Chapter 27
Juliet
I found a nearby bench and plopped down into it, a view of the sunset visible through the city’s buildings that towered over me.
The sound of traffic and conversations of people passing by filled my ears, as I watched the sky turn from orange to red to purple in a matter of minutes.
I loved this city. Always had. Always would.
I never thought I would be raising my baby here, thinking I would move to some suburb before starting a family, but I was growing used to the idea of staying in the city.
I had seen mothers pushing their strollers across crosswalks, looking chic or carrying their babies through central park in workout gear.
That could be me too. I rested my hand on my stomach and smiled, leaning my head back against the bench.
Yesterday, when I verbalized to my friends that I was keeping the baby, it made it all the more real. I was doing this.
“Hey, pretty lady,” called Sarah, ambling toward me with a grin on her face, her hair a lighter shade of purple since I saw her last. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans and a black long sleeve top that hugged her small frame.
“Sarah!” I said, standing up and pulling her in for a hug.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said, giving me a frown as she pulled away and looked me over, holding me at an arm’s length.
“I know. I’m sorry,” I said.
“Chester still keeping you busy?” she asked, raising a brow.
“Something like that.”
“I brought it up to Mike today. The idea of you coming back to accounting.”
“And?” I asked, my voice raising a hopeful octave.
“He is open to the idea. He said you’re a good accountant.”
“I was only there for a day.” I laughed softly.
Sarah laughed and looped her arm through mine.
“You must have had an impressive first day then. He does have to check with the big guy first though. All moves go through him.”
I groaned, rolling my eyes.
“You don’t think he will let you transfer back?”
“It’s complicated,” I muttered.
She studied my face curiously, but before she could ask what I intended to tell her over dinner, Gabriella and Sadie clambered out of a nearby cab and walked toward us.
They both looked chic, Gabriella in a long, form-fitting maxi-dress and Sadie in a pair of wide-leg trousers and a simple white tank top.
“Hey, girls,” I said, feeling so happy to see them.
Even though I had seen them just the night before, and Gabriella earlier that morning, I had to catch them up on my run-in with Mia. I had even more to catch Sarah up on.
“This is my friend Sarah,” I said, nudging her with my shoulder. “This is Gabriella and Sadie.”
“I remember you from the club,” said Sarah to Sadie.
“That was a great show,” said Sadie enthusiastically.
“Right?” agreed Sarah, before turning to Gabriella. “It’s nice to meet you, Gabriella.”
“Please, call me Gabs.” She waved her off.
“Shall we?” I asked, looking at the three of them, my stomach growling. I was starving and this Italian restaurant was the newest spot in town. A neighborhood restaurant with a menu that boasted classic Italian dishes. Baby was demanding carbs tonight.
“Yes!” they said in unison.
We walked up the small steps up toward the door of the restaurant, pushing the door open, and were met with the smells of garlic and freshly made pasta dough and crushed, seasoned tomatoes.
“Mmmm,” I said, my mouth watering.
“It smells heavenly,” said Sarah, closing her eyes.
Gabriella approached the hostess stand and gave her the name our reservation was under. Seeing how packed the place was, I was relieved she had called and made a reservation earlier that afternoon. There was only one empty table in sight, and we were led right to it.
We sat around the circular wooden table, eyeing our menus and the plates of food being served around us.
Servers balanced trays of fettuccine alfredo, antipasto salads, raviolis in pesto sauce, and garlic bread the length of my arm.
Everything looked so good, including the red bottle of wine that was being poured next to us.
“I need some of that,” said Sarah, pointing in the direction of the cabernet sloshing in the wine glass.
“Me too,” said Gabriella.
“Ditto,” said Sadie.
Sarah looked to me. “Should we get a bottle?”
“Um…sure. Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard.
Gabriella and Sadie both gave me an amused look.
“Am I missing something?” she asked, tilting her head and looking between the three of us, her brown eyes curious.
“I’m not drinking,” I said, reaching for the glass of ice water in front of me and taking a sip.
“Oh?”
“I’m sort of pregnant.” I bit my lip and looked at her sheepishly.
“What?” she nearly shouted. “Since when?”
“A few days ago. At least that’s when I took a test.”
“Congratulations, Juliet!” she said, rounding the table and giving me a big hug. As she held onto me, she said warily, “Wait…who is the…” She paused. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, pulling away from me and boring her eyes into mine.
I nodded slowly, affirming her assumption.
“You’re having a baby Brandfield,” she whispered wide-eyed.
I couldn’t help but laugh, but then the sadness crept in again.
“What is it?” she asked, seeing the change in my demeanor.
“He doesn’t know. And I plan on keeping it that way,” I said softly.
“Okay. My lips are sealed. Now, how can I help?” she said with no questions asked.
“I like her,” said Gabriella, nodding toward Sarah.
“Me too.” I grinned.
For only knowing Sarah a short amount of time, I considered her a good friend, which was why I felt comfortable in telling her about the pregnancy. She reacted exactly as I expected. No questions asked and eager to help.
“I’m okay for now,” I reassured her as she rounded the table back to her seat. “But there’s more…” I said hesitantly.
After we ordered our food and a bottle of wine, I filled my friends in on what happened with the photo left on my desk with the threatening note, and my run-in with Mia that same morning.
They listened to me wide-eyed, their hands gripped tightly around their wine glasses.
When I was done telling them everything, their mouths were open in shock.
“What the serious fuck?” asked Sadie, shaking her head.
I laughed out loud. It was all so surreal that it almost seemed funny.
“Do you have any idea who left the photo and note?” asked Gabriella.
I shook my head.
“God, Mia is such a bitch,” grumbled Sarah. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her.”
I hadn’t thought about that possibility until now, but it seemed too diabolical for someone who was just the “mean girl” of the office. She might not like me or be jealous of me, but she wouldn’t go that far to threaten me.
“All this stress isn’t good for you,” said Sadie worriedly.
“Or the baby,” added Gabriella.
“I know. I’ve got to figure my life out,” I said with a sigh.
Our server came by with an armful of trays, balancing our various dishes.
We decided to each order something different, so we could each try bites of each other’s.
We also ordered the garlic bread that could feed a small army and a large bowl of house salad.
We dug in right as the food hit the table, the savory aromas too good to wait on.
I slurped a noodle in carbonara sauce down, letting out a low moan of satisfaction.
“Careful, girl,” said Sarah, twirling her fork in her spaghetti and meatballs. “You might get pregnant again from the food.”
I picked up a small piece of garlic bread and tossed it at her, causing our table to burst out in laughter. It felt good to laugh. To be surrounded by friends. I already loved New York, but they made it even better. I could raise a baby here.
Once our check was paid and our bellies were full, past the point of stomaching one more bite, we all walked out onto the sidewalk.
The city was enveloped in a dark, cloudless sky.
We all hugged goodbye, and I was so happy to see everyone had hit it off so well.
Piling into separate cabs, we took off in all directions toward our homes.
Feeling sleepy from all the food, I immediately put on some cozy, loose-fitting pajamas upon entering my apartment.
I quickly washed up and padded across the hardwood floor toward my bed.
It looked so inviting and I was looking forward to passing out in my food coma.
I peeled back the covers and slid underneath.
But sleep did not come. Even though my eyes were heavy and my stomach was full of some of the best food I had had in a while, I couldn’t get comfortable.
My mind was wandering too much. Thoughts of the past, the future.
I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of seeing Chester tomorrow.
It felt like it had been months since I had last seen him.
Maybe that was because so much had changed between us in just a week.
I rolled onto my stomach, burying my face in the pillow, trying a new position for sleep. Unsuccessful, I rolled onto my back with an annoyed sigh.
“Go to sleep,” I whispered to myself in the dark.
I needed as much energy as possible to face Chester tomorrow morning, to find it in me to go through with quitting, knowing it would really be the end of us.
Was there ever even an us?
We had known each other, what, two months?
Yet, this felt like a heartache I had never felt before.
Not with either of my long-term relationships.
I wondered what that meant. Maybe I was blinded by lust. The excitement and passion I felt with Chester was unmatched.
But that wasn’t real. It was a fleeting affair that was consuming, but over too soon.
It was probably better this way, for us to crash and burn.
If I felt this way now, it could only feel worse with more time.
His face entered my mind, unwelcome, yet handsome.
I tried to block out the chestnut color of his eyes and the way his hair fell into them when he was coming undone.
It felt like I had been the only person to make him that way, to lose his professional demeanor to his wants.
He made me feel that way, like I was the only person to make him lose control.
Like I was the only person he had eyes for.
I tried to push away the way his lips curled into a smirk that was faint enough to miss, but sexy enough to be completely distracted by. I missed the way his lips felt against mine, either soft and gentle or crashing into a passionate kiss. There was no in between.
For as mad as I was at him, or wanted to be, I couldn’t help but miss him. I couldn’t help but want him. Need him.
My eyes fluttered closed as I remembered the way his hands explored me like I was a prize he had won, prideful and claiming. His fingers gentle as they trailed my skin, strong when they roved between my legs. Circling. Stroking. Curling into me.
I ran my hand down my abdomen, fingers trailing along the cotton fabric of my pajama top and further down until they reached the waistband of my pants.
I slid my hand under the soft fabric and shuddered as they lightly traced along my inner thighs.
I arched my back slightly, imagining it was Chester’s touch heating my insides.
So badly, I wished that the hard muscles of his body were pressed against me, encasing me in his warmth as he teased me with his slender fingers.
I ran my thumb over the most sensitive part of me, circling it slowly, making me gasp.
My mind was a collage of every time we had come together as one, thrilling me as my thumb moved faster.
I dipped a finger into my slick opening, letting out a breathy moan, imagining the ripples of his lengthy cock reaching the very core of me.
I called out his name, too lost in the moment to feel foolish for it.
I slid another finger in, moving faster.
It didn’t take long to make myself shudder with ecstasy, releasing against my hand under the cool sheets.
I called his name as I came, my back arched high before I collapsed onto the plush mattress in a satisfied, exhausted heap.
I finally drifted off to sleep, spent from my own hand, pretending Chester was there curled around me. I could almost feel his warm breath against my shoulder, steady as he slept beside me. I swore a tear fell down my cheek as I fell into the darkness of my dreams.