Page 47 of Baby Bombshell for the Boss

“I wanted to ask you,” Melanie said. “My husband is looking for a designer for his own office, and I’ve told him about all the great work you did here. Would you be looking for another contract after you finish this one up? If so, I think my husband might like to hire you.”

“Where does your husband work?” Ivy asked, thinking of the promise she’d just made not to take a contract for a competitor.

“It’s a publishing house,” Melanie said. “They publish a lot of science fiction books, so maybe you haven’t heard of them.” She gave the name.

Ivy hadn’t heard of it. But if it was a book publisher, it wasn’t a competitor. “I’d meet with him,” she said. “I’d be interested in hearing what he has to say, and maybe we could come to an agreement.”

“That’s great,” Melanie said with a smile. “I’ll let him know. Could I get your contact information? Or should I just get it from Elliot?”

“No, no, I’ll give it to you,” Ivy said quickly. She didn’t want to set a precedent of doing business through Elliot. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down her phone number. “You can reach me here,” she said. “Have your husband give me a call any time, and we can set up a meeting.”

“Are you taking time off for maternity?

“Probably a little,” she said. “But I’ll still be available to take phone calls, so we can discuss what he wants to do and make some kind of plan. I’ll be happy to hear from him.”

“Great.” Melanie grinned. “He’s going to be so excited when I tell him this, Ivy. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Ivy returned, pleased to see that her work here was turning into more opportunities. That was what she’d envisioned when she had accepted this job, and she was very happy that it seemed to be working out that way.

Melanie walked away. For a moment, Ivy thought of going to look for a drink — surely there would be something nonalcoholic that she could have.

But then a wave of dizziness overtook her.

She frowned, glancing at Elliot. He wasn’t looking her way. He hadn’t looked her way all night. She wasn’t going to go to him about a little dizziness, she decided. She’d go into the break room and sit down for a moment or two, until she was feeling better, and then she would come back out and rejoin the party.

She closed the door of the break room behind her and left the lights off, because she didn’t want to be found here. She went over to the couch and sat down. It was one that she and Elliot had picked out together, and there were a lot of memories here. She remembered shopping online for it, their heads bent together, her laughing gently as he commented on selections that would have clashed with the aesthetic of the office that she was creating. She remembered when it had been delivered and the two of them had sat on it, testing it together. How full of hope for the future she’d felt on that day. It had seemed as if something might still happen between them. This had all been before she had moved in with him. Before she had known she was pregnant. Before everything had fallen apart between the two of them. Now it was hard to remember the way those days had felt — the way she’d believed a future was possible.

Of course, there would still be a future. But right now, it didn’t feel hopeful. It felt bleak and dismal. The idea of coparenting without living together — without even really being friends…

The dizziness hit her again and she lay down on the couch to try to get her head right. This was so inconvenient, having it happen in the middle of the party. At least the press had been kept outside…

She closed her eyes.

And then she felt something.

It was unmistakable — she understood at once what had happened.

Her water had broken. She was going into labor.

Her pulse accelerated dramatically. It couldn’t be! She was still a week from her due date. Not now…

She had to get out of here. She had to get to the hospital, and she wanted desperately to do it without making a scene. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know what had happened. She didn’t even want to go and tell Elliot about it. He would have to know — she wouldn’t try to stand between him and the birth of his child — but there would absolutely be a scene if she had to walk back out there and tell him what was going on. She would call him from the hospital. That would work. She began to struggle to her feet, feeling near tears. She had never imagined having to go through this moment all alone. Even at her lowest, she had always envisioned that he would be by her side for this, that he would take her to the hospital.

Then the door opened.

It was Elliot, and he was looking right at her with absolutely no surprise on his face. Ivy was sure at once that he’d seen her come in here, and that he had followed. It was no chance encounter.

The tears that had been threatening spilled over. “Elliot,” she said.

“Ivy, are you all right?” There was such concern in his voice, and how she had missed that concern from him.

She closed her eyes. “I’m in labor.”

CHAPTER 22

ELLIOT

Elliot thought his heart might be about to stop beating. She was in labor?

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