Not his baby: A BWWM Billionaire Romance

by Rebecca Dupree

  Time seemed to be still for a while and Melanie looked at him with rage and stomped off. But in that moment, I saw something in her I hadn’t seen before. From the corner of my eye, I saw Evan scoff while moving to get up. I stopped him by putting a hand to his shoulder.

  “Let me,” I said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Definitely.”

  I immediately went to where Melanie was going and found her looking at the plants in the kitchen. I stood at the doorway, scrutinizing her. Suddenly she didn’t seem like the total bitch I had encountered before. She didn’t seem like the cold-hearted woman who cheated on Evan and wouldn’t even play with her daughter. She looked lost and alone.

  “Evan would always complain about how I didn’t water these,” she muttered, running her fingers through the plants. “He said that if I wasn’t going to take care of them, then maybe I shouldn’t have them. Kind of like my husband and my daughter.”

  I sighed. Damn it, the woman could really make you feel sorry for her.

  “…Melanie...”

  “You won’t be her real mother,” she said bitterly, turning back to me, a sad and angered frown on her face. “You won’t ever be Stephanie’s mother.”

  “I think I’ve been a better mother than you,” I replied. I didn’t say it in a harsh manner: I only said the truth. Despite her words, I still felt sorry for her. I didn’t want her to suffer; I wanted her to understand.

  “But she’ll ask for me,” she whispered, nearly in tears. “She’ll ask for mommy. She’ll miss me and wonder why I’m not with her father.”

  I could only shrug. “Which will happen, and you’re still her mother. And I’m sure you can be a good one if you try. And I’m sure Evan won’t stop you from seeing Stephanie, but he won’t get back together with you. Even if he and I don’t work out, he won’t love you or care about you the way he used to, because of what you did. Because of how you hurt him. ”

  Melanie looked at me, angered, but then she sighed and seemed to calm down. She ran her hand through her hair before speaking. “I had everything with him: a nice house, a lovely daughter, and him. He was the ideal man…but that wasn’t enough for me. Sometimes I just wonder why I did it. He was everything I'd ever wanted, and I was too stupid to hold on to him. Why did I do that? Why did I hurt him?”

  “…We all make mistakes, but they’re mistakes we have to deal with because sometimes you just can’t fix them. I’m not saying this because I want you away from him. I’m saying this as someone who wants you to move on. He won’t love you again.”

  Melanie looked at me and she smiled, she actually smiled. For some reason, she looked far more calm than she ever did, more relaxed. It was like she lifting a weight off her shoulders; maybe it felt like a burden for her, to go after a man who didn’t love her anymore.

  “I still think you’re a lousy assistant,” she said, suddenly all friendliness gone from her.

  “I still think you’re a crappy boss,” I said. “Also, I quit. I’ll file the paperwork tomorrow.”

  Now, I hadn’t actually got the new job, but hey, I was still getting paid by Evan and I still had some money saved up, so what the hell? I was not about to keep working with her and make everything way more uncomfortable and annoying that it already was.

  Melanie nodded. It was the first time she'd shown me some respect. Too bad it didn’t last, and the next moment, she went back to being a bitch.

  “But don’t think I won’t try and get him back if you do break up,” she said smugly. “So better hold on to him.”

  “Oh please.”

  “Don’t test me, girl.”

  “Don’t threaten me.”

  Melanie huffed at me. “What are you gonna do, hit me with your ugly braids?”

  “For your information, these are gorgeous!” I shouted, not even aware that I was raising my voice.

  “They’re ridiculous and having to look at them every day is a nightmare.”

  “Well, it’s not so great looking at your shirts. Ever heard of ironing? Besides, you won’t have to look at them ever again.”

  I don’t remember what happened after that. I just remember arguing with Melanie a little more, our voices escalating quickly, until Evan arrived and broke us up. Gosh, she was so annoying I wanted to strangle her so much! Fortunately, Evan separated us before we could do some damage and he sent Melanie away. Once at the door, she only offered her hand to Evan, which he took, a nod and a promise to pick Stephanie up during the weekend.

  “Well, that was a disaster,” he complained once she was out of the driveway, turning to me with a deep sigh.

  “Don’t worry, she got the hint. She won’t bother us anymore,” I explained. “She’s still a total bitch, though.”

  “Yeah, I got that much.”

  I turned to Evan with a deep breath of my own. “Anyways, I officially quit my job and now I’m unemployed.”

  “Didn’t you get the other job?”

  I shrugged at his question. “I think it went okay, but I’m not so sure. The woman seemed impressed and said she would call me later to see if I would be hired.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  He looked away for a while, rubbing the back of his head, a nervous gesture I had learned to detect.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, raising my eyebrow in question.

  “I guess I just wanted to ask…” he gulped, seemingly trying to find the right words to say. “I wanted to ask you if you wanted to move in with me.”

  I looked at him, feeling my eyes go wide as saucers. Did he really just ask me that? Seriously? He wanted me to move in? I tried to keep my smile to myself, but it was an impossible battle.

  “I really want us to work out, and I think we need to start by having you spend more time with both me and Stephanie.” I stood gawking at him and he only smiled, placing his hand on my stomach. “I don’t want to regret this. And I don’t want to regret meeting you.”

  I let out a huge breath, laughing nervously and racking my mind for something to say about it. Feeling his hand on my stomach, seeing his eyes that looked at me as if I was the best thing in the world, I knew what my decision would be.

  “Yes!” I yelled excitedly, making him yell as well, as he picked me up and spun me around before placing me down and kissing me.

  “This is so great!” he said. “Thank you so much!”

  “Thank you!”

  Unfortunately, another thought ran through my head.

  “Oh shit,” I groaned, rubbing my head.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked in concern.

  “That’s another conversation I have to deal with tomorrow,” I complained. “Ugh, why do things always manage to get more complicated than they should.”

  He smiled in sympathy and cradled me against his shoulder. At least I could wait in his arms until tomorrow, and for a little while feel like everything in the world was just perfect. Because with Evan, it really was.

  ~~~~~

  The next day I found myself at my apartment with my roommate and closest friend, Sarah.

  “You’re leaving me?” Sarah asked, looking really hurt. “You’re leaving me for him?”

  “We both knew this day had to come,” I told her, feeling bad for doing this to her. “He’s just someone I care about so much. I mean, I care about you, but he’s different. You can’t give me what he can.”

  “But I thought you cared about me. Who’s going to watch cat videos with me now?” she whined, tears in her eyes. “And laugh at stupid Putin memes? And look for gay pictures of Marvel characters?”

  “We’ll still be friends,” I quickly said, trying not to cry myself. “I’ll come over whenever you want to hang out, and you can come visit us. It’s not like we’ll stop seeing each other.”

  “But it won’t be the same!” she said, finally wailing.

  “I know!” I said, letting my tears fall once and for all. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Was it me? Was I just a lousy room
mate? I was, wasn’t I?” she cried, wiping ineffectually as the tears started sliding down her cheeks.

  “No! No, don’t say that! You were amazing! It’s just that…he cuddles with me!”

  Sarah burst into more tears at that. “I should’ve cuddled with you more! I shouldn’t have called you annoying when you tried to cuddle. I should have let you be the overgrown cat you’ve always been.”

  “But it’s okay, we’ll still be in touch. Just not like we used to be…I just, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too!”

  We both wailed a little more before hugging each other and crying, each one rubbing the other’s hair and back.

  “Good God, you guys sound like a couple breaking up,” I heard Evan say.

  “SHUT UP!” we both yelled at him, as he lifted his hands in surrender and we went back to crying on each other’s shoulders.

  ~~~~~

  After we’d finally parted, Evan complaining about how silly we both were, we finally got to pack my stuff and take it to his place. I mean, my new place, now. I had to admit, I was a little bit excited.

  “So this is it?” Evan said, looking at my stuff in the living room, a bunch of boxes completely stacked.

  “This is it,” I said, showing my excitement by grinning widely.

  “No turning back now.”

  “Nope.”

  “Feeling nervous?” he asked with a wide grin.

  “No, are you?”

  “A little, and I’m also a little sweaty, but I’ll get over it.”

  I laughed at him and reached up to kiss him, parting only when my phone started ringing.

  “Sorry, gotta take this. Hello?” I said, before answering.

  “Regan, it’s Jan.”

  My eyes widened and my body froze. I turned to Evan, who looked surprised at my reaction.

  “It’s Jan, from the Planet Journal!” I whispered, making sure that woman didn’t hear. He looked as excited and prompted me to continue speaking, moving in closely to hear. “Yes, good afternoon, Jan.”

  “Regan, I was reviewing your application and I’ve come to a decision.”

  Evan took hold of my hand, both of us crossing our fingers.

  “I want to offer you a position in the editing department.”

  Well, that was something I hadn’t expected. I looked to Evan with a wide smile before resuming speaking with her.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Yes, I think someone like you is just what our department needs, and don’t worry, the work schedule is kid friendly.”

  “Oh my God, thank you so much for this,” I said excitedly.

  “Just make sure to come tomorrow so you can sign the contract,” she said kindly, happiness exploding through me, along with relief.

  “Will do, Ma’am,” I said.

  “Great, I look forward to having you here. Have a nice day.”

  “You too!” Once I hung up, I started jumping excitedly along with Evan.

  “Daddy?” we both stopped, turning to Stephanie, who was looking at us like we’d both gone crazy. “What’s happening?”

  Evan looked to me and I simply shrugged. Now was as good a time as any.

  “Honey,” he said, “Regan is going to be living with us.”

  Stephanie didn’t react for a moment; she only took a few steps toward us and dashed toward me, her little arms reaching as high as they could, so I bent down and hugged her as well. Things were looking up now.

  Chapter 14

  Regan

  So many weeks had passed, and I was firmly adjusted into life with Stephanie and Evan. Melanie had kept her word and hadn’t bothered us, so it was all good. Right now, my belly was very swollen, and Stephanie often liked to hug it, so I figured it was time to go and get an ultrasound test. To be honest, I was a little nervous: was this really what I wanted? Did I really want a family with Evan, Stephanie, and a new baby? Ugh, I really couldn’t think of this right now. I just had to take deep breaths and wait for the doctor to proceed.

  “Ok Regan, here we go,” the doctor said gently.

  I smiled nervously and nodded, letting the woman put something cold and jelly-like on my belly, followed by the device and it started moving it over my stomach. Then we both turned to the screen where it showed the inside of my belly. It looked really weird, if you asked me. It was hard for me to make out anything; it was mostly black and white all around it.

  “Here we go, there’s the head,” the doctor said, pointing to a place on the screen. I could see it now, and it looked so small and fragile, like a little baseball. I felt I could just hold it in my palm.

  “What is it?” I asked out of curiosity. I wanted to know if I could tell Stephanie whether she would have a brother or not.

  “It’s a little early to tell. It’s not fully developed yet,” the doctor answered, moving the object again. “And now here’s the other head.”

  My eyes widened and I turned to her in shock. Shit, was my baby going to have two heads?

  “What?” I choked, hoping that this was some sort of joke.

  “Both of them seem to be in perfectly good health. Heartbeats are stable, and they show no signs of premature deformity.”

  “Wait, both?” I asked. Okay, two heads and one body was ruled out, but she said, “both”: that meant more than one baby.

  “Yes, you’re having twins.”

  I gawked at her for a moment, then turned back to the screen. Twins! I was having twins.

  “But how, I thought it would just be one,” I questioned.

  “Well, twins do develop sometimes.”

  “But it’s going to be two.”

  The woman laughed at that, removing the device.

  “Don’t worry, it’s the same process. And yes, two. That is usually what ‘twins’ means.”

  Well, that was comforting.

  “Here are some pictures,” she said giving me the paper of the images we just saw. “Are there any questions you have right now?”

  “Nope, I have to leave. Right now, immediately,” I said, moving to get up and trying to keep my breathing steady.

  I tried to remain calm for the duration of the visit, only vaguely hearing what the doctor said to me and nodding occasionally. Only when I left the clinic and went to my car did I start breathing harshly. Holy crap, I was having twins! Two babies at once! Why? I hadn’t ordered two: I only ordered one! Shit, I needed to talk to someone fast!

  I picked up my phone and instantly dialed Sarah’s number, jumping up and down, anxiously waiting for her to pick up.

  “Hey Regan, what’s up?” she finally answered.

  “Sarah, I might have a problem,” I said without preamble.

  “What is it? Did you accidentally spill hair dye in Evan’s shampoo again?”

  “What, no! I just went to the doctor to get an ultrasound checkup.”

  “Oh that’s great, what happened?”

  I took a deep breath, still not even believing the news myself. “I’m having twins!”

  I heard silence from the other line before glass shattering.

  “Twins!?”

  “Yes! Holy crap, what am I going to do?”

  “Okay, calm down and breathe deeply.”

  “I am, and I thought I was breathing for two, but it turns out I have to breathe for three. How am I gonna get that much oxygen?”

  “That’s not how breathing while pregnant works.”

  “Oh God, now I’m gonna get twice as fat.”

  “Not necessarily,” my friend said, trying to calm me. It was way too late for that.

  “Sarah, help me!”

  “I am helping you: you just need to calm down, woman!”

  She was right: deep breaths, Regan. Remember that.

  “Now,” Sarah continued, “You need to get over here, you’re clearly exhausted and we don’t want you getting upset.”

  “Ok, you’re right,” I said, starting the car. “I’ll meet you over there.”

  It took me a
few minutes to reach our old apartment. It was pretty close to the clinic, and once inside, I immediately went for the food she had on the table.

  “Ok, we need you to stay calm and, ... hey, that’s mine!” she yelled, once she saw me eating her food.

  “Now it’s mine! Pregnant woman trumps all,” I said through a mouthful, making her roll her eyes.

  “Oh fine, now sit over here, you need to be comfortable.”

  “Oh please, I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” I complained.

  “But you’re a pregnant woman who overreacts and too much anxiety is not going to be good for the babies.”

  I made a whiny noise at the back of my throat when I heard babies.

  “Do you have to make it plural?”

  “It’s what it is, woman,” she said, guiding me to the sofa and sitting me down. “Ok, just stay here and relax for a bit. Work and home life have been stressing you out too much. You need to take things easy for now.”

  “You’re telling me that, but it doesn’t make shit go away,” I complained, then looked at her seriously. I was just so scared and confused right now. “Sarah I don’t know what to do. I’m not so sure I want a baby anymore, much less two.”

  “Yes you do, you told me yourself,” she assured me. “You said you wanted to keep it, and another one won’t hurt you.”

  “Says you! You don’t have to push them out in a few months, you’re not gonna have them splitting your vagina in two.”

  Sarah sighed at that, and she knew I was right.

  “I guess. Look, I know you’re scared. I would be too, but this is just the pregnancy talking.”

  “But I’ve been having these thoughts a little after I moved in with Evan. What if I’m not ready to start a family? What if I become one of those mothers who leaves in the middle of the night without a trace? What if I decide not to tell Evan about the second baby and have them separated at birth? Then they would find each other later and be long lost twins.”

  “You need to stop watching so many movies,” she deadpanned, making me nod and bite into the food again. “Have you talked to Evan about this?” Her voice sounded serious and she looked at me expectantly.