by Lindsey Hart
Ross barely managed to hold them up. As the black dots cleared away from his vision, he had enough sense to reach over and shut off the water. He carefully let Teela down and stepped out of the shower, reaching for whatever she had on the rack off to the right.
It turned out she had one of those huge fluffy white towels that was big enough to wrap around her three times.
“I have more towels in the cupboard.” She giggled after he’d wrapped her up. It was a little high and girlish and giddy and he totally got it.
He followed her finger to the cupboard off to the left of the sink and removed a second huge white fluffy towel and wrapped it around his hips. Amazingly enough, he was still hard. Not as hard as before, but it was hard enough.
Teela looked at him.
He stared back.
“So… can I get you that cup of coffee now?”
Ross smirked. “Can you do it naked?”
Her lips quivered as she struggled not to smile. “Maybe. Although hot coffee and nudity probably don’t go well together.”
“Do you have anything else you’re offering then?”
“Hmmm. Can’t think of anything at the moment.”
She blinked at him.
He blinked at her.
And then she shed the towel and took off running down the hall. There was no way he was going to be outdone and he knew they were supposed to be at work but fuck work, he was the boss and if being the boss didn’t come with some perks then he didn’t know what it was good for.
There was no way he was not chasing after her.
And he already knew there was no way she wasn’t going to let him catch her.
CHAPTER 21
Teela
“Surprise!”
Teela cringed as soon as she threw open the door and found her parents standing there. She’d made it through the week without any major incidents- unless banging Ross every single day, multiple times a day- counted, but even that was starting to feel so normal that she was sure it actually didn’t count.
“Uh- mom. Dad.” Teela gripped the door a little tighter. “What are you doing here?”
“We were just passing through town.”
“But- but you never pass through town. Not this direction at any rate.”
“Well, we haven’t heard from you in ages and we wanted to stop in and make sure you were doing okay.”
The silent accusation in her mom’s voice caused Teela’s stomach to knot up. She’d been putting off telling her parents that she was pregnant and now that Ross was involved, she wasn’t sure how to tell them.
“Er- I’m sorry, I just got busy. With work. We had a change of ownership and it’s kept all of us on our toes.” She winced. She never said things like, on our toes. That was a phrase her mom herself would use.
“We just wanted to check on you, honey. We were concerned.”
“You could have called.”
“Well…” her mom crossed her arms. “We’re here now.”
Teela realized it looked like she was guarding the door like there was something inside she didn’t want her parents to see. Since Ross wasn’t sprawled out naked on the couch, there wasn’t anything she was hiding.
“Er- well, do you want a cup of coffee?”
“That would be nice.” Teela’s mom pushed inside and Teela stepped back to avoid getting run over.
Her parents weren’t… bad. They were just- a little opinionated about things. It made them hard to stomach at times. They had some pretty strong morals that they’d say they tried their hardest to instill in her. What that meant was they’d basically crammed it down her throat, but hey, that was just semantics.
Teela watched her parents shed their shoes. They knew the way into the living room and while they went and parked it on the couch, she retreated into the kitchen with her phone and sent out an SOS text to Amy.
HELP! MY PARENTS ARE HERE. I CAN’T DEAL WITH TELLING THEM ABOUT THIS ALONE.
Her phone dinged a second later.
JUST DON’T TELL THEM THEN. YOU HAVE LOTS OF TIME.
Teela sighed before her fingers flew over the screen.
I REALLY DON’T WANT TO WAIT. IT’S BEEN GIVING ME THE WORST ANXIETY AND THEY’RE HERE NOW.
She could practically hear Amy cringing before she sent off a text saying she’d be there in twenty minutes.
Teela made two cups of coffee. Since her stomach was already burning, being that it was nearly seven and about the time she started feeling completely nauseous, she didn’t need the extra torture. She carried the coffees into the living room, black because like life, her parents refused to take anything with a grain of salt- or cream and sugar, as it were.
“Here you go.” She set the mugs down on the coffee table and sat down on one of the two seats she had in front of the couch. The chairs weren’t comfortable. They were some of those square modern-looking things that looked really good but were hard as a rock.
“Thanks.” Her mom picked up her mug and took a sip. She liked it scalding hot, while her dad preferred to wait until his was nearly cold before downing it.
“I- er- I meant to call. I’m sorry. I really have been busy.”
“Busy?”
“Yes, mom, busy.”
“Work keeps you so busy you can’t even phone your own parents?” Her dad’s voice had a note of hurt and Teela winced. They were both good at laying on the guilt when it counted. Not that she didn’t deserve it because she knew she kind of did. She really should have called.
“Jen comes home every weekend, you know, even if it’s just for a quick visit to let us know that she’s still alive.”
“Jen doesn’t live forty minutes outside the city. Her house is like three blocks away. She probably walks over.”
“Still. She makes the effort. We were worried.”
“You know, a phone is a two-way communicator,” Teela shot back. She didn’t mean to get defensive, but the Jen comments never failed to raise her hackles. Why was her sister born so perfect and she was born so woefully lacking. It was one of the reasons she had to get away from home in the first place. That and the stifling amount of rules.
Because Amy was Amy and had impeccable timing, the front door opened, saving things from getting tense. No, things were tense, but at least they didn’t get any tenser.
“Teela?”
“We’re in here,” Teela called.
Amy appeared in the room, her cheeks flushed. She’d thrown a lightweight jacket on over her jeans and blouse and it was buttoned up crooked. Obviously, she left in a hurry.
Amy took one look at Teel and hurried over to the large living room window. “It’s hot in here. Do you find it hot in here?” She rammed the window open without waiting for an answer. She buzzed around the room and disappeared into the kitchen, opening windows. A fresh breath of air swept through the room and if it did nothing to make things better, at least it settled the sloshing around thing her stomach was doing.
Nerves and nausea usually made a recipe for disaster. Teela had learned that over the past few months. Amy had the right idea.
She stalked back into the living room, a fake smile pasted on her face, and sunk down into the chair beside Teela.
“Mom and dad just came for a visit,” Teela explained like she hadn’t just frantically texted Amy to come and be her support system.
“We came because our own daughter can’t be bothered to visit us,” her mom started in. “Even though we only live forty minutes away. It’s been over a month. We doubted she was even still alive.”
“I- I’m sorry,” Teela mumbled. “The truth is, I have some news that I’ve been wanting to find a way to tell you and I just wasn’t sure how.”
“So, you have been avoiding us!”
“What kind of news?” her dad asked, his tone slightly softer.
“Uh- well- I know you both aren’t going to be happy about it but I- I decided that I wanted to- uh- well… I kind of… I’m pregnant.” She admitted that she could have br
oken the news a little better than she did, but the words kind of just tumbled out.
Her mom and dad froze. They sent each other a shocked expression. When her mom turned back, her face was more than just horrified. She was quickly growing angry. Her dad looked shell-shocked and helpless. He stared at her like she was a stranger, not the daughter he’d raised for three decades.
Her mom and dad looked completely opposite. Her dad was tall and dark-haired. He’d always been on the skinny side. Her mom was shorter and a little more full-bodied. She had light honey hair and green eyes. Teela had come out a mix of both their genetics. They also had different approaches to handling problems, even if they were in agreement about the solution.
“P- pregnant?” Her mom stammered. “How are you pregnant? You’re not even with anyone!”
Teela sure as heck wasn’t going to tell her parents about the whole clinic thing. Amy went white as a sheet beside her and she wished she could assure her. Instead, she shifted a little and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Actually, I have been seeing someone. It was a surprise to both of us and I was waiting to tell you because honestly, I knew how you were going to react. No, I’m not married. No, I’m probably not going to be, at least not for a long while, if ever. No, this child is not a mistake. Yes, I’m going to love it. Yes, I want it. Yes, it is your grandchild. Yes, the father and I are trying to make things work. Yes, we both want to co-parent no matter what our relationship is in the future. So, you don’t have to worry. I’ve got it under control.” She rested a hand on her stomach protectively while her parents stared at her like she’d just dropped down from the sky like some kind of alien bird demon thing.
They were both wearing matching outfits, Teela realized, now that she wasn’t so focused on figuring out a way to tell them her news. Jeans and blue t-shirts. She wondered if they’d planned it.
Before she could say anything, Amy was off, trying to be her wingman, but only digging them in deeper.
“She’s seeing a good guy. He has lots of money, so you don’t have to worry about the baby. They’re going to do a good job raising it and even if things don’t work out, she’ll be fine. The courts will see to that.”
Teela shut her eyes. She wanted to jam an elbow into Amy’s side. She would have tried it if they were sitting side by side on the couch, but the two separate chairs didn’t help anything.
“It’s Ross Day. The father. He owns all those grocery stores. He has lots of money. Like, tons. So yeah, the baby will be taken care of, and so will Teela. He’s like, a billionaire or something.”
Teela’s head swam. She barely registered the looks her parents were giving each other. She dropped her head into her hands, wishing she could just disappear. She wanted to set the record straight. She sure as hell wasn’t with Ross for his money, but holy shit, had Amy just said billions? Teela knew that Ross had money, but billions?
Before Teela could process anything else, her parents got to their feet. Her mom gave her dad a sharp, pointed look. “We’ll talk about this later when we’ve all had time to process it.”
“Mom- come on…” Teela stood. She didn’t want her parents to walk out like that and leave everything unsettled and uncomfortable. She could only imagine what they were thinking.
“No, we’ll talk later,” her mom said firmly. “Come on, Dave. Let’s go.”
Teela’s dad shot her an apologetic look, at least, before he was ushered out the door. Teela didn’t even see them out and of course, her mom banged the door harder than necessary, just in case she’d missed the memo about what a horrible, sinful, disappointment she was at the moment.
“Oh my fucking god,” Teela breathed. She turned to Amy, horrified. “You shouldn’t have said any of that. They definitely did not need to know.”
“Well, they would have found out sooner or later. I mean, you probably want Ross to meet them.”
“Not like that! Now they’re just going to think about him having all that money. They probably think that I spread my legs and got myself knocked up just so I could be taken care of for the rest of my life.”
Amy got a strange look on her face. A horrible scrunched look, one that Teela had never seen before. She couldn’t actually figure out if Amy was going to cry or puke or laugh. Maybe all three at once.
“What?” Teela whispered, incapable of any volume. “Why do you look like that?”
Amy hung her head. “You don’t think that I chose just any sample for you, did you? I wasn’t going to just inject you with some hobo serum and hope for the best. You’re my best friend. I was worried about you, raising that baby all alone on your salary. I- I knew who he was. I knew that he’d donated sperm a few times before his app took off and he got rich and then he got really ultra-rich with the stores taking off. I- I figured that if you couldn’t go after him for some kind of child support or guilt him into it, seeing as everyone says he’s a pretty nice guy, that you’d be able to blackmail him for some cash, seeing as no one knows he got money for that app by jacking into a cup.”
“What?” Teela breathed. She wished she could say something, anything, but the words just weren’t there. “How…” she whispered, but it came out strained. She couldn’t force anything more than a few hard breaths out. She shook her head. It was all she could do.
How could Amy, of all people, not even know her? She was supposed to be her best friend.
“I’m- I’m sorry,” Amy whispered, so quiet Teela could barely hear her. “I’ll just go. Okay. Maybe we all just need time. I shouldn’t have told you. I really am sorry. Please don’t fire me as a friend for this. I was only trying to help.”
“Help me? By having me hurt someone else? If you thought I couldn’t afford a baby, why did you even steal the sample?”
“I’m sorry, Tee…”
“Just go.” Teela shook her head. “Please. You’re right. I can’t talk about this right now or I’m just going to say things that are going to make it a hundred times worse. Please. Just… just go.”
Amy shot her one final pathetic look that normally would have tugged on Teela’s heartstrings, but she steeled herself against it. She was not giving in. Not on this.
Fortunately, Amy took the hint and left her alone.
Unfortunately, the silence didn’t make her feel any better.
Teela sat in the same spot for what felt like hours until her back began to ache and her foot fell asleep. Finally, she shifted, ignored the shooting pins and needles, and got out her phone. She texted Ross. She needed to see him. He’d make her feel better. They’d talk and they’d laugh, and they’d just be silly and maybe they’d make out and she’d feel normal again. He’d know just what to say. Even if she explained the whole thing, he’d listen patiently and tell her to look on the bright side. At least she hadn’t come up with the scheme herself.
There was no response. Ross didn’t say he was busy, but he did have a life other than her. They’d spent way too much time with each other lately. He was probably just trying to catch his breath.
Teela ignored the creeping sense of doubt about Ross maybe having changed his mind about her or maybe deciding that he needed his own space. She turned her phone off and tucked it back into the pocket of her jeans. It was early yet, but she was exhausted. She just needed to go to bed.
A good sleep would fix everything.
It had to because she had zero other solutions.
CHAPTER 22
Teela
There was a reason she decided to be single. To go at it alone. To have a baby by herself and never look back.
Relationships.
Men.
All of it.
It was always just one big clusterfuck. Every. Single. Time.
Teela thought Ross was different because she sure felt different when she was with him. She’d hoped that maybe, just maybe, for once, the universe had smiled on her and everything was going to work out.
And then he stopped texting. And calling. And coming into the store.
After ten days of silence, Teela knew she had to do something. She was starting to worry. She’d asked at work, in as non-suspicious of a manner as she could, if anyone knew where Ross was. She pretended it was an accounting matter that she needed to speak to him about. No one knew when he was coming back. Maybe he was busy opening a new store. Maybe he’d got called off on some business trip. Maybe he was away at a conference. No one knew.
That was the problem. It was like the guy just disappeared off the face of the earth.
Finally, Teela decided to just suck it up and resort to being what some people would no doubt term crazy and drive over to Ross’ house. It wasn’t a short drive. She hated going to Philly, but she made the forty-minute trek anyway.
At eleven at night. The roads were less busy when it was late. She wanted to catch him at home. He was either gone out of town for business and he’d lost his phone and her number, or he was avoiding her. It was easier to do that when a person was busy during the day. It was much harder at night.
As Teela pulled up to Ross’ house, she cut the lights and parked by the curb. His SUV wasn’t in the driveway, but then again, he probably wouldn’t park outside when he had a perfectly usable two-car garage. She was tempted to go and try the man door and look inside, but she was worried about tripping some security alarm or something, so she skipped out on the break and enter urges and went straight to the front door.
The house was quiet. The whole neighborhood was quiet, but then again it was just about the middle of the night.
Now that she’d driven all the way, she felt silly. It was probably nothing. The house was dark. Ross probably had been called away on some emergency. Maybe he had lost his phone or couldn’t use it and couldn’t remember her number. It was possible.
Teela sucked in a breath and debated about turning back around, getting in her car, and going back home. She hesitated. She turned and faced the opposite direction. She stared her car down. Finally, she sighed and whirled all at once and before she could talk herself out of it, she rang the bell.