They weighed the costs and benefits of every possible situation. What about abortion? What about adoption? What would happen if they kept the child? What would this mean for their relationship? There were so many things to consider and so many possibilities. It would be very risky to have a child with someone you didn’t know that well and both Sam and Genevieve agreed on that front. This was definitely a risk. However, both of them felt that it be right to keep this child. There was no real reason for them not to. Sam could provide financially for the child in every way and Genevieve could take time off to work and stay home when it got too difficult to walk around with a watermelon sized baby in her belly.
If they saw raising this child as more of a joint project than something that would bring their relationship closer together, Genevieve and Sam decided that having the baby would be the best thing. They could both support a child financially and any other options felt selfish to them. There’d be no guarantee that they would choose to be together long-term but they would at least coparent until the child was old enough to understand their relationship. If things worked out between them, they both agreed that they would be fine with it and if things didn’t they both knew that they would find a way to heal without compromising their child’s happiness. Both of them were confident enough in their ability to put their child first and both of them managed to trust that the other would stay true to the words they had spoken during that private conversation.
After they were done discussing the matter, Genevieve did not want Santa go home for the night. Perhaps it felt strange have a man she was in a real relationship with spend the night the Genevieve felt like it was the right thing to do. Sam needed to be here. More than that, she needed him. This has been a difficult decision for her to make Sam was the only person you exactly what she’s going through. Even her sister Nathalie felt like too much of an outside to help with this decision. Even if Nathalie was her closest confidante, she was too far removed from the situation to guide Genevieve on the right path. Sam agreed to stay overnight. Their closeness to each other brought each of them comfort. Sam was happy with his decision but he had some doubts of his own. Would he make a good father? Would Genevieve make a good mother? Was this exactly how things were supposed to happen?
The two fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. Their eight hours of sleep were much-needed respite against the constant questions that plagued them regarding the life-changing decisions they had just made.
While Genevieve and Sam slept there was one person who did not. Greta was burning the midnight oil now that she had touched base back in the States. She was back on her envious warpath. Now that her bank account had been rejuvenated by European parents she was prepared to go above and beyond to entertain herself.
She was sure that her man Sam and her friend Genevieve were up to no good while she was gone. Greta would have to fix whatever trouble these two had caused…
Chapter 11
The news of Genevieve’s pregnancy brought her closer to Sam than ever. But through that closeness, Genevieve found herself needing Sam’s company more and more. She was no longer satisfied with the occasional date. She wanted to spend as much of her free time as possible with the father of her child. Genevieve and Sam had promised to keep things “more casual” for now, but their behavior had been completely counter to this promise. Sam spent every moment he could catering to Genevieve and ensuring that she was preparing for her pregnancy in all the right ways.
Sam had gone so far as to cleanse Genevieve’s house of all “cancerous” plastics in favor of other “more healthy” materials. Genevieve wasn’t sure if this level of obsession was warranted, but she didn’t mind the extra attention especially since Sam loved to cook and clean too. Sam was more dedicated to Genevieve that any man had been to her in her entire life. Genevieve was starting to change her conception of relationships and men as a whole. She had expected a fight to get a man to do these nice things for her. Genevieve had expected a relationship to be a battle zone but here was Sam proving that a man and woman to get along without engaging in battle. He was generous and he was sweet, but he still managed to take charge when she wanted him to.
Genevieve hadn’t expected such a strapping “guy’s guy” like Sam to be of much use around the house, but Sam seemed to unwind while he did chores. Could he be more perfect? Genevieve wondered to herself as she sat distracted at work. She could hardly muster up the passion to write her day’s assignment: 19 Things To Remember Before Creating An OKCupid Profile. Her writing these days just seemed so trivial.
Work was going nowhere and now Genevieve had a different future in mind. Her trajectory had shifted since her conversation with Sam. She couldn’t keep her mind off the fact that before she knew it, she would be a mother and her life would be changed forever. Whether or not she and Sam made it as a couple, she would now be a completely different person. Becoming a mother was the type of thing that changes you forever. You can no longer be self-centered in any capacity. In fact, the life that was growing inside of her was already starting to come first. Genevieve cared for her child more than anyone and she would stop at nothing to protect tiny clump of cells which would soon grow into her precious baby.
Genevieve thought about the changes her body would go through as well. She was already starting to feel the swelling of her breasts and the intense hormones surging through her body. Minor things could make her completely despondent. In contrast, the tiniest things could also make her elated. Genevieve wondered what would be like for her tummy to stretch like an elastic band around this child. She wondered what it would be like to carry all that extra weight. She wondered if her skin would start to glow even more or if her feet would swell up like in the movies. Genevieve didn’t know what to expect and every change felt exciting and terrifying at the same time.
Genevieve was staring into the distance, twirling her braids around her finger when Greta noticed her expression. She looks so distant… Probably thinking about Sam. Greta thought to herself. Greta knew she had to act now. Genevieve was looking far too joyous in her wistfulness. Greta had her planned confession in mind perfectly. She put on a somber expression as she walked over to Genevieve’s desk. She pulled out a chair and said, “We need to talk… Something awful has happened and you just need to know. You’re the only one that I can trust”
Genevieve had no idea what on earth Greta was talking about but from the look on her face she could tell that there was something genuinely troubling the woman. Genevieve snapped back into reality and prepared herself to listen to whatever bad news Greta was about to give her.
“What is it?” Genevieve asked concerned.
Greta started sniffling and started to tear up on cue as if it were bringing her a great deal of difficulty to tell Genevieve was on her mind. Genevieve handed the poor girl a tissue. What could possibly be making her so upset?
“The other day… I met this guy a bar… He was so cute… And I didn’t really want to sleep with him then he took me home and things were going well okay? I thought we were just talking but then he held me down on the couch and he had his way with me… At first I was upset… But then I started to like it. His cock was so big. Not to mention he had the body of a God and these gorgeous green eyes. Oh man. I could get fucked by that guy right now and not even mind. I digress… I’m upset Genevieve because I found out… This is YOUR Sam! He didn’t tell me the truth about who he was until after. He was filled with so much smug glee and he told me not to tell you or he would… He said he would hurt me! Genevieve… I’ve been holding this inside for so long but I think you need to know that this man is a snake. He will stop at nothing to get you want and he’s a playboy! I didn’t mean to hurt you like this right had no idea! He tricked me I don’t want him to run the same game on you too,” Greta blurted out.
She blubbered and wailed at all the right points. It felt like daggers had been thrust into Genevieve’s heart. Sam had done this? This just didn’t sound right. Only recently t
hey’d connected in such a spiritual manner. The man Greta was describing was an animal. Genevieve had just started to trust Sam and they just had such amazing moments together. Could it be possible that Sam had hurt Greta like this?
Could it be possible that he was playing her? Genevieve did not think that a woman would just make up a story like that unless it were true. What incentive would Greta have to lie? No… Sam must have done this terrible deed. Genevieve couldn’t imagine how much it must have taken for Greta to trust her with this. Sam must be a completely different man than the one she thought he was. Genevieve felt scared, heartbroken, and distressed all at once. She tried her best to hide these emotions from Greta.
Unfortunately, Greta wasn’t quite done with her story. She wanted to hammer this point home. She kept on going and explicating and giving Genevieve more and more details about what had happened with Sam. To Genevieve, it sounded like Greta had been raped; all her positive details about the “hook up” were justifications. Genevieve bought her story. Every single one of these details was a complete lie but she was twisting her tale so that Genevieve would sympathize with her and become completely enraged with the man she thought she loved. At this point, Greta had no idea that Genevieve was carrying Sam’s child. She would soon figure it out through snooping though. To her, this is all a game; she did not care about the implications of her little game. Anyone caught in the crossfire was simply going down whether they deserved it or not.
Genevieve waited for Greta to leave on her lunch break before displaying a hint of emotion. She maintained a neutral facial expression to disguise the anguish she felt at all the terrible things Greta had brought to light. A part of her didn’t want to believe it… But it had to be true. Greta had described birthmarks and identifiers on Sam that no one could know unless they had seen him naked. This was a disaster…
Once Greta left the office on her lunch break Genevieve was prepared to have a breakdown. Everything seemed to be falling apart at once. She sent her boss an email then she walked out of the office. When she burst forth onto the city streets, Genevieve felt like she was going to faint. The buildings were closing in around her. Streets felt overly packed and crowded. She could hardly get any oxygen. It was a miracle to Genevieve that she made it home safely at all. When she did, she flopped down for another four hours.
This was all so much to take in. According to Greta, Sam had all but raped her. She felt sick to her stomach. Genevieve didn’t even feel terribly angry with Greta. At least Greta had come to her with the truth. She didn’t know if their friendship could be the same for a long time, but she appreciated the honesty. Sam was the one she was angry with. He had pretended like everything was okay; he pretended to care about her. Genevieve let out a bloodcurdling scream that other people in her apartment complex heard. After she screamed to release all the wear of this horrible news, she cried herself to sleep.
When Genevieve woke up in the middle of the night she had over ten missed calls from Sam. How dare he… Genevieve called Sam back. She couldn’t let him get away with playing her like this. Her heart was thumping as she picked up the phone. She knew she would have to end their relationship and she hadn’t wanted it to end over the phone but she had no other choice. Any man who would bring that kind of heartbreak in her life just wasn’t worth having. They were over.
“Genevieve... is everything okay?” Sam asked.
Genevieve choked through her tears, “No! It’s not okay. I just found out the truth from my friend Greta. I can’t fucking believe you Sam! I thought we had things figured out. I didn’t peg you for that type of guy… But maybe my first instincts were right. I can’t believe this…”
Sam was completely confused. “What on earth are you talking about?” He asked.
“You know what I’m talking about! You raped my friend Greta! You lied to me! About everything!” Genevieve wailed into the phone.
She wasn’t sure how much of her reaction was her pregnancy hormones. Rage was bubbling up inside her and she needed to expel it. She couldn’t think straight. All she knew was what Greta had told her and to her, Greta’s word was law. She believed it and because she believed it she knew that this relationship had to end. You can’t “casually” date a rapist. Genevieve just didn’t expect it to be this messy.
Sam was now really confused. “What do you mean raped? Who the hell is Greta?” Sam asked.
“Come on Sam! Be a man and admit the truth! She’s a redhead...Blue eyes! You fucking know who the hell she is… I can’t believe you’re still lying. We’re over Sam! We’re fucking over. I can’t believe I thought you were different,” Genevieve continued sobbing.
Sam opened his mouth to reply but before he could get a word out Genevieve hung up the phone. She couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn't listen to him lie or worse, try to justify what she knew to be the truth.
She needed things to be over between them otherwise she would never forgive herself. Genevieve couldn’t believe she was carrying this son or daughter of a rapist in her belly. She had trusted Sam so implicitly and he had broken her trust. Genevieve felt more alone than ever. She thought that she had found someone in the city who understood her but she was wrong. Sam was a dangerous master manipulator and she needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.
In those moments after phone call to Sam, Genevieve considered getting an abortion. Without Sam’s money, could she really afford to bring a child into the world? Could she really provide the best education and the best life for the baby growing in her belly? What would she tell this child when they inevitably asked about their father. Would she tell this child the truth? Would she have a lie prepared? Genevieve had never felt more alone. She didn’t know who to turn to. She wasn’t quite ready to tell Greta or her sister that she was carrying a baby. Not to mention that Greta wasn’t exactly the person Genevieve wanted to talk to. She was glad Greta had been honest with her, but it still hurt to know that Greta knew Sam as intimately as she did. It still hurt to know that Greta had been carrying this secret.
***
Sam was shellshocked. The woman he was starting to fall in love with had just dumped him and accused him of raping someone. Things weren’t adding up. Sam couldn’t even completely remember a redhead clearly… Perhaps long ago before Genevieve was even pregnant… Yes… He had gone on a date with some girl and Sam wasn’t even certain how the date had ended. He hadn’t ruled out the possibility he had sex with that girl but it wasn’t rape. In fact, Sam was nearly certain that he had drugged or something.
In his shame, he hadn’t mentioned a word to anyone not to Genevieve, not his close friends and certainly not to the police. People don’t tend to believe a man who claims to have been raped. Sam didn’t want to face the ridicule. If that was what Genevieve was referring to and that redhead was in fact Genevieve’s friend… Something incredibly shady was going on here and Sam intended to get to the bottom of it. If Genevieve or his child was in danger, Sam wanted to stop that danger from getting worse.
Sam had the resources to figure out what was happening, but he didn’t have the emotional wherewithal to handle it at the moment he was dumped. Sam had to admit that he felt all hope was lost. He couldn’t prove that he was the victim and not the rapist. If Genevieve was convinced of that, and convinced that she would never speak to him again, he would never get to meet his son or his daughter.
Sam had started to become excited about the idea of being a father to someone else. He had imagined a caramel skinned baby with dark brown hair and their mother’s eyes. Now that child would be born he would never know their name much less a damned thing about them. Sam was starting to grieve the loss of Genevieve as he thought about how that loss would include his unborn child. Someone was out to mess with them and he couldn’t let that person get away with it. Sam knew that he was a standup guy and that before this, Genevieve thought the world of him. So if someone had managed to change her mind that person must be far more intelligent than either Sam or Genevieve h
ad accounted for. This had been too orchestrated. Sam decided he needed to do some research about this mysterious redhead.
He called his assistant and gave her as much information as possible. Perhaps she would be able to drag something up that he would be able to use to prove his innocence. Even if it seemed like Genevieve had already condemned him to guilt, he at least had to try to win her back. Sam’s stress went through the roof when he also acknowledged that he was up for a big promotion soon. Could this wait? Sam was starting to think that Genevieve was the love of his life and he didn’t want to let her go so easily.
Chapter 12
Six Weeks Later
Morning sickness had become a daily occurrence. Genevieve hated dealing with that alone but that was her lot in life until Nathalie came up north. Nathalie had finally found out about her sister’s pregnancy and she had promised to drop everything as soon as she could come take care of Genevieve. Until then, Genevieve was forced to handle the symptoms of pregnancy all on her own.
She understood a part of why being a single parent was so hard already even if the baby wasn’t even born yet. Genevieve was getting used to the idea. She was starting to see a future where she was a woman who could handle things on her own. She was fantasizing about a future where she was strong. That fantasy was the only thing that kept her going. Genevieve couldn’t afford weakness.
Love Over Envy: BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel Page 9
