Chapter 32
32
AMELIA
I sat on my bed, staring down at the ultrasound pictures in my hands.
The tiny, grainy image of the baby— my baby —was still surreal.
Three months along. How had three months already passed?
It felt like just yesterday I first saw Jared at that awards dinner.
I thought back to the day I got the notification that I got the job.
I had been ecstatic.
I just knew it was going to be life changing.
Working at Welch Labs was a big deal.
I knew I was good, but I honestly never thought of myself as good enough to work here.
And then I got hired and I met my hero.
My initial impression of him had certainly been a mixed bag.
He wasn’t what I expected.
Or maybe he was exactly as I expected.
I just never imagined it would be me he hit on.
Me he was attracted to.
And now I was having his baby.
The reality of it hadn’t fully settled in yet.
I wasn’t showing, not really, and aside from the nausea and exhaustion, it was easy to forget I was building a little life inside me.
But the ultrasound made it real.
For the first time in weeks, I let myself feel a flicker of excitement.
I wasn’t alone anymore.
I had this baby.
It wasn’t exactly the way I expected my life to go.
But life never went the way it was supposed to.
Make a plan and God laughs.
I was just going to keep pushing through.
I would have to figure out what to do when I did start to show.
Thankfully, we were going into winter, and even though southern Florida didn’t really do winter, I could get away with bulky jumpers—sweaters on this side of the Atlantic.
When it got to the point of me looking like a beached whale, I would have to admit I was pregnant.
I could only imagine the questions.
And rumors.
But that was the problem for then.
I didn’t need to borrow anything to worry about today.
I had plenty of stuff to stress about.
I got out of bed and hopped in the shower.
The morning sickness was letting up, but I found it worked best if I kept to a routine.
I showered, drank my ginger tea, and ate toast. Typically, I would go to the lab but not today.
Today, I was going to binge the last season of Bridgerton.
I turned on the TV and set about making my ginger tea.
I was halfway through my first cup when the news anchor’s voice cut through the cozy silence of my condo.
I glanced up from the TV remote, my attention snagged by the urgency in her tone.
“Residents of the Florida Keys, we urge you to prepare immediately. Hurricane Ophelia has strengthened to a Category Three storm and is projected to make landfall in the Keys within the next seventy-two hours. This is not a drill. Mandatory evacuations are being issued for all low-lying areas, and residents are advised to secure their homes and gather necessary supplies.”
My stomach dropped, and I set my tea down on the coffee table, the porcelain clinking against the wood.
A hurricane? This sounded bad.
My mind immediately raced to the lab—what about our research?
The equipment? And then, almost instinctively, I thought of Jared.
He’d be safe in his mansion, right?
It was built to withstand storms like this.
But still, I couldn’t shake the worry.
I grabbed my phone and quickly pulled up the weather app, scanning the updates.
The projected path showed the storm hitting Key West head-on.
I got up to get my toast and opened the blinds.
“Yuck,” I muttered.
There were dark clouds gathering on the horizon.
I had never been in a hurricane before.
Was it crazy I was kind of excited?
Probably.
I took my toast and tea back to the sofa.
I shut off the news and pulled up Netflix.
Doom and gloom could wait for another day.
I was halfway through the second episode when there was a knock at the door.
I scowled, not happy to have my marathon interrupted.
I opened it to find Clair.
“Hi.” She grinned.
“Hello.”
She barged into my condo like she owned the place.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Watching TV with a cozy blanket,” I replied.
“You can’t spend the whole day in bed,” she said.
“I’m not in bed. I’m on the couch.”
“It’s warm out, and there’s going to be a beautiful sunset on the beach tonight. We should go. We’ll take a picnic. It’s always nice to enjoy the weather before it gets stormy.”
“I’m not sure I’m good for a picnic,” I said.
“Things are still a little risky.”
“Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand.
“You need to get out of this condo. Fresh air will do you good.”
I hesitated for a moment, weighing the idea of staying cocooned in my cozy blanket against the prospect of stepping outside into the humid Florida air.
Clair’s enthusiasm was infectious, though, and I could feel her determination to drag me out of my slump whether I wanted to or not.
“Fine,” I relented, sighing dramatically just to make her laugh.
“But if I start feeling nauseous, you’re carrying me back.”
“Deal,” she said with a grin.
“Now, let’s pack a picnic.”
We headed to the kitchen, and Clair immediately started pulling open cabinets and the fridge.
I grabbed a canvas tote bag from the hook by the fridge and began assembling what I hoped would be stomach-friendly picnic fare.
“Crackers?” Clair asked, holding up a box of saltines with a knowing smirk.
“Yes, crackers,” I said.
“And ginger ale. Just in case.”
She laughed but didn’t push it, which I appreciated.
Instead, she started slicing vegetables for sandwiches while I spread peanut butter on rice cakes—safe choices that wouldn’t upset my stomach.
“What about fruit?” Clair asked, holding up a bag of grapes she’d found in the fridge.
“Perfect,” I said, adding them to the bag.
“And maybe some nuts for protein?”
“I’ve got some cookies at my place we can add,” she said.
Clair basically skipped ahead, her energy pulling me along while I lagged a bit behind.
The sand was cool underfoot where the tide had just receded, and the incoming waves were gentle.
Almost timid. I tried not to think about how different it might look after the storm.
“See?” Clair called back to me.
“Totally worth it.”
I had to admit she was right.
People were already gathering, spreading out blankets and tossing frisbees.
It seemed the whole campus had the same idea: enjoy one last night before we hunkered down for the end of the world.
We picked a spot close to the water.
I sank onto the blanket with a sigh, grateful to be off my feet.
Clair was already digging through our makeshift picnic bag when Shawn found us.
“There you are!” he said, plopping down next to me.
“Your first pre-hurricane picnic.”
“I got dragged out,” I replied with a mock grumble.
“Good thing,” he said.
“You’ll be stuck inside come tomorrow.”
Shawn gestured behind him where more people from the lab were arriving in groups, all bearing coolers and chairs.
It wasn’t long before our little picnic grew into something of a full-blown party.
I watched everyone settle in—a mix of faces I knew well and some I didn’t know at all but recognized from around campus.
I tried to relax, to enjoy the moment, but my eyes kept drifting to Jared.
He was further down the beach, talking to a group of colleagues.
I hadn’t spoken to him since I’d told him I was back at work.
I wasn’t sure if I ever would.
But seeing him now, his dark hair tousled by the breeze, his expression almost relaxed for once, made my heart hurt.
It hurt to be so close but yet so far.
He was the father of my child, and I couldn’t have him.
I watched him and wondered if our baby would look like him.
If it was a boy, would it have his strong features?
I hoped so.
“Have you thought of a name yet?” Clair asked as she sat down beside me.
“Stop,” I hissed.
She rolled her eyes.
“You have to get used to talking about it eventually.”
I knew she was right, but it was hard.
Especially when it came to Jared.
I’d never imagined going through this alone.
“Hey,” Shawn called over, tossing me a bag of chips.
“Got your favorites. Those rice cakes look boring.”
Clair leaned against me with a smirk.
“See how loved you are?”
We ate and talked, everyone growing louder with the alcohol flowing.
It was easy to get lost in the laughter, even if I was one of the few sober ones.
Thankfully, Jared stayed away from us for most of the afternoon.
And then, it was like the temperature dropped twenty degrees.
Gemma showed up, and the whole world darkened.
The looming hurricane had nothing on the storm that followed her around.
She arrived with a group of her friends.
“I heard she was kicked off campus,” Clair muttered under her breath.
“Really?” I asked. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” Clair said.
“Probably because she’s a raging bitch.”
I giggled.
“I won’t argue with that.”
“Oh shit,” Clair hissed under her breath.
“What?”
“She’s coming,” Clair said.
“Don’t look.”
It was too late.
I looked.
Gemma had a smug expression on her face as she approached us.
“Clair,” Gemma said, her tone dripping with fake sweetness.
“How are you feeling?”
Clair frowned, her brow furrowing.
“Fine. Thanks.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Clair snapped.
Gemma smirked, her eyes flicking to Shawn, who looked confused, and then to me.
“The pregnancy. You bought a few pregnancy tests at the market the other day. I just assumed your boyfriend knew.”
Clair went pale, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to come up with a response.
Shawn looked utterly devastated, his eyes wide as he stared at Clair.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice shaky.
Clair shook her head, her tone frantic.
“No, Shawn, don’t be an idiot.”
I noticed Jared approaching.
This couldn’t be happening.
I knew I should have just kept my ass on that couch.
Gemma wasn’t backing down.
“Well, someone is,” she said, her voice sharp.
“Probably one of the nurses. Is it your baby, Jared? That wouldn’t surprise me?—”
“It’s mine,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.
The beach went silent, everyone turning to look at me.
My heart was pounding, my hands trembling, but I forced myself to get to my feet and stare her down.
I looked at Jared. The man looked like he was going to swallow his tongue.
“What’s yours?” Gemma asked.
Clair jumped to her feet and stood next to me.
I appreciated her support, but it was time to come clean.
No more hiding.
“I’m having a baby,” I said.
Gemma’s smirk faltered, her eyes narrowing as she looked down at my stomach to verify what I was saying.
“Yours? Really?”
I nodded, “Yes. Mine.”
Jared stepped forward.
“Gemma, that’s enough. You’re not supposed to be here.”
But Gemma wasn’t done.
She crossed her arms, her expression smug.
“Well, isn’t this interesting? Jared, did you know about this?”
Jared didn’t respond, his eyes locked on mine.
I couldn’t read his expression, couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
But I didn’t care. I was done hiding, done pretending.
This was my truth, and I wasn’t going to let Gemma or anyone else take that away from me.
“It’s my baby,” I said again.
“And it’s none of your fucking business, Gemma.”