Chapter 18 - Juliana
A half hour later, I’m squatting over a plastic stick in the restroom at the office.
I was too impatient to wait until I got home tonight so I bought Miles some gummy bears in the check-out line to preoccupy him for a few minutes.
Miles is a sucker for sweets and gummy bears are his Achilles heel.
With shaking hands, I place the stick on the edge of the sink, willing the allotted time to pass quickly.
One line pops up. Maybe my breasts are just tender.
I stare hard at the little box with one line.
Nothing. I blink and the second line is there when I look again.
Positive. A startled laugh escapes me. I did it. We did it.
A soft knock on the bathroom door the next moment causes me to drop the test in the toilet. “Dammit, Miles,” I whisper to myself, trying to determine the least icky way to fish it out.
“Hey, sorry to bother you but I wanted to let you know I’m running those drafts by Culver now for them to-”
“NO!”
“Uh, okay. Are you alright, boss?”
“Yes. Eat your gummy bears,” I say using two unused tampons to extract the test from the bowl and then dropping it into the bin. May as well take the second one in the package to be sure.
Second test, same result - Positive.
I wash my hands for the tenth time and stare at myself in the mirror.
I can’t believe this is happening. My heart feels ready to explode with joy as I gently touch my stomach.
I know it’s not the same as having a doctor give me a blood test. I know the way we’re doing this isn’t conventional.
I know it’s super early to be certain of anything, too.
But, I want to share this news with my best friend - the father of this baby.
My breathing grows shallow over that particular fact.
Swooping past Miles, I pick up the drafts. “I’ll run these over to Culver. Liam’s expecting me.” No, he’s not, but I’m expecting. My stomach flips as I calmly tell my assistant, “You can wrap up and head home early if you like.”
“Thanks. Are you sure you’re okay, Juliana?” Miles asks, concerned.
He drops his gummy bears when I give him an exuberant hug. “Yes, I am absolutely positive.”
∞∞∞
I’m not okay heading up to Liam’s office even if it’s nice not having to wait for him to come down now that everyone knows me here.
Am I on an elevator or a small boat on the ocean during a storm?
My equilibrium is all over the place as nausea raises its ugly head.
I think my brain has diabolically decided to produce more symptoms now that it knows what’s going on.
I watch the floors flash by as I calculate my due date.
Late November? It seems so far away and yet so close.
I might be a mother this coming Christmas.
Whoa. My rapid tide of spinning thoughts carries me past the empty reception desk once I disembark on the executive floor.
Liam’s assistant must be out. I glance toward his father’s office.
His frosty assistant is missing as well.
Jock’s door is shut, thankfully. I have to wonder how his parents would react to this news. What will he tell them?
Liam’s door is cracked open as it typically is when he’s not with someone. I start to knock when I realize he is with someone… Felicity, the hostess from Sable. That’s odd. He’s particular about keeping club business separate from his family’s business. Maybe she’s applying for a day job here?
The next moment, I’m certain that’s not the case when Liam walks around his desk to join her on the sofa, pulling her into an embrace.
“We can make it work. You don’t have to worry,” I hear him murmuring, low and soft and reassuring with his arms wrapped around her while her platinum blonde hair half covers his face.
She smiles up at him, whispering words of gratitude before kissing his cheek.
I quickly take a step back. There could be so many explanations for what I’ve seen.
I tell myself Felicity is his employee but his employee at the sex club he owns.
The boundaries could be different there, right?
And, obviously, I know Addison was Chad’s employee, just as I was.
Great, now all I can see is Chad, Addison and my battle-scars.
It doesn’t help that Felicity resembles Addison so much.
Without warning, I feel violently ill. Because I’m pregnant…
with his child. I don’t want to consider that it’s more than that.
I dash into the nearby guest restroom and vomit.
I’m shaky once I’ve washed up but I won’t walk off in a daze like I did three years ago.
This is not that. He’s not my husband. He’s not cheating on me.
After all, I’m the one who said it was one night only.
Squaring my shoulders, I clear my throat to make my presence known before rapping on the door. Liam bids me to enter. They’re several feet apart when I poke my head in. “Hey, I… oh, hi, Felicity.” Anonymity is a cardinal rule at Sable but I’m not going to pretend I don’t know who she is.
“Hello, Lady J,” she says while smoothing down her dress.
Always so correct, she never calls me anything other than Lady J, the pseudonym I’ve used at the club.
“Don’t let me keep you from your work any longer, Mr. Culver.
” She quickly bobs her head to us both before taking off like the place is on fire.
“What brought Felicity here?” I ask, feigning mild curiosity.
“Just a scheduling issue at the club,” he says. He hugs me hello and his warm gaze makes me believe it. If only a foreign perfume wasn’t mixed with his delicious cedar and soap fragrance now. His brow furrows as he studies me. “Are you unwell?” Right, I did just get sick.
“No, not really but I do have some news…”