Page 56 of Billionaire and the Barista

GABRIELLA

Istared down at the plastic device. It felt like I was holding my breath while I waited for the second stripe to appear. I didn’t want it to, but I knew it took a few minutes for my hormones and the chemicals on the test strip to do their thing.

I closed my eyes and remembered the last time I had done this. I had been so nervous. I took the test and left it on the sink and went and sat on my bed. I was going to be good and wait the allotted time. I was up and down checking that test every thirty seconds. This time I sat in the bathroom with the test in my hand and watched it.

I should have known something was different with my body when I started getting so cranky and feeling depressed. Sure, things were difficult, but I powered through the difficulties. It was hard, but I was doing the hard work under a constant cloud of oppression. And that’s what I had been feeling lately. Like nothing mattered, and that cupcakes were frivolous. I had even contemplated listening to one of those real estate agents who kept calling.

A random comment on a television show prompted me to go back and track my period. I was late. Very late, and I hadn’t even thought about it. I was so used to it being a non-issue.

But now I had Nathan in my life. It was definitely an issue. And I knew exactly when it had happened. Damn it, and I had been so certain that I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. But the plastic test in my hand was about to tell me I had nothing to worry about.

“I’m not going to be a single mother with two children, because I am not pregnant,” I said to the test. “Do you hear me? I am not pregnant.”

Unfortunately, the test didn’t listen and that dreaded second line appeared.

“Fuck.” I threw it into the garbage. That was not the news I needed. Whether or not I already believed, it was a different issue.

I had promised Nathan, I would tell him if anything developed. I could imagine that conversation. ‘Hey, guess what developed between us? Oh, and by the way, this is the second time you have knocked me up.’

I sighed. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with him. I wasn’t ready to tell him about Robbie. Ready, or not, I needed to. And I needed to tell him about the new baby too.

I sent him a text message. Not certain if he was still in Texas or not. “Call me when you get back. I miss you.”

His response text came quickly.

“Miss you too. Things blowing up at the office. I should have called. Tonight?”

“Late night at the café. Come rescue me at nine.”

I washed my face and headed out to deal with my little world.

Robbie sat at the kitchen table coloring. He was such a good boy. I hugged him and kissed his head.

“Mommy,” he complained.

“I just love you so much, sorry. Can I have a hug?” I asked.

He crawled down from his chair and wrapped his little arms around me and squeezed.

“You give the best hugs,” I said.

I let him go and he shrugged me off.

“I have to close the shop tonight. You’re going to be good for Lacey, right?”

He gave me a look years older than what he should have been capable of. I saw my future teenager looking back at me right then.

“I know, you’re always good for Lacey.”

My nerves danced on a tight wire, between finding out I was going to have a baby, needing to tell Nathan, and needing to tell Robbie. It would have been easier if I could have gone down to the kitchen and started baking.

The cupcakes the café was getting recognition came from my nervous cooking. I was young, alone, and suddenly pregnant with my rich boyfriend having freshly dumped me to go off to a foreign country on what felt like a whim. I had spent the next nine months developing recipes and perfecting my frosting piping skills.

It had taken a while, but at some point, my cupcakes were bringing in customers. But I no longer had the freedom to be in the kitchen at all hours of the day or night. I had this small, perfect little boy who was my heart.

I was spinning my wheels until Lacey showed up. I grabbed a coloring book Robbie wasn’t using.

“Can I color too?” He always looked so calm and focused. I figured it couldn’t hurt.

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