Hi hi,” Brielle stuttered. “I’d like to speak to Nathan Wolfe, please.”
“Sorry ma’am, none of our clients are based in this office.”
“Oh, right, of course.” Brielle felt like an idiot. It’s a PR firm, they do the representation of the client. “Can I speak to someone who is handling his portfolio?”
“May I ask what it’s in connection with?”
“It’s, um, a private matter.”
“I see,” the receptionist sounded annoyed. “Well, Mena Williams handles Mr. Wolfe’s portfolio and she is out the office at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Yes, can you please ask her to contact me, it is quite important.” Brielle passed on her details and hung up. “What a snotty bitch.”
“Now now,” Emma soothed, “no swearing in front of baby bean.”
Brielle instinctively touched her hand to her stomach. “You’re right. She’s the gatekeeper, it’s expected that she’d be like a pit bull. Well, I will wait ‘till his PR people contact me to get in touch with him.”
Three days later and the PR Company had still not returned Brielle’s call so she decided to call again. She was crashing at Emma’s place for a few days before classes resumed the following week and she went back to onsite housing.
“Good day, Williams PR Enterprises, how may I direct your call?” the pit bull answered.
“Mena Williams please.”
“Miss Williams is in a meeting at the moment, may I leave a message for her?”
“Yes, it’s Brielle Woods calling again, I need to speak with her urgently.”
“Well, as I said, she is in a meeting at present Miss Woods and I cannot take her out of that meeting to take this call. I shall ask her to call you back.”
“Oh, like the last time she returned my call?” Brielle countered snidely. Pregnancy hormones were making her snipey.
“I merely relay the messages, Miss Woods, I cannot force the recipient to return your call. I will let Miss Williams know that you called. Have a good day.” And then she hung up before waiting for Brielle to reply.
“Calm down, Bree,” she chastised herself. “She’s just a snotty receptionist.” But the truth was she felt her panic increase with each passing hour. She needed to get this off her chest, she needed to share it with Nate and have a plan for this child’s future. She decided to Google him and try to find a way to get his contact details directly.
Forty-five minutes later she’d reached a dead end. His contact details were tightly locked away from public record. What she did learn was he was a highly successful driver, had won the title of Rookie of the Year two years prior and was the highly anticipated winner for this year’s cup. He was accident free and had amazing handling on and off the track. She also learned that he was every bit the player she thought he was. Photographed with a different model at every other event, Brielle’s heart dropped. His online profile alone told her that he was not going to fall into this fatherly role willingly. What was she really expecting of him? That he’d be thrilled with the news and come rushing back to play happy homemaker with her?
She needed to think straight and start planning a future for her child… alone. She needed a game plan. Pregnancy and prenatal visits would be expensive and she needed some semblance of a strategy. Where did her studies fit into all of that? This was her final year. Maybe she could take a year off to have and care for the baby and resume next year. She could do that. How would she afford it and a baby? Where would she live?
As the panic started to rise again she tried the PR Firm one more time. “Mena Williams please.”
“She’s available Miss Woods,” she spewed her name out like it was distasteful. “You’re going through.”
Some awful elevator music played through the phone as she waited for Miss Williams to answer.
“Miss Woods?” she answered. Her voice sounded friendly and mature, so unlike her pit bull. “What can I do for you today?”
“Hi, Miss Williams,” Brielle started to sweat as she fought a new bout of dizziness. “I desperately need to get in touch with Nathan Wolfe.”
“What is this in regard to, Miss Woods?”
“Well, it’s a personal matter.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot give out Mr. Wolfe’s details to anyone, Miss Woods. You must understand that Mr. Wolfe’s privacy is of utmost importance to the firm.”
“I’m pregnant with his child,” she blurted out. “Surely that would warrant some disclosure?” Brielle started to raise her voice, annoyed with this woman’s smug attitude.
Her statement was greeted with momentary silence. “Miss Woods,” she said eventually, a distinct change to her tone. “We have groupies from the Wolfe pack calling on a regular basis with claims that they are carrying Nathan’s child. Forgive me if I don’t jump at your revelation.
”
“Nate was with me in Brazil, he-“
“Miss Woods, I was just in a meeting with Mr. Wolfe and I can assure you that there was no mention of any casual affairs he experienced while in Brazil.”
She made their time together sound so dirty. Like she was just another cheap skank trying to exploit him. And he was there just a short while ago when she spoke to the pit bull. This made her angry. “Look Miss Williams, I don’t need your opinions on this matter, I just need you to inform Mr. Wolfe of the situation and get him to contact me as a matter of urgency.”
“Sure Miss Woods. My secretary has your details.”
Before she could respond, the other woman had hung up.
Bitch.
The days following that phone call had Brielle on edge every time her cell phone rang, in anxious expectation for Nate’s call. She felt like some teenager waiting for a boy to call her, but these were entirely different circumstances.
When her phone eventually did ring, she nearly dropped it trying to answer in such a hurry.
“Hello?”
“Miss Woods please?” said a female voice.
“Speaking.”
“Hi Miss Woods. It’s Cassandra from the administrations department at the university. Just a courtesy call to remind you that the deposit for your campus housing is due at the end of this week in order to secure your residence.”
Crap.
“Thanks, Cassandra, I will have the necessary arrangements made.” Brielle hung up and leaned heavily against the sofa.
She hadn’t even made a definite decision about this final year. Could she study and have this baby? Could she afford both? She was already working multiple jobs to keep afloat and that included a ramen noodles diet. How far would this set her back in her career? She’d worked so hard to get to where she was, and all on her own, too. Giving up this child was not an option though, in any way, shape or form. This child was part of Brielle.
She needed to get out of the house, so she picked up her car keys and headed to visit Emma at the office.
“Hey Bree,” she greeted with a ready hug. “How are you doing? Cabin fever?” It was eerie how well her friend knew her.
“Is it that obvious?” She plopped down in the chair opposite Emma. “I’m losing my mind. Sitting around and waiting for a phone call that I’m almost sure won’t come. I feel like throwing up at every turn because the sight and smell of everything makes me nauseous. I’m anxious about the future all the time.”
“Whoa whoa whoa. Just calm down, Bree,” she came around and perched at the edge of the desk, near Brielle. “One thing at a time, ok?”
Brielle nodded, not feeling at all composed.
“The morning sickness will pass, ok? I read that it only lasts a few weeks anyway. You just need to figure out what foods you can tolerate and stick to that. As for the Nate issue, just call the PR agency back. Hound them till they can give you some feedback. Something. Anything. Nate needs to step up, too.” She picked up her desk phone and handed it to Brielle.
She took a deep breath and dialled the PR company.
“Williams PR Enterprises, how may I direct your call?”
Brielle was soon transferred to the snotty Miss Williams.
“Miss Woods, how nice to hear from you again,” she said in a tone that said she clearly was not happy to be hearing from Brielle.
“I just need to know if you have spoken to Nathan yet? I understand it’s only been a few days and he must be very busy but I have no other way to contact him and this isn’t really about me, it’s about his child.”
“Miss Woods,” she said in her now familiar condescending voice. “As a matter of fact, Mr. Wolfe is out of the country at the moment as part of the championship races, you know, his career. His life. I have, however, managed to reach him and I assure you that he has no recollection of you or your supposed time in Brazil, neither does he have any desire to play father to your fetus. I do wish you well in finding the father but I can assure you that it is not Mr. Wolfe.”
Brielle was floored. What was she supposed to say to that? Nate actually denied her and their time together? How can it be? Well, how could it not be? All the signs were there prior. He practically ran from her the last time they were in the same space together. He never bothered to say goodbye before he left Brazil. He’d made absolutely no attempt to contact her in the last two months. And the real kicker was that all along, she knew that he never wanted children. He told her outright that he didn’t want to be a father. Brielle had the answer she needed, but certainly not the one she wanted.
“Thanks,” she whispered as she hung up. Feeling light-headed and glad that she was sitting down, she could feel the panic starting to stifle her.
She took a deep breath to calm herself but instead choked on a sob.
“Oh honey, what did she say?” Emma asked, instantly at Brielle’s side.
“He denied ever knowing me. He said the baby isn’t his and he wants no part of it,” Brielle was shell-shocked as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh God, how am I going to do this?” She put her face in her hands and the racking sobs took over her body.
Emma pulled her into her arms.
“How am I going to do this alone, Em?” she sobbed.
“You won’t babe. You will have me.”
CHAPTER 6
SIX YEARS LATER
Brielle was running late. Noah had refused to get up that morning and when he eventually did, he had dragged his feet till she dropped him off at school. He was punishing her, she knew, because she had strictly imposed an 8pm bedtime, whether he was sleepy or not. He had insisted he wanted to watch his cartoons and she had insisted he go to bed. Being the parent, she had won that battle but in no way gracefully. So, in silent protest he had lay in his bed, fighting sleep in defiance to stay awake. Which in the end, only delayed them in the morning, making her late for work and making him a grumpy almost-five-year-old. On the up side, he would be so tired by the end of the day that he’d be out cold well before 8pm tonight.
She got to the office with a minute to spare. Not that anyone would have noticed. Martha, her boss, wasn’t a hard ass and was certainly no stickler for time as long as the job was done and done right. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late.”
“You’re actually just on time,” said Emma from her glass office. She walked into Brielle’s identical office. “Was it Bucket? What did he do this time?”
“Trying to grow up before his time,” Brielle sat down and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, exasperated. “He’s currently negotiating a bed time.”
“Is that even up for negotiation?”
Brielle just gave her a pointed look.
“Ok,” she said, backing out of the office, hands up in surrender.
“Hey, how did the date go last night,” Brielle asked before Emma was out the door.
“It was ok, I guess.” She leaned against the door jamb. “Just a boring accountant. I imagine even if we had sex, he’d be balancing numbers in his head. Like he’d be calculating the probability of his orgasm. I mean, he even had the accountant look, you know. Brown pants, tweed jacket, beige everything and those rimmed glasses. He even had his hair in a gelled side part.”
Brielle giggled.
“I give up. Is it so difficult to find a man that excites me? I know I’m not exactly twenty-three anymore, but I’m still fun.”
“Maybe being Noah’s Godmother is making you old.” Brielle quipped.
“Are you kidding me? That kid keeps me young and on my toes. Besides, I’m not old, I’m seasoned.”
“Whatever you want to call it, sweetheart.”
Emma stuck her tongue out at Brielle and left her office.
Brielle’s day went by in a blur of paperwork and potential listings. Around lunch time her boss Martha popped her head into her office.
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“Hey M. What can I do for you?”
“I have a new listing that I want you to sell.”
Brielle had joined The Property Group shortly after she found out she was pregnant. Emma was instrumental in getting her the position of course, considering she had no prior real estate experience. Brielle had dropped out of her final year of chiropractic study because she needed a stable income to support Noah. Martha had taken her on, on a trial basis during her pregnancy to see how she could survive in the market.
After Noah was born, Martha was happy to have Brielle on full-time and she had never taken the kindness or the opportunity for granted. She had the utmost respect for Martha. The woman knew everything about everything and that infinite knowledge helped her tremendously when it came to child advice for Noah.
Brielle sometimes felt so out of her depth when it came to parenting and Martha’s pointers kicked in and worked like a charm. Being a mother of two teenagers herself, she obviously knew the ropes. That aside, she was also one of the most respected real estate agents in the city. She had a no-nonsense approach and never “over sold” a listing to a potential buyer. She was a straight-talker and was esteemed for her candor.
“I have this amazing home in Brentwood Hills that I think you would find a joy to sell.”
“Brentwood Hills?” Brielle enquired, her interest piqued. “That’s very upmarket.”
“I know, but it’s about time you spread your wings from suburbia and started playing in the big leagues. It has huge commission potential, maybe enough to really spoil Noah on his birthday.” The older woman smiled kindly.
“I’m sold. You don’t need to tell me twice.”
Martha left the keys on Brielle’s desk. “Stop by and get a feel for the place. I’d like you to advertise an open house this Saturday.”
Brielle nodded, the wheels already turning in her head on how she was going to pull this project together.
Before the end of her day, she decided to leave a little earlier to scope out the new property before picking up Noah from after care.
