Chapter 12

Aurora

I shuffled the papers on my desk, moving the two stacks aside so I could focus on the drawing in front of my keyboard. It was the layout of one of the larger LA locations, with all the aisles and shelves marked perfectly and precisely—just as I’d asked for. I made notes on the piece of paper to the right of it, a scribbled mess that only I could decipher. Brendon made a joke once that he never expected someone who made such beautiful chalkboard signs to write in such chicken scratch, but it was the only way I knew to get my ideas on the page fast enough.

I’d been working on the design team at Lock Knocks headquarters for two weeks now, and it had been two of the best weeks of my life. Then again, it probably would have been the best two weeks of my life even if I’d been working in a greasy spoon diner. The job certainly helped, but the real reason for my satisfaction was my sexy, charming boss.

Someone knocked on the door and I jolted, a flush rising to my cheeks. It wasn’t like anyone could tell what I was thinking, but I was always so paranoid that somebody at the office was going to find out about our illicit little affair just from me thinking about it. Then the respect that I’d worked my ass off to earn would slip away just like that. People in the office were already suspicious about my abilities considering I had no formal education. Brendon had essentially scooped me out of obscurity and popped me into my own office without blinking. I felt the pressure to prove myself and I didn’t want to screw up my chances of making friends by the others thinking I was only here because I’d slept with the boss.

Luckily, the fact remained that others could not hear my thoughts.

The door whispered open a crack and a head of shaggy brown curls popped through. I smiled at Georgina.

“Hey, come in,” I welcomed, putting aside my pen. Georgina was the closest to my age and had so far been the friendliest person in the office. The curvy office manager’s unruly hair had become a focus of my fascination from the moment I met her. Her curls put my waves to shame.

Georgina stepped inside holding a paper bag, smiling. “There are butter horns in the break room,” she said. “Or at least there were.” She thrust the bag toward me. “I didn’t want you to miss out even though the accounting guys were on them like hyenas to a zebra carcass.”

The gesture touched me.

“Thank you so much, Georgina,” I said, smiling and taking the bag from her. I opened the crinkled package and took a whiff of the delicious baked good inside.

Only I didn’t find the smell so delicious.

There was something sickly about the sweetness, and the thought of how rich the pastry would be made me gag without meaning to. I looked up at Georgina in horror, worried that she’d think I was rejecting her thoughtful gift. That worry was soon eclipsed by another—that I was going to vomit all over my desk.

I charged toward the door, sending my chair skittering back and knocking over one of the piles of paperwork on my way. I spared no thought for the mess I was leaving in my wake and instead focused all my energies on making it to the bathroom before I spewed. The heady illness threatened to swallow me whole, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

People stared as I ran past, but I didn’t notice. My sights were ahead, looking for the bathroom door that I knew would be my salvation. I made it, but barely. I was barely inside of a stall before I started retching, filling the bowl with the lunch I’d consumed quite happily only an hour before. What the hell was wrong with me?

God. I hated throwing up. It wasn't a pleasant experience for anybody and I knew that, but I especially hated the feeling of helplessness that accompanied not being able to keep my lunch down. By the time I was finished, Georgina had entered the bathroom and was standing on the other side of the stall door.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, voice heavy with concern. "Do you want me to call somebody? Are you sick?"

I didn't want to answer all those questions because I wasn't sure what to say. I wasn't sick. At least, I didn't think I was. Had the pressure gotten to me or something? If I didn't know any better, I'd wonder if I was pregnant.

I paled, my face becoming as cold as the porcelain toilet in front of me.

When was the last time I got my period? It was late, wasn't it? How had I not noticed that two weeks had gone by without a period? I suppose I was busy with my new job, but it was an alarming realization to suddenly have while I was puking my guts up in a stall at work.

"I'm fine," I croaked. A lie, but a necessary one. I didn't need to pull Georgina into my dismay. I just wanted to be left alone.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Do you think it was something you ate?"

Not unless I ate a baby.

"I don't know." I flushed the toilet and rose onto shaky feet, wiping my mouth with some toilet paper and tossing that into the bowl as the water was sucked down. "Maybe. I think I better go home, just to be sure."

"Of course."

Her kind face was the first thing I saw when I emerged from the stall. I flashed her a weak smile.

"Do you mind letting Brendon and the others know for me?"

She shook her head. "Not at all." Raising her arm, she showed me the purse dangling on it. It was mine.

"I brought your stuff," she said. "I thought you might need something or might need to go in a hurry."

"You're an angel," I said, filled with gratitude for my first work friend.

The realization that I might be pregnant was a lonely one. While I couldn't (or maybe I should say wouldn't) share this information with Georgina, it was nice to know she was there for me anyway.

I grabbed my purse and headed out of the office, a few curious stares singeing into my back as I walked to the elevator. Since they all saw me run to the bathroom, I presumed they all figured I was sick. They probably didn't question it, but I was anxious to get out of there nonetheless.

I took a cab home since I didn't trust myself on the stuffy, uncomfortable subway. If it broke down or I needed to vomit again, that would ruin my day. Well, more than it had already been ruined. I was desperate to call Amy, but had to wait until I was back in the safety of my apartment. The drive felt impossibly long.

I collapsed onto the sofa of my new apartment the second I walked through the door and pulled out my phone to call my friend. I had no idea what time zone she was in or if she'd even pick up, but I desperately needed her.

"Tatiana speaking, how can I help you, lover?" she answered huskily.

I rolled my eyes. "You'd think you would have my phone number in your contacts by now."

She laughed. "I do."

Man, I missed her. It was like that day we ran into each other in Bridgefield reignited our friendship and we'd picked up right where we left off, except now she was gone and I missed her just like I did when she first went off to college.

"Do you have time to talk? I've got a bit of a situation," I said.

I heard shuffling and then a door closing. "Talk away, darling. I've got the whole villa to myself and I'm inside in the air conditioning now. You have my full attention."

I sighed. I wished I was somewhere beautiful and warm and far away from here and the revelation I was about to make for the first time in full. I hadn't allowed myself to think about it on the way home, so telling Amy would be the first time I’d really unpacked this information.

"Amy, I think I'm pregnant. I just vomited my guts up from the smell of a butter horn at work and I'm two weeks late for my period."

She shrieked. "Holy shit! Actually? Brendon's, right?"

"Has to be," I said. "My birth control must have failed. We've been having sex without condoms since that first night..."

"No condoms?" She gasped. "Girl, when did you get so raunchy? I always use condoms with clients, especially first timers. Not that I suppose you knew he was a client at the time."

I gritted my teeth. I didn't like to think of him as a client at all.

"It happened so fast and I was feeling crazy and young and free," I muttered bitterly. "As it turns out, the craziness was something I was correct to feel. And now I'm pregnant with my boss's baby. I've out-crazied myself."

I hung my head over the back of the arm of the sofa and stared at the opposite wall, letting the blood rush to my head. "I can't believe this is happening. I don't know what to do!"

"It's not necessarily happening," she said in a soothing voice. "It could just be a coincidence. You won't know for sure until you take a test. Have you done that yet?"

"No."

"Well there you go. You might not be pregnant at all, babe. Maybe you ate something weird and your period is just late. It happens. The chances of your birth control having failed are way less than the chance of it being some freak coincidence.”

“You’re probably right,” I acknowledged with a grumble. “Still, I can’t help but worry.”

“I completely understand that,” she replied. “I’d be freaking out too if I were in your position. Right now, though, try to relax a little. When you have a spare minute and you’re feeling a little more grounded, go to the drug store and get yourself a pregnancy test. You can take it while you’re on the phone with me if you want.”

I sighed. “No, that’s fine. I can do it on my own. I wish you were here with me though.”

“Me too, though I will say I don’t mind living the white sandy beach life in the meantime.” She chuckled. “Too bad you’re not still at the Fox. Calypso has tests on hand for freak outs like these. Even though the girls are always safe, you’d be surprised how often these scares happen.”

For some reason, that made me feel a little better. Being pregnant wouldn’t be the end of my world since, at the end of the day, I did want to be a mother eventually, but it would certainly add some complication to my life. I’d only just begun this little affair with Brendon and I highly doubted he’d be interested in being a dad all of a sudden. Especially since we barely knew each other.

I let out a long exhale and gathered myself up off the couch. “I should have gone to the pharmacy on the way home,” I muttered as I grabbed my purse.

“You needed some time to unpack,” Amy assured. “It happens. Want me to stay on the phone while you head down there?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you afterward and let you know what the verdict is.”

“Okay my love, I’ll be waiting for your call.” She blew a kiss into the phone. “And remember, whatever the result of that test, things are going to work out.”

I forced out some half-hearted acknowledgement and hung up the phone, already halfway to the door.

The trip down to the pharmacy didn’t take very long but it felt like forever. The way home was even longer. It was like time was stretching thinner and thinner, and by the time I’d peed on the stick it was passing so slowly that the two minutes I had to wait until the lines that dictated my fate showed up were the two longest minutes of my life.

Luckily for me, the test didn’t need two minutes for the positive pregnancy sign to show up. The test left no doubt—I, Aurora Frayser, was up the duff.