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This time, however, the billionaire stepped up during my time of need. He was there for me, and though I’d had to do a little guilt-tripping to convince him to let me stay in his home, he didn’t complain. More importantly, he could have turned me away and given me a wad of money as compensation, but he didn’t.
I shut my eyes for a moment, basking in my adoration of this man.
I do love him. So much.
The rest of our lunch is fairly uneventful. Zoe blabbers on about high school and some gossip from Great Falls, but I can barely focus because I’m thinking about the baby. At the end of our meal, we hug goodbye and Zoe grips my hand once more.
“You’re not mad, are you?” she asks softly. “I’m really sorry for being so nosy and annoying, Selena. I care about you.”
I squeeze her hand in return.
“It’s okay, Zoe. I know you didn’t mean it. But now, I have to go. I’ll see you soon, okay? When do you head back to Michigan?” We chat some more and then with a merry wave, I take a left onto Sixth Avenue to make my way uptown. But before going home, there’s something important to take care of. Spotting a Walgreens, I stop inside and purchase a few pregnancy tests from a few different brands. My hands shake, either from nerves or excitement, I don’t know. But I do know that whatever happens, Clancy will take care of us all.
9
Selena
* * *
As soon as I’m home, I rush into the bathroom and grab the first test from my bag before peeing on the stick. After three minutes go by, my heart is pounding, and my hands are shaking so hard it’s almost hard to read the screen.
But there they are. Two little blue lines. I’m pregnant beyond a shadow of a doubt, and my heart leaps. I know I should probably feel distressed or upset or at least nervous, but I’m nothing but smiles as I stare delightedly at the results. Pregnant, I think, and with the baby of the man I love. It’s almost too good to be true.
But now, it’s time to inform my man. Taking a deep breath, I step outside with the indicator still in my hand.
“Clancy?” I call. There’s no answer so I head over to his home office and knock. But no low voice calls out, commanding me to enter. He must be at the office. That makes sense. As a bigwig, my man’s able to work from the location of his choosing, and he must have gone in today.
Then inspiration strikes. Maybe I’ll leave the test on his desk as a gift of sorts. That would be fun, wouldn’t it? Slowly, I push open the door and step into my lover’s home office. There’s a big wooden desk in the corner of the room, as well as rows of bookshelves and a huge abstract painting made of blues and greys on the wall. It’s very much a man’s space, and I love it.
Quietly, I tiptoe in and approach the desk but then my brow scrunches. Neat, he is not. This desk is piled high with stuff, including papers, pens, gadgets I don’t recognize, a computer, and multiple tomes. I try to brush aside some of the papers to clear some space, but the sheafs begin to slide precariously. What do I do? Leave the test on his chair? Unfortunately, the chair is also covered in a ton of random things, and I’m afraid to disturb them, lest they be important.
That’s when my eye catches on a particular piece of paper with the logo of a sunrise on top. It’s just lying there and even more odd, the header proclaims that this letter is from Children’s Hope. Weird.
Unbidden, my eyes begin to move across the text and that’s when the breath catches in my throat. At first, I thought this was just one of the many charities that Clancy supports, but the words make me gasp. What the hell?
* * *
Mr. Quinn – We regret to inform you that Children’s Hope is terminating your adoption application at this time. After our last interview, your living situation was deemed inappropriate for sheltering a child. We wish you the best …
* * *
The words blur before my eyes as the letter flutters to the ground. My boyfriend was trying to adopt a child? Since when? And why did they think his living situation was inappropriate?
Suddenly, I realize it that it must be my fault. The adoption organization must have discovered that Clancy’s in a sexual relationship with his stepdaughter, and denied him on those grounds. My heart drops into my stomach and I feel violently ill. Vomit rises in my throat, and I clap a hand over my mouth to try and keep it in as tears spring to my eyes. That’s when the door bangs open, and who but the billionaire himself stands in the doorway.
