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She took his hand, showed him the back rooms where all her file cabinets were locked up, where she kept the shredding bins, and the small kitchenette, so she could stay close during office hours.
“… And this door here?” she invited, showing him the second key that she’d given him. “Is how we get to the apartment above. I think that maybe they had rented it at some point, because there are two entrances to the living areas. You have this entrance that is attached to the offices, and there are stairs with an exterior door on the side of the building.”
“Really?”
“Yep. It’s pretty handy to park up front when it’s pouring down rain, to keep from having to lug groceries up the long staircase attached to the side of the house. I normally park on the side, except in inclement weather.”
Emily opened the door and led him up the stairs, suddenly noticing that maybe she should hang some pictures or something along the walls, because they were completely bare. The wooden steps creaked slightly as she got to the top, opening the bottom portion of the split door.
She always thought it was quaint and cute that someone had put a split door at the top – and she normally kept the top portion open to the rest of the entryway. The bottom she kept closed for safety, because she worried that her nephew would fall or something when he visited. Now, with a baby coming? That door would be a blessing ten times over…
As she entered the living room, she was keenly aware of how small and cozy it was. Her tiny loveseat had a view of the window that illuminated the room, where it faced a breakfast bar covered with a yellow Formica countertop with chrome trim along the edges.
She’d never updated it, because it was in good condition and the yellow was cheerful. Plus, since it was just her? She never used the breakfast bar, rather putting a television underneath the counter, freeing up some space and allowing her to put the loveseat opposite of it.
“This is the living room, the kitchen, and we’ve got two bedrooms,” Emily hesitated, turning to look at John who still looked flabbergasted as his eyes took in everything. “One of the rooms needs work and I used it for storage. The bedroom has two closets and…”
“I still can’t believe this is…” John swallowed as she turned to look at him. “I can’t believe this is ours, Em. I mean, my mom’s place didn’t have air conditioning and was a trailer. The walls were thin and… wow. This place is brick… I mean, it’sbrickand beautiful.”
“It needs work,” she immediately countered nervously.
“Where?” he whispered in disbelief. “My grandma’s house where I used to visit when I was a boy had a potbelly stove, Em… this is complete luxury to me.”
“No wonder you wanted to keep the hotel room in Vegas,” she laughed softly, smiling at him.
“Uh yeaaah…” he grinned, reaching for her hand. “I felt like a king in all that opulence – and you are my queen.”
The sweetness of his words struck her just right, as she stared at him, feeling so much love and wonder at the way his beautiful mind worked… and just how perfect he was to her.
“I love you so much,” she breathed shakily, “but we need to talk.”
“About what? You want to talk first?” He tugged her playfully into the bedroom, smiling and sitting down on the edge of the bed before looking up at her – his expression freezing almost immediately. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“No.”
“Is something wrong? Is it me?”
“No, everything is perfect to me… scary, but perfect – although I’m not sure…” Emily hesitated, feeling a sense of dread closing over her as she realized that she was about to crush this beautiful man’s dreams.
“Emily,” he whispered softly, gazing at her. “You are scaring me, love. Talk to me and tell me what’s going through your mind right now.”
“I’m pregnant, John,” she said softly, each word echoing in the silence as she watched his face suddenly change before her, and his hands fell away from where they rested on her hips.
The silence stretched between them as neither of them moved.
“What?” he finally asked. “You’re…”
“I’m going to have a baby. I guess that first night in Las Vegas was when it happened, because I missed my period and…” Emily felt something in her shrivel as she stared at his blank expression; his eyes were unfocused as he looked past her, lost in his own thoughts.
She sat down beside him, clenching his hand nervously, and looking at his profile as he sat unmoving.
“John, I know that wasn’t what you were expecting… but…”
He turned to her, his eyes shiny and confused, looking like he’d been slapped, and was trying to figure this all out, processing. Her own reaction had been much of the same when the pregnancy test had shown it was positive.
“We’re going…to have a baby?”
There was so much fear in his voice that it was making her heart break. Emily felt tears run down her cheeks as she looked at him, her eyes searching his face for any signs of hope or acceptance.
