Monday morning came, and it took everything to crawl out of bed. My whole body hurt with heartache and all I wanted to do was sleep until I didn't need to cry anymore. It wasn't the way I had envisioned starting my dream job at ZephTech, but then nothing about the past three days had gone as I'd expected.I blinked several times before standing up. My stomach was still lurching back and forth. Whatever stomach bug I had was still with me. The act of standing hadn’t helped any, but I ignored it as best I could as I lumbered into the shower.The air was fiercely cold against my wet skin when I stepped out, a feeling that gave new energy to the wrench in my stomach. I took several deep breaths while I leaned over the toilet, hoping to prevent myself from falling back into a spiral of vomiting. Finally, I zombie-walked back into my room, the shower not having done anything to cure my exhaustion.The lit up digits on the clock beside my bed suddenly caught my attention like fireworks in th
I peed on the stick.And waited.And waited.And waited.It felt like an eternity. I paced the bathroom, I sat on the toilet, I straightened up my shower toiletries, yet the time did not pass. It was the longest five minutes of my life.My hands shook as I approached the sink. It was the moment of truth. I was half afraid the test would somehow be inconclusive, despite the box's assurances that wouldn't happen.I swallowed hard and picked up the test.PREGNANTIt was written there in big bold letters.I shook it, just to be sure.PREGNANTI didn't know if I should scream, cry, pass out or laugh. I felt like I should probably do all of the above. I wished I had someone here to hold my hand as I read that dark word that meant my life was changing. I wished I had Jacob, the one who didn't lie to me, with me telling me that everything was going to be okay and that this was a blessing.I wished I had someone who would help me tell my dad.I sank slowly onto the toilet and felt a tear trick
It was now Friday at three, and I was ready for my interview. I'd barely been at ZephTech as a full time employee for a week now, and I was ready to pull my hair out. I hated it. Without having an end date, every day was worse than before. My heart just wasn't in doing everything for the company with only a pat on the back for reward. I was looking forward to this job interview. I was hoping it would give me something a little less demanding, something that I could continue to do once the baby was born. Even if it didn't pan out, I was excited for the job interview as a chance to expand my horizons.I wore my best suit. It was a dark gray with strong lines that I felt projected strength and dependability. At least, I hoped it did. Paired with some cute low pumps, I felt ready to take on the world.My phone buzzed. It was another phone call from Jacob. I didn't answer it. I still didn't want to talk to him. I'd told Lauren that he wasn't allowed in the apartment, and upon hearing that
“Are you sure?” Jacob frowned, holding up two nearly identical baby onesies.“Yes, I'm sure. We only need one,” I told him. “Babies grow fast. He'll be out of them before he's worn them twice.”“I don't know,” Jacob said, shaking his head slowly. “We can't be too prepared.”I chuckled. “We already have fifteen of them at home. Maybe we could let my mom buy a couple of things for the baby, too?”“I'm getting both,” Jacob announced, putting both items in the basket.I sighed. It was a good thing that Jacob was a billionaire. I was fairly sure that he'd already spent several million on this kid already.A sharp pain started in my stomach and radiated around to my back. It wasn't awful, but it was enough to make me stop and gasp. Luckily, it didn't last long.“Are you okay?” Jacob asked, coming to my side quickly. His blue eyes were big with concern. “Is it starting? Do we need to go to the hospital? I can leave all this stuff here, or I can have someone come buy it and meet us there or--
This is going to hurt, I thought as I hurtled through space.I wasn't quite sure what had caught the toe of my shoe, but somehow the floor was quickly coming up to greet me. It would be less than a second before my entire body slammed into the floor of the restaurant entryway, which was conveniently made of very hard-looking tile.Just don't break anything, I prayed, holding my hands out, hoping that my arms would be strong enough to break my fall. It was going to be ugly and there was nothing I could do about it. I was inches away from colliding, when a pair of strong arms caught me around my waist and pulled me back up into a standing position.“Careful,” a man's voice said. The voice was calm and his hands were strong.I was still wincing in anticipated pain as the stranger held me. I had been expecting to hit the floor, so it took me a second to realize that I had just been saved. His hands were on the top of my waist, holding me steady with a firm and safe grip.“You okay?” he as
I tried to pay attention to the discussion about how terrible Tommy's teacher was, but the table next to us stood and left, giving me a clear view of the room. Instead of the conversation, I was drawn to something else. Or rather, someone else. It was the guy who had saved me from falling in the entryway.From where I sat, I had a perfect view of his face. My first impression of him was dead on. Gorgeous. He was strikingly handsome, with dark hair combed to one side and a square jaw covered in beard stubble. He wore square dark framed glasses that instantly gave him the impression of intelligence. My stomach fluttered with the thought that I had been wrapped up in his arms not that long ago. Warmth filled my belly and my heart skipped a beat. He must have felt me looking at him, because he glanced up and smiled at me.I nearly melted at the subtle flirtation and even more so when I noticed his eyes. They were sky blue, unlike any I had ever seen in real life. They were beautiful and i
Dear Alicia,We regret to inform you that the position you applied for as software engineer has been filled by a more qualified applicant. We wish you the best in your journey and hope you reapply next year.With an agitated sigh, I clicked the “delete” button on the email and put it in the trash along with all the others. It was the third email I had gotten that day and they all said the same thing, that my newly received college degree was worth practically nothing in the work force.I spun my chair around away from the desk. At the same time,Tommy popped in through the door, unannounced.“Why do you look so upset?” he asked, as he pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes.“Because I have a little brother who doesn't know how to knock,” I replied, with a sarcastic smirk.Completely ignoring me, Tommy strolled in and took a seat on my bed.“Seriously, Alicia, you've been in here all day,” he said. “You've been home from college for more than a week and I haven't seen you at all.”“I'm
He was still beyond gorgeous. Instead of the glasses, he wore sunglasses, but they still looked like prescription glasses.“Me too,” the man said to Tommy, pulling out his phone. “You said your game locked up?”Tommy nodded glumly. “I'm stuck on the loading screen.”“Did you log out? Sometimes that reloads your user data and will get you back in the game,” the man told him.Athena came up to him and sniffed his hand. The man quickly pet her on the head, and Athena leaned into it. If my dog thought this guy was okay, I guess I could let him talk to my little brother. He looked up briefly at me and smiled as Tommy continued to follow his instructions.“I'm back in,” Tommy announced, relief filling his features. “Now, to keep the gym under our control.”“Good to have you back in the battle.” The man studied his phone screen. “Hmmm, a leveled up Stingly would take care of this situation in a heart beat.”“You're right,” Tommy agreed, but he frowned. “But I don't have one.”“I do,” I inter