Page 43 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

“How’s Mémé?”

“She’s doing just fine.” Nico hugged his son close as Lauren leaned against the wall and watched them. “Just to be safe, the doctors are keeping her overnight, but it looks like just a bad sprain. Tomorrow, they’re planning to move her to a rehabilitation place where she can get physical therapy and help with basic tasks until she can put weight on her foot again.”

“Can we visit her?”

“Of course we can. We can even go tomorrow after school.”

“Good, because I made her a card. Come see!” Louis pulled Nico towards the living room. Nico gently pulled his hand from Louis’s and stopped in front of Lauren.

“Thank you so much for being here.”

“It was really a pleasure. You know I love spending time with Louis.”

“And he loves spending time with you.” Nico pressed a kiss to Lauren’s cheek. “Would you like to stay for dinner? Then after Louis goes to sleep, we can talk. I have something to tell you.”

“I have something to tell you, too.” Lauren bit her lip.

“Good, then it’s decided. How do you feel about spaghetti?”

Lauren followed Nico into the kitchen, her heart heavy. Maybe tonight would be the night she told Nico, after all.

She would just have to see how it went.

CHAPTER 17

NICO

Nico twirled the spaghetti into the sauce. Warm, delicious smells of basil and oregano and tomato wafted up to him, and his stomach grumbled. Even though everything had gone smoothly this afternoon, it had been very hectic. Nico had picked his mother up at home and carried her to the car. Rose had winced a little as he’d settled her in, but she’d also smiled and asked about Lauren and Louis on the drive to the hospital. Once they’d arrived, she was taken off for her first x-ray only a few minutes after Nico had filled out the paperwork.

By the time his mother had her ankle bandaged and was given a bed and some pain relief, she was practically shooing Nico away. He was glad for that. After the time he’d spent in hospitals with Léa, they weren’t exactly his favorite place in the world. Sitting in the waiting room had made him think about Léa in a way he hadn’t in a while. Although they’d only been in a romantic relationship for a short time, they’d been good friends. There had been many nights that they’d shared dinner then sat in his living room while Louis slept, talking about the future.

Léa had always encouraged Nico to find love. She’d dated a little while Louis was young, which Nico had always supported, but it hadn’t felt right to him to date. He’d always assured her that when the right woman came along, he wouldn’t hesitate. Léa would be proud of him now for taking a chance on Lauren. And she’d be pushing him to tell her how he felt without any more delay.

So, when Rose had shooed him out of her room, Nico hadn’t protested much. He wanted to be home with his family — because Lauren was his family. He’d assured his mother that he and Louis would be back to visit the next day, either at the hospital or the rehabilitation center, then hurried home.

Now, Nico twirled the last scoop of spaghetti into the sauce, then transferred it all to a platter. He carried it to the table, where Lauren had already placed the salad and garlic bread. They all sat and began dishing up the food.

“Mémé is really okay?” Louis asked. It was about the hundredth time he’d asked, but Nico knew his son wouldn’t really be satisfied until he saw his grandmother in person the next day.

“Really, really.” Nico smiled at Louis. “Would you like some garlic bread?”

“Hmm… or maybe a bun. Is the bun ready, Lauren?”

Nico turned to Lauren. Maybe they had been baking something today, although he hadn’t seen any evidence of it. Her face turned a deep shade of pink and she looked very flustered. She bit her lip.

“Lauren?” Nico asked. “Are you okay?”

“Um, yes. Of course.” She smiled, but it looked shaky. Nico frowned slightly. This was very strange. “Louis,” she continued, “I don’t think you understood me right. I was joking with my friend today.”

“Why were you joking about a bun in the oven?” Louis asked. He tilted his head to the side. “Is it a joke in English?”

“It’s really not important.” Lauren’s face was growing increasingly red. Nico looked from Lauren to Louis and back. A bun in the oven. It sounded familiar — and then it hit him. Of course, a bun in the oven did mean something in English, although it wasn’t a joke. It meant a pregnancy. And Lauren had asked him just today about becoming a parent. Still, there was no way she’d keep something like that from him. Right?

“Louis,” Nico said, his voice level, “would you like to finish your dinner in front of the TV?”

Louis’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Really. Go on.”

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