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“Yeah, well, tell that to my dancing partner,” I muttered. “He complained about each additional pound during our lifts and suggested I lay off the pasta when we were in Italy.”
“I’m afraid to say it, but my instructions are bound to make him complain even further since I’d like to see you gain at least twenty-five pounds during the course of your pregnancy,” she advised gently. “And you’re going to need to modify your dancing to accommodate your growing belly. During the first trimester, you may feel like you can do almost anything, but there will be changes you’re going to need to make. I’m not saying you can’t dance at all, Juliette, but it’s vital for you to listen to your body throughout your pregnancy so you don’t push yourself too far.”
It was a good thing I was sitting down or else my knees might have given out as I considered the ramifications of the news she’d given me. I lifted my shift to expose my stomach and was shocked to see a tiny baby bump. How had I missed this? “I’m already four months along,” I admitted softly.
She glanced down at the laptop she’d brought in and hit a few buttons. “That’s certainly a possibility with the date of your last period, but there’s no way to know for sure considering their irregularity.”
“Trust me, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I got pregnant four months ago.” She raised her eyebrows and looked at me questioningly. “It’s when I lost my virginity.”
“Ohhh,” she drawled as understanding hit. “And no sexual activity since then?”
“Only in my dreams since he was here while I was touring Europe.” Those dreams were no joke, either. He’d come to me each and every night I was gone, tormenting me with my need for him. I relived all the things he’d done to my body during the night I’d spent with him. Over and over again. Waking up with your hand in your panties and your heart thundering when you were sharing a room with another ballerina was not my idea of fun. I was just lucky she was a deep sleeper and hadn’t caught me in an embarrassing position.
“It seems we have a different reason to schedule your ultrasound then, since we’re nearing the usual time for a mid-pregnancy scan.” I got a lump in my throat at hearing the term ‘mid-pregnancy.’ I felt like I’d missed out on so much of it already. “Although the main purpose of the scan is to check that your baby is developing normally, we may also be able to tell if you're expecting a boy or girl. You may want to bring the baby’s father, a family member, or a friend with you since it’s such a special moment.”
The baby’s father. I had to be the only woman ever who lost her virginity during a one-night stand, got knocked up, even though they used condoms every single time that night, and didn’t realize she was pregnant for four months! Oh my goodness, this meant I had to face Declan again. How mortifying.
I didn’t have any other choice, though. There was no getting around it since I needed to tell him I was pregnant. I didn’t even have his phone number, which meant my only choice was to drop in on him unannounced at his apartment. He was bound to think I was either lying to him or that I’d kept the pregnancy a secret for the past few months.
The rest of what the doctor had to say went in one ear and out the other as I agonized over what to tell Declan and when. As I stumbled out of the office with all sorts of paperwork in my hand, I glanced at my watch and heaved a huge sigh of relief at what time it was. My visit to Declan would have to wait since my ballet mistress had organized a welcome home party for those of us who’d been on tour together.
The last thing I wanted to do was attend a party of any kind, not after having this bombshell dropped on me, but I didn’t want to let her down. Plus, it sure didn’t hurt that I had the perfect excuse to wait until tomorrow to face Declan. And with my stomach growling, I was reminded of my need to eat for two.
I hurried along the street, choosing to walk the six blocks between the doctor’s office and the restaurant instead of catching a cab. The fresh air helped me to clear my head and focus on what was important. As I walked into the restaurant, I was still scared about all the changes the baby would bring, but I was also tremendously excited. There was a tiny life growing inside me, one Declan and I had created together. I might not have any idea what to do next yet, but I refused to regret this baby. Not even for a moment.
“Europe must have agreed with you, darling,” Serena murmured as she air kissed me on both sides of my cheeks. As the company’s ballet mistress, her job was to give the daily classes for the dancers and to rehearse the ballets in the company repertoire. She was a harsh task master, but I’d always had a good relationship with her. “You’re practically glowing.”
I was sorely tempted to blurt out my news to her right then and there. It was a conversation which was going to happen soon anyway, but we were interrupted by one of the dancers who’d joined the company when I was getting ready to leave for my tour.
“Juliette, this is Lisa Morisette, a newer member of the corps.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” Lisa offered. “I wanted to tell you how excited I am to dance with you. I didn’t get a chance to tell you how amazing you were as Gamzatti in La Bayadère. I looked for you at the cast party the night before you left but never managed to find you.”
“Yes, I left a little early.” I left the ‘so I could go get knocked up by the sexiest man ever’ unsaid, figuring I shouldn’t blurt it out to a virtual stranger.
“Well at least I got the chance to meet you tonight before I got distracted by my blind date.”
“Blind date?”
“Yeah, one of my friends has been telling me about her husband’s best friend ever since I moved here. From everything she’s said, he sounds too good to be true. Handsome, smart, kind,” she rattled off.
“Mmmhmm,” I murmured non-committally, trying to think of a way to get out of this conversation gracefully. She seemed like a sweet girl, but I wasn’t really in the mood to discuss someone else’s dating life considering the state of mine.
“Oh, wow,” Lisa sighed dreamily, her attention suddenly riveted towards the door. “Nancy was not exaggerating when she described him. We were supposed to meet up a while back, but it fell through. It took her forever to get him to agree again, but damn was he worth the wait. Talk about tall, dark, and handsome.”
My head swiveled to the side and my gaze landed on the man she was so delighted to meet. He was easy to spot since his tall, muscular frame towered over everyone else. A lock of his thick, dark hair had fallen onto his forehead, and my fingers itched to sweep it to the side. His fierce brown eyes were scanning the room like he owned it, while his firm lips were stretched into a taut line. There was no denying he was worth waiting for, especially not when you considered that I’d spent the last four months unable to get the thought of him out of my head. Or my heart.
&
nbsp; Lisa’s blind date was none other than Declan McGowan—the father of my unborn child. And it seemed Lisa and I weren’t the only ones excited to see him because the baby chose that exact moment, while my head was already spinning, to kick for the very first time. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or faint.
2
Declan
I felt a little bit of déjà vu as my eyes swept a room full of dancers once again. I’d kept my night with Juliette to myself, not ready to share her with anyone else yet. Unfortunately, it led to my best friend’s matchmaking wife harassing me constantly about meeting her friend. It probably made me a complete asshole, but when her last attempt to nag me included the information that the event was a party for the returning dancers, I finally agreed to ‘attend’ it. I made it clear I was not going on a blind date though. It looked like she’d ignored me, because she and Kevin were nowhere to be found.
I’d waited four months, as patiently as I could, but I was done. Living without Juliette any longer was not an option, and it was time she knew it too. My eyes landed on a pretty, blonde woman, working her way towards me through the crowd, an eager look on her face. Shit. Nancy clearly hadn’t told her friend about my adamant refusal for a date. I needed to figure out how to handle this without being a complete douche. All considerations on that front went flying out the window when I spotted the woman she’d been talking to.
I would recognize those beautiful violet pools anywhere, but she was different. She’d filled out a little bit, her skin was practically glowing, and her eyes . . . were filled with tears. She turned and headed in the opposite direction and before I could take a step forward, I was faced with the evidence of Nancy’s meddling.
