How weird was that? We were pregnant at the same time. I felt like that had to unlock a whole new level of friendship.
I walked out of the house and started onto the sidewalk. He started coming towards me and that was how I noticed him.
Paul.
Sightings were becoming more and more regular. I stopped as he came up to me with a big, stupid smile on his face.
“Hey, how are you?” he said.
“You need to tell me why you’re here and make it make sense.”
“I missed you.” He said it with a small smile, shrugging with his hands in his pockets. In the past, I would have found it cute which creeped me out a little bit about my lack of taste. I wasn't falling for it now.
This wasn't the first time. He had been popping up randomly even after I had told him that I didn't like it. He had been at Eddy's house after the party, waiting for me just like this. It wasn't cute and it wasn't comforting. Even if it was from someone I liked, it was creepy.
I had even seen him at the grocery store. I wasn't sure whether he had seen me notice him, but I did. Lurking around me the way that he obviously was, and then trying to pass it off as just missing me felt a lot like gaslighting now I was actually equipped to call it what it was.
“That's not an excuse. If you can't give me a good reason, you're going to have to give one to the police.”
“Whoa, slow down I just wanted to see you. Can I have a hug?” He leaned in and tried to hug me, but I backed out of the way.
“You have to stop following me. I don't want to have to tell you more than once because eventually, I'm going to let the police handle it.”
“I just wanted to see you, Maggie. Make sure you are doing okay.”
“I don’t need you for that. I know you’ve been following me around and for the last time, stop it. Why is that so hard to understand?” I said.
His face darkened, then went back to normal so fast I would have missed it if I wasn’t paying attention. I knew who he was. His smiles and claims to care about me weren’t fooling me. I knew who he was at his darkest and I’d be a fool to trust him again after seeing that.
“You’re pregnant. I’m worried about you.”
“You don’t have to stalk me to make sure I’m okay.”
“I’m not stalking you,” he said, a touch of whininess entering his voice.
“You’re following me around and refusing to stop when I ask you to stop.”
“I’m just doing it because I care.” I was being patient with him, not because I cared enough to spare his feelings, but more because I was pregnant and I didn’t want to stress myself out over something like this. For somebody who was doing everything he was doing because I was pregnant, he wasn’t being at all considerate of the things I wanted from him. I only wanted one thing from him, to leave me alone, that was it. That was literally the best thing he could do for me.
“This isn’t how you treat somebody that you care about. I’ve already told you what I want from you.”
“You said that you would think about giving us another shot,” he said. When had I said that? I knew that I hadn’t given him a straight enough no to the question of us getting back together, but as much as I told him to stay away from me, why was he getting the hint?
I was already tired of dealing with him, why would I want him around even more? He wasn’t in the future I wanted for myself. He just wasn’t. I had ejected him from my life long ago. I didn’t even know why he was back.
“I should’ve told you earlier but my answer is no. It’s not a maybe, it’s not a not now, it’s a no. I don’t want a relationship right now.”
“That’s okay, we don’t have to be in a relationship straightaway, we can…”
“No, Paul. You’re not going to wait for me, because even when I am ready, I don’t want to be with you.” He actually looked hurt when I told him that. I was glad that it didn’t have the same effect on me that used to have years ago. I didn’t care that I was disappointing him. I was putting myself first.
“I don’t think you can make a decision so fast. I mean, the baby isn’t even here yet. The dad is out of the picture so who are you going to run to for help? It’s hard raising a newborn.”
“I know it’s hard. If I want help, I can get it. Believe it or not, I have people around me who will help me with that. The thing is Paul, I have a life. I’ve made a life without you in it and that’s how I want it to stay.”
“You’re overreacting. It has to be the hormones. You’re pregnant right now and you’re going to be raising a baby by yourself. How can you turn away someone who’s offering you free help?”
“Because I don’t need it!” I yelled. Finally, we were starting to attract some attention on the street. I didn’t want to be there anymore. This was the only way that I could make things crystal-clear for him. I couldn’t be sweet and beat around the bush, I had to be blunt, brutally honest. Taking it to the edge and even hurting his feelings was probably what I would have to do to make sure he didn’t come back.
“Maggie, I’m just-”
“I don’t care. Don’t tell me. Don’t talk to me again, don’t look for me, stop following me around. You are no longer part of my life. This baby is not yours. Leave me alone.” I walked away from him.
I was shaking. I wasn’t scared yet. He was pushing the envelope, but I still felt like I had the upper hand. He didn’t scare me; he was boring me almost. He was pissing me off. I just wanted to go back to the way things were, when I wasn’t thinking about him anymore.
At my apartment, I double-checked my locks. I wasn’t scared… yet. After today, I knew that I touched a nerve. If he tried to retaliate, I wouldn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what he would try to do either. If he tried anything, I knew he wouldn’t care if it was just me. Another man however, he might not try to challenge.
I had to tell Toby.
Paul was unpredictable. Toby had power behind him. Just knowing who he was might be enough to scare Paul away and make sure he didn’t try anything. I got my phone out and called Toby. The phone rang. It kept ringing. It didn’t stop.
I ended the call and texted him instead. Putting my phone down I went to the shower and then came out and had a light dinner. Watching my phone, I felt myself get anxious. I had asked him to call so I didn’t want to fall asleep.
The one time I actually wanted to talk to him, he was unavailable.
27
Toby
“Mr. Anderson, Mr. Schultz, it’s been a pleasure.” Easton and I on one side of the table and our newest clients on the other side stood and shook hands.
I was lucky that Easton was there because I couldn't tell you what was said in the last half-hour that we had been in that room, but it seemed to have gone well. We walked the clients out to the elevator and saw them off.
“You know, if they call and don't want to work with us anymore, I'm blaming you,” Easton said.
“What?”
“You see,” he said as we walked away from the elevator. “You're still like this. What's going on? You need to get it sorted out because it's going to start getting in the way.”
I hadn't heard him then either, but I just replied in the affirmative because it seemed appropriate. I told him that I would see him later and went to my office. That was where my phone was. I had been thinking about it the entire meeting. The entire day to be honest. I just needed an update of some sort, something that let me know what was going on with her. I sat down and picked it up. Exactly what I wanted to see, her name in my notifications. It was a voice message.
I felt my heart pounding from nervousness. She might as well have been in the room with the way I was feeling about opening her voice mail. I played the message and held it to my ear.
“Don’t talk to me again, don’t look for me, stop following me around. You are no longer part of my life. This baby is not yours. Leave me alone.” It cut off after that. I played it again. It was her voice, there was no doubt about that an
d there was no doubt about what she was saying to me either, even though I didn’t want to hear it. I felt like there was nothing between my ribs and pelvis.
I called her back. There was no way this was happening. It was fake or I was hallucinating. She would never talk to me like that.
So sure of yourself, huh?
Why was I so sure of my place in her life when it was so hard to get a hold of her and even harder to get her to stay once we were in the same place together? If there was a baby involved, she should have been wanting to get closer to me, not further away.
If there was a baby involved, she would have told me already instead of doing it like this.
More assumptions.
Obviously, I had no leg to stand on when it came to Maggie. I barely knew her and she didn't want to change that with me, but a baby? Fun and games were over if there was a baby involved. I didn't even know what I wanted her to do or say, I just needed her to talk to me.
The phone should have rung but it didn't. A voice told me that Maggie's number was no longer receiving communication from mine.
“What the fuck,” I mumbled, trying to call her again. No way. No fucking way. She blocked me.
I laughed because it sounded like a stupid joke. Maggie wasn't pregnant. This was all some sort of strange way to get back at me maybe. What was more convincing at this point? Maggie being pregnant or Maggie hatching some sort of elaborate prank to get back at me because she disliked me for some reason?
She had a lot of reasons to dislike me and I deserved it on some level.
I was calling her back again when there was a knock at my door.
“Go away,” I said without looking up. The door opened anyway and my receptionist was there.
“Mr. Anderson? Your next appointment is here.” I finally looked up from the phone, irritated.
“My what? I don't have another appointment today. I'm free for the rest of the day.”
“Your client disagrees. He says he's been in contact with you,” she insisted. I really didn't want to deal with this at the moment. Whoever it was, it couldn't have been some hoodlum off the streets. I was trying to trust the building's security and my receptionist’s professionalism wondering who it could be. I had a feeling that whoever it was managed to be convincing enough to get her to give in. I wasn't looking forward to this.
“Show him in,” I grumbled. I put the phone down and stood up, ready to slide into a professional mode. A man walked into the room. That was all he was, a man. Blond, dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. He wasn't even remotely familiar and even though appearances could be deceiving, I didn't think he knew where he was or who I was. Not who I really was. He walked around the office like a little kid at the museum for the first time.
The receptionist walked out.
“Okay, you have my attention but you only have it for the next five minutes. Who are you, what do you want, and how did you get in here?” I said. The guy smirked and came up to me.
“Well, you're in a hurry. Shouldn’t we do the introductions first?”
“You know who I am otherwise you wouldn't be here right now.” As I said that, it hit me. I had seen him somewhere. After the party when Maggie made her escape, there had been a man waiting for her outside. He was that man. Anger surged through me and if there was no threat of repercussion, I would have punched him in the face. My jealousy was irrational because Maggie and I weren't together, but as far as I was concerned, neither were they.
“I know that you're involved with Maggie Weissman. She's mentioned you. She also said that whatever happened between you is now in the past and she's no longer interested. I'm here to let you know officially the two of us are getting married and you need to get out of her life. Permanently.”
I wasn't expecting that. Looking at him and considering what he had told me, I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. It was petty to consider, but he didn't seem like Maggie's type. He was not put together and he was kind of fidgety like he was uncomfortable or on drugs. He was pretty tall but he wasn't particularly intimidating. In case of anything, we were on my turf so I had home-court advantage. I wasn't stupid enough to actually swing at the guy, not unprovoked, but damn would it feel good.
“I still don't know who you are,” I said, managing to keep my voice steady. He thought he was here to stick it to me, and I couldn't let him think that he was successful.
“I'm Paul Griffin. Maggie and I are together and we're expecting a child. Whatever you had together, you need to stop. She doesn't want you to be a part of her life anymore.”
“I know Maggie and she is not the kind of woman who needs a spokesman. Why are you here instead of her? Does she even know that you are?”
“I think we both know that far too often, men don't understand that no means no, especially from a woman. I'm here to nip that in the bud. It ends here today, and neither of us has to see each other again.”
“Why is this the first time that I've heard about you?” I asked. “You claim to be getting married. If your relationship is that serious, I would have thought that Maggie would have mentioned you at least once.” The man looked down and nodded.
“We've had our ups and downs like any couple, but that's none of your business. Maggie is none of your business. Do both of you a favor and forget that you were ever involved.”
“I realize that you troubled yourself to come here and speak on Maggie's behalf but with all due respect, I'm not going to take the word of a stranger when I can hear it directly from Maggie herself. I have no reason to believe that what you're saying is true or that Maggie feels the same way.”
“Is she going to have to come here and tell you herself?” he asked.
“She is. You tell her I said that.”
“It's interesting that you want to see her so much. She told me that whenever the two of you are together, she ends up doing things that she doesn't want to do. I'm trying to be polite here but whenever the two of you are together, she seems to leave in tears. I'm here so she doesn't have to do that anymore with you. This is our first and last meeting, it is in your best interest to respect that.”
“Get out of my office.” The impromptu meeting was already over. He was on his way out and I was being spiteful by telling him to leave, but it was all I could do.
I did my best not to show it, but that last comment hit me where it hurt. Everything with Maggie had been push and pull. I just couldn’t make my mind up about her and it made sense that she was tired of it. There was a baby involved and that was why I needed to get back in contact with her, but it wasn’t the whole reason. Even after all this, I still felt the need to reach out to her; baby or no baby. I couldn’t believe that I was jealous of that weirdo.
I needed to find out who he was.
I got my phone out and called Calvin. He picked up.
“I just got a visit from somebody named Paul Griffin. He says that he’s going to marry Maggie. I need you to tell me who is.”
“It’s a good thing you called because I was just about to give you an update,” he said.
“What do you have for me?”
“There were some doubts about the pregnancy the last time we talked. She is indeed pregnant and from our sources, she should be at the three-month mark approximately.”
Maggie and I had sex for the first time approximately three months ago. Had I made her pregnant? Had she been pregnant all this time? Even in the cabin? It was either me or Paul and I had no idea whether she was seeing other people at the same time. We weren’t technically seeing each other so I wouldn’t have a reason to care if she was, but I did. Paul was adamant that the baby was his, but now I had a reason to doubt him, to doubt both of them.
She was the only one who could confirm whose baby it was and I had not yet heard the words out of her mouth.
“I need you to have eyes on this guy, Paul Griffin. I need you to watch Maggie too. Something weird is going on here.”
“Could you give us some information about the man? Pau
l?” Calvin asked. I described Paul to him and he told me that he and his guys would get on it immediately.
I sat back in my chair. Three months; so much had changed in that short period. Maggie and I had gotten involved and coincidently or not, she had gotten pregnant too. The thought of being someone’s father scared the life out of me, but I had to know. We used condoms our first night together but nothing besides abstinence was one hundred percent effective.
As if my feelings about Maggie weren’t complicated enough. And then there was that dude, Paul. I didn’t know anything about them but I hated him and I felt like that was the right move. Jealousy aside, he just gave me bad vibes. I knew I wasn’t going on much but I could not believe the things he said about being with Maggie. I didn’t have a reason to hold her to any standard at all, but she seemed so above him in my estimation. He was trouble and I was going to figure it out.
28
Maggie
I looked at the pictures of the black and white blobs on my phone. It already looked like a baby but I had a hard time believing that I would be holding that thing in my arms in six months.
It didn’t make sense, but it still didn’t feel a hundred percent real. I wasn’t showing, maybe when I was I would feel different. Other people would be able to tell and it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. Maybe then people would start offering me unsolicited advice and I’d get strangers trying to touch my belly, according to reports from Brenna and Eddy who had been pregnant before.
I sighed. I was not unhappy but I wasn’t quite happy either. I was somewhere in the middle where I knew I was supposed to be happy but the circumstances were not allowing it.
I was going to be a single mother. That was not the kind of motherhood journey that I would’ve chosen for myself but there was nothing I could do about that now. It didn’t matter what I wanted as much as what was best for my baby and my baby’s father had shown me that he wasn’t interested in being a part of their life.
Admit You Need Me: A Secret Pregnancy Romance (Irresistible Billionaires Book 4) Page 17
