AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It starts with a paternity test.
It starts with figuring out if my pretty little assistant actually has the guts to carry a pakhan’s heir.
5
WREN
“You okay, honey?”
I blink fast, flinching as Lory steps into my line of vision, drawing my focus with her big dreadlocks and even bigger grin.
“Hey, Lory. No, sorry… I’m just a little preoccupied.”
She reaches out and gives my arm a playful squeeze. “Alrighty then, keep your secrets, girl. Can I get you anything? Oh, wait, I know.” She digs a hand into her pocket and pulls out some candy. “I’ve got peanut caramel and salted almond. Take your pick. Can’t go wrong.”
I have to fight to make myself smile. I stare for way too long at the two pieces of candy on Lori’s callused palm. The fluorescent lights above me make their wrappers shine a little brighter, almost as though they’re winking at me.
“I-I’m good, thanks,” I stutter after an uncomfortable length of time has passed. My voice sounds small. Like I’m scared of speaking too loudly. Like I’m worried about taking up too much space.
“Suit yourself, dear. Dr. Saeder should be here soon.” Her forehead puckers and that smile dims. “I, um… I was real sorry to hear about your sister.” Her voice is tissue-paper soft and tender. “She was a lovely girl.”
“Yeah. She was.”
“And I heard her… her husband passed away in the same accident?”
I swallow. It aches all the way down. “Yes.”
“I lit a candle in church for the both of them. I don’t know if you’re religious or not, but?—”
I blink away my tears. “I’ll take prayers any day, religious or not.”
Lory pats my knee. “I lost my mother a few years ago. The year after, my husband passed, too. It does get better,” she promises. “It takes time, but it does get better.” She gives me an encouraging wink and slips out of the room.
As soon as the door closes behind her, I pop off the examination table I’ve been sitting on until my legs fell asleep and start pacing around the room.
I’ve become insatiably restless this past week. Sitting still, sleeping soundly—those are things of the distant past. I can’t even pretend I don’t know why.
Though it has less to do with the fact that I’m pregnant and more to do with who I’m pregnant by.
Obviously, I’d expected work to be awkward and uncomfortable. At the very least, I figured there’d be tension.
But when I walked into Dmitri’s office the next morning, he looked at me like nothing whatsoever had changed.
“Do you have the notes from yesterday’s meeting, Ms. Turner?”
For a moment, I genuinely thought he was talking about our after-hours meeting at the bistro. He wants my notes, I’d thought. Well, if he’s asking…
Bottom line: I don’t want you to be involved in this pregnancy or the life of my baby because A) you scare the shit out of me; B) you’re my boss; and C) I’m unreasonably attracted to your specific brand of douchebaggery.
So, considering the correct answer is D) all the above, I’d prefer we just forget the meeting ever happened and go back to quietly loathing each other. Cool? Cool.
It was only when he cleared his throat that I realized belatedly he was talking about business as usual. I gave him what he asked for, face burning bright red, and escaped back to my desk as soon as I could manage it.
Business as usual. I can deal with that. Or at least, that’s what I thought I’d be dealing with, until Dr. Saeder called to ask when I could come in for the paternity test that the “father” had scheduled on my behalf.
Now, here I am, two days later… waiting.
Nothing about this feels like “business as usual.”
