One: Mia Conner

One

Mia Conner

Pregnant.  

I stare down at the pregnancy test before me, shocked. I wasn't someone that slept around. I'd had a fling once, on vacation, and now my entire life had changed because of one small mistake.

I didn't remember the guy's name. I'd been drunk. We both had. All that I remembered about him was that he had a crescent moon for a tattoo. I couldn't believe that I'd wound up like this.

"Mia, are you okay?" someone asked. I wrapped the pregnancy test in toilet paper and then I slipped it into my purse. I pushed the door open, and was surprised to see my best friend Brooklyn standing there.

Brooklyn was a tall, skinny brunette girl who worked for Crescent Industries, a tech company that made apps for hospitals. She was a programmer and could usually be found behind a computer. She'd been hired by them right out of college. Of course, it had helped that her brother, Mason Crescent, owned the company. But Brooklyn was working on creating her own app so she could go solo.

I smiled at my friend. "I'm fine."

We'd been roommates in college, and just last month, I'd gone to her older sister's bachelorette party. It had been in Las Vegas. I had only blurry memories of the evening---mostly of Mason Crescent glaring at me the whole time because I tended to get giggly when I was drunk. I also kept on complimenting his muscles.

Of course, why Mason had insisted on coming to his sister's bachelorette party was beyond me. He just kept on saying it was a "security" thing. Which was probably code for, "I don't trust my little sisters to make their own choices even though they are adults because I'm an overprotective asshole."

Although no one would ever tell him that.

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. "You don't look fine. In fact, you look worried."

I bit my lip. Brooklyn was my best friend. I could tell her anything. Chances are, she wouldn't judge me for this one mistake, right? "Brook, do you remember if I…"

"If you what?" she asked.

"Did I sleep with someone on the Vegas trip?" I asked.

Brooklyn furrowed her brows together. "What? No. I don't think so. I mean, at one point during the evening, you disappeared and we couldn't find you but Mason ended up finding you and deposited you back in your room. He said you were fine. And I know you didn't sleep with my brother, because you two hate each other."

I rolled my eyes. "Hate would imply that I actually feel something about him. I feel nothing about him."

My best friend laughed. "Please. You two do nothing but bicker, constantly."

"Yes, because he keeps on trying to interfere with my life," I said, "remember when he spent a year trying to convince me to major in business management?"

Brooklyn smiled a little. "Yes, I remember. The two of you almost got us kicked out of the dorm rooms because you fought so much that night. But why are you worrying about if you slept with someone in Vegas?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

I had had a doctor's appointment that day because I'd been feeling under the weather. I almost never got sick, so it was unusual for me. Then the doctor had told me I was pregnant and I had taken another pregnancy test from the pharmacy just to confirm because….

I don't know.

It seemed rational at the time.

Brooklyn gasped. "Oh my god. You're pregnant?"

I nodded.

"Are you going to keep it?"

I hesitated. I was twenty-three, with barely any savings, and being a single mom seemed impossible. But I placed my hand on my stomach and I looked up at Brooklyn. "Yeah, I think I am."

Brooklyn's eyes widened. "Wow. Okay. That's big…um that's really, really, big. I'm…happy for you, I think?"

I laughed. "Thanks. It will be hard, but I think I can figure it out."

My best friend smiled at me. "You're one of the strongest people I know, Mia. If anyone can figure this out, it's going to be you. But you know, that little job at the café isn't going to be enough to help you. I know you love it, but I can help you…"

I hesitated. I wasn't like Brooklyn. I hadn't come from money. Brooklyn's parents were investment bankers, and they were the ones that had helped Mason start his own business. I was raised by my aunt. My parents had vanished when I was ten years-old, leaving me by myself.

My aunt Rachel had done her best raising me, but she'd been a teacher, and her salary had only gone so far. I'd finished school with a mountain of student loans. I'd gotten some scholarships, but not near enough to cover everything.

At the moment, I lived with Brooklyn. She didn't need a roommate but she also hated living alone. Brooklyn had three brothers, and they were all super protective of their younger sisters. Brooklyn's older sister, Meredith, the one that had just gotten married, had lived in the apartment Brooklyn currently lived in now.

They'd been roommates before. And I suspected that was largely because Mason, Cole, and Camden, their older brothers, didn't like the idea of the girls living alone. I had a feeling if the girls weren't living together, they'd probably be stuck living at home. Meredith had married their best friend, Owen.

I frowned. "I don't know, Brooklyn. I don't want anyone thinking I'm taking any handouts."

Brooklyn shook her head. "Oh, come on Mia. You're my best friend. Anyway, just do it for a few years, and then you can save up enough money to work somewhere else if you really want. Maybe enough to open up that bakery like you dreamed about!"

I frowned. "But then I have to work with your brother."

Brooklyn laughed. "Well, that's a small price to pay for peace of mind, right? Anyway, you know my brothers. The minute they find out you're pregnant, they'd probably annoy you into being helped too. It's easier this way."

I hated that she was right. But if I wanted to keep my baby, I had to do whatever I needed to in order to make that happen. Even if it meant working with someone as awful as the Crescent brothers.