Chapter Twenty-Six
Paige
Two days later, the news still hadn't sunken in. I was at work, trying to focus, but I was having a hard time of it. The words just kept bouncing around in my head, over and over again. I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant.
I didn't know how I felt about it. I was excited, I could tell that much, at least. But I was also worried. I couldn't believe I was going to have to give up the baby and never see it again. Now that it was growing inside me, the full implications of that were starting to hit me. Plus, I was worried about how I would explain things to my parents. I hadn't even been able to tell Erica that I was pregnant yet, even though she had asked, and I'd buried the pregnancy test deep in the trash bin so she wouldn't find it.
I remembered how excited Michael had been, and I had to smile. He was clearly ready to be a father. And the more time I spent with him, the more convinced I was he would be a good father for the kid. He was great with my parents, and he made me feel comfortable around him. Of course, it would be different, interacting with kids, but I still figured he'd be good at it. I just had some sense about it.
Some motherly sense maybe, I thought, resting a hand briefly over my stomach. I obviously wasn't anywhere near showing yet, but I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like when there was a little bump there.
I'd quit working at The Shift long before that, though.
I looked morosely around the place. I'd been working here for a couple years now, and the place was almost like a second home. The people were like a family. But except for Erica, I wasn't going to be able to tell any of them the truth about my pregnancy. And I probably wouldn't see most of them again.
But I was excited about the baby. About the fact that we had managed to get me pregnant, that I had a human being growing inside me, albeit a little one. Michael was already so on top of it, sending me information about what I needed to expect, scheduling meetings with the doctor, and everything else. He was making it all so easy for me, making me feel so cared for.
I had to keep reminding myself he was caring for me because he really was trying to care for his baby.
“How's your night going, darling?” a man asked as I handed him a bottle of beer.
I shrugged and flashed him a quick smile. “It's n easy night,” I said, gesturing around the bar. “Wednesday's are always easy.”
The guy grinned and gave me a lewd one-over. “And what about you?” he asked. “Are you always easy?”
I gaped at him, hardly believing that he had just asked me that. What's more, he didn't seem to see anything wrong in asking me that. I shook my head; there were always sleazy guys at The Shift. Better that I just shoot off a terse response and ignore it.
“I'm engaged,” I lied. The lie came easily, at this point; it wasn't the first time I'd had to use that line. Erica had come up with it, if necessary, she would vouch for me.
The guy shrugged. “Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you,” he said.
“Well, it does bother me,” I said shortly, wondering why he couldn't just quit. Guys were so gross sometimes.
Unbidden, thoughts of Michael popped into my head. I had expected him to be just another sleazy guy, in the beginning. Most of our regulars were, and after all, he did have money. Plus, it wasn't as though I hadn't seen the rotating cast of women he brought home with him.
But Michael had proven me wrong. He seemed genuinely sweet. Not like this asshole, who still wasn't leaving me alone.
“Obviously your fiancé doesn't care, if he's not here watching you,” the guy said, giving me that once-over again. “Dude has to know the effect you have on guys, with an ass like that. You're just asking to be filled.”
“Fuck off,” I said, suddenly losing my temper. I didn't care who overheard me or how it affected my tips for the night; the guy had to know he couldn't talk to me like that. I didn't even think he was that drunk, that was the thing. He was still able to think logically, and he somehow still thought his words were okay.
“Oh come on, sweetheart,” the guy said. “I'm just looking for a little fun. Why don't you bring that pussy around to my place? Your fiancé can come watch if you want.”
I tried a different tactic: ignoring him. I walked down to the far end of the bar and served someone there. But everyone seemed to be coming to the perv's end of the bar, and there wasn't anything I could do except make my way back over there. I sighed under my breath and walked slowly back over, wishing that it were busier so I could escape. But it was dead enough that I was the only person out there right now; Erica was in the back finishing up some paperwork, and she had already sent everyone else home for the night since there wasn't enough business to keep everyone there.
I finished pouring drinks and realized I needed to wash some glasses, but of course, he was sitting on the end of the counter next to the sink. I gritted my teeth and got to work, vowing to keep ignoring him.
“Are you this much of a bitch to your fiancé?” the guy had the gall to ask. “I bet you must be pretty fiery in the sack, huh?”
I didn't respond, but I made a covert signal to one of the security guys. This was getting ridiculous, and I was starting to get a little scared. Not that I thought anything was going to happen to me, not there. But I didn't want him there anymore, not when he wouldn't seem to quit.
Dan was there immediately, scowling at the dude. “Is there a problem here?”
“This guy won't leave me alone,” I said before the guy had a chance to say anything. “I want him out of here.”
“Come on, that's not fair,” the guy said. “I'm paying for my drinks, and I'm not doing anything wrong.”
Dan shrugged. “If she wants you out, you're going out,” he said. “Find another bar, if you want, but leave our girls alone.”
The guy's face contorted with rage, but he didn't have any choice but to move as Dan hustled him off his stool and toward the door. He dropped his beer on the floor in the process, and I rolled my eyes as it shattered. Some people could be so petty. Still, I'd rather have a broken bottle to clean up than have the guy hassling me any longer.
I got to work cleaning it up. “Someone break something?” Erica asked as she came back out behind the bar.
I glanced over at her and rolled my eyes. “You know, those rowdy Wednesday nights,” I joked, trying to put the incident behind me.
Erica laughed and shook her head. “I think we probably ought to close up early tonight,” she said, glancing around. We only had a handful of people there that evening, and most of them were slowing down at this point. We weren't going to make many more sales, that was for sure.
“Let's stay open just a bit longer,” I told her, thinking of the guy who had just been escorted out. I didn't want him to still be in the area when I left. Again, not that I thought he would do anything to me, but I didn't want to see him again.
“All right,” Erica said, shrugging at me. “Are you avoiding Michael?” she asked as I went back behind the bar. There was no one else to serve right then, so there wasn't any way for me to avoid the questions that I knew were coming.
I sighed. “I'm pregnant,” I admitted.
Erica grinned broadly and pulled me into a hug. “Congratulations!” she said. Then, she frowned. “Does Michael know?”
“Yeah, he was the one who bought the test,” I told her. “He came over the other day, and I took it then.”
“I'm hurt that I'm not the first person to know,” Erica said jokingly. “That's great, though. I'm really happy for you.”
“I'm happy too,” I told her. “And nervous. More than I thought I'd be.”
Erica paused. “So are you going to see him again before you have the baby?”
“I think I have to,” I told her. “He's scheduled all the doctor appointments and these birthing classes and everything. So it seems he plans to be there. And that's probably a good thing so he can make sure that everything is okay with his kid.”
“When are you going to move?” Erica asked.
I sighed and rubbed at my temples. “I don't know yet,” I told her. “Soon, I guess. Michael said he was going to deposit the money into my bank account, but I haven't checked for it yet.”
“You're trying to put it off, aren't you?” Erica asked sagely.
I sighed. “I can't help it, I'm just nervous,” I told her. “This is the start of a big change in my life.”
“It is,” she agreed. “But I don't think that's a bad thing, do you? Especially not since you're now a millionaire, aren't you?”
“Maybe,” I said. “If he's deposited the money.” I smiled a little.
Erica looked around. “It's going to be so weird, not having you working here with me anymore,” she said. “I'm going to miss you. We'll have to make sure we still get together. For lunch, I guess, since you won't be meeting up for drinks anytime soon!”
I shook my head. “Yeah,” I said, a lump forming in my throat.
“Let's close-up for the night,” Erica suggested, sensing my distress.
I nodded and watched as she cleared everyone out. We cleaned the bar mostly in silence, with just the radio keeping us company. Then, we walked outside, arms linked together.
The guy from earlier was waiting for us out there, and I froze, not sure what to do. Dan and the other security guy had already gone home for the night, once we'd officially closed up, so it was just the two of us, Erica and I. Neither of us was any match for the guy's broad shoulders.
And based on the way he was leering at me, he wasn't going to give up, even if I told him no.
But suddenly, I caught sight of movement beyond the guy. Michael's limo was parked against the curb, and Michael was standing outside of it, lounging casually against it. “Hey,” he called out, and I made a beeline for him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
Michael frowned. “You look pale,” he said. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, looking back over my shoulder for the guy. But he was either hiding in the shadows or had finally realized he wasn't going to be taking me home that night. He was nowhere to be seen. “Nothing's wrong,” I repeated. “I'm just tired.”
Michael stared at me for a moment, like he was trying to gauge if I was telling him the truth or not. “All right,” he finally said, his voice soft. “Do you want to come home with me tonight?”
I wanted to, but not when my feelings were still so jumbled. I knew I had to come to a decision about this pregnancy soon. It was starting to eat me up inside. And what's more, I knew that it wasn't fair to him, either, the way that I kept pulling away from him every time things started to look more like a proper relationship between us.
Suddenly, I frowned, wondering why he was asking me to come over. I was already pregnant; we didn't need to sleep together anymore. But maybe he just wanted to ensure that I was getting a good night’s sleep. I doubted it would be very good for the baby if I wasn't, and I knew that the baby was all that he was worried about.
I glanced towards Erica, who was standing a tactful distance away, giving us a little privacy. “I think I'm just going to go home,” I told Michael. I faked a yawn. “I'm exhausted.”
“All right,” Michael said, but he sounded disappointed. He paused, lingering. “At least let me drive the two of you home,” he finally said. “I know it's not far, but it's no trouble for me, and it would get you to bed even faster. You look really beat.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I'd like that.” I managed the ghost of a smile. “Erica said the other day that she'd never been in a limo before, so this is the perfect opportunity.”
Honestly, I was just worried that the weird guy from the bar would be there as soon as Michael drove off, and I was still a little scared of what he might try to do. When the door to the limo finally closed and we pulled away from the curb, I barely managed to suppress my sigh of relief.