Page 33 of Enamored
I smile. “Hey. Emmett, right?” He nods. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“So, this was your project?” He gestures to the empty area in front of us. “I remember you told me you were doing the designs last time.”
“Yeah, Tristan hired my firm.”
He nods and looks around. “Hey, listen, if you’re not still seeing Holden, I’d love to go out for drinks or dinner sometime if you’re interested?”
I play with the bottom of my shirt. It’s not like I’m actually thinking of going on a date with the guy, but I’m trying to find a way to let him down gently without making it seem like there is a conflict of interest. Technically, sleeping with the client doesn’t break any rules, but it doesn’t look great either.
“Actually, I’m not available. I’m only here for a little while, and then I am heading overseas to finish work with another client. I’m going to be swamped while I’m here.”
His smile fades, but he has the good grace to try and not look too hurt. “All right, see ya around then,” he says and walks away to join some of the other workers.
“Lana, come meet Don Martineau, the manager,” Tristan calls over for me.
He places his hand on my lower back as I stand next to him, and I brush it off. While on site, we need to maintain a level of professionalism. Don is a nice man and seems to have a lot of experience under his belt. He tells me the plans for the day and how far he hopes to get. As long as the weather stays nice, there shouldn’t be a problem with staying on schedule.
The rest of the crew arrives, along with all the heavy machinery, and they get to work digging the hole for the foundation. There’s not a lot for me to do at this point, so after watching the men work for an hour or so, I take a walk around the property.
Tristan and Holden are helping some of the guests, and Mr. Ellis is taking care of his wife. I should sit down to do some work, but my mind isn’t in it. Instead, I pull out a sketchbook and decorate a mock-up of Tristan’s apartment. It was so bare when I walked in last night; it almost made me sad. I’d love to be able to help him add a feminine touch to it.
He finds me sitting by the water as I put the finishing touches on the living room, and he takes a seat next to me. He kisses my cheek and pulls the sketchpad from my lap to look at what I’m drawing.
“What’s this?”
“I wanted to redesign your apartment. Make it look more like a home. It feels so cold and unwelcoming there.” I pretend to shiver and smile at him.
He stares at the drawing, tracing his finger over my design. “I love it,” he murmurs.
I beam. “Really? You mean it?”
He pulls me to him for a hard kiss. “Yes, really. I’d like it if you add a bit of you to the apartment. When can you start?”
“We can go to the store and see if we can find some of the stuff I need, and then I will also look online and connect with some people I know.”
* * *
Construction has been going on for almost two weeks now, and I’ve been working up a storm trying to get the rest of his apartment set up. A few pieces of artwork arrived today, so I took his truck back to the apartment to meet the delivery guy. He was kind enough to wait until I unboxed everything and took the trash out with him. He also got a huge tip for doing so, so he definitely wasn’t complaining.
Tristan has been dealing with a lot, and I wanted to do something nice for him and cook dinner. These past few weeks have felt very domestic, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve enjoyed it. I walk up and down the grocery store aisles, picking up anything I might need to cook.
When I reach the tampons, I freeze.When was the last time I had my period?I try to mentally do the calculations in my head as my heart races and my stomach flips. Has it really been six weeks? It must be off because of all the traveling, right?
I reach a shaking hand up to the pregnancy tests and put a box in my cart. The happy, smiling woman on the box taunts me as I finish my shopping. Do I take it now? Do I wait until morning? I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait that long. Okay, Lana. Calm down. There’s nothing to worry about until I take the test.
He won’t be home for another few hours, so I can take it without him knowing and will figure out what I’m going to do only if it comes out positive. I finish shopping, load up the truck, and get home as fast as I can. I put everything away and open the pink box.
Easy. Pee on a stick.I can do this.
I watch the initial line appear and close my eyes, too afraid to look. I’ll wait for the three-minute timer to go off. Until then, I’m not even sure it’s accurate. I jump when my phone’s timer rings and hurry to turn the annoying sound off. I hold my breath as I open my eyes and look.
Two. Pink. Lines.
My breath comes into my lungs in short, labored pants. I’m not even sure I’m getting oxygen in because I’m freaking out so bad. Oh my God! What the hell am I going to do? We can’t have a baby. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I dial Beth’s number.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she answers.
“Beth.” I pause to take a breath. “I’m pregnant.”
