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SAVANNAHI'm pregnant. Or, more like, I might be pregnant. I'm standing in this small hotel bathroom, my hands trembling as I stare at those pregnancy tests. I can't wrap my head around it, “This can't be true, or is it?” I say, my voice filled with uncertainty.“What does it say?” Janelle asks, her voice filled with concern. I shake my head, almost in denial.“I don’t want to believe this result; let’s do it again,” I say, opening another pack and placing the first three tests down.“You did three,” Janelle points out, and it's true. I've taken three tests, and they all show the same result. But I can't accept it. There's no way I can be pregnant, right?I close my eyes and exhale as I try to recall if Dominic and I ever used protection, and I keep coming up blank. We didn’t, and he never pulled out.Stupid.Stupid.After I vomited, and we had that thought, we rushed to the nearest drugstore in a panic. Now, here we are, in this hotel room, and I need to figure out what's happening
DOMINIC“We need to talk,” she says as she pushes me back slightly. I nod as I withdraw from her, my eyes meeting Janelle, who glares at me.I rake my hands through my hair. “Sure,” I whisper and look back at Chris, whose eyes are fixed on Janelle. I point upstairs. “Should we head upstairs?”She shakes her head. “No, we're going to talk down here.” I nod and look at Chris, who walks forward and grabs Janelle's hands.“We’re going to talk in the car outside,” he says calmly, but his face is anything but. “Call us back in if you need us.”Janelle looks at Savannah and tries to reach her when Chris pulls her to him. She glares at him and turns to Savannah. “I’m just outside. Yell if you need me,” she says as she throws me a stink eye and then walks out and slams the door.I cringe at the sound because I’m left alone with Savannah, who seems to be looking everywhere but at me. I rake my hands through my hair. “I know I hurt you,” I say slowly. “And I'm sorry I did that, Savannah. I never
SAVANNAH“I'm pregnant,” I say out loud, watching his facial expressions change. He scrunches his face up in confusion, and I see the realization dawning on him as his eyes land on my hands.I can tell the revelation hits him like a ton of bricks, and I watch as the weight of my words settles in, leaving him speechless. I imagine he reacted a different way, maybe getting angry or asking me to abort, but I didn't see this coming, and it added a whole new layer of complexity to our situation.“Pregnant?” he manages to say, his voice barely above a whisper.I nod as he looks down at my belly, where my hands rest protectively to shield my child from every negative word he might say. “I'm pregnant,” I repeat, saying the words out loud tells me how true it is, “and you're the father,” I say even though I know it's a stupid thing to say. Of course, he's the father; who else would I have gotten pregnant for?He takes a step in front tentatively, and I don't stop him. I'm curious about what he'
SAVANNAH It's the next day, and I'm lounging on the couch as I have yet to experience morning sickness.I look over into the Kitchen, where Dominic is busy preparing me breakfast. I offered to help, but he refused, saying this was his way of making me know I was a queen.Dominic's dad has been persistent in calling to ask how his grandchild is, and although I want to tell him it's nothing but blood yet, I don't have the heart to say to him. So I tell him his grandchild is kicking.And then he'll say he's a strong boy like his father and grandfather. I know damn well no blood is strong like Dominic, but hey, as long as he's happy.“So, you're going to take me after we eat?” I call out to Dominic, who looks like he is a first-class chef throwing things around in the kitchen.“Yeah, I am. We have to see the doctor to know how far along you are,” he yells back. “Have you told your parents yet?”“Not yet. I prefer to get the doctor's report, and then I will take it to them.” He hums as he
SAVANNAHDominic and I are driving towards Dad’s office. He doesn't know I'm going there yet, as I want to surprise him.He is yet to know that I’ve returned to Dominic, and more of which I want to surprise him with. I wanted Mom to be the first, but she had told me she was out and would let me know when she returned home.Dominic’s hand is placed on my thighs. Every few minutes, he strokes my thighs gently. Although I know it's innocent, I can't help but feel a tightening in my core. It's been a while since we were intimate, and even though I know he's not going to push me for it, I can't help but wonder if I should do so.I look over at him as he focuses, and I change my mind. Perhaps he needs to work for it so that next time, he understands the importance of being accepted by a woman.“When are you planning on returning to the company?” Dominic asks, breaking the silence. I look out the window and then back at him.I honestly haven’t thought about it yet. “I don't know for sure,” I
SAVANNAHThe room is silent as I look between my mom and dad. Mom is glaring at Dad while he's pretending not to even look at her.Dad sighs, “I'm sick and tired of the fighting over and over. It has been more than twenty years, and I've tried; believe me, I have.”Mom scoffs, “You could've tried when I was still pregnant with her! You never fought for her, and now you want just to take on the role of a father?! Impossible!” she snaps, her chest heaving. “It's men like you who only want to take the glory of their child when they are older!”He glares at her, “Don't provoke me, Elizabeth! You know nothing of how much I suffered with my child, and you, of all people, should know that I tried to get back with her. But did you allow me?” he snaps. “I've kept quiet mostly because I knew I was to be blamed for this entire mess, and I was working towards rebuilding and mending our relationship. But you've acted as if you were the blameless one in all this!”Mom gasps, “How dare you? How dare
SAVANNAHDad purses his lips and looks at Mom, who glares at him. “What is he talking about, Mom? When did you keep him out of my life?”She balls her hands into fists. “I made sure to cut off all his connections from you,” she says slowly. “And I never told you that he never stopped trying to get back in your life, but I shut him down at every angle,” she says, trembling. I know from the look on my face that she knows she messed up, but she continues anyway. “I never told you he wrote to you, he sent gifts to you, he came to see you, and I never allowed him.” She swallows. “I was protecting you.”Tears trail down my cheeks. “You knew how much I wanted my father,” I say calmly. “You knew how much I was bullied for not having a father.” Her eyes glisten with tears as she looks at me. “All my life, you watched me grow up with hatred for him, knowing he was fighting to play the responsibility and to be a part of my life, but you made sure that didn’t happen.”My voice is surprisingly calm
DOMINICI open the car door for Savannah, and her arms wrap around my neck as she pulls me closer, her lips capturing mine. I return the kiss as she drags her tongue over my lips.She jumps, wrapping her legs around my hips as I walk toward the house. She locks her lips with mine as I kiss and massage her body while taking her into the house and up the stairs.I've missed this.I've missed her.I gently place her on the bed, and she whispers, trying to pull me, but I grab her hands. “Hold on,” I say softly, bending down and placing a brief kiss on her lips. “We can't go any further.”Surprise crosses her face before it turns to hurt. “You don't want me again?” She asks softly. “I thought you wanted to—”I grab her face in my palms. “I do, believe me, Savannah, I want nothing more than to be with you—”“So be with me,” she says, pulling me to her. “If that's what you want, then do it.”I lean down and place a gentle kiss on her lips. “We can't, not like this.” Hurt flashes in her eyes.