Page 44 of A Baby For Her Billionaire BFF

With a resolve that surprises even me, I reach out and snatch one of the pregnancy tests from the shelf. Just one, because maybe deep down, I’m hoping it’s unnecessary. A precaution. A silly overreaction.

Yet if I take one, I know I’ll want to take another, just to be sure of the results.

And so I go ahead and grab two more, bringing it to a total of three.

“Next in line!” The cashier’s voice pulls me from my reverie.

I approach the counter, items in hand, and offer up a weak smile. The cashier scans the boxes, oblivious to the internal chaos they’ve triggered.

“Big night?” she asks casually.

“Something like that,” I reply, my voice barely above a murmur.

I pay, the transaction mechanical, and gather my things. As I step back out into the bright light, the world seems to tilt on its axis. The familiar street looks different somehow — as if I’m seeing it through new eyes, eyes that might soon be gazing upon a whole new life.

I drive back to my street, where I quickly find parking and then scramble up the building’s front steps. The door to my apartment slams shut behind me with an urgency that matches the pounding of my heart. It’s as if each thump is echoing the single question ricocheting through my mind: What if?

Okay. I need to get a grip. I haven’t even taken the tests yet, so I can’t make any assumptions. I just need to cool my jets.

In my bathroom, I line up the little white sticks on the cool marble countertop, each one a silent sentinel waiting to weigh in on my future. The plastic wrappers crinkle as I tear them open one by sputtering one.

Sitting on the edge of the tub, I follow the instructions that suddenly seem written in some alien language. Pee on the stick. Put it down flat. Don’t touch it. Wait three minutes.

Three minutes that stretch and bend like some cruel joke of time. My fingers drum impatiently on the porcelain, and my mind is full of visions of Oliver — his warm smile, his ambitious spirit, the way his presence feels like coming home.

Would he be thrilled? Scared? His dreams are big, and they have been since our college days. I wonder how a baby would fit into the grand blueprint of his life.

More importantly, how does it fit into mine? I’m a lawyer, exceptionally good at my job, and I’ve fought tooth and nail to carve out my place. Are we even ready for this?

Excitement flutters in my chest like a trapped bird, its wings beating against my ribs with every possibility that comes to mind. A baby. Our baby. Little feet pattering across hardwood floors, tiny fingers wrapped around ours.

But then there’s fear, a creeping vine that wraps itself around my thoughts, squeezing until excitement gasps for air. What if something goes wrong? What if I’m not cut out for this? What if?—

“Stop it,” I scold myself.

Worry has always had a way of clouding my judgment, shadowing the what-could-be with what-if. But this — this is different. This isn’t a case I can argue in court; there’s no precedent to guide the way. This is life, unpredictable and untamed.

The timer on my phone goes off. I nearly choke on my breath, the anticipation too much to handle.

My hand shakes a little as I reach for the first test. Then the second. And the third. Each one is a chapter waiting to be written, a story yet to unfold. Oliver’s face flashes in my mind again, his eyes bright with the promise of the future, and I’m struck by a single, searing truth.

Positive. Positive. Positive.

Each one is a tiny pink plus sign. I’m pregnant.

My heart catapults into overdrive, pounding a fierce rhythm that echoes through the silence of the room. A laugh spills out, tinged with disbelief and wonder, the sound bouncing off the tiles.

Pregnant!

Excitement bubbles up inside me, a fizzy concoction of joy and anticipation. It’s as if a dam has burst within, flooding me with visions of tiny onesies, the smell of baby powder, and soft lullabies whispered in the dark. I imagine telling Oliver, seeing his expression morph from surprise to elation as he wraps his arms around me, his joy matching mine.

But then, like a shadow creeping across the sun, fear slinks in. What about the work he’s been so invested in? His company’s expansion plans? We’re both at the pinnacle of our careers; how will a baby fit into this carefully constructed life we’ve built?

My mind races, thoughts tangling like the sheets on our bed after a restless night. Will he think it’s too soon? That we should have planned better?

He’ll make an amazing father; I’ve never doubted that. But does he even want that?

This… this is real. This changes everything.

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