Accidental Pregnancy
Surely I’m hearing that completely wrong, There’s no way she just told me that she was…
“Pregnant,” Amanda repeats. “I’m pregnant. With your baby.”
We stare at each other, both of us standing now. I don’t remember getting to my feet. I feel oddly disconnected from everything.
Amanda…is pregnant? When the hell did that happen?
“When…when I went to the doctor, she said that I might be, so I went to get the test,” Amanda says quietly. “It was positive. I…wanted to see you, but I didn’t know where you were. So I headed to Energy Plus Co., hoping to do some work. But then you were getting out of a car and one of your employees was talking to you about the alliance… Then I went to Mom and we looked you up and figured out who you were.”
So that’s how it happened. I had wondered. Suddenly, though, that’s not important.
Amanda is pregnant.
With my kid.
“Way I figure, it happened that one time we forgot the fucking condom,” Amanda snorts. “Of course. When it rains, it pours, right?”
“Right,” I say distractedly. “So…what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?” she asks, looking at me sharply.
“I mean, are you going to keep the baby?” I ask. It’s difficult to ask; she’s carrying my child. I want to beg her to keep it. “It’s your decision. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks. It’s a big responsibility for us both.”
She stares at me. And then her face relaxes into a wide, beautiful smile.
“I’m keeping it,” she says. “I don’t know what will happen with a baby in my life, but I’m definitely keeping it. I’ve already decided on that.”
Before I know what I’m doing, I reach out and hug her, so overwhelmed that I can’t do anything else. We’re having a baby. Shit, that’s huge, and I still don’t even know if Amanda and I can work this relationship out yet.
But we’re having a baby!
“No matter what happens, I’ll support you, even if we’re not together,” I swear. “I’ll pay support and provide anything you might need. I’ll always be there. You don’t have to go through this alone, alright? This kid will always have a mom and dad, even if we’re separate.”
Amanda pulls back and looks up at me. There are tears in her eyes again. For a moment, I panic that I’ve said something wrong again. But then she softly cups my cheeks in her hands and leans up to kiss me.
It’s a soft kiss. It’s like the kisses we had started to share whenever we parted. It’s so unlike the fierce kisses that normally led to sex. This kiss is full of feelings and wishes.
I kiss her back, holding her in my arms. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have this for, and I want to hold her for as long as she’ll let me.
“You’re so amazing,” I breathe when we pull back. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could tell me.”
“I was always going to tell you,” Amanda tells me. She grimaces. “I was just really mad at you.”
“I told you, I don’t blame you,” I chuckle.
She hasn’t pulled out of my arms yet. My grip on her is still tight. I don’t want to let her go. But I might have to if she decides to step away. Technically, we’re not together anymore. Our secrets have been aired, but I don’t know what that means for us.
“So…now what?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”.
“This,” I say, nodding at the way our arms are winding around each other. “You broke up with me a week ago. Do we still have a chance?”
Amanda chews her bottom lip. It wasn’t the automatic agreement that I was hoping for.
“Even if we’ve cleared the air, there’s a lot of things to consider,” she says. “We’re technically working together on the alliance.”
“Not exactly,” I reply immediately. “You’re working with Brandon, and I get reports on what you guys are doing. As long as we don’t talk about work while we’re together, it isn’t a conflict of interest.”