Maybe I could get a roommate. Rent out the spare room.
With a baby?!
Urgh, no.
That wouldn’t work for a variety of reasons. But most of all, I didn’t like the idea of a stranger living here while I was pregnant—or worse still, when I was a new mom.
I bit my lip and turned back to the master bedroom, my heart fluttering in my chest at a sudden memory of Victor carrying me over the ‘threshold’ when we’d first moved in. How we’d laughed and made love on the bed.
We’d thought this was our forever.
Victor.
Victor was the only feasible option. He’d have to keep paying his half until it sold, and that was that.
But what if he can’t afford it?
I’d kicked him out—he’d gotten an apartment, but it was a dive. I shuddered at the memory of it.
Maybe we could drop the price on the house? See if we could get a quicker sale? But then we’d have negative equity. I’d already priced it low.
Urgh!
Maybe I could move back in with my mom—but we’d still have to pay for the house, so that made even less sense.
Okay, Victorcouldmove in here, and I could go and stay with my mom.
But the thought of that was enough to send me over the edge. I needed space, and there was none at my mom’s. Plus, I’d have the baby, and she really didn’t have room for both of us.
Fuck!
What’s the solution though? Victor moves back in here with me until it’s sold?
My head reeled.
Can you imagine?
I wasn’t going to leave. I was pregnant—I’d have to come up with another solution.
Butwhat?
First thing was first: I had a shift at work today, and no matter how sick I felt, I had to go to keep up my half of the mortgage payments.
I showered and dressed, praying the nausea subsided enough for me to do my shift without running to the restroom constantly. I didn’t want to announce my pregnancy until after the scan, but that was only a week away. Vanessa had already caved and told Bianci, who was over the moon.
A stab of guilt hit me when I remembered Victor asking to be present at the scan—and how I’d snapped his head off. But the scan wasn’t about me—that was about the baby, wasn’t it? I didn’t want him there, but maybe I could do it for the baby.
It could be nice for their bond. As much as I didn’t want to give Victor anything, I did wonder about that.
While I was driving to work, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen—unknown number.
Yeah—no. Not answering that. If it was important, they could leave a message.
The store was busy, and the hours seemed to fly by at first. But then when it quietened down, I saw the paint stock that needed putting out.
Shit.
I couldn’t lift that, but I hadn’t told anyone about the baby. They knew about Victor and me—and now I was pregnant. I couldn’t bear their pity, but I knew I couldn’t lift anything that heavy.
