Page 9 of Fired Up (Alphas Forever 2)

Anthony

“Wait, what?” I say in disbelief. “You’re pregnant?”

It’s about a month later, and Layla has just come to me with the news. I wish I could say that the last month has been amazing, but it’s been just the opposite. Ever since our mind-blowing sex in the elevator, I’ve barely seen her. The day after the elevator, she told me that she couldn’t see me again. It tore me up to hear her say that, but I gave her the space she asked for, since it was apparently what she wanted. I figured I’d give her some space, then test the waters again after a while.

I never expected her to show up at my door with news like this.

I run a hand through my hair. I’m in utter shock. “Pregnant?” I say again.

Layla nods. She looks like she’s on the brink of tears. She explains that even though she was on birth control, she missed a couple days, and apparently that was enough to enable her to get pregnant. I’m stunned. Totally stunned. But…I mean, I’m also excited. I’ve always wanted to be a dad. And to have a kid with someone as incredible as Layla…

“Don’t worry,” she says, dropping her eyes to the floor. “I’m not going to keep it.”

The words land like a punch in the gut. I reach out and lift up her chin. I look her straight in the eyes. “Listen, Layla. If that’s truly what you want to do, I’ll respect your decision. But nothing would make me happier than raising the baby with you.”

“You don’t have to say that,” she says.

“I’m not just saying. I mean it.” Thoughts of being with Layla and a baby fill my head. Like a movie on fast forward, I imagine all the wonderful and difficult and crazy moments we’ll have together. It will be a life with purpose.

“I don’t know,” says Layla. She places a hand over her stomach, then drops her hand to her side. “We barely know each other.”

“We’ll have nine months to get to know each other,” I point out.

“Eight months. I’m already a month along.”

“Okay. Eight months. But that’s still a lot.”

Layla is silent for a few moments. I can tell that she’s considering it, but she also still has doubts. Which I get. But she needs to trust me. I’m as goddamn serious as a heart attack about being there for her.

“I’m scared,” she says.

“There’s nothing to be scared of,” I assure her.

“I like you, Anthony. I really like you. But…I have a career that’s important to me. I don’t want to give it up. That’s the whole reason why I wanted to cool things off after we slept together. It was getting to be too much. And…well, I’m scared that this is too risky of a commitment to make. What if we spend the next eight months getting to know each other, only to find out that we don’t even like each other?”

“That’s what life’s about, though,” I say. “Taking risks. And you won’t have to give up your career. I’ll stay home with the baby. You won’t have to give anything up.”

“I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Layla. Let me take care of you.”

Layla still looks doubtful. But she takes a breath and nods. “Okay. I might regret saying this. But let’s give this a shot. We can’t have sex, though. I don’t want to get distracted by that. Not while we’re trying to figure out if this will work for real. Is that okay with you?”

I can feel my cock protesting already.

But if that’s what it takes…

…well, fuck. Then that’s what it takes.

I spendthe next several weeks trying to prove to Layla that we’re meant to be together. I treat her like she deserves to be treated—like a queen. And we grow closer the more time we spend together. But it still feels like there’s something holding her back. There’s some kind of barrier between us that I can’t figure out how to overcome.

We’re driving home from dinner one night when we see something ahead of us in the road. When we get closer, I see that a couple cars have just gotten into an accident. It looks like it happened moments before.

Instantly, my firefighter training kicks in. I pull off into a safe spot on the side of the road and tell Layla to stay put. Then I quickly get out of the car and rush over to the scene. I call 911 while I check on the people involved in the accident. The driver in the first car is stunned but seems unharmed. The other driver is an elderly man who is also in a daze—and has a nasty cut on the side of his head.

“Sir?” I say. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Uh…Frank,” he says.

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