4: Pregnant?

“What did you say?” Theo asked incredulously.

“I am pregnant,” Alicia repeated, enunciating each word for emphasis purposes. Theo gawked at her, wondering what her being pregnant had to do with him. For a nerd, he can sometimes be dense.

“How does that concern me?” He asked, genuinely surprised. It hadn't hit him that he might indeed be the father.

“I thought since you are the father may…”

“What?” He screeched, interrupting whatever it was she wanted to say. He hastily opened the door and stepped out of the car. “You are saying I am the father?” He asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes on her flat tummy. Alicia nodded.

“Good lord!” He groaned. “Who knew I would procreate, even before my slutty brother.” He murmured mostly to himself. The notion seemed impossible.

“Are you certain?” He insisted and for a second Alicia felt a wave of irritation rush through her.

“Yes I am sure,” she answered dryly with pursed lips.

“You don't have to snap at me, madam,” Theo growled, his eyes flickering dangerously. “I am only asking because in your line of work, the probability of me not being responsible is greater.” Alicia swallowed nervously. She hadn't thought through her plan. How was she to convince him that she wasn't really a hooker? She had initially thought the evidence she left on his sheets exonerated her, which was obviously not the case.

“I am sorry,” she rasped with a sigh.

“Do you want to come in?” Theo asked instead. Alicia nodded without a verbal response and followed the man into his mansion. Theo was lost in his mind. This would be the last thing he would have thought would happen to his boring life. Having a baby from a one-night stand wasn't how he had hoped to go about it. “Welcome,” he gestured for her to proceed in as he held the door open. He led her to the sitting area and offered a beverage of her choice. Theo never saw the need of having a housekeeper since he was living alone. Also, because he preferred mostly his own company. During the weekends, though, his parents and Xavier's housekeepers come to clean the place for him. And they never fail to praise his tidiness.

“You do realize there will be a paternity test involved?” He asked after a brief silence.

“Yes,” Alicia admitted.

“Good,” Theo breathed. “So, how can I be of help?” Alicia told him about her overbearing family, leaving out the part where she was almost married. By the end, Theo understood that it is shelter she was seeking and support with the baby.

“I will have my mother come over and discuss baby stuff with you.” Theo decided getting on his feet. He gestured for her to follow him upstairs, where he showed her the three available guest rooms and asked her to choose one and turn it into her room and another one into a nursery. Alicia smiled at his kindness. She hadn't been wrong about him. Not everyone would be so accepting. And since she hadn't brought anything with her, Theo promised she would be taken shopping the next day to get everything she needed.

After leaving her to settle in her room, Theo went to his study and called Xavier first.

“Are you crazy?” Xavier yelled, outraged by his brother's gullibility. “She could be lying.”

“Or she could be telling the truth.” Theo reasoned, making Xavier exhale shakily.

“You, my dear brother, are a wizard in the boardroom.” He began warily. “But I'm afraid when he comes to reading people, it's never your strong suit.”

“I know,” Theo admitted. “That is why I called you.”

“What do you need?” Xavier asked eagerly. He would do anything for his brother.

“For you to question her.” Theo offered simply. “Perhaps you can pick a thing or two on her body language. I will also call mom so that she can take Alicia to a doctor and figure out when it's the appropriate time to do a DNA test, without putting either the child or the mother at risk.” Xavier stopped listening when his brother suggested calling their mother. He feared his parents would blame him for putting Theo in the disagreeable position.

“Must you tell mother?” He whined, making Theo laugh.

“Yes, I must,” Theo confirmed with a defeated sigh. “Like you said, I am clueless when it comes to human interaction.”

“I lied, you are a pro!” Xavier shouted immediately.

“You are not getting off this one.” Theo laughed, knowing Xavier will hear it from their parents. “But look on the positive side, you can tell I wouldn't have got myself a woman. Who knows if I would have even considered giving them a grandchild?”

“Good point!” Xavier exclaimed, impressed. He could certainly use mind games in his favor. Theo hung up after Xavier promised to drop by the following day since he was out of town for a party. Not that Theo was surprised. That was Xavier. Party after party.

Their mother wasn't ecstatic about the news. In fact, she was screaming about how the hooker took advantage of her precious boy. That, of course, led to a heated debate. Theo whined that he was not a kid and no one else was responsible for his actions, while Hilda argued that he was so innocent when it came to women and Xavier is to blame for the mess. She, however, agreed to come to see Alicia the following day and take her to a good clinic. Theo got off the phone and turned to head out of his office when his eyes fell on a scared Alicia. Since he was on a loudspeaker, he didn't have to ask why she suddenly looked like she was about to throw up.

“Your family hates me already,” she said painfully.

“Perhaps,” Theo breathed. “But it's not them you are marrying.”

“Who is marrying who?” Alicia squealed outrageously.