Mr. Hot Boss To Go (A Forbidden Romance)

My friend just shakes her head.

“Nope, go pee on the stick first,” she says before pointing to the bathroom.

There was no use arguing with this woman. I’d been lulled into thinking she would let this go but then she had to barge in and wake me just as I was about to turn in for the night. But it’s not a big deal because I know she’s wrong. I’m not pregnant. Sure, my cycle’s sometimes off when I was stressed out, but that was all it was, I was sure of it.

“Okay, okay, fine,” I grumble before hauling myself out of bed and into the bathroom. Then, a few minutes later, I reappear. “I peed, and I’m going to bed now,” I announce. But Sierra’s still on the case because three minutes later, the dreaded knock comes once more

“Um, Natalie, I think you should come here,” she says, her voice odd.

“OMG, are you serious?” I yawned once more before throwing the blankets off of me. “I’m going to kill you in the morning, Sierra. Oh wait. Two lines. Nothing to worry about …Oh wait… two lines means I’m pregnant, right?” I grabbed the box out of the garbage and desperately looked at the instructions. “Two lines means positive. Two lines means I’m pregnant! It has two lines. Sierra! It has two lines!”

She stares back at me, unsure what to say.

“Congratulations?” she manages in a shaky voice.

But I seize my friend’s upper arms in my hands, practically jumping up and down in a panic now.

“Sierra, it has two lines! What am I going to do? It friggin’ has two lines. I’m going to die. I can’t believe this. What am I going to tell Rowan? He’s going to be soooo mad because what forty-five year old man wants a baby? And tonight someone saw us having anal sex on the conference room table, too. Shit, everything is out of control,” I babble. “What am I going to do?” I was starting to hyperventilate and had to sit down on the floor.

My friend sits with me, taking one hand in a comforting grip.

“You’re going to deal with this just like everything else that you’re amazing at. First though, we’ll make a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow morning, and I’ll go with you to make sure. Then you’ll tell Rowan because you both care about each other and together you will figure it out.”

I squeeze her hand as tears begin to form in my eyes.

“Thank you for being here with me,” I say in a shaking voice. “I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

My friend squeeze my hand again.

“It’s going to be okay, hon. I’m sure Rowan wants the baby because he’s crazy about you. He’ll be overjoyed!” she hypothesizes and I smile blearily through my tears. But my emotions are actually in turmoil because is this right for our relationship? Is this right for me, even? Suddenly, a rush of maternal feelings overwhelm me and I know with a certainty that I want Rowan’s baby. This child was conceived in love, and I want him or her growing beneath my heart, no matter what sacrifices I have to make.

10

Rowan

Well, that was quick. It only took the board members two days to organize a special meeting to deal with me. The group consisted of a group of grumpy old men and women that had worked their way onto the board through connections and money. Even worse, now I had to pander to them.

“Rowan, you have to take this seriously,” Abigail frowned as I watched a video on my phone while I wanted for the board to call me in. It was something about LOL Cats and pretty funny, actually.

“I’m taking it seriously,” I said. Of course, I wasn’t. I mean, those assholes wanted me to wait outside while they met to talk about me. The whole thing was absurd.

My secretary frowned, the brackets around her mouth even deeper than usual.

“No, you’re not. These people aren’t the sort that you should mess with. I know you think they’re ancient with one foot in the grave, but they have power.”

I sighed.

“Abigail, they’re going to berate me for my choice in women. They will sit on their mighty thrones and think they know best but my personal life is my personal life. I’ve heard it before and they will get over it like they always did.”

But my secretary’s not convinced.

“Times have changed, Rowan,” she warns. “You can’t just do anything you want anymore. The public wants blood with all these protest movements happening lately, and if you’re even the least bit un-PC, they’ll have your head.”

I stare at her.

“These people want money more than anything else,” I say sharply. “I assure you, the profits from last quarter are more important than anything else. Oh, and did I mention we had a record-breaking July? Yeah, that’s what the board should keep in mind.”