Kelsey
Even though I left the office early, the most staff had vanished before I got the chance, all eager for the party. I hit my couch the second I got home, crashing until Mindy pounded on my door.
She flew in with multiple dresses and a bag full of makeup, prepared to do magical work. I would have been perfectly fine to stay under the fuzzy fleece blanket for the rest of the night, completely skipping the party, but I wanted to see Mack, and I didn’t have any more excuses to keep myself from reaching out to him. Besides being miserable, I knew I was in the wrong with how I’d been acting. He had every reason to be upset with me, and I was ready to be on the same page as him when it came to our relationship. Instead of sending him a text to ask if he was going to be there, I dressed according to Mindy’s approval, knowing he’d be more than pleased. That was, if he was still interested in me. I’d be devastated if he weren&rsHer head craned in the other direction, the rest of her body dashing out of the main room and into the hallway. I picked up my pace, dodging chairs and employees, giving nods for greetings, but sure to lose sight of Kesley. Once I got through the pile of people, I checked both ways down the hallway, catching a glimmer of her dress sneak into a room.Ignoring that it was a powder room labeled women only, I opened the door, worried she might have fallen sick again. She had missed a lot of work recently, and by her slender figure and peaked coloring, losing her stomach could be the reason for her quick departure. That or she was avoiding me.“Kelsey?” I asked, cautiously opening the door. I let out a breath of relief when she was the only one in the cozy room. She wasn’t facing me, but leaning on the countertop in front of a mirror, girly products in a woven basket on the end. “Are you alright?”Her eyes darted to mine through the mirr
My jaw hung open, and I was replaying what she said over and over. Did I really hear that right?“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” she said under her breath, storming to the door.I was still locked in place, unable to move my feet.Pregnant? How? We were always so careful. She was on the pill, and if she felt unsure, she’d give me a condom, even offered to roll those suckers on for me. In fact, I assumed she preferred for us to use them more so than not. I would never say no if she felt more comfortable with me wearing one, even if I preferred skin on skin.Like we were in my office the last time we were together.Or at the Christmas Wishes event for the Children’s Hospital in the janitor’s closet, but that was her idea. She attacked me. Like I would turn down a sexy romp with her.I guess it only takes one time, and apparently, her birth control had faltered.By the time I lifted my head fr
Warmth spread through me when she said those two words, and a giddy grin spread across my lips.She laughed and gently squeezed my bicep. “Sounds like you need to talk to him and tell him how you feel. Get over your pride and not worry about what others think. As for worrying about him being bored of you, that’s always a fear. If you trust him and invest in the relationship, he won’t get bored.”My smile faded. “I think he might be over me, or I might have just jumped a thousand steps ahead of what he’s ready for.”She knitted her brows. “I don’t understand.”Letting out a long breath, I confided in the stranger. “I just found out I’m pregnant.”Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “Really? His baby?”“Yes,” I sighed. “It’s his.”She took a sharp breath, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, of course, it’
I headed for the parking lot, both hands in my pockets, feeling defeated.Then I saw her from behind, standing by the curb rubbing her shoulders for warmth. She wasn’t wearing anything but the sleeveless dress, and I wanted to scold her for being careless, but instead, I shrugged out of my jacket and cautiously walked toward her. My heart raced with each step, feeling completely blind on how this was going to go. I only hoped it wouldn’t end in tears or shouting, and I convinced myself to play nice, no matter how defensive I might become.When I set my jacket over her shoulders, she jumped from the contact.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”She held her hand to her chest, her beautiful emerald eyes taking me in as I stood by her. The skin around her eyes were puffy as if she’d been crying, and it tore at my heart. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but that would only agitate her more.“Headed hom
I scrunched my brows, searching the tree. It was covered in different types of USB drives. Some with vibrant colors, some as food items or cartoon characters. I grinned and shook my head.“Did you know, how a man treats his mother is how he’s expected to treat his future wife?” A small voice spoke.My eyes darted around the tree, and my heart pounded when Kelsey tiptoed from the back of it. She was standing in a long puffy coat, a hat covering her straightened blonde hair. Her cheeks were red from the cold, but her smile, although weary and apprehensive, was filled with warmth.My lip twitched upward, unable to stop itself from stretching into a full-blown smile. “Hi. What are you doing here?”She shrugged, taking a step so she was directly in front of me. Her citrus scent filled my nostrils from the proximity, and I took a long blink, inhaling the smell as if I would become intoxicated.“I didn’t want to go to
MACKOur fingers laced together while I guided Kelsey to the Christmas tree strung with lights and multi-colored USB Drives. Humor was her way of breaking the ice, and her arguments for using the dead technology always lightens the mood. Although, her standing behind the dressed tree on my mother’s rooftop was a wonderful and unexpected surprise.Kelsey was glowing brighter than all the Christmas lights in the city of Cleveland, for more reasons than because we’d just declared to devote ourselves to each other.She was carrying our baby.Actually… she was carrying our babies.After the initial shock of her confession, pride filled my chest knowing I’d impregnated her with twins when we weren’t even trying. My swimmers had been so strong, that they surpassed birth control.I was enthralled by our future, a vision I had never contemplated becoming a reality. Having kids wasn’t on my list of, things to do
My mother waved for us to join her in the dining room, and as always, Theresa Craft didn’t disappoint with her holiday ambiance. Her and Portia had spent the afternoon cooking and preparing the table with fresh holly and pine, candles and miniature poinsettia plants. The China was a dashing gold, the full course silverware laid out and ready to be used. Christmas Eve and Easter were the only holidays my mother brought out her fine China, and by Kelsey’s bright eyes, she was just as enthralled as both Portia and my mother when it came to presentation.“This turned out beautiful!” Kelsey said in awe, standing near the doorframe. “You did all of this while I was on the rooftop?”Portia followed us into the dining room holding a plate of hors d’oeuvres. “Decorating, yes. We’ve been slaving in the kitchen since yesterday,” she laughed, holding the plate out for us to grab a piece of smoked salmon pierced with a g
Just when I was about to kiss him again, he stepped backward and took my hand, leading me to his black Audi sport. I’d never seen him drive this one.“I didn’t know you owned an SUV.”“I reserve it for the snowy weather. My other cars can’t handle the salt or the ice.” He hit the unlock button and opened my door for me.My eyelashes touched the tops of my cheeks when I stopped at the curb, setting my hand on the interior of the door, I said, “more room for activities in bigger cars.”Mack cocked his head, his eyes studying me. “What are you implying?”I shrugged, then slid into the warm leather seat, removing my mittens. He chuckled and closed the door, finding his way to the driver’s seat. “As bad as I want to fool around with you in the car, I’d rather christen my new sheets for our first official fuck.”“Always a gentleman,” I smirked.He