by Tia Siren
“Why would you say that? I just slept with her. That’s all,” I assured him. I bit my tongue, thinking about how much I wished he would treat my cousin better.
“I see her as the kind to want more. I saw Sabrina out last night, and she asked about you. That’s who you need to hook up with,” Lewis told me as I rolled my eyes. Sabrina was as empty as they got despite being a beautiful woman.
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll call her,” I said before I changed the subject to our friend’s upcoming wedding. I knew about Ned’s party last night, but once I met Brea, I had wanted to go out with her. As soon as we had struck up our deal, I had been in a bigger hurry to see her. I was going to go to the wedding next weekend, and there were some events before that. Ned was acting like he was being sentenced to death even though his fiancée, Miri, was a great girl. They were both in the same social circle as Lewis and me, and the marriage was going to help business between their families.
Everything was a transaction in this world, and I was doing the same damn thing. I was getting Brea knocked up to improve my life, and for a moment, I wondered if it was a mistake.
No, it wasn’t.
We ended the call with my promise to meet the guys for dinner later. I set the phone down and rested against the couch as I played back last night with Brea. The sex had been unbelievable. I had never wanted someone like that before. Going in bare had felt so damn good, and I flashed ahead to doing it again, regardless of whether she got pregnant.
CHAPTER 8
Brea
The next couple weeks passed slowly for me. I spoke to Ryan a few times, but he was busy with work and a friend’s wedding. He called to see how I was feeling, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t think it took until I woke up the day my period was supposed to start. I was like clockwork, even without birth control. I stretched and walked into the bathroom, expecting to see the usual spot of blood on my panty liner, but it wasn’t there. I was completely clean.
I stared for a moment and told myself that this didn’t mean I was pregnant. It might happen later today. That could happen, right? Deep down, I knew better. I always started the same morning every month. I ran a hand through my hair and dressed as I considered what to do next.
I had the day off. I went to my laptop in the living room after making sure Stacy was gone for the day. I did a little research on pregnancy tests and determined that some of the pricier ones could tell me if I was pregnant already. I pulled on some jeans and a sweatshirt to walk down to the corner store and buy a few tests. I made some decent tips I could use, and this was definitely worth spending them on. I grabbed the tests plus some chocolate donuts and a milk and approached the counter. It was a young guy, and he rang me up before casting a curious glance my way.
So, this is what it felt like to have people think things about you. I wondered if he thought I was a slut and maybe didn’t know who the father was. I handed him some cash and took the bag with a weak smile before I walked back home. I walked straight inside and to the fridge, from which I grabbed two bottles of water and drank them as fast as I could. I opened the donuts and waited for the urge to pee to take me over.
I played through a few possibilities as I munched on the donuts and sipped the milk. I could be pregnant and potentially be given enough money to get out of debt. I would also have a guy who wanted to be a part of his child’s life. He had expressed that enough times that I believed him. My mind was racing, so I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
I might not be pregnant. If not, we’d try again. I would enjoy that of course, but I wanted this test to be positive. No, I didn’t. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I glanced at the bag beside me. I sighed and nibbled on my lip, leaning back against the couch. I shoved another donut into my mouth and stood as I felt some pressure on my bladder. I grabbed another bottle of water before picking up the bag and heading to the bathroom. I pulled my jeans down and sat on the toilet before tearing open a box and reading the instructions. It would be clear whether or not I was pregnant. I held the stick between my legs so I could find out my future. Then I set it on the counter and told myself that I only had to wait ten minutes. After already waiting two weeks, that felt like nothing.
I finished the donuts as I waited, feeling hungry suddenly. My body was restless and my heart raced as I hurried back to the bathroom. My emotions were mixed when I sat down on the floor and reached for the stick. I pulled it down slowly, taking in the last moments before I knew if I was going to be a mother.
I read the small screen and sucked in my breath. I stood and walked to get my phone by the bed and then dialed a number as I closed my eyes.
“Brea? Is everything okay?” Ryan asked when he answered.
“Yeah. Are you busy?” I asked as I slid to the floor. “Can you come over?”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he told me, not asking why. He must have heard the tremor in my voice and knew I needed him to come. I turned and rested against the bed until I heard a knock at the door. It took everything I had to get up and walk to the door. I was shaking when I opened it and let him inside.
“Brea? What is it?” he asked as I led the way to the bathroom. I reached for the test and held it up for him to see, my eyes shining with tears. “You’re pregnant!”
“Yes, I am,” I choked out as he smiled widely at me. “It happened so fast.”
“I’m a stud. That’s why,” he told me as he read it again and shook his head while I laughed nervously. “Damn, this is really happening.”
He left the room as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, and I followed. I leaned against the wall to watch as he greeted his father. Ryan told him he needed to talk to him about something and asked if they could meet for dinner that night. He grudgingly agreed to his mom coming along before he ended the call and took a deep breath. “We are on our way to freedom. I’m so excited about this, Brea.”
“What happens now?” I asked as he slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Call the doctor Dean told us about. The card is in the packet he gave us. I know you don’t have insurance, but I’m going to cover everything. You’ll get the best care.” He touched my stomach, and I pressed my lips tightly together. “It won’t come out of your share. I just want to do it for you and the baby.”
“Okay. I’ll make an appointment today,” I promised as he moved his hand to touch my cheek. “What do you think they’ll do?”
“He’s the best, Brea. He’ll take good care of you,” Ryan assured me, his eyes softening.
“Can I tell anyone? Lucy? I don’t want to keep this a secret, not completely. I need to talk to a friend,” I said. He seemed to consider the question.
“Yeah, but tell her to keep it between you two until Dad knows tonight. I’ll keep you posted, but I think he’ll be thrilled that he’s having a grandchild.” Ryan seemed edgy as he got lost in thought. “There’s so much we need to do. I want to get you set up at an organic store online. Most of them will deliver to you. Lucy uses it and the food is great. That way you won’t have to go shopping and worry about getting the stuff home. I’m going to put my credit card on the account, and I want you to get anything you need.”
“You are?” I asked. He nodded.
“I have an account at Amazon as well. I’ll link you to that so you can order anything you need.” Ryan reached for my hand and led the way to the couch, where the laptop was. He bookmarked the sites, and I stared at him as he got up and paced in front of the window.
“What do you think your parents will say?” I asked. He stopped and looked at me thoughtfully.
“I want to think they’ll be happy. I wish I could say that I want my kid around them after he or she is here and to be close to them, but I don’t know what to think about that. I just know we’re going to be great parents, Brea. I can feel it. I can see our dreams coming true.” He smiled as I nodded, having the same hopes myself. We ordered lunch, and he asked what my favorite foods were as we ate on the couch. I was hungry by then and tho
roughly enjoyed the deli sandwiches and chips as we talked about the future.
He left afterward to get ready for dinner and take care of some things. I cleaned up after lunch and turned on the television as I curled up on the couch. I called the doctor and made an appointment for two days later, sending Ryan a text to tell him when. I didn’t feel like we were going to be together, but we could co-parent well. We both had the best interest of the baby in our hearts even though this had been planned around an inheritance. I felt like we could love this baby and make this work for us.
Ryan sent a text back telling me that he’d take me to the doctor and that he was glad I had let him know. I took a deep breath and called Lucy. I needed to talk this out with someone who knew me. “Hey,” she said, answering the phone breathlessly.
“Are you busy?” I asked hesitantly, not wanting to take too much of her time.
“I’m just sorting through some paintings. What’s up?” She sounded cheerful, and I took a deep breath. I hadn’t told her too much yet beyond the fact that I went out with Ryan once.
“I have something to tell you,” I said, feeling my nerves kick in as my heart started to pound. Oh, fuck. I was pregnant. I was going to have a baby. I started to breathe heavily as she waited for me to speak.
“Brea? You sound like you’re dying!! What is it?” Lucy asked. I tried to compose myself by sitting still and taking deep breaths to calm down.
“You know I went out with Ryan,” I began.
“Yeah?” There was a question in her voice, and I licked my lips nervously, my stomach fluttering.
“Well, we made something of an arrangement on the date. How much do you know about his inheritance?” I asked her warily, wondering how much I would have to explain.
“Hmmm. Let me think. Something stupid about getting married or having a kid since he’s not completely obsessed with the banking stuff? It’s ridiculous,” she huffed. I let out a squeak. “Wait a minute. Are you fucking getting married?” Her voice was shrill, and I jumped and pressed my hand over my heart.
“No,” I admitted, realizing that I might sound like a complete whore here.
“Okay. So, the date was a few weeks back, right? I didn’t hear about any other ones since I’ve been insane with this gallery stuff. He didn’t propose, but did you sleep with him?” Lucy demanded. I closed my eyes. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it’s not what you think. I mean, not completely,” I assured her as she screamed at me to explain myself. “He gets cut off from getting the money this year. I have all those school loans. We got to talking and decided to produce an heir to the business so he could start his own thing and I’d be able to relax about all my debt. It’s a contract that was drawn up and everything. It’s weird but totally legitimate. I found out today that I’m pregnant, probably just a few weeks along.”
“Holy shit,” Lucy whispered as I heard her drop into her squeaky office chair. “Are you okay with this?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I am freaking out a little bit. The contract is very thorough, and I know what’s in it for me. Ryan wants to be involved as well, and he’s going to take care of everything without touching my part of the money. He doesn’t want to be a deadbeat dad and I believe him. Am I crazy?”
There was a long silence on the other end. “Is that all it is? An agreement? I thought you guys really hit it off.”
“At the time, yes. Please don’t breathe a word of this until he tells his family. It’s really early still and he wants his dad to know first. I asked to call you because I couldn’t stand sitting here thinking about this by myself.” I felt relieved as my shoulders relaxed. “I just need a friend in this, and I trust you the most.”
“He’s not with you?” she asked. I looked around the empty room.
“He was. He saw the test and set me up with groceries and his Amazon account, but he called his dad to meet for dinner tonight,” I told her as I remembered how kind he’d been. “He’s being great about this.”
“I’ve known him my whole life, as you know. Ryan has his flaws, but overall, I think he’ll be a good dad. I think he’ll support you the entire time. I wish I could say what his parents will think. What is his angle with them?” Lucy asked. I played back his story in my head, wanting it to be at least a little more than that.
“He’s going to tell them it was just a one-night stand. An oops.” I hated the words as Lucy hummed on the other end.
“That sounds best. I think even his awful father knows that Ryan wouldn’t leave a woman alone in that situation. I wonder what will happen from there?”
“I have no fucking idea. I hope I don’t have to meet them,” I said. She chuckled into the phone.
“Me, too.”
CHAPTER 9
Ryan
I paced the apartment before I left for dinner. My mind had been racing ever since I’d left Brea’s. In just two short weeks, my life had been changed forever. Now I had to tell my parents.
Brea was pregnant. I had seen the test with my own eyes. It was everything I wanted, but I was also terrified of the future. I knew it would give me the inheritance to start a support foundation for the families of alcoholics, which I’d been dreaming of for years. I also knew this would mean Brea could breathe again without the worry of debt looming over her head. She’d been through a lot and deserved the break. But we were having a fucking baby.
On paper, I knew it was handled. In addition to getting her end of the bargain, I was going to take care of Brea in every possible way I could. I’d pay for the best doctors and anything she needed, and she could already shop to her heart’s content. I’d give her the world if it meant helping her through this pregnancy.
I had seen that she was scared. It had been in her voice when she’d asked me to come over today, filling the phone and my heart with dread. I’d seen it in her eyes when she had opened the door.
I thought she already looked beautiful, being pregnant with my child, but I also hadn’t seen her in a couple weeks. That damned wedding, which probably wouldn’t work out, had taken up a lot of time as well as the facade that I wanted to learn the family business. I would finally be free of that tonight.
I would take a load off my shoulders tonight, but I was dreading seeing my father’s face. The story was good, and I hoped he wouldn’t see through the lie. Dad wanted to meet at one of the best steakhouses in the city in an hour, and I had no idea how it might go. It seemed like all we did anymore was bicker. I’d been at the bank to appease him. Tonight, everything might change.
I was wearing a pair of nice black slacks and a white shirt with a dark green tie. I felt like I was going to an interview or something, but the required dress for Frank’s was formal. I didn’t know why Dad couldn’t just pick a more casual restaurant and enjoy a meal like a normal person. We’d be seen by all his associates tonight, which didn’t make for the best time to tell him my news. I sat down on the couch and put on my nicest shoes, knowing I’d be in the public eye tonight.
I grabbed my keys and locked the door, wishing I drank like my mom for the first time in my life. This baby was more reason not to drink now, and I took a deep breath as I walked to the elevator. I’d arranged for a car to pick me up.
I felt the eyes of the other residents on me as I stepped into the lobby. A lot of them were women who wanted me or who I had hooked up with in the past. They’d probably love to be Brea right now, waiting for me to support them in style. Brea had protested when I’d set her up with some accounts to shop with. The women around me were a little ridiculous, and I just looked forward as I walked to the door, my eyes finding the black car waiting for me.
I was silent during the drive, moving ahead in my mind as the car moved along. I pictured Brea growing with my baby and the day we would become parents, followed by the things that would stand out after that. The car stopped and the window in front rolled down as Liam let me know we’d arrived. I pressed my hands down my pants and stepped out, hearing the w
hispers and seeing everyone looking at me. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and made my way inside, looking around for Dad. He was a very punctual man and would no doubt be here already. I checked with the hostess to see if he’d arrived, and she blushed as she batted her false eyelashes at me. “Yes, Mr. Hall. He’s at the usual table.”
“Of course he is,” I murmured with a tight smile. I nodded and turned to go to the same table by the window. Thankfully, there was some privacy there, but we were still on display. Dad was there alone, and I prepared myself for some excuse about Mom. I realized I was happy she wasn’t here. “Dad. How are you?” I asked as I slid into the seat across from him.
“Ryan. Your mom wasn’t feeling well, so she couldn’t be here tonight. She sends her apologies.” What that meant was that she’d tied one on and was too drunk to come, but I smiled and nodded. It would go better without her here. “Is everything okay?”
I ordered an iced tea from the waitress, and we went ahead and placed our orders. There was no need to look at the menu since we came here a lot. “It’s fine, Dad. I just got some news that I thought I should share with you.” He frowned and looked at me with concern. He was worried about our perfect image. I started to speak again. “I hooked up with a girl a few weeks ago after a party, and she came to me today to tell me that she’s pregnant.” I kept my face serious so he would believe me, watching as his face turned from concern to pride. He was going to have his heir.
“I admit that it might not be under the best conditions, but I know you’ll take care of this child. He can also take over the business so you can do what it is you want to do. Who is she, Son?”
“She’s a nice girl. I think that together we can co-parent just fine. I obviously plan to support her financially through all of it as well as be a part of the baby’s life. It was sudden and not at all planned, but you have to deal with things as they come,” I said with a shrug as our drinks were placed before us.