Page 51 of Bedding the Baby Daddy

Chapter Fourteen

“You’re sure you’re both okay?” Aurora asked Dante two days later. It was probably the tenth time she’d asked the question, but the trip to the ER with Michelle had shaken her. It was the first time she’d witnessed not only Michelle bleeding—not overly much, but enough—and the first time she’d witnessed twin looks of fear on Michelle and Dante’s faces when at first the doctors couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. Despite the fear on Dante’s face, however, he’d remained calm and reassuring, a stalwart presence for Michelle, hugging her or making her laugh as needed.

Thankfully, the doctors had finally stopped the bleeding and assured Dante that Michelle would be fine. After that, Aurora had kissed Michelle on the cheek and left, leaving them to get settled back at home without her interference. She’d kept in touch by phone and was already planning to head to Dante’s house tonight to make them dinner.

“We’re good, gorgeous. We’ll be even better when we see you tonight.”

“Me, too,” she said. “I’ve missed you both.”

The words came out naturally, and for a moment she didn’t know why he was so silent on the other end of the line. As if she’d shocked him. As if he didn’t know how to respond. But then he said, “We’ve missed you, too. So much I think you should come prepared to spend the night. What do you say?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “I say yes. Maybe I’ll even pick up a little something at the mall to model for you after Michelle goes to bed. Would you like that?”

“I like you, Aurora. Whatever you wear.”

She sucked in a breath at his heartfelt words and had to suddenly blink back tears. Before she started sobbing, she said a hasty goodbye, hung up, then stared at the phone.

Tonight, she thought. Tonight I’m going to tell him.

And even though everything will change, nothing will change. Dante will want this baby. He’ll want me. And together with Michelle, we’ll be a family.

She was so certain of it that she practically walked on air for the next few hours. Remembering her promise to Dante, she ducked out at lunch to do some shopping. Thirty minutes later, she was in the dressing room. She already had some new lingerie picked out, and she’d decided to try on a gorgeous sky blue pencil dress, imagining the look on Dante’s face when she wore it to the meeting he had with Esposito Group tomorrow.

Aurora sighed as she worked the sky blue dress up her hips and over her arms. To her surprise, she had to tug a little harder than usual to get the thing zipped and when she looked in the mirror…

She was showing. Not definitively. Not absolutely. But in this dress, in this lighting, she was no question pregnant.

Holy crap. She quickly unzipped the dress and surveyed her stomach while it was bare. Had Dante noticed? Obviously not, since he hadn’t said anything. Maybe he’d noticed but been too polite to say anything, figuring she was just putting on a few pounds.

In just her bare skin she definitely had a small bump, but it could easily be confused for a food baby. She pulled the dress on again, zipped it right up. Once again, as far as what someone would conclude upon seeing her in this dress, there was no question. She was pregnant.

Aurora lowered herself down to the bench in the dressing room and placed her hand over her stomach. It was going to be okay. She’d decided to tell Dante anyway. And she could feel the little lima bean in there. She could feel the baby’s life. The growing, gorgeous energy of it.

Tonight, she’d place Dante’s hand on her belly. And he’d feel the baby’s energy too. She just knew it.

She bought the dress. Wore it out of the store, in fact. She wasn’t going to hide her pregnancy a second longer. She wasn’t ashamed. She was proud. And she couldn’t wait for Dante to know it.

Aurora tossed her things behind her desk when she got back to the office and stepped over to her window. Dante wasn’t far. In fact, if she craned her neck, she could almost see his office building down the street. Maybe she’d just walk over there and tell him. Why wait? Why—

“Aurora, do you have a second? I was wondering…” Gio stepped into her office but his words trailed right off as his eyes zeroed in on her belly in the blue dress. He shut her office door behind him. “Holy shit.”

Aurora smiled a little, letting her eyes drop to her belly as well. Her palm found its way to the gentle curve. “You’re telling me.”

“I—uh didn’t know.” Gio cleared his throat. “I mean, of course I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me. I–uh—”

“It’s okay, Gio.” She was charmed at how the normally smooth Giovanni Esposito was absolutely tripping over his words. “I haven’t told anybody really.”

“Wow.” Gio lowered himself down into the chair across from her desk. “You’re going to be a mom.”

“Yup,” Aurora said, bobbing her head and coming around to lean on the desk in front of him.

Gio scrubbed his hand over his chin for a second. “Do you need any help? Is the father in the picture?”

His words warmed her heart and she remembered why she’d had feelings for him for so long. But as he sat there, handsome as hell and so kind, Aurora was also amazed at how intensely she’d misidentified her feelings for him. Sure, she’d had a crush. A good strong one. But love? No. Now that she knew what love was, she was confident she’d never felt it for the man in front of her.

“Yes, he’s in the picture.” Suddenly feeling nervous, she fiddled with the end of her braid. “Gio, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression about me. But this pregnancy, it… wasn’t planned.”

“What do you mean ‘the wrong impression’?”

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