Page 54 of Who's Your Daddy?

Rafael simply shakes his head as if he was expecting exactly that response. “See? You are that bad.” Disappointment shows on his face, but he winks at me and turns to walk back to the front of the store. “The invitation will stay open if you change your mind.”

“You could at least make up a believable excuse.” Tori giggles, but I can tell they’re all offended on some level, and it’s not my intention to hurt their feelings.

“Listen, don’t take it personally,” I say, looking from one woman to the other. “It’s not that I don’t want to hang out with you guys, it’s just...I’ve got a lot going on at the moment, and I just wanna be alone...so I can sort through my thoughts...and figure out what I need to do.”

Shontelle starts packing away the sample eyeshadows and lipsticks I used to do her makeover. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. Maybe it feels worse than it is because you’ve isolated yourself from everyone, and if you open up a—”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out.

I don’t know why. All I know is that I feel like I’m about to explode keeping this secret contained.

“Ooookay,” she says after taking a second to recover from the shock. “Guess it is that bad.”

“It’s not,” Tori rushes to reassure me, but her tone is panic masquerading as optimism. She grabs my shoulders, pulling me in for an abrupt congratulatory hug. “It’s incredible. It’s...a miracle.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

“Not all heroes wear capes.”

A pang of confusion wrinkles Shontelle’s face. “That literally does not make any sense.”

“It’s the best I could do on such short notice.” She glances down at my left hand. “So, you’re not...married?”

I shake my head, trying not to feel the dagger twisting in my heart. Hearing someone else say that out loud reminds me of every bad choice I’ve made. “No.” I sigh. “Look, please don’t tell Kelly-Anne just yet. I’m so scared she’ll fire me once she finds out.”

“Our lips are sealed.” Tori pretends to zip her mouth shut, then looks over at Shontelle. “Get out your phone. Let’s get a plan of action together.”

“Good idea.” She’s already unlocking her screen. Leaning over the glass perfume display cabinet, she starts typing. After scrolling for a few seconds, she looks up at me. “Okay, so according to this article, you’re looking at about thirty to fifty K just for the pregnancy and the birth.”

My mouth hits the floor. “Thirty K? As in thirty grand? Just for the pregnancy?”

I’ve been using Teddy’s credit card to stay afloat, just minor expenses here and there if my wages aren’t enough. And I keep my purchases small to make sure he doesn’t realize that I still have his card. He’ll definitely find out if I put thirty grand on there. How am I supposed to pay for all this?

My heart gallops against my chest, and my breaths speed up to keep up with the pace. I feel like I’m on the verge of hyperventilation. “What could possibly cost thirty grand? I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Oh, honey, let’s not have a conniption.” Tori urges me to sit down on the high swivel chair usually used by customers. “Just relax. It’s gonna be okay.”

“It’s not.”

She rubs my shoulders to calm me. “It is. Women have been growing babies since the beginning of time. If you eat right and take care of yourself, there’s no need for all those prenatal vitamins, and you can make do with fewer visits to the doctor.”

“But if something’s wrong with my baby, how will I know if I don’t go to the doctor? And if I don’t take the vitamins, aren’t I increasing the odds of something going wrong? I don’t know what to do, Tori.”

The panic in my voice clouds her eyes with doubt. “We’ll help you figure out a way.” She casts a helpless glance in Shontelle’s direction before focusing on me again. “And what about the baby’s father? Can’t you talk to him about—”

I shake my head. “He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me or the baby.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

The deep voice jolts me in my seat, and I spin the chair to see Peter standing behind us. His skin is ashen, drained of color, and I suspect it’s the conversation he just stumbled into that has him looking like he’s just seen a ghost. Both women fall silent, their eyes bouncing between me and him. The breaths that were coming out of me so rapidly a few moments ago have now ceased altogether.

“Peter.” My throat is so constricted, the sound barely made it out.

“Hi,” he says, nervously stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Uh...” He’s very aware that we have an audience because his attention keeps moving from Shontelle to Tori, barely staying on me for more than a second. “Listen...can we talk?”

Nope. I don’t want to talk to him. He made his stance clear the last time we talked, and I don’t want him using what he overheard aslogicto convince me not to have this baby.

“I think you said everything you needed to say the last time.”

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