Besides, today was the day that I needed to put my best foot forward, and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was overtired and cranky. Today was the day for one-on-ones with the people at the company who made the real decisions. Piper had been preparing for this day for a while now, trying to ensure she got that promotion she wanted.
Even though I was new, making a good impression today could set me up for future success, and I wasn’t about to squander that chance.
With that thought in mind, I headed back into the cabin I shared with Piper. She was in the shower at the moment. I turned my attention to considering the outfits I had brought with me. I had definitely overpacked for the weekend, but I didn’t regret doing so. I hadn’t really known how casual things were going to be, so I’d wanted to bring a few different options. Today was the day to make sure I was dressed to impress.
I knew that Piper was planning to “dress for the job she wanted,” and I thought that was pretty solid advice. At the same time, most of our higher-ups had been walking around in jeans and T-shirts for the weekend, and I had a feeling that was likely to be the case today as well. I didn’t want to feel too overdressed in comparison.
I selected a soft green sundress that would look cute and professional while at the same time looking casual to fit the setting. I’d pair it with some small silver earrings, nothing too fancy.
I nodded to myself, happy with my choices. All I had to do was wait for Piper to get out of the bathroom, and then I could head in there, get changed, and get all ready for my day.
Suddenly, though, I was hit by a bout of nausea. I swallowed hard, waiting for it to pass, closing my eyes to ward it off. Instead, the feeling intensified.
I rushed to the bathroom door, hesitating only a moment before bursting in so that I could throw up in the toilet. I hung there for a moment, feeling embarrassed. Here I was, trying to make a good impression on everyone, and yet I’d had to interrupt Piper’s shower so that I could puke. Yuck.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Are you okay?” Piper asked, poking her head out from around the shower curtain. “Had a little too much to drink last night?”
I shook my head. “No I barely drank at all last night. It must be some weird stomach bug,” I told her. “I’ve been having it on and off all week.”
Piper blinked at me, her mouth forming a little o. She shut off the water and reached for her towel, pulling it around herself before pushing the shower curtain open. I averted my gaze even though she was fully covered. “Don’t you think that sounds like maybe…” She trailed off for a moment, then tried again. “When was the last time you had your period?”
I stared at her blankly, then started mentally doing the calculation. It was more difficult than it should have been for me to remember. Had I had one in the last month? I honestly didn’t know.
“I don’t know, things have been stressful since moving here,” I said. “I don’t remember if I’ve had one or not.”
Piper gave me a skeptical look. “When you were with Jayson, did you use protection?” she asked gently.
“I mean, I’m on the pill,” I told her.
She nodded slowly. “Well that’s good, but it’s not 100% effective. Did he use a condom?”
Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. The times that we had been together had been explosive and unexpected, so there had been no time for him to put on a condom. How could I have been so stupid?
I shook my head. “I’m sure it’s just the stress and everything of the move and a new job. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
Piper looked skeptical but nodded her head. “Okay, maybe that’s it. But when we get home, you should get checked out just in case. “Yeah,” I said faintly. Get checked out. I hated to say it, but the idea of seeing a doctor, confirming whether or not I was pregnant, was terrifying. I was supposed to be focusing on my career. I could only imagine how much an unexpected pregnancy would derail things.
And what about Jayson? He wouldn’t want anything to do with me if he found out that I was pregnant. He was in a band, one that was just about to take off. They were in the studio even now, working on an album. He wouldn’t want to be tied down by a girl, and he definitely wouldn’t want to be tied down by a baby. He wasn’t in the “family” portion of his life. He might never be.
Could I handle having a baby all on my own so far away from my family? I didn’t know if I could. I had only been in LA a couple of months. I still barely knew anyone there. There would be no one to help me out. All the friends I had started to make, I was sure to lose. Piper and the rest of them were at different places in their lives. They didn’t have kids; they weren’t even thinking about kids yet, not in the near future anyway.
I tried not to panic. The last thing I wanted was to spend the rest of the retreat panicking in the bathroom. I didn’t want Piper to feel like she had to take care of me. Hell, I didn’t want her to know that anything was wrong in the first place. I wasn’t pregnant. I wasn’t.
I forced a smile on my face and flushed the toilet. “Why don’t I get out of here so you can finish?” I suggested. “Then we’ll head over to breakfast and get on with our meetings. I need you to help me figure out who’s who again before I talk to them all one-on-one later.”
“Sure thing,” Piper said. I could see the open concern still on her face, and I didn’t want to admit how that rattled me.
Nor did I want to admit how badly I bombed my one-on-one with the bosses a little while later. I was flustered, and I was having a hard time focusing. I felt too warm and cold in waves, and even though I didn’t feel nauseous anymore, I didn’t feel right, either. I was still tired, even though I had gone to bed early the night before.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility that I was pregnant. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to devote my full attention to anything else until I knew the truth.
I felt demoralized and scared as I walked out of there. Piper, of course, was waiting to hear how things had gone. She could probably tell how terrible it was from the look on my face, and she wisely didn’t ask.
“I need to sneak out of here early,” I told her miserably, shaking my head. I thought of how much fun I had been having prior to getting sick that morning. If only I could go back to that.
I wanted to stick it out to the end of the day. We were due for some more camp shenanigans that afternoon before heading out. What was I rushing back to, anyway? Reality and finding out that I might actually be pregnant. And then what, confronting Jayson? Nine months of misery, or whatever remained of those nine months? Sleepless nights, probably having to move back home and forget about my dreams for good?
Couldn’t I just have one more day of fun before I needed to deal with all of that? Now that the seeds of doubt had been planted in my brain, though, they were impossible to forget.
Piper held out her keys to me. “I’ll get a ride home with someone,” she said. “I’ll even bring your things if you need.”
I frowned, chewing at my lower lip. “I already screwed up with the bosses,” I said. “I don’t want them to think I’m the kind of person who runs away from their responsibilities.”
Piper shrugged. “I’ll tell them you had a family emergency,” she said. “If you want, I’ll tell them you found out about it right before you went in there and that’s why you were so rattled. It’s technically true, isn’t it?”
I sighed. “I guess so,” I said. I didn’t resist as she pulled me into a hug. God, at least I had a friend like her, even if it might not last once I had the kid. If only we’d had a little more time to cement our friendship before we got to that point.
“Get out of here,” Piper said.
“Thanks,” I said, already thinking ahead to what I needed to do to get out of there. I had driven to the office and then carpooled up here with Piper and some of the other girls. “I’ll leave your car at work and your keys in the top drawer of your desk. I can take my own car home from there.”
She shook her h
ead. “Don’t worry about it. Just let me know how it goes. If you’re not, you know, I’ll bring over a bottle of wine. And if you are, then your favorite ice cream. I promise.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “Thanks,” I repeated. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
My hands were shaking as I climbed into her car. It took me two tries to get the key into the ignition, and I wondered if it was even safe for me to drive at the moment. I couldn’t head back out there into the camp, though. I had to get out of here. I had to know.
I stopped at the first drugstore I saw on the way back, grabbing a pregnancy test and paying for it without looking the cashier in the eye. I headed into the drugstore bathroom and took the test right then and there, not able to wait any longer. The two minutes it took for the results to show on the stick seemed like an eternity.
I stared down at the thing for a long moment, my heart stopping and the air rushing out of me.
Positive.
I really was pregnant. Piper had been right. My stomach churned with worry, and I sank down to a seat on the lid of the toilet.
Pregnant. Fuck. What the hell was I going to do now?
21
Jayson
It had been far too long since I’d seen Leah. I’d gotten used to being near her so frequently, and those two weeks left me missing her. The gap her absence left in my day had me looking forward to when she would be back from wherever she’d gone. It was a strange realization. I wasn’t used to having that sort of attachment to anyone. The guys in my band were one thing, but there weren’t times during the day when I thought about them or wondered what they were doing when I wasn’t with them.
Not like with Leah. I thought about her all day when she was gone. Just going about my life throwing laundry in to wash or warming up leftover pizza to eat standing over the sink, I’d find myself thinking about her. My mind wandered to our time together, to the sound of her laugh and the smell of her skin. A few times I heard something and wanted to tell her about it. I almost couldn’t believe it had been two damn weeks. I needed to see her and could hardly wait for her to get back.
A jolt of excitement went through me when I pulled into the driveway and saw her car sitting there. Part of me thought I should give her the chance to settle back in, but the much bigger, much more determined part of me wasn’t having any of it. She was right there, so close, and I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to see her before we both got busy again and another week or two went by. I freshened up and walked up to her door. There was a pause after my knock, but she finally opened it. When she did, I could tell right away something was bothering her.
“Welcome home,” I said, and she tried to give a convincing smile. “What’s wrong?”
Leah shook her head, working harder at masking what she was feeling behind the faked smile. There was definitely something wrong. Worry slithered up through me.
“Nothing,” she said. “Just recovering from the weekend, that’s all.”
I narrowed my eyes at her slightly, examining her face and waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, I took a step closer to her. Taking both her hands in mine, I held them between us.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep.”
I wasn’t convinced. She was looking at me, but there was something missing in her eyes. It was like she was looking somewhere else. Something was getting to her, digging at her, but I knew enough to know she wasn’t going to tell me any more. Whatever it was, she needed time to think through it on her own before she told me about it. All I could do was be there for her.
“I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since we’ve seen each other,” I said, hoping to start a conversation.
She nodded and looked away again. “Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy. Work’s been busy and I had a company retreat this weekend. How have you been?”
“I’ve been busy too. The band’s been practicing and we’re actually recording too. Things are better.”
She gave me a ghost of a smile. “That’s good to hear. Listen, I’m really tired –” she started.
I cut her off. I wasn’t willing to let her push me away just yet.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?” I asked.
Leah shook her head. “Not yet. I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. I’m going to take you out.”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. It was kind of a long weekend, and I’m not really feeling up to getting dressed up and going out.”
“You don’t need to. You’re perfect just the way you are. Come on. You have to eat, and there’s this awesome little place I’ve been wanting to show you. It’s one of my favorites,” I told her.
She looked down at her jeans and T-shirt.
“Honestly, you’re gorgeous. Let’s go.”
She finally nodded and ducked inside to put on shoes before following me out to my car. We drove to the beach, and I led her to a rickety old restaurant perched near the water. It used to be a hot spot among the tourists, but now it was a hidden gem treasured by locals not looking for anything fancy.
“I’ve never been here,” Leah told me as I pulled a chair out for her.
“It’s one of my favorite places. The food here is incredible. And it’s not pretentious like some of the other places around,” I told her.
Amazing seafood and inexpensive prices, not to mention being off the beaten path so I was unlikely to run into anyone, made it the perfect place to have a relaxing dinner just with Leah. We settled in and ordered. As the waitress came by with hot crusty bread and a plate of butter, I started telling her about my music. She nibbled on a chunk of bread and listened intently as I told her how well the studio sessions were going.
“That’s good to hear,” she said, her voice sounding distant.
“Yeah. We’re really meshing. Everything is clicking, and I’m happier with the music we’re making than I have been in a long time. The album is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to hear the final product,” I said. Leah nodded, staring down at the bread in her hand. She was still preoccupied, and I hoped to find out what was going on with her, so I made a pivot in the conversation. “How about you?”
Her eyes snapped up to me. “Me?”
The waitress came with our food, and I paused until she walked away.
“Yeah. How was your retreat?” I asked.
Maybe something happened there that was still bothering her. I knew how much her work meant to her, so if it didn’t go well, that could explain why she seemed distracted. Leah grimaced.
“Actually, it didn’t go as well as I hoped,” she admitted. “I’m really disappointed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m sure you’ll be able to turn things around. You’re too smart and driven not to. It will end up even better than you thought,” I told her.
Leah managed a small, genuine smile and picked up her fork. “Thanks.”
We ate and chatted, falling to a rhythm of easy conversation and comfortable silence. She seemed to relax and loosen up some as the evening went on, and by the time we finished eating, I knew I didn’t want it to be done yet.
“How about a walk on the beach?” I asked as we left the restaurant. “It’s a really pretty evening.”
She nodded. “That would be nice.”
I led her a distance away from the restaurant and down onto a stretch of sand most people didn’t realize was publicly accessible. It was quiet and empty, just like I expected it to be. The sun was setting, making the surface of the water glow and shimmer with shades of pink and orange. It cast a sultry, romantic light across the beach, and I held Leah’s hand as we strolled slowly along the sand. She reached down and took off her shoes so she could bury her toes in the sand dampened by the waves.
Wanting to savor the last seconds of the sunset, I paused and pulled Leah into my arms. Holding her with her back against my chest, I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin gently on the top of her head.
Letting out a sigh, I enjoyed the feeling of her against me as we watched the sun slip beneath the horizon. It spread vibrant light across the sky and melted down into the waves. Leah released her own long breath and relaxed back against me, one hand rested over mine.
“I want you to know you are a big reason this album is going to be such a success,” I said softly.
She shifted, tilting her head slightly as if to look up at me but not taking her eyes away from the last lingering bit of the sunset.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Yes, you have. Just being in my life has made all the difference. Meeting and getting to know you has been so inspiring. My lyrics has never been stronger. I’m creating like I haven’t been able to in as long as I can remember. Maybe like I never have before. It’s all thanks to you,” I told her.
Releasing my arms from around her, I turned her slightly and tucked a finger under her chin to lift her face. I lowered a kiss to her lips, meaning for it to be just a soft, tender touch. As soon as our mouths met, I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the feelings and the moment building around us. I kissed her harder, the rush between us escalating quickly until I knew I couldn’t resist her. I needed her and wasn’t going to be able to make it off the beach, much less all the way back to my apartment.
Her shoes dropped from her hand, and she looped her arms around my neck, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss. Our tongues tangled, and I forced myself to break the kiss and step back from her. Looking around, I spied an empty cove not far away. As night descended around us, I pulled Leah across the beach and into the shadow of the cove. As soon as we were in the private space, I swept her into my arms again and ducked my head down for another kiss. When our mouths parted, I brought my lips to the side of her neck.
Leah moaned softly as I ran my tongue along the soft flesh, savoring the sweetness of her skin until I reached her lips. We kissed languidly and lay back against the sand, our bodies melding into one another. The heat radiating off of us was stifling and only served to add another desperate reason to disrobe. As her fingers worked the buttons of my shirt, I pulled at the hem of her skirt, bunching it above her hips, and the cool air on my chest set a chill down my spine. I grabbed a handful of her ass and pulled her into me, and she broke our kiss to look up with eyes full of excitement and desire. One hand slid down my chest to my crotch and grasped my hardened cock over my jeans. I moaned at her touch.
The Boy Next Door: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Page 11