11. Chapter 11
Chapter 11
C HAPTER ELEVEN
RORY
"I'm so glad you didn't leave," Vivian said, pulling me in for a hug. "I was so sad."
I giggled as I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I wasn't planning on leaving forever, you know. I was going to come back."
She pulled back, her hazel eyes staring into mine. "I'd have missed you so much."
We were sitting at the bar in Ember's. It was just past noon and I needed to see how my club was doing. I ordered a bottle of Sprite which earned a brow raise from Vivian but luckily, she didn't ask too many questions. The club wasn't busy during the day but there were a few people scattered about.
"What was the reason you decided not to go?" she asked, propping her elbows up on the counter.
I licked my lips, not sure how to respond. When Raphael asked me to move in with him, I thought he was crazy. A celebrity rockstar finds out a woman he had a one-night stand with got pregnant, and his immediate reaction is to ask her to move in?
But I did.
"I got a reason to stay," I said, sipping on my Sprite.
"Oh, did you reconcile with Rylan?"
I choked on my drink.
Vivian's eyes widened. She jumped out of her seat, rubbing my back and staring at me with a concerned expression.
"No," I gasped. "We're definitely not back together."
She pressed her lips together. "Good, because I didn't like him anyway."
I laughed at that, running my fingers through my hair.
"I'm serious," she said, leaning in. "I know how much you loved him, Rory. You would have done anything for him but all the asshole did was find ways to demean you and make you feel small."
I took another sip. Did I always look small to others when I was with Rylan? What did I look like now that I wasn't with him?
My phone vibrated on the counter and Raphael's name flashed across the screen. I picked it up before Vivian could see and pressed the answer button.
"Hello," I said, covering the receiver.
"Hey," Raphael's smooth voice said. "What are you doing?"
"I'm at the club," I said.
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "Should you really be working right now?"
"I'm not working," I said. "And if I was, it wouldn't be so bad. I'm not sick."
"I read online that pregnancies come with a long list of health implications. There's the girl on TikTok..."
"Please don't tell me you get your information from TikTok."
"Not usually but I was curious," he explained.
"Raphael," I groaned.
"Fine," he sighed. "Since you're not working, can we go out?"
I used the straw in my drink to swirl it around. "Go out? Where to?"
"Shopping," he said. "I'll pick you up at the back of the club in about ten minutes. Make sure you're ready."
"Raphael," I hissed, glancing at Vivian.
"Ten minutes."
He hung up.
I stared at my phone for a second before putting it down and sighing. Vivan eyed me curiously, an amused smile on her lips.
"Was that Raphael Barlowe?" she asked, a giddy note to her tone.
"Y-yeah," I stuttered.
"I saw you two dancing a while ago here at the club," she said. "I could just tell you two had chemistry."
"Viv," I said, rubbing my temples.
"Okay, I'll stop," she said. "But just know I support it. He's my second favorite No Limit member and is way more good-looking than his brother."
I raised a brow. "Who's your first?"
"Xander," she sighed dreamily. "I love that brooding vibe he's got going on."
"Right," I said, sliding off the stool. "I'll be back tonight. I love you. See you soon."
"Love you too," she said.
I hurried out of the club through the back. The alleyway was empty and the door shut behind me. A sleek black car was already parked a few feet away and Raphael was leaning against the side, a baseball cap tugged low on his head and sunglasses covering his eyes. He gestured for me to come over.
"Paparazzi is crazy today," he said when I got closer. He handed me the key. "You're driving."
"What?"
Without another word, he slid into the car through the passenger door. I sighed and walked around the car, getting into the driver's side. Once inside, Raphael pulled a lever under his chair that sent him sliding back.
"Okay, what do I do?" I asked.
He looked at me. "Just drive. If you see anyone with a camera, do not make eye contact."
"You're so dramatic," I said.
I started the car and reversed, driving out of the alleyway and onto the street. There were no cars around and Raphael's car was pretty inconspicuous. I drove smoothly, not speeding.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
He took out his phone and typed in an address. "You'll know when we get there," he said.
He connected his phone to the GPS and I followed the instructions. We ended up driving around New York, and it didn't take long before the roads became busier.
"Are you nervous?" Raphael asked.
"No," I replied. "Why would I be nervous?"
"We're out together in the open. Someone could easily snap a picture. Rylan would know we've been seeing each other."
"Why do you think I care what Rylan thinks?"
"You didn't even want him to know we had sex," Raphael reminded me. "I think you try to protect his feelings. And you moved in with me. That's not going to go well with him."
"I don't care," I said, glancing at him. "Whatever your brother and I had is now over."
"Hmm," he hummed, turning his gaze away from me. "Okay."
We continued to move along the streets of New York, through the traffic. Raphael didn't speak. I wasn't sure if he was in a bad mood or if he was just thinking. I didn't want to talk to him either. Was he always going to bring up Rylan? We were going to be co-parenting a child. I didn't want whatever rivalry he and his brother had to affect the baby.
After a few more minutes, I pulled up to a large building. There were guards at the entrance. We drove in through the gate and I glanced around. It looked like a mall but there was no one else around.
"It's closed to the public for today," Raphael explained.
"Closed? Why?" I asked.
"I'm rich and famous," he shrugged. "Let's go," he added, getting out of the car.
I followed him as he walked toward the entrance. The wind blew my hair into my face and I pushed it back. Raphael opened the doors and let me walk in first. Once inside, the air-conditioning hit me and I shivered.
Raphael placed a hand on the small of my back. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Now, the heat from his palm seared my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
"Yeah, it's just the air conditioning," I replied, swallowing.
His eyes darkened. Then he dropped his hand and stepped away. I took a look around. The mall was wide and spacious, with high ceilings and shiny floors. The lights were dim and soft music played overhead. A woman approached us. She was dressed in a red uniform, her hair tied into a tight bun.
"Mr. Barlowe," she greeted with a warm smile.
"Hello," he replied, smiling at her.
"Please come with me," she said, leading the way.
We followed after her, moving deeper into the mall. I looked around, taking in the variety of stores. Glass displays, shiny mannequins, and the scent of new clothing filled the air. We came to a stop in front of a store and the lady gestured for us to enter.
"Do you always reserve an entire mall whenever you want to shop?" I asked as he pulled out a cart and pushed it towards me.
"I wanted to avoid people seeing us," he said. "Millie says I have to be careful," he explained.
"Who's Millie?"
"My manager."
"Right."
We started walking down the aisle, passing by a wide variety of clothing.
I crossed my arms. Raphael began to hum. Then he began to sing softly as he ran his fingers along the material.
"I'm gonna run your life over like a train," he sang playfully.
I smiled and shook my head. Raphael actually had a nice voice. It was soft, almost soothing. He looked at me with a wide smile on his face, his teeth flashing.
I looked away. "Why are we here?"
"To shop."
"I don't need new clothes."
"Maybe not now," he said, pulling a shirt off the rack. "But once you start showing, you'll need clothes."
"Raphael, you really don't have to-"
"Yes, I do," he interrupted, raising his brows. "If you're trying to tell me not to spend money on you or the baby, you can forget about it."
I bit my lower lip, frowning. "Fine," I relented.
"Okay," he nodded, placing the shirt in the cart.
He grabbed another one, a small dress. "It's so cute," he cooed, holding it up. "What do you think?"
I tilted my head, looking at the dress. It was white with a pattern of yellow stars all over it. The skirt was poofy and the sleeves were made of a silky material. I tried to imagine a baby girl who looked like Raphael in it.
"I love it," I said, a smile breaking across my face.
"Great," he said. "We're definitely getting this."
"But what if it's not a girl?" I said.
He looked at me and raised a brow. "Then we shop for both. What if it is?"
I shrugged. Then I reached for a tiny denim jacket. I tossed it into the cart without another thought.
"So you want it to be a boy, huh?" he asked.
"I don't know," I replied, not meeting his eyes.
The truth was, I wasn't sure if I wanted a girl or a boy. It didn't matter to me. I just knew that whatever it was, it would have the same blood as me and I would love and protect it till the end of time.
"We'll keep a few gender-neutral items too," Raphael said.
"What do you hope it'll be?" I asked.
He licked his lips and thought for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I don’t know. I just hope they're healthy," he replied.
I blinked at him. It wasn't a very deep response, and yet, I felt moved by it. I smiled at him.
We spent the next thirty minutes buying a whole bunch of baby items. Raphael picked up toys and clothes like he'd done this before and then I found out he pulled yet another all-nighter to read about the latest baby fashion trends.
"I saw these the other day and just had to have them," he said, guiding me over to a shoe display, a spring in his step. I could hear his excitement and the corners of my lips lifted.
"What do you think of them?" he asked, picking up a pair of tiny white shoes from where they sat on a pedestal.
I stared at them, the reality of what was happening dawning on me. The little things that Raphael was doing, the things he was buying, the things he was learning, all of that would eventually culminate into a beautiful baby. A baby with a heartbeat. A baby with a name.
A baby with our blood.
Tears burned the back of my eyes and I quickly wiped them.
"Rory?" Raphael's voice broke through the fog in my mind.
"They're adorable," I said. "I really like them."
He didn't seem to notice the quiver in my voice and if he did, he didn't comment on it.
"Perfect," he said. "Let's go."
He pushed the cart along as we headed to the checkout counter.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a woman cry over shoes," Raphael teased.
I turned away, not wanting him to see my red face.
"It's alright, Rory," he said, chuckling. "You can always blame it on the hormones."
I hit him on the arm, and he laughed.
We left the store, pushing the cart out. The lady from earlier appeared, a sweet smile on her face.
"Can we have these delivered to my house, please?" Raphael asked.
"Of course," the lady nodded.
"Thanks," he said, before turning to me. "Shall we go?" he asked, smiling.
I nodded. He took my hand in his and my heart leaped. I frowned.
Definitely the hormones.