Page 138 of The Baby Twist
“I didn’t know you were here, either.”
“I was in the laundry room doing laundry. Are you okay?” She put the towels away in the cabinet.
“I don’t know yet.” Tears filled my eyes.
“Oh, sweetie.” She sat on the floor and placed her arm around me. “It’ll be okay.” She hugged me as I placed my head on her shoulder.
“No, it won’t. Miles doesn’t like kids under the age of ten. He said he never wants children.”
“He also never wanted a wife, and now look,” she said.
“You know it’s not a real marriage, Dora. He only married me to get his company.”
The timer on my phone went off, and I felt like I was going to be sick. This could possibly be my biggest life-changing event, and I wasn’t ready to face it. I slowly got up from the floor and stared at the two test sticks. One said “Pregnant,” and the other displayed a dark blue plus sign.
“Oh, God.” I cupped my hand over my mouth as tears streamed down my face.
“Oh, Stella. It’ll be okay.” Dora hugged me. “Look at me.” She broke our embrace and held my shoulders. “I haven’t known you very long, but I already know what a strong woman you are. Miles, on the other hand, needs some therapy.” She smirked.
I let out a light laugh.
“You, my darling, will not be alone in this. I will help you in any way I can. You’re having a baby.” She smiled. “Nothing else in this world is God’s greatest gift. You were blessed. Remember that.”
“I know. How am I going to tell Miles? He’s going to be so pissed. This changes everything, Dora.”
“He may be a little upset at first, but he’ll come to terms with it. He seems to be handling the marriage just fine.”
“Right.” I shook my head. “He doesn’t even let me sleep in his bed after sex.”
“Well, he’s an idiot. The last thing you need is stress. It’s not good for you or the baby. You have eleven months left of thisso-called marriage, and the baby will be born in what—seven months?”
“I don’t know how far along I am.”
“Doesn’t matter. It will be before your marriage contract is up. He has no choice but to be a father to that child. I’ll get rid of the evidence for you.” She scooped up the test sticks and the box and took them with her.
After we sat on the bed and talked a while longer, she left for the day. I didn’t know how the hell I was going to tell him I was pregnant with his baby. First, I needed to call my OB/GYN and get in as soon as possible. Picking up my phone, I called the office.
“Dr. Gregario’s office. Belinda speaking. How can I help you?”
“Hi, Belinda. This is Stella Harper. I need to make an appointment.”
“And what will you be coming in for?”
“I just took a pregnancy test, and it’s positive. Actually, I took two.”
“Congratulations, Stella. Let me see when I can get you an appointment. Dr. Gregario had a cancellation for this Friday at one o’clock. Will that work?”
“Friday at one is fine. Thank you.”
“Great. You’re all set, and we’ll see you Friday.”
Miles
I’d just returned from a meeting and sat behind my desk. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I texted Stella to see how she was feeling.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little better.”
