Page 56 of Billionaire Temptations

My mom blushed. We gave one last hug and kiss, and off I went back home to New York to start my life on a fresh note. Nomore hiding in my apartment and away from life. This wasn’t about me anymore.

Chapter Twenty-Two

FIVE MONTHS LATER

As I stoodin the shower, I placed my hands on my rapidly growing belly. Last night was the first time I felt the baby kick. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, and the fact that another human being was growing inside of me had become more real. After showering, I dressed and headed to Kara and Molly’s apartment. They both took the day off to accompany me to my ultrasound. Since Aubrey had court, she was going to try to meet us there. The three of them had been so supportive of me, and even though I still thought about Max, it started to hurt less every day. I sometimes questioned whether or not I made the right decision by not telling him about the baby. Feelings of guilt settled inside of me from time to time, but I had to remember that he had left for a reason.

I was finishing up my second semester at Parsons, and things were going well. I had the support of Hannah and Austin, and our circle of friends grew. I kept waiting for the day when I’d run into Fiona or Max’s parents. Thank God that hadn’t happened yet, but I did have my story all made up and ready to be delivered when the time came. Kara had met a man named Billy, and they had been seeing each other for about a month. Aubrey had beenon a few dates with Glenn, one of the lawyers from her firm. Molly was still waiting for her Prince Charming to show up, and I had sworn off all men.

I lay on the table with Molly, Kara, and Aubrey by my side as Dr. Richardson, my OB/GYN, pressed the wand across my abdomen. Seeing my baby at this stage for the first time brought tears to my eyes. That was my baby. The one person that I would nurture, love, and teach for the rest of my life.

“Would you like to know the sex?” he asked.

“Really? You know?” I asked in excitement.

“Yes. I can tell you now if you’d like.”

I looked at the girls as they squeezed my hand and nodded their heads.

“Yes. I would like to know.”

“Congratulations, Emma. You’re going to have a daughter.”

Tears started to fall from my eyes as everyone in the room squealed.

“Oh my God, we’re having a girl!” Molly exclaimed.

“She looks very healthy, and she’s growing right on schedule. I’ll see you in a month for your checkup.” He smiled as he left the room.

Kara took my hand and helped me up from the table. As happy as I was to find out that my baby was healthy, I was secretly excited that I was going to have a daughter. Having the girls with me made for a fun day, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that Max wasn’t there to hear the news.

“Now that you know what the baby is, we can start working on the nursery.” Aubrey smiled.

“Just think about how fun it’s going to be to pick out girly things,” Kara spoke.

I Facetimedmy mom and held up the picture of the ultrasound. She started to cry when she saw it and even more when I told her she was going to have a granddaughter. Since the diner was short on waitresses, she couldn’t get to New York like she wanted to, but she promised she’d be here when the baby was born. As I sat up in bed, I placed my headphones on my stomach and played some classical lullabies by Mozart while I read my bookWhat to Expect When You’re Expecting. My phone beeped, so I reached for it on the nightstand, and my heart began to pound fiercely.

“I miss you, Emma.”

I stared at those four words for a long time before I deleted his message. Why was he messaging me now? I wasn’t going back down that road because I was finally healing, and he wasn’t going to fuck with my life or my heart ever again.

The next day, I met the girls for dinner at Carmine’s on 44thStreet. I had a huge craving for pasta and couldn’t be satisfied quickly enough. When I walked in, they were already sitting in a booth, sipping on their wine.

“Hey.” I smiled as I slid in next to Aubrey.

The waitress walked over, and I ordered a glass of water.

“God, I can’t wait to drink alcohol again. You’re never going to believe what happened last night.”

“What? Are you okay?” Aubrey asked with concern.

“Max sent me a text message telling me that he missed me.”

“Shut up!” Molly exclaimed.

“What did you say to him?” Kara asked.

“Nothing. I deleted the message because I’m not responding.”

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