Chapter Twenty-nine
Claire
I woke up late in the morning. It was something I was growing used to, now that I didn’t have a job to go to. It was a pretty dangerous habit for me to have, since I would end it soon.
Especially since I’d finally hit gold. There was no confirmation yet, but I thought I had a pretty good chance. It had been a while since I’d actually worked, though. Not that I stayed idle while I was unemployed, I did some freelance work that brought in a bit of cash every month, since I had nothing to do at home the days Rogue had to go to school, it kept me from being bored, too.
We had lasted a longer while than I’d initially thought we would, and I didn’t even have to sell the apartment and move into a smaller one for it. though a part of me felt really guilty, using cash from Richard’s will and life insurance that he’d left to my name to keep us afloat, but I liked to think of it as him looking after us from beyond the grave.
The money hadn't run out, because I’d been extra careful with it, but I didn’t want to wait for that, either.
Rogue was working hard for his future, and I couldn’t fall behind him, now could I?
“Why do I feel so fucking tired, though,” I groaned, pulling myself out of bed.
I stumbled my way to the bathroom in the nude. In the bathroom mirror, I could see marks all over my body left from last night. Rogue had been particularly enthusiastic. I was pretty used to it, though, so I just went under the shower.
Ten minutes later, I was back in the room getting dressed. I was looking for a set of underwear to put on, when I came across something else that gave me pause.
Tampons.
Come to think of it, when was the last time I used one? I frowned to myself as I counted on my hands. I was pretty sure it was longer than a month.
Did I miss my period?
Well, it wasn’t exactly impossible. I’d been going through a lot of stressful shit lately, after all. Maybe it was the stress of being out of work? I’d been searching like crazy until about a week ago when I found something I was pretty confident about, so that could be it.
I had to be sure, though. It was too serious for me to be careless about this.
After I got dressed, I left the apartment. I texted Rogue just in case he got back early that I would be out, then headed to Mom’s house. We were all moving on and moving forward, and Mom was no exception. The period where we didn’t talk much was gone now, and we talked pretty often since we were both people without full time jobs, though just like me, she had something she did part time that brought in cash.
She let me into the house with a surprised look. “Honey, I didn’t expect you to come by today.”
“Sorry for coming without calling, but something’s come up.”
“Something important?” she guessed.
I nodded as she led the way to the living room. She had me sit and went to get some juice and snacks for us, then we sat down for a small chat. I waited until we were done with the snacks, then dived into it, telling her about my missed period.
“Oh,” she murmured, blinking at me. “Then…that means you’ve been seeing someone, right?”
I rolled my lips together in place of answering. There was no way I would come right out and say it, that I’d been sleeping with Rogue the whole time.
“First of all, we need to do a test. You can see a doctor afterwards, but pregnancy tests can be really accurate.”
We left the house, to a small supermarket a walking distance from her house. She helped me pick a test, and we paid for it then went back for me to use it.
Less than half an hour from when I appeared in her apartment, I had my answer.
It was positive.
Fuck.
Actually, a part of me was surprised it hadn't happened earlier, because Rogue and I hadn't bothered about any form of contraceptives ever since the first time. I thought about it, then I forgot. And in all the time we’d been sleeping together, I didn’t take contraceptive pills, and only used condoms a few times when I couldn’t be bothered with the mess, though we’d just forget all about them soon after. Maybe it said something about my fertility that it took this long for me to get pregnant.
What now?
“You look like you’re about to implode,” Mom said, only a hint of humor in her voice.
“Do I?” I muttered, not in the mood to laugh.
She sighed. “I can't believe this is happening to my baby girl.”
“I’m an adult, Mom, it was going to happen sooner or later,” I said distractedly, trying to soothe her while at the same time trying to tell myself that everything was just fine.
“I know that, honey. You never expressed much interest in children, but I had hoped. Still, you don’t look like you were expecting this to happen.”
I chewed down on my lip.
“Oh, honey,” she crooned. “You just weren’t careful, huh? Well, I hope you know you’re not running away from this responsibility, I won’t let you. But since you know nothing and you’ll be starting work anyway, there’s no choice. You’ll have to move in with me so I can help you.”
I blinked up at my mom, not comprehending what she was saying. “Mom, what about my apartment? I don’t need to move in with you, I’m perfectly fine by myself.”
“Do you know the first things about looking after a baby?” she challenged.
I kept silent.
“And what about work? Are you going to give it up and become a mother full time? Because that is what a baby will need, a lot of attention. And don’t even think of hiring a nanny when I’m here.”
I ducked my head down, knowing it was impossible. I might be starting up a new job in less than two months, if things went well. A kid…after nine months before it’s born, would need me for at least the first year and a half at home full time, even longer. And hiring a nanny didn’t make sense when I didn’t need the extra expense.
“Then just move in. And by the looks of things, Rogue might have to move in here as well,” she added absently. “He’s going to be studying, after all, and my house is closer to his college than your apartment. It makes perfect sense.”
I hated to admit that she was right, but part of me wondered if we would be helping her as much as she’d be helping us. After all, no more did she have Richard in the house, she must have been lonely and it would help us financially as Rogue was getting on his feet. I just didn’t expect a baby to come into the picture, but then again neither did he.