A Few Weeks Later
“Which color will go better with the turquoise? Silver or white?” Chelsea asked, holding up cards of each color.
I rubbed my temples and groaned. Chelsea had turned into bridezilla already, and their wedding was not for, like, ten months. In most cases, I would be thrilled to help her plan, but my stomach was killing me. It was tossing, turning, and churning like crazy, and I’d already thrown up two times. Damn it, I knew scrambled eggs for breakfast was a bad idea.
“Heather?” she asked, looking at me, concerned.
“Sorry, I just don’t feel good at all,” I said, lying back on the couch.
She put a hand on my forehead and frowned. “You don’t have a fever. Did you get your period yet?”
I opened my eyes and stared at her in realization. My period was late. Mother Nature hadn’t banged on my door yet. Was it possible I was pregnant? It had been two weeks since William and I first made love, and, well, we’d done it again a lot over the past two weeks.
“No,” I squeaked, feeling my stomach churn again.
She grinned and squealed excitedly. “Looks like I’m going to be an aunt soon.”
I sat up. “Now let’s not jump to conclusions. It could be those scrambled eggs or I could be getting my period soon.”
She shook her head. “Well, I think you’re pregnant. Come on, I have a few pregnancy tests in my bathroom that you can use.”
“Fine.” I sighed and slowly followed behind her.
After I peed on four sticks, the waiting began. I paced back and forth in front of the bathroom, waiting for the five minutes to be up. My heart was beating out of control. To be honest, I really hoped I was pregnant. The thought of being a mother was so exciting to me.
As soon as the timer went off on my phone, Chelsea and I raced into the bathroom to check the sticks.
“Positive, positive, positive, and positive,” I whispered, staring at the bright pink plus signs.
Chelsea shrieked and squeezed me tight. “Oh my gosh, we’re both pregnant together! I can finally have a friend in those parenting classes! I get to become an aunt! Oh my God!”
I was still in shock, and Chelsea was doing a happy dance that probably should have left me scarred for life, but I didn’t care at this point.
I put a hand on my flat stomach and stared down at it. I could feel a grin forming on my face as the idea that I was going to be a mother wrapped around my head. Tears of joy filled my eyes. I was going to be a mom. There was a small little thing growing in me that William and I created.
Oh my freaking penguins.
My stomach tightened with excitement and I wiped a few of my tears away.
“Damn hormones,” Chelsea said, wiping her eyes as well. I laughed and hugged her tightly.
“I’m so excited,” I squealed.
“I am too. Now, how are you going to tell William?” she asked, pulling away.
I rubbed my chin and thought about it for a while. Then it clicked.
“I’ve got it.” I grinned and dragged Chelsea with me to the kitchen.
***
Two hours later, I was walking into the lobby of Solace Enterprises with lunch for William and me. The lobby was still as loud and crowded as ever, but thankfully I didn’t have to wait for an elevator. I pressed the button for the thirty-seventh floor and waited anxiously. Once the elevator stopped, I walked down the hallway to William’s office. I knocked softly and went in.
As soon as I walked in, a bunch of heads snapped to me. Oops, I should have waited for a “come in” or something. There were a bunch of men in suits, a woman, and William sitting around his desk.
I stared at them, wide-eyed. “Um…hi.”
I shuffled my feet awkwardly and sought out William. He stood up and walked over to me with a grin on his face. Damn, this man looked delicious in his suit and so cute with his glasses.
“Hi, cuddlebug!” he said huskily, pulling me in for a sweet kiss.
I smiled into the kiss and pulled back. “Sorry I interrupted your meeting. I’ll wait outside,” I whispered.
He leaned his forehead on mine. “It’s fine, I was getting bored anyway being stuck with people who have sticks high up their asses,” he whispered.
I gasped and slapped his chest. “William!”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. A throat clearing interrupted us and we turned to look at the woman. She glared at me before looking at William with a sweet smile.
“William, I think we should continue with the meeting, before we were interrupted,” she added with a glare at me.
“Actually, I think we should take a break. We’ve been in here for about two hours already and you guys can’t agree on anything. We are taking a lunch break,” William said coldly and firmly.
The men stood up. Each one nodded at me as they walked out and I gave them a smile in return. The woman remained, and she walked over to us. She put her hand on William’s shoulder. “Why don’t we get lunch, William? I’m sure your cousin, sister, or whoever this is can wait until after.”
I felt William’s arms stiffen around me, and he glared at the woman furiously. “Ms. Walters, this is my wife, and I will not let you disrespect her like this. Also, it’s Mr. Solace for you.”
Her eyes widened and she gulped, leaving the office quickly.
He sighed. “I’m sorry about that. I hate meetings with that woman. She always tries to make a move on me and it gets quite annoying.”
I smiled. “Well, at least you told her off now.”
“True.” He took the paper bags from my hands and put them on his desk.
“Let’s eat,” I said, pulling out the containers of fried chicken and rice I had made at Chelsea’s house.
I handed him a container and spoon, and William began shoveling the food down.
“This is amazing.” He moaned softly.
I grinned. “Glad you like it.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked with a frown, noticing I hadn’t started yet.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, tapping my fingers on his desk, waiting nervously for him to get to the bottom of his container.
He swallowed another mouthful of rice and stared at me, concerned. “Are you feeling all right? Do you want to go home? I can come home and take care of you and the chores while you rest.”
He reached for his phone, but I stopped him. “No, it’s fine. Just keep eating. I had a late breakfast, that’s all.”
William stared at me for a few seconds and then nodded slowly. I watched as he continued eating till the dish was empty. He looked down at his bowl, but then did a double take. His eyes widened.
“You don’t get a bun because there’s already one in the oven,” he read slowly. I bit my lip to keep from laughing as his eyebrows furrowed. He tilted his head, trying to understand the message.
He looked at me confusedly. “What do you mean I don’t get a bun because there’s a bun in the…oh my sweet Lord,” he said when it finally clicked.
I burst out laughing as he stared at the bottom of the bowl, like he just learned the meaning of life.
“I’m going to be a daddy,” he whispered in shock.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, waiting for him to give another reaction.
He leaped up from his seat and ran outside. Not really what I was hoping for. Suddenly, I heard a yell.
“I’m going to be a freaking father! Holy shit!” William yelled at the top of his lungs.
He ran back inside with an ecstatic look on his face. I giggled as he spun me around and yelled, “I love you so much!”
Once he put me down, he hugged me tightly, rocking us side to side. I buried my face into his chest and he kissed my temple.
“Do you know how much I love you? I’m going to protect you and our peanut with my life,” he whispered after a few minutes.
“I know.” I sniffled.
He chuckled and wiped my tears. “Come on, let’s go home. I’ll cancel the rest of the meeting. I want to spend the rest of the day with my lovely wife.”
I smiled and began packing our things back up. As William handed me a container, his phone began ringing.
He answered it and put it on speaker. “William Solace speaking.”
“Mr. Solace. This is the police department calling in regards to the nine-month-old baby you found a couple weeks ago. We think we found out who his mother is.”
My eyes widened and I stared at the phone in shock.
“Who is his mother?” William asked, frowning slightly.
“Your own sister, sir. Kelly Solace.”