My Surprise Secret Baby (Romance Box Set)

by Lexi Wilson

  “Professor Bleid! Hold on a second, there’s someone in here I want you to meet!” he yelled above the din in the hall. Some of the students glanced over when he yelled for me, but for the most part, they kept walking through the halls and carrying on with their own days.

  Zia, however, turned when she heard my name. The frown on her face was evident, and she quickly closed her locker and continued on her way up the hall without looking back again. My heart sank. I wanted to tell the dean that I really had to speak with a student, but then I’d have to explain to him why, and that wasn’t going to happen.

  No, I’d have to head into his office and meet the person he wanted me to talk to, putting a smile on my face and acting like it was just what I wanted to do. Zia was already out of sight, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. All I could do was hope and pray she wasn’t going to tell anyone and that I would get the chance to speak with her about what was going on before this got out of hand.

  The last thing I wanted was to hurt her, and I really didn’t want this to blow up the way that it had. But that was out of my control now, and I could only bide my time until the right moment came.

  I turned with a fake smile on my face and headed toward the dean’s office, determined to be as natural as possible. It was my only chance to get through the afternoon – and the rest of the school year.

  I just hoped Zia felt the same way.

  Chapter 19

  Zia

  “What do you mean he’s a professor?” Kira stared at me in disbelief.

  “I mean he’s a professor!” I said. “I can’t believe it, either. I mean, there I was, sitting in chemistry and waiting for the professor to come in. I checked my phone to see if Josiah had texted me, but there still wasn’t anything there, so I just put it away and waited. A guy from philosophy tried to hit on me, but I was still thinking about Josiah, and I didn’t encourage it.”

  “And?” Kira prodded.

  “Then the clock hit eleven, and less than a minute later, Josiah of all people walked in! I didn’t think I could trust myself at first. Like maybe it was someone who just looked like Josiah and since I was thinking about him I made the mistake. Or maybe he was just some other guy, and I was dreaming. I certainly didn’t want to believe that it was really him,” I started sobbing again.

  I had been crying ever since I started relating the story to my roommate. She asked me several times what was wrong with me, and though I hadn’t wanted to tell her the truth, the more she prodded into what happened, the less resolve I had to keep it to myself. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was relating the whole story to her, telling her exactly what happened.

  It was hard to get the entire story out with the sobs wracking my body, but I was doing my best. I wanted to get it off my chest. I didn’t know what to do, and having someone else I could talk to really helped. Kira was smart, and I knew if anyone had any clue how to handle this, it would be her.

  “What happened then? Did he see you?” she asked. “I’d think if he saw you sitting in his class, he would have said something.”

  “That’s what I thought, too, but we made eye contact and he didn’t say anything! I mean, he didn’t say anything to me. He just paused for a moment as he stared at me, then he continued as though I wasn’t even there. It was like I was just another of the many students in the room!” I sobbed.

  “What an ass,” she shook her head. “Did you say anything? I would have called him out right there in front of everyone, asked him why he would do that to one of his students.”

  “Maybe he didn’t know that I was going to be in his class?” I tried. “Maybe he was just as shocked as I was to find that we were in the same one.”

  “He knew you were going to that university, didn’t he?” she asked. “It wouldn’t matter if he had you in the class or not, he knew that you were going, and he knew he was teaching there. The point is that he lied to you!”

  “I know,” I sobbed once more. “I don’t want to believe that it’s true, but it is. I told him from the first day we hung out that I was going to college, and where, and he told me he was an accountant. Clearly, he knew that I wasn’t going to be with him if I knew he was a professor. I mean, I could get kicked out of the school!”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” Kira said. “If word reaches the dean or the board about this, then you could wind up out of school, and he could wind up fired. Of course, it wouldn’t make me sad at all to hear that he lost his job after he did this to you.”

  “I just don’t want to lose this chance. I’ve dreamt of this for years, and now that I’m here, it doesn’t even seem real. To think that I might get kicked out of class because of the fact I was dating a guy who told me he was an accountant doesn’t seem fair to me,” I said. “I can’t afford college, and this was the only place I’d gotten a scholarship to. This is my dream!”

  “Settle down,” Kira said, putting her arm around me. “I know, I know, but we have to think about this rationally and figure out a way to get you out of this without it blowing up into something big. We can’t let word get out that you were doing this.”

  “I didn’t mean to do anything wrong!” I sobbed. “I thought he was an accountant. If I knew he was the professor, then I would have told him from the beginning there was no way I was going to risk losing my place in the school. My mom can’t afford to send me anywhere else, and I can’t afford to pay for it out of my own pocket, either.”

  “I know,” Kira sighed.

  “Do you think I should go to the dean?” I asked. “I could tell him the truth about everything. Tell him that I thought he was an accountant, and when I learned he was the professor I knew I had to stop.”

  “I don’t think so,” she shook her head. “Because if Josiah gets pissed off about it, he might tell the dean that he told you he was a professor from the beginning and you didn’t care. It would come down to your word against his, and we don’t want you to be in that position.”

  I sighed. She was right. I wasn’t sure if the dean would believe me. Josiah had lied to me, sure, but I had slept with him voluntarily. I thought I was in love with him, in fact. And even now, though I was scared of the fact I might get kicked out of school, I still didn’t want to lose him in my life.

  It hurt to think that we couldn’t be together. Even with the fear of what might happen next, I had the pain of knowing I wasn’t going to be with him, and this was coming to an end. I had thought that it might be forever. I thought we could make it work. He made me feel things no one else ever had, but now I was going to have to say goodbye. And that hurt. I couldn’t tell Kira that part. I knew she was already pissed off with the situation, pissed off that I had been lied to. Pissed off that Josiah had chosen to date me when he knew what could happen.

  I had to just talk about what was going on now and focus on what to do.

  “So,” I wiped my eyes. “Now that we know the truth, what are we going to do about it? If I can’t go to the dean, I’m going to have to figure out another way to take care of this. I can’t keep going into that class with all this!”

  “I know, and you might be able to switch the class for something else so you don’t have to see him at all. But, I think the most important thing you can do right now is to break up with him. We both know you can’t keep seeing him with what happened. He’s going to drag you down with him, and you’re going to wind up in a world of more hurt than you’re already in,” Kira said.

  I nodded. She wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know, but I didn’t want to break up with Josiah. I didn’t know what to say for starters, and I didn’t want to break down in front of him. I was still pissed off at him, and it wasn’t going to be easy talking to him without wanting to slap him in the face.

  Still, I knew it had to be done, and I knew I had to be the one to do it.

  “I’m going to call him,” I said. “I’ve got to get this done as soon as possible, and I don’t want to wait until I see him in perso
n.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Kira said. “He’s manipulative, and he might try to convince you to give him a chance. He’s got to know that you’re upset, and he’s probably going to try to use that to his advantage.”

  “Then what am I supposed to do?” I asked. “I don’t want to see him in person, not ever again, and I’m not going to do it at the school. The last thing I need is for the word to get out somehow, and I’m not sure if a student would walk in on us or not. You know the door’s always open when class isn’t in session.”

  “I say you do it over text,” she said.

  “Text?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. It was the last thing I wanted to do. I hated breakups in every way, but to do it over text felt so impersonal.

  “Yes,” she insisted. “You have to be short, direct, and brief. Don’t give him the chance to change your mind, and don’t put yourself in a position where you’re going to wind up getting in trouble for this. If you text him, you’ll also have proof on your phone you broke up with him as soon as you found out the truth, if this does happen to get out.”

  “I’m not sure if I can,” I said, the tears starting to form in my eyes all over again. “I don’t know what to say. Hell, I don’t even want to break up with him, but at the same time, I am so pissed off, I hope he does get kicked out of the school!”

  “I know you’ve got a lot going through your mind right now,” Kira said. “Here, give me your phone. I’ll type a message, and you can read it then press send. It’s the best way to get rid of him, and the only way we’re going to get you off the hook here. I don’t want to see you take the fall for this guy, and I’ll do anything I my power to help.”

  “Okay,” I said reluctantly. I wasn’t thrilled with the fact she was going to type it out for me, but I was glad for the fact I didn’t have to come up with what to say myself. I felt so lost, so betrayed, I knew I would take hours to find the right words.

  Kira typed up something short and to the point, not going into much details about anything, but letting him know that I was pissed about the fact that he’d lied to me, and I wasn’t going to date him because he was a professor. There wasn’t any apology on my end, and I wasn’t making any excuses.

  “There you go,” she handed the phone back to me. “Read through the message, decide if there’s anything else you want to add, then send it and don’t give it another thought.”

  I nodded, the lump in my throat as I read through what she’d written. It really was perfect as far as saying the right things to him, but it hurt to read through the message and know the man I had fallen in love with – the man I had given my virginity to – was the one who was going to receive it.

  He had hurt me, yet I still didn’t want to hurt him. I just wanted to forget about the past month and forget about how it felt to be with him. I wanted to move on with my life and forget that I was ever in love in the first place. But the only way that was going to happen was for me to break this off before it got worse and truly move on.

  I hit send then tossed my phone to the couch, sobbing harder than ever. Kira came to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. I felt lucky to have her. This was hard enough to deal with having her support; I wasn’t sure what I would do if I was on my own.

  All I knew was that I wanted this to go away. I wanted to forget about everything.

  I wanted to move on with my life.

  And that’s all there was to it.

  Chapter 20

  Josiah

  I didn’t say anything in response to the text message I’d received from Zia. She wasn’t answering any of my phone calls, and I wasn’t going to accept the fact she tried to break up with me over text. There was no way in hell I was going to let this all come to such an abrupt end.

  I felt bad for lying to her. I was upset with myself for being so stupid, but I wasn’t going to give up on us. I wasn’t sure what I would say. I wasn’t sure how I could convince her, but I wasn’t going to let it all fall apart in such a bad way.

  But she wasn’t talking to me, and she skipped my chemistry class on Wednesday, too. I planned on telling her to stay after class and speak with her then, but when she didn’t show up at all, I knew I was going to have to go to her directly. It was risky, I knew that, but it was worth it if it meant I was going to get the chance to at least talk to her.

  I kept an ear out around the school, doing my best to figure out whether the word had broken out that I was seeing one of the students. I knew teachers loved gossip, and if the rumor had broken loose, then there was no doubt in my mind whether I would have heard about it.

  If anything, Nathan would be sure to get wind of the news, and he wouldn’t ignore it. He would come right to me and ask about it even if it meant it would piss me off. But since I hadn’t heard a single word about it, I figured the secret was still safely under wraps. At least, I hoped.

  There was always the chance only a few people knew about the situation, and they were keeping it to themselves until the right moment. Sure, it was petty, but I had seen some petty things during my time teaching, and I wouldn’t put it past anyone to hold it to themselves until they felt that it was time to come forward.

  After dismissing the class, I headed back to my place, changing into something very casual. If I was going to show up at Zia’s house directly, then I was going to have to wear something that helped me blend in with the rest of the people who lived there.

  There was always the chance that there could be other students in the area, and the last thing I needed was to be recognized by anyone when I was knocking on the door. I kept a hat worn low and my collar pulled up, doing my best to keep a low profile. But, the entire time I was on my way to the complex, then the apartment number, my mind was spinning.

  I didn’t know what I was going to say to Zia, and I wasn’t sure how she was going to react to the sight of me showing up without her inviting me over or even expecting that I would. She had to think that her blowing me off was enough for me to just walk away as well. But I wasn’t that kind of guy. I had to have closure at least. If nothing else, she was going to have to tell me she didn’t want anything else to do with me.

  And that’s all there was to it.

  But I had a feeling once I had the chance to really talk to her without her being upset with me, I might be able to break through to her. I might be able to get her to reconsider walking away from everything we’d had up until now.

  It was risky, yes, but so was a lot of things that I was doing, and I wasn’t going to let fear get in the way. I had to speak with her, and even if I was putting a lot on the line to make it happen, I was going to do it.

  It didn’t take me long to find the right door. I’d never been in the building before, but there had been a couple of times when Zia invited me over, and she gave me the number during those times, telling me to come on in and wait for her. Of course, I never had. I knew I had to be smart in case there were other students in the area, even before I was officially teaching.

  I knocked twice then put my hands in my pockets and waited. I hoped Zia was home, but there was something in me that told me she was. It was a feeling I had, something I just couldn’t ignore. She had to be in there, hiding from the world, hiding from her feelings, and most of all, hiding from me.

  But she didn’t understand so much of what had happened, and I was going to explain it all to her. I wasn’t going to leave until I told her what I had come to say, and I made sure she understood it all.

  When the door opened, I was prepared to see Zia. Instead, it was her roommate, Kira.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” she snapped as soon as she recognized me. “How dare you show up on our doorstep after the shit you pulled? You better get your ass out of here before I call the school and tell them what you did!”

  “Is Zia here? I need to talk to her,” I said.

  “She’s not, and I would recommend you get out of here before she comes back. She doesn’t w
ant to see you,” Kira folded her arms over her chest and glared at me. But with that little voice whispering inside me, I knew she had to be lying. Zia had to be there. She just had to be, and I wasn’t going to leave until I saw her.

  I pushed my way past her. “Don’t lie to me. I know she’s here, and I’m going to talk to her.”

  “You get the hell out of here before I call the cops!” she yelled at me. “You are trespassing, and I’m not going to put up with this! I can have them here in five minutes, and you have less than that to get out!”

  She marched to her room to get her phone, but I wasn’t scared of her threats, and I wasn’t leaving. Not without Zia, at least. But I didn’t know where to begin looking, and I wasn’t going to go through their place. She was right. I was trespassing, and if she did call the cops on me, I was going to have to get out of there before they showed up.

  That would only add more fuel to the fire, and I wasn’t going to risk that on top of the fact I was already running the chance of getting caught by the school by dating this girl in the first place.

  So, I did the only thing that came to mind. I started yelling for her.

  “Zia! Zia! Come here! I need to talk to you!” I shouted.

  There was silence in the apartment for a second before Kira reappeared from her bedroom.

  “You have three seconds,” she said, her phone in her hand. “Then I’m calling the cops, and you’re going to regret ever coming to Chicago in the first place!”

  “Zia!” I shouted again, knowing Kira meant what she said. I had to get Zia’s attention quickly if I was going to get it at all, and this time, the door opened behind me.

  “What are you doing here?” she gasped as she stepped out of her room. “What the hell, Josiah?”