She had a fair point but the thought of miscarrying made me feel fiercely protective of my budding zygote. I ran my hand over my stomach. “I don’t think he could resist announcing it tonight if I told him. Michael is going to be thrilled.”
He was going to be over the moon.
Because he wanted a baby really badly.
A sudden unwelcome and hideously ugly thought popped into my head.
Would he do anything to have a baby?
Gloria’s words at lunch came back to me. Check the condoms for holes.
He wouldn’t. There was no way he would do something so shady.
No one would do that. Certainly not Michael.
Or would he?
I tossed the pregnancy test into the wastebasket and took the empty box and shoved it under the sink under a towel.
Time to celebrate a fake engagement while hiding a very real pregnancy.
This could get interesting.
* * *
“Congratulations,” my friend Jim said to me, shaking my hand and clapping me on the shoulder.
“Thanks, man, I’m a lucky guy.”
“I’ll say. Don’t punch me but your fiancée is hot.”
“She’s very hot and she would never give you the time I day.” I grinned at Jim.
“Dick. Though you’re right.” He shrugged. “I have a shitty personality.”
That made me laugh.
It was probably the fortieth time I’d had this kind of exchange and you know? It wasn’t getting old. The steady stream of my friends and family coming over to give their good wishes had been awesome. It was short notice, most of these people had never met Felicia, and yet they had turned out to be happy for me.
Yep. I meant it wholeheartedly when I said I was a lucky guy.
The room was filled with people, music, and food stations. I hadn’t even known this many people could fit in my apartment, let alone with a Christmas tree and half a dozen high-top tables. I didn’t have eyes on Felicia right then because there were just too many people. The last I’d seen her she was introducing me to her friend Leah and Leah’s fiancé, Grant. They’d both seemed like great people, very friendly, and they seemed genuinely happy for Felicia.
My sister hadn’t been able to make it from California, but other than that, everyone I truly cared about was in the room.
“Does Felicia have a sister?” Jim asked as my cousin Brent came up with a drink in his hand.
“No, she does not.” Not that I was aware of anyway.
“Are any of her friends single?”
“Dude, my fiancée is not your personal matchmaker. Have either of you seen Sean?” My brother wasn’t there yet and it was pissing me off.
“Nope. Good eats, man. Great party.” Brent sipped his drink. “I didn’t think you’d ever get married again, to be honest.”
“Why? I’ve never had anything against marriage.”
“You were always a workaholic. I figured you’d just stay single and have lots of sex with random women, living the life we all wish we could have.”