The bartender springs forward with her rag. “Please don’t do that. I have to clean up enough vomit from drunk folks as is, and I don’t need a pregnant girl adding to the mess.”
I manage to swallow heavily, forcing the vomit back down. “Okay, the nausea has passed. I’m okay.”
With that, Jackie fills up a glass with ice and soda and slides it over to me. “Here, drink this, girlfriend. Ginger ale might help settle your stomach.”
I take a few sips, and it does seem to make me feel better. I manage to take a few more bites of my burger and scarf down the extra pickles. But while the food is good, the meal does nothing to quell my anxiety. Meanwhile, Jackie busies herself once more polishing a glass.
“You know,” she says in a slow voice. “You’re dating Julian Holt, right? But weren’t you dating his son before that? Is it possible that you’re pregnant by Stewie, and not Julian?”
I stare at her, my eyes wide, and then shake my head while rubbing my hand over my stomach.
“No, because actually Stewie and I hadn’t had sex for three months before I started dating his father,” I whisper. “Our relationship had deteriorated so much by then that it’s not possible. This is Julian’s baby.”
Jackie nods and then puts the glass down before shooting me a bright smile.
“Well, thank goodness for the little things then! Listen, I have to get some things done in the back, but are you okay, Serenity? Are you going to make it home in one piece?”
I look at her with tears in my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need some time to process, that’s all, because this is such a huge surprise.”
Jackie leans forward to give me a hug over the bar top, and I’m grateful for her embrace.
“Hang tight, girlfriend,” she encourages me with a thumbs up. “A child is a blessing!”
Then, the redhead disappears and I gather my purse and coat to leave. Meanwhile, my mind is churning because holy shit, I’m pregnant! What will Julian think? Will he want this new child that we created accidentally?
But as I depart the Hard Swallow, my shoulders square and I stand up straight. Even though I haven’t confirmed the pregnancy yet, I already know I want the baby because he or she was made with the man I love. No matter the trials and travails, this child is mine to cherish, and suddenly, I’m filled with happiness about the fact that I’m going to be a mommy. The only problem? I have to tell Julian first.
10
Julian
* * *
I shuffle the papers on my desk for the hundredth time. This case is probably going to be an easy win, but you can never be too careful because legal matters are never predictable. Witnesses start moving sideways, the judge decides to take a left turn, and then boom! You’re in the middle of a trial that leaves you feeling scared and exposed.
I don’t want that to happen, and that’s why I’m working tonight instead of spending time with my girlfriend. I’d much rather be with Serenity, but I need to guarantee this win, even if the cards are stacked in our favor. I’m leaving nothing to chance, and my client is going to thank me for it once this is all over.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings. I glance at my watch and see it’s after nine. Strange. Who could it be? Serenity’s practically living at my place now, but we agreed to spend tonight apart so I could focus on work. I appreciate her understanding, and am slaving away twice as hard so that we can be together soon again.
The bell rings once more insistently, so I sigh and get up to answer the door, and to my surprise, Serenity stands there, her eyes red-rimmed and a bit puffy. Has she been crying?
“Serenity, sweetheart, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?”
“Can I come in?”
I nod. “Yeah, of course.” I step aside so she can enter the house and instead of giving me a kiss like normal, Serenity goes right to the couch and sits down.
Something is obviously wrong, and there’s only one way for me to find out what.
“Why didn’t you use your key, honey?” I ask while taking a seat next to her. “You know you can let yourself in anytime.” The pretty brunette inhales deeply, looking straight ahead while avoiding my gaze, so I press forward. “Talk to me, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
Slowly she turns and her eyes meet mine and I’m taken aback. Her brown eyes look devastated and tears are pooling in their depths once more. My heart plummets. Why is she so broken up? What’s this all about?
“Serenity, honey, what’s going on?”
Finally, she speaks.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Julian.”
“What is it?”
The buxom brunette bites her lip, and to my horror, tears flood her eyes again. “Well, the thing is… Julian, I think I’m pregnant. I know you didn’t want this, and I’ve been on the pill this entire time, I swear, but sometimes contraception fails! And we’ve been doing it so much this summer, sometimes even four or five times a day—”