One Month Later
The officesof Drake Entertainment are quiet and deserted on a late Friday afternoon.
Most people take a half-day right before the weekend and work from home. Most people, except for me. I like the silence and the solitude, and plus, sitting at home doesn’t help fix my horrible mood. There aren’t enough distractions at home and my mind wanders onto topics I need to avoid. Max understands, although he’s at school anyway and doesn’t care if I go into the office or not, but if he had the choice, I’m pretty sure he’d be happy to get my mopey ass out of the apartment.
It’s been hard on my little brother lately. I haven’t exactly been easy to live with, but I’ve tried to keep my chin up and soldier on. He’s been there for me, at least as much as a teenage boy going through his own stuff can be, and we’ve had a lot of good nights eating pizza and watching old movies together. But it’s not enough. He knows it’s not enough too. I’m slipping away, cracking. I’m not sure when the breaking will stop. I hope soon. I’m afraid never.
I push back from my desk and wander the halls. My mind’s sliding along the dark paths again and I need someone to keep me away from the bad stuff.
Marie looks up as I slip into the conference room. Her smile brightens and I grin back, letting the glass door shut behind me. She’s got her laptop open and several files and folders spread around her, glasses perched on her nose, her hair pulled up into a cute, messy bun. She’s wearing sweats and doesn’t seem to give a damn that her outfit clashes with the classy conference room. Somehow, Marie does sloppy-chic better than anyone I’ve met before, like she was born to be both comfortable and beautiful.
I’m jealous, because I feel far from both comfort and beauty at the moment.
“I swear, ever since I married Ansell, I’ve been twice as busy,” she says leaning back in her chair with a sigh. “Like seriously, I’m doing twice the work.”
“You love it though.”
“I really do.” She takes off her glasses and grins at me. “How are you holding up?”
I shrug and kick my feet up on another chair, leaning back with my hands behind my head. “Well, I’m still pregnant, with all the lovely joy that brings.”
“I’m sorry, isn’t pregnancy just, like, one long glow? Like you’re always just… glowing? That’s what people make it look like on social media.”
“No, Marie. I don’t glow. I don’t even dimly shine or whatever. My feet hurt, my boobs hurt, I’m exhausted and moody and emotional, and I’m just getting past my morning sickness, which sucked, by the way. And I hear it doesn’t get better.”
“Does it help if I said that’s going to be me pretty soon?”
I sit up straight. “You’re trying?”
“Well, less trying, and more like… not being careful.” She blushes slightly and chews on a pen.
“Were you ever?”
“Point taken.”
I laugh and sit back with a groan. “Seriously, how can my back hurt this much, and I’m barely, like, two months pregnant?”
“You know, I’m close with the boss. I can negotiate for some early maternity leave if you want.”
“God, no,” I say, shaking my head. “He only just hired me back, and basically because he feels sorry for what happened with—” I hesitate, unable to say his name.
Marie notices my pause and steps right in to cover the awkward silence. “Ansell doesn’t care. He likes you and you’re a good employee. Besides, Drake’s been doing great, we can afford to pay you to have an easy pregnancy.”
“Can’t do it, mostly because having work helps. And I think my dad would turbo-shame me if I tried to take it easy.”
“Does he know about the baby?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. I think Max told him, but I haven’t been taking his calls.”
“Probably for the best.”
“Yeah, well, that’s one less man in my life.”
We lapse into silence. I stare down at my nails and try not to think abouthimfor the hundredth time today, but by trying not to think about him, suddenly I’m thinking about him, feeling his lips on my neck, his hands on my body, his deep masculine purr of pleasure as he—
Marie says, “You know, it’s been a month, and still nobody’s heard from him. I know you don’t like to talk about Baptist, but, you know, I figured you deserved an update.”
Worry hits me, but I shove that worry away.