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Roscoe inhales and exhales, swinging his head from side to side. He takes his sweet time, and I can’t help but worry that what he has to say must be something really bad.
“Harry, you must promise not to overreact or flip if I tell you this. Please. You have to prepare yourself now, so that when I tell you, you won’t take it too hard. Can you do that?”
This beating around the bush is making me more nervous, but I nod quickly.
“Just tell me already, Roscoe,” I reply.
Roscoe places a hand on my shoulder. “Harrison, I know this will come as a huge shock, but Charlee is pregnant. She’s pregnant, and she says it’s yours. Tess told me. Charlee didn’t want to tell you, or maybe not yet, but she’s pregnant and that’s a confirmed fact.”
It seems as if time has come to a stop.
I blank out entirely and snap back again.
I’m sure if I could see my own face now, it would be blue with a tinge of white.
What?!
“Are you being serious right now? How… how did that happen?” I ask and immediately realize how stupid I sound.
Roscoe laughs dryly. “Look at you, little buzzing bee staying busy pollinating innocent flowers. Haven’t you been sleeping with her? Your own subordinate at work? Your employee, literally. Why are you asking me how it happened?”
I can hear the disappointment in Roscoe’s tone and it cuts deep. My mind flashes back to that first night. I’d made love to Charlee without protection.
Fuck! I’m not exactly sure how this makes me feel. Surprisingly, I’m not angry or pissed. I’m… excited and terrified, more like.
But Roscoe isn’t feeling my excitement.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” I say, clasping my hands together. “I know this is the worst time for something like this to be happening. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with a staff member, but Charlee is unlike any other woman I’ve ever met. She’s the only one that brings a calm to my chaos. I… I love her, actually. I’ve fallen crazily for her.”
Roscoe sighs and shakes his head. And then he starts nodding. “Look, Harry, I know that love and relationships have been particularly hard for you, but it’s okay. I’m not judging you. I just feel like there’s already so much drama going on. You gotta get ahead of this before it all goes wrong.”
Roscoe is still speaking but I’ve zoned out.
Is this real?
I don’t know what to feel.
I’m not sure how to react.
I’m not even sure what I should think.
All I know is that I am in the absolute worst position to be a father right now, let alone to Charlee’s baby.
21
CHARLEE
Emergency meeting. General conference room. Ten minutes. Divisional heads, deputies. Unavoidable. ASAP.
Whenever messages like this pop up on the company’s internal channel, I know Harrison wrote it himself. He didn’t have one of his executive assistants send the broadcast. Also, it means he’s edgy about something. He can’t even make complete sentences, like he’s trying to type in approximately five seconds.
This is the last thing I need right now. This week has already started off with a drag. I’m still dealing with the occasional nausea, and I don’t know how much longer I can deal with the exhaustion. I’m so tired all the time. My abdomen is finally starting to round, like I just had a big lunch. My heart races three beats faster each time I think of what I’m going to do when I start showing pretty well.
Closing my laptop, I pick up my phone and note pad and swing by the marketing general office to get my executive assistant, Janice.
“Hey Char. I got the broadcast. Do you know what it might be about?” Janice is priming herself as she has obviously been sleeping. I won’t blame her. The day has a painfully dull drag to it.
I have a pretty good idea of what the meeting is about. “Have you not been reading the news, Janice? We’re being ripped to shreds all over again.”
