by Nia Anderson
"And why do you need them?" Mrs. Thompson’s eyes traveled to Morgan’s torso.
"Oh, no, I’m not pregnant!" Morgan laughed. "Did you know that I volunteer down at the youth center?"
"No, I didn’t know that."
"Yeah, well one of the girls came to me in confidence. She thought she was pregnant so I told her I’d bring her a pregnancy test, but she didn’t end up needing it."
Mrs. Thompson looked skeptical. But she was beyond relieved to hear that the tests weren’t Grace’s.
"I think your mom would have been understanding of that,” Mrs. Thompson said.
Morgan shrugged. "I didn’t want to chance it. I knew she would worry…kind of like how you are now."
Mrs. Thompson laughed and nodded. "I was worried. I was so afraid we were going to have to revisit what happened to Grace in high school…and all this business that was going on with Matthew recently…and the time that she spent alone with Ryan…I guess I just assumed the worst."
"It’s understandable." Morgan again glanced nervously out towards the terrace. Through the small window she saw that Ryan and Grace were standing very close to one another. "Can I get you something to drink or…"
"So Grace isn’t here?" her mother asked.
"Yeah, she’s around here somewhere. Let me go get her." Morgan turned towards the back of the apartment. She thought she’d be able to distance herself from Mrs. Thompson and warn Grace that her mother was there, but no such luck. Mrs. Thompson was fresh on her heels.
"You know, it’s going to be weird having her so close to home but not having her at home…" Mrs. Thompson’s sentence ended abruptly as she looked through the window and saw her daughter engaged in one of the most passionate lip-locks she had ever witnessed not on a movie screen. And who was that she was kissing…Ryan Stewart?!?!
Morgan shrugged when Grace’s mother turned and looked to her for an explanation. Grace had told Morgan that she wasn’t sure where she stood with Ryan so Morgan wasn’t in a position to provide any insight on the relationship.
Grace seemed to sense her mother’s presence. She saw her through the window, and with her hand joined with Ryan’s, she walked into the apartment as if she had nothing to hide.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked when she re-entered the apartment.
"I brought a few things by,” her mother answered. She gestured towards the table and when she saw the expression on Grace’s face at the sight of the drugstore bag, she knew Morgan had lied. It was obvious that the contents of the bag belonged to Grace. "I was just leaving. Grace, can you walk me out?"
"Uh…sure." Grace exchanged a nervous glance with Morgan and Ryan before walking with her mother outside.
"So…Ryan again?" her mother asked once they were alone.
"Yeah." Grace nodded. It was difficult to refrain from grinning, but she didn’t want her mother to think of her as a lovesick school-girl.
"Grace…" Her mother closed her eyes as she thought of how she was going to phrase her words. "Daddy and I have just gotten used to the idea of you not going to law school…don't do this to us, okay?"
"Do what?"
"Don’t throw your entire future away, Grace. Not over some boy."
"Mom, I know how you feel, but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m six months younger than you were when you married dad."
"Times were different then."
"Yeah, well you once told me that you know you were going to marry Daddy after your first date."
"We’re talking about you, not me."
"I know. And I’m telling you that you have nothing to worry about."
"Grace, I just brought a bag over here containing two pregnancy tests. You expect me not to worry?"
"Yes."
Grace and her mother stared at each other for seemingly an eternity.
"So you and Ryan are talking about marriage? It’s that serious?" her mother finally asked.
Grace shook her head. "Ryan and I haven’t even begun to discuss that. We’re just reconnecting. And I know I’m nowhere near ready for marriage. But I also know that when I am ready, I definitely want him as the main contender."
A clearing of the throat was heard. Grace and her mother turned around to find Ryan standing there with a garbage bag in his hand.
"Sorry, Morgan told me to make myself useful." He pointed to the bag.
"It’s okay. I’ve got to get going." Grace’s mother went over to Grace and gave her a hug and a kiss. She hesitated, but then, as if on second thought, she leaned over and gave Ryan a quick hug. "I’ll be talking to you, Grace,” she said as she walked away.
"Bye Mom." Grace and Ryan stood side by side as they watched Mrs. Thompson depart.
"Well, that was awkward." Ryan turned to Grace and smiled. "What’d she want to talk to you about?"
"Oh you know…life, responsibility…pregnancy tests." Grace smiled back.
"Are we in trouble?"
"No. We’re adults now, Ryan. There's no more getting in trouble."
Ryan walked the short journey to the garbage dump. When he returned to where Grace was standing, he noticed how weary she looked. But she looked happy just the same.
"What are you thinking?" Ryan asked her.
"Just about my mom. How she will always think of me as her little girl no matter how old I get,”Grace said. “Kinda like how Matthew will always be a little boy in my mind."
"Our little boy,” Ryan corrected her.
"Yeah. Our little boy." Grace smiled up at Ryan as he put his arm around her and led her back towards the apartment.
Ryan had no plans to tell Grace that he’d heard her comments to her mother regarding marriage. He was relieved to hear that Grace wasn’t ready for that step…almost as relieved as he was to hear that he was her "main contender". For he knew in his heart of hearts that she was definitely his.
THE END.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for taking the time to read my first BWWM romance. It is my sincere hope that you enjoyed it. If you’d like to contact me for any reason, you can do so by emailing me at: [email protected]. Also, be sure to stay tuned for more of my books.
Best wishes,
Nia Anderson
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Bonus Book
Please continue reading for a free bonus book by BWWM author Amara Edwards. It’s called The Family Life and you can check out the details on Amazon by clicking here. If you’ve already read this book, please disregard this notice.
The Family Life
A BWWM
Single Parent
Pregnancy Romance
For Adults
By Amara Edwards
Copyright 2016 Amara Edwards
BWWM Midnight Reads
All Rights Reserved
This novella is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are strictly coincidental. This book may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without the expressed permission of the author.
Table of content
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
Chapter seven
Chapter eight
Chapter nine
Chapter ten
Chapter eleven
Epilogue
Chapter one
Erica’s eyes scanned the empty foyer with its neutral walls and flawless mahogany flooring. She wanted to leave the house move-in ready for its new owners, and with a little elbow grease she managed to do just that. Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, Erica walked into the equally pristine living
room and let her mind wander to her younger years.
Moving across the country and leaving her family behind was one of the hardest things Erica had ever done, but she knew that paving a fresh start for herself was for the best. As soon as she received her acceptance letter from Howard, Erica whizzed through her exams, quickly wrapped up high school, and dove headfirst into the next chapter of her life.
That summer, Erica started working full-time at a local pharmacy in order to save up for her college textbooks. She also accepted an unpaid internship at the marketing firm her father managed in order to get some experience under her belt. There, she was put in charge of assisting the firm’s paralegal, a dowdy woman who was more than grateful for the help everyday from 5 p.m. onward.
That entire summer, Erica got home very late and was always the first to arrive at work every morning. She saw less and less of her childhood friends as a result, but she figured that too was probably for the best. All they made her think of was Griffin, which inevitably got her thinking about the baby they’d lost during their junior year of high school.
Of all the tragedies Erica had overcome during her more rebellious years, that one was probably the hardest.
Shaking off the memory, Erica moved away from the window and walked slowly into the kitchen. Once there, she ran her fingers along the shining granite countertop and allowed her mind to once again wander.
A few weeks before Erica left for college, her parents rewarded her hard work and dedication by taking her on a weeklong vacation to Jamaica. For seven blissful days, the family of three bonded, relaxed in the sun, and allowed all their worries to fall to the wayside. When all was said and done, Erica came back tanned, well rested, and ready to dive into her latest challenge: post-secondary education.
Erica’s first year at Howard was not unlike most students living on campus. Right from the start, she was exposed to a very different way of life than the one she was accustomed to back home. Here, people actually wanted to be around her for her – not because she was the infamous Griffin Fitzpatrick’s girlfriend. She was invited to cookouts, football games, house parties, and the like. And the best part was – not one person was aware of the rocky past she’d left behind in San Francisco.
It was during her first week on campus that Erica met Jade. The girls differed in the sense that Jade was boy crazy and sociable, whereas Erica was a bookworm who preferred spending most nights in, but they managed to overcome these differences and were nearly inseparable by the end of their freshman year.
Appearance wise, Jade was petite with dark cocoa skin, short black hair, and huge brown eyes. Erica, on the other hand, had more of a rich caramel complexion and medium length brown hair that brought out her inquiring hazel eyes. She was also quite curvaceous. While they were both stunning women on their own, together they were a force to be reckoned with. In fact, they made such a pretty picture that men often gave them admiring looks – looks that Jade reveled in and Erica ignored.
Four years later, both woman graduated magna cum laude and went on to attend the same graduate school preceding their undergraduate education. There, Erica pursued a master’s degree in business marketing, and Jade put all her energy into studying family law.
It was at a pre-law party shortly after her twenty-fifth birthday that Erica met Robert. Smiling to herself in the here and now, she recalled the exact moment she first saw him and remembered how blown away she was by his natural good looks and impressive height. After giving him a shy smile, he quickly took the cue and approached her, and the rest was history. The pair took to each other almost immediately, and they spent the rest of the night and every night after that getting to know each other on a more personal level.
Off of face value alone, Robert was everything Erica thought she was looking for in a man. Handsome, sophisticated, and athletic were just a few fitting words that described him, but Erica knew there was more to him than his smooth chocolate skin, rock hard body, and sharp brown eyes. Beneath the surface was an intellectual, cultured, well-traveled man who began to slowly wear away the protective armor she’d so long ago constructed around her heart.
After dating Robert for less than a year, Erica decided to take their relationship to the next level by sharing her body with him. He was a very patient man who respected her to the fullest, and he always made it abundantly clear that he understood the reasons behind her hesitation to rush into sex. Thus, it came as no surprise to Erica their subsequent physical relationship was amazing, but she always remembered to protect herself.
Come hell or high water, the mistake of her youth would not affect her again.
With Jade and Robert by her side, Erica enjoyed her last few months of graduate school to the fullest despite the mountain of assignments, thesis papers, and conferences that occupied the brunt of her time. The day after she graduated, Robert finally popped the question. They were taking a walk through the park soaking up summers first few rays of sunshine when he suddenly stopped walking and dropped down onto one knee in front of her. Pulling a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket, he flipped it open to reveal a breathtaking diamond princess ring and asked Erica to do him the honor of becoming his bride.
Surprised and more than a little apprehensive, Erica accepted the proposal and made the plunge into the next chapter of life despite her reservations. Shortly after the wedding, she accepted a job offer at one of D.C.’s top marketing firms as head of their advertising sector, and for awhile, everything was peachy. It wasn't until the dust began to settle that the first sign of trouble reared its ugly head.
From an outsider’s perspective, Erica and Robert were perfect for each other. Her friends never stopped gushing about what a wonderful man she’d managed to snag, but Erica was ambivalent. As amazing as Robert was, it didn't change the fact that she felt like she was living a lie. As a result, she often found herself picking petty fights with him, of which she rarely ever apologized for even if she was blatantly in the wrong.
Erica knew that Robert wanted the marriage to work, but it was all one sided. As much as she loved him as a person, the glaring issue was that she wasn't in love with him. Thus, the divorce was amicable and both parties signed the release forms with a sense of relief. Jade was steadfast in her belief that Erica was a fool to let someone like Robert go, but what was done was done.
Now standing in what used to be their kitchen, Erica looked out the back window and knew it was time to move on. Robert had long since moved out and was now living in a bachelor pad somewhere upstate. As for her, she’d received a stellar recommendation from her boss and was set to start working at the San Francisco division of her company in just three weeks’ time as manager of their food-marketing division.
Locking the front door for the very last time, Erica took one last look at the street she had called home for the past two years and smiled. D.C. would always hold both good and bad memories for her. The good were her college years, Jade, the beginning of her relationship Robert, this street, and the cities wonderful people and scenery. The only ugly memory would be the divorce, which she was now ready to admit was mostly her fault.
Taking a deep breath, Erica jumped inside her shiny sport car and hit the freeway. She calculated that it would take her approximately three days to get from D.C. to San Francisco if she only stopped for meals, sleep, and gas. Her parents had begged her to fly home instead of making the long trek by car, but Erica knew she needed the time to clear her head and get herself ready for the next chapter of her life. She was, after all, a newly single woman with a very bright future ahead of her. Smiling to herself, she thought, San Francisco here I come.
Chapter two
Looking down at his watch, Griffin realized with haste that he only had about fifteen minutes to make it to his daughter’s day care center and then to set. Scooping her up from the porch, he rushed to lock his front door and walked to his car. His mind was focused on the day ahead of him, and he mentally made sure he hadn’t forgotten anything crucial.
>
While opening the car door, Griffin heard a piercing, ‘Daddy!’, escape from his four-year-old daughter’s mouth. With an instant smile, he looked down at the bundle of energy glued to his side and answered, “What is it honey?"
Grabbing her father by the ears, Avery looked him squarely in the eyes and squealed, "You’re not listening to me!” before climbing inside the car.
After buckling her into her car seat, Griffin responded truthfully, "I was listening to you, Sweets. You were talking about how you were excited to see the black bears at the zoo."
Satisfied that her father had indeed heard her, Avery resumed her chatter about all the animals she would be encountering at the local zoo her day care class would be visiting that day.