Page 37 of Bedding the Baby Daddy

Chapter Ten

“You sound like a woman in love,” a voice said from behind Aurora as she washed her hands in the sink of the women’s bathroom at work the next Monday morning.

Aurora turned and found herself face to face with Rose. She gulped. “I’m sorry?”

“Oh,” Rose waved her hand in the air. “None of my business, I’m being nosy. It’s just any woman who hums to herself, with that expression on her face, while she washes her hands at work, has got to be in love.”

Aurora’s eyes went to the mirror and she caught sight of the expression she was making. Well. Shit. There it was. In every line of her face.

Aurora cleared her throat. “I don’t know about that.” She paused. Decided to tell the truth. “But I certainly had a good weekend.”

Rose grinned at her, her auburn hair seeming to light the air around her. “I had one of those myself.”

Aurora waited for the plummeting dip of her stomach at the news that Gio and Rose had had a good, presumably sex-filled, weekend together, but it didn’t come. Actually, at the moment, Aurora didn’t think anything could turn her stomach. She felt like she was walking on air.

“So, who’s the guy?” Rose asked, washing her hands herself.

Aurora swallowed hard when Dante’s face immediately swam in her mind. She braced a hand against the sink as she felt a little dizzy. Standing there in the women’s restroom, two feet from Gio’s girlfriend, not only was Aurora not feeling jealous, but she realized, with a kind of dizzy fascination, she’d barely thought of Gio at all the last few weeks. At least not as anything more than a friend and business associate. Rose had asked if she was in love, asked who the guy was, and both times, Aurora’s mind went instantly to Dante.

She ran her hand under the cold water and discreetly slipped some onto the back of her neck. When the hell had that happened? Aurora knew that her feelings for Dante were blossoming. That was undeniable. But since when had Dante completely bumped Gio off her radar?

“Aurora?”

Aurora shook her head and focused on Rose. “Sorry?”

“No, that’s okay, you just look a little faint, is all. I asked a question and you didn’t even hear.”

Rose took Aurora by the arm, with a much firmer grip than Aurora expected, and sat her gently on the bench along the wall. “You’re looking a little peaked. Do you feel alright? I’m a nurse.”

Aurora smoothed her hair back. “I’m alright. I’m just a little dizzy from the pregnancy is all.”

“You’re pregnant?” The sweet look of delight on Rose’s face was undeniable.

“Oh. Crap.” Aurora held one hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I’m pregnant, but I haven’t told anyone yet. Including the father.”

Rose immediately zipped her lips. “I won’t say a word. I promise. Can I get you anything? Seltzer? Juice? A cookie?”

Aurora rubbed a hand over her belly. “Apparently the baby likes the sound of all three of those things.”

The two women laughed. Just as she’d expected she would that night at the fundraiser, Aurora genuinely liked Rose. What the hell was going on here? Her life was changing faster than she could even keep track of.

“I heard your question before,” Aurora said. “About who the guy is. I just, I got a little surprised because the answer wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.”

Rose cocked her head to one side and leaned up against the sink. “Again, not my business, but you’re in love with two people?”

Aurora shook her head. “No. No, not anymore, apparently. But it seems I am in love. I just didn’t realize it until now.” She put her hand over her belly again. “Oh lord. What am I going to do?”

“I know we don’t know each other very well, Aurora,” Rose started, biting her bottom lip between her teeth. “But can I give you a little advice?”

“Sure.”

“Did you know that Gio and I knew each other in high school?”

“Oh?” Aurora’s brow furrowed. She’d had no idea.

“Yeah. And things fell apart right after graduation. And, you know, that was that. But fifteen years later, it turns out that wasn’t exactly that, you know what I mean?”

“Ah. No. Not really.”

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