by Tia Siren
“You two seem like you’re celebrating something,” she said, her eyes demanding an answer of me.
“We are,” Ryan replied with a wink that made me blush. Planning a baby with someone shouldn’t feel so right to me, especially when he was a stranger, but it did. I felt perfect.
“Huh. Take care of this one. She’s a good girl.” Lorraine patted me on the arm and turned to head toward the bar as I blushed.
“Don’t mind her,” I assured him as Ryan stacked our plates up for her to pick up easily.
“She’s right. You are a good girl, and you’ll make a great mother. The compassion in your eyes is overwhelming at times. That baby will be loved with everything you and I have, which is a lot,” Ryan said. I felt tears well in my eyes.
“You want this?” I checked, and he nodded.
We enjoyed our dessert and talked some more about the idea and just life in general. I could see that Ryan was a protective, alpha male by the way he talked, but he had a sweet side as well. I thought he’d make a good dad for a little girl, even though his family wanted a son to carry on the family name.
The only part I wasn’t sure about was any relationship my child might have with Ryan’s parents. I was wary of how well they’d take care of their grandchild, if they even wanted to be a part of the child’s life at all. Was a baby just a means to an end for them?
“Where do you see your relationship with your parents going regarding a baby? Will they be a part of your life?” I asked him. He frowned for a moment.
“I would like to see Mom quit drinking before she gets to see the baby. I’d like to see Dad change, but I am not going to hold my breath for that. This is our life. It’s not theirs, even if we are doing this for them in a twisted way. I am willing to have it be just the two of us and friends like Lucy in the baby’s life, it that’s how it works out. How about your mom?” Ryan asked, and I thought about her.
“She’ll be a good far-away grandma. She’s tied up in her life in Minnesota, but I can see her calling to check in on us.”
He frowned. “She wouldn’t be at the hospital?”
I shrugged. She kind of checked out on me once she met Bruce and moved away.
“She might think I’m crazy.”
Ryan walked me home that night, giving me a long kiss at my door before he told me good night. I knew that anything else with him was going to be amazing as I returned his passion. I was wrapped safely in his arms, and I hadn’t felt so protected in years. He told me he would contact me about the lawyer and kissed me again.
I was wondering if it was all a dream as I sat on my bed that night. My head was spinning. I wasn’t sure what exactly I’d gotten myself into, but I knew my life was about to get a lot more interesting.
CHAPTER 5
Ryan
I drove home in a fog that night. I had wanted to stay with Brea and start practicing earlier. Our kiss had been hot as fuck, and I could only imagine what it would feel like to be buried inside her. I needed to handle business though. A contract had to be drawn up so she knew I meant what I had said about not being a deadbeat dad. I needed to give her more than my word.
I called one of the attorneys I knew I could trust to come over as soon as possible. It had to be kept quiet from Dad so he wouldn’t know it was arranged. I was going to play it off like Brea was a one-night stand who delivered some bad news to me and that I planned to run with it. The inheritance was just going to be a bonus for both of us, though he’d never know that part of the deal. I was surprised when the lawyer told me he could see me on Monday afternoon. I called Brea to ask her if that worked. As it turned out, she had the day off and could come by. I told her I’d send a car for her so she didn’t have to deal with getting across town on her own. She thanked me, and we both ended the call after an awkward silence.
I knew this was going to be weird, so I planned to fix lunch for us. This was a celebration, even though it was an odd set of circumstances, and I needed to make her as comfortable as I could.
Dean was a thorough lawyer, and I outlined everything about the arrangement to him during our phone call. He chuckled at the way I was handling the situation with the inheritance but agreed to keep quiet. He himself thought my father was absurd, though we kept that between us. Dean had been married for ten years now and had a beautiful set of five-year-old twin girls, and he found it sickening that my dad looked at family as a business deal.
He arrived about an hour before the car was to pick up Brea, and I let him in with a smile. “Hey, Dean. How are the girls?” I asked him, and he beamed at me.
“They start kindergarten soon. I can’t believe it,” he said as he set his briefcase down on the floor and followed me to the kitchen. “Listen…as a client, I shouldn’t question any of your choices. As a friend, I must. Are you sure about this, Ryan?”
I looked at him as I grabbed bottles of water for both of us. “I don’t want it to be this way, but Dad set the rules.”
“Is she a good person?” Dean asked, and I nodded quickly.
“She’s best friends with Lucy.” Dean knew the whole family, and he laughed. “She’s not like the vapid girls I’ve met in my social circle. She’s caring and funny and will make a great mother. Brea isn’t a gold digger, Dean. This will just help her as well.”
“Good enough. I can see why you’re going about it this way. I thought this was an asinine idea from the get-go,” he muttered as he took a seat and opened his water. “Is there anything romantic between you two?”
“Yes, though I’m not sure what. I only have a few months before Dad takes the money away from me, so this was just good timing. I still want to get to know her and spend time with her,” I assured him as I put the marinating chicken in the fridge. “We’re just rushing things.”
“Yeah. You caught me off guard,” he agreed as I sat down beside him to make some small talk before her arrival. I knew when the car left the building from Chuck’s text, and I planned on Brea being here in about twenty minutes. I filled Dean in on how I met Brea and we got along so well, but I didn’t know if I was reassuring him or myself.
When I heard the phone chime, I knew they were here. I stood up and pressed my hands to my jeans for a moment before there was a knock at the door.
I felt nervous as I opened it, inviting Brea in and introducing her to Dean. She looked beautiful in another dress, this one brown and down to her ankles, and he gave me an approving look.
“Let’s sit down at the table,” Dean suggested, and he led the way. I smiled at Brea, allowing her to go first, and asked if she wanted some water. She did, so I got it as Dean arranged the papers on the table.
“I know this is a strange situation for you,” Dean said, “but I’m just going to jump in. I have prepared the contracts guaranteeing that you’ll receive five hundred thousand dollars once Ryan gets his inheritance free and clear. It will be yours to do with what you want and that end of the deal will be done. He’s also agreed to pay child support to assist you with the financial needs of the baby, something we can discuss later when the baby is here. He fully intends to be an active father in this child’s life and support both of you in every way possible.”
Brea nodded as her face paled, and I looked at Dean. I knew everything was legal here, and I cleared my throat. “I am going to be here for the both of you, Brea. This is more than a financial transaction to me, and I’ll do anything to prove that to you.”
“I trust you,” she told me as our eyes locked for a moment.
“To the best of my knowledge, the money won’t be yours until the baby is born. Ryan has agreed to pay anything that is related to the pregnancy until that time in order to have a healthy child, so there will be no stress on your end. We want you to take the best care of yourself you possibly can, and he is willing to cover any expenses that might come up.” Brea looked at me with a small smile. “Are you on any kind of birth control?”
“No, none,” she replied, and he nodded.
“When wa
s your last period?” he asked, and she blushed, responding that it was a couple weeks ago. He gave her a bag that included some ovulation tests to use beginning next week so we could get started. That made Brea blush furiously, and I shoved the chuckle aside that was low in my throat. “Try it on your own for a while, and if there are any issues, we’ll get you to the doctor. I think you’re both healthy, though, and shouldn’t have a problem.”
I reached for Brea’s hand under the table and squeezed it as she burst into giggles, making Dean crack a smile.
“Ryan mentioned getting tested for any diseases, and I have an appointment for you at the local clinic Wednesday at nine in the morning, assuming you don’t work.”
“I don’t,” she replied with a nod as he glanced at me.
“You’ll have the results from the test within twenty-four hours. You’ll be able to try to conceive within a couple weeks.”
Dean went over a few more things, and then she signed the papers before sliding them over to me. I scribbled my name in the proper spot and looked up at Dean. He shook my hand and looked at Brea for a long moment.
“He’s going to take the best care of you and the baby, Brea. Ryan is a good man, and since I’ve known him a long time, I feel like I can tell you that.”
“Thank you,” she said in a sincere voice before he reached out his hand to shake hers. Brea smiled, and we made a little more small talk before Dean excused himself.
“I have some chicken in the fridge that I was going to make for lunch. Does that sound good?” I asked. Brea’s shoulders sunk slowly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. That was just…so official.” Brea took a deep breath. “Lunch sounds great. I didn’t eat all day because I was so nervous about this.”
I walked to the kitchen and she followed, asking if I needed any help. I assured her that she could sit down and relax while I cooked, and she took a seat at the breakfast bar. I pulled the chicken out before warming up the indoor grill to cook it and getting the oven on to roast some vegetables. She looked on, and she seemed to be thinking about a lot of stuff, something I knew I had caused.
“Dean seems nice,” she finally said, and I nodded in return.
“He’s been a part of Dad’s team for years. Luckily, he disagrees with some of his choices regarding me and agreed to keep this under the radar. I’m going to go to him when it comes time to get a business going as well.” I gave her a long look. “His grandmother was an alcoholic, so he understands some of the things that happened when I was a kid.”
“Ah,” she said as her face softened. “What are you going to tell your family when it…it happens?”
I looked at her for a moment as I thought about the best way to phrase my answer. “I was thinking of going with the story about a one-night stand getting pregnant. I can play it off like I’m having trouble accepting it but might as well roll with it.” Hurt flashed through her eyes, and I shook my head at her. “None of which is true. It’s just easiest in this complex situation, Brea.”
“I understand. It makes it seem like you didn’t plan this. That way your dad won’t be suspicious,” she said, trying to agree with me as I flipped the grill open and placed the chicken on it. I took a deep breath. “Maybe they won’t even need to meet me.”
“I’d prefer that. I’m not proud of them, Brea. I hope this goes by quickly and you feel like you can breathe again.” I gave her a sincere look, and she blushed.
“You do?” she asked. I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Well, I’m not going to mind trying for this baby. I hope that doesn’t go by too fast,” I said, teasing her, and her eyes widen. “I also hear that pregnant women like a lot of sex. I wouldn’t want you to go without since we’ll be familiar with each other by then.” I closed the grill, and the chicken sizzled as I watched need pass through Brea’s eyes.
“Oh, my.” Her voice was a murmur as I spread the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzled it with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper. “Do you like to cook?”
“Yeah. I prefer to eat healthily, and that’s easiest if you cook at home. More control. I also love going out to eat. It just depends on the moment of the day. Do you cook?” I asked her. She wrinkled her nose.
“A little. I keep it simple though. I guess I should learn if I’m going to be feeding a tiny human someday,” she murmured, giving me an idea.
“We can take some cooking classes together. I don’t mind the idea of my kid enjoying all kinds of food.” The smile that was on her face was beautiful, and it hit me deep inside for a second as I blinked. “We could get him or her started early.”
“Are you scared that you’ll be like them?” Brea asked as I loaded the chicken up on a plate and gave the vegetables a shake in the oven. “I mean…what if we fail?”
“We won’t,” I said, looking into her eyes with determination. Once the vegetables were finished, I fixed our plates and took them to the table. My last surprise was a bottle of sparkling cider that I uncorked as she looked up with a gasp. I carried the bottle and two glasses to the table, pouring it as the bubbles rose to the top. “This is the extent of any drinking you will see from me. I was stupid that night at Lucy’s, thinking it was a good idea. I’m glad you were there to remind me of that.” I handed her one glass and held the other up as she smiled weakly. “Here’s to our future. It’s going to be good, Brea.”
“Yes,” she agreed as she clinked her glass to mine with a smile. We drank, and she giggled as the carbonated liquid slid down her throat. “I haven’t had this since I was a kid.” We settled into the meal and talked seriously about growing up with alcoholics and the lessons we had learned from it. Brea was a saint compared to me when it came to drinking, but I’d learned my lesson repeatedly. At one point, it had seemed like a good way to escape my life.
I knew now that it wasn’t.
Once we were done, we went to the couch to talk about what we wanted for our baby before I leaned in to kiss her. I couldn’t resist. I tasted the sweet juice that covered her lips as she leaned closer to me.
I couldn’t wait to worship this woman.
CHAPTER 6
Brea
I looked around the coffee shop, seeing that it was slow for a minute. I’d been dreading calling Ryan today, but I’d been diligent about keeping track of my ovulation, just as Dean had suggested. We’d done our tests and both of us were clean. Neither of us had been sexually active recently, so we trusted the results.
I knew that today was a peak time to get pregnant. If we wanted to start trying, now was the time. Holy shit. Was there any chance of it happening so fast?
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and told Stacy that I was going to take a quick break. I stepped out front and bit my lip before dialing his number. We hadn’t talked much since having lunch at his place, since that incredible make-out session on his couch. Ryan and I had gotten close to jumping each other that night but agreed to take the tests and wait until I was ready to conceive.
“Hi, Brea. Is everything okay?” he asked, and I smiled. I loved hearing the sound of his voice.
“I’ve been taking those tests Dean gave me. Tonight is a good night for…you know,” I said shyly. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
“Tonight,” Ryan repeated as I stared out at the street, watching the cars pass by. “Where are you?”
“I’m working right now. I was thinking that—”
“Come over later after work. I can send the car to get you.” I heard the eagerness in his voice and felt both flattered and a little scared all at once.
“I should go home and change first. I’m off at six.” I stalled as I leaned against the glass of the window, feeling like a teenager all over again. Did I want to go over there smelling of coffee and sweat?
“You know what? I’ll be nearby, so I’ll just get you myself at the shop after six. How does that sound?” he asked. I blinked.
“Good. I’ll just be inside. What kind of car do you have
?” I asked, ashamed of the fact that I didn’t know.
“It’s a black Escalade. I’ll pull up to the curb. See you later, Brea.” I pulled the phone away as he ended the call, feeling like I wanted to scream. He sounded like he was looking forward to it as much as I was, making me close my eyes and take a deep breath.
I may as well have been a virgin for the lack of confidence I felt right now. I turned and walked back inside as Stacy watched me, hating that she knew me better than anyone here. I regretted moving in with her when she’d needed a roommate. It had been convenient at the time, but now I wasn’t so sure. “Why do you look so nervous?” she asked as I joined her behind the counter. My mind was racing with thoughts of sex, a baby, and my bills finally getting paid off.
“I’m not. I just have a date tonight. I’m thinking about that,” I told her as the door opened and some girls walked in. Shit. Why did I say it was a date?
“Is it with Ryan again?” she asked, and I rolled my eyes. “You’re dating Ryan Hall, aren’t you?”
“We’re just hanging out, Stacy. It’s nothing.” The customers got closer, and I tried to step forward to end the conversation. I didn’t want anything about our situation to get out. It could ruin Ryan’s reputation. He needed to just get a random girl pregnant, not be all over the news.
“Hi. What can I get you?” I asked brightly. The blond girl ordered a latte and the brunette asked for a chai tea. I rang them up after making sure they were paying together and handed back their change. Stacy moved over to make the drinks, and I watched her for a moment as she smiled knowingly at me.
“You never did tell me how you met, just that he was showing up,” she reminded me as she handed the drinks over to the girls.
“He’s Lucy’s cousin and I met him at one of her parties. We got along well.” I didn’t want to mention his mom even though Stacy knew about my dad. I couldn’t share that bond. “We’re just friends.”