Page 13 of Suddenly Pregnant

Shit. He regretted his words instantly. “Billie, I didn’t mean it that way.”

She lifted her hand and surged to her feet, clutching her iPad. “No worries, mate, like people say here. I’ll go send some emails and catch up later.” She walked toward the door, but he couldn’t leave her like this.

“Billie, have a seat,” he said. “Please.”

She turned around slowly, and when he saw her, he noticed the bob making its way down her throat. “Yes? What do you need?”

“I need you to hear me.”

She walked slowly to the chair where she’d been sitting, and sat quietly, crossing her legs. “Okay.”

“I apologize for being rude,” he said honestly. “It dawned on me now you’re trying to be nice, even if I don’t deserve it. I appreciate it. For reasons you must know, over the past months I’ve been suspicious of people who were nice to me. Or people in general,” he added, not wanting to get into the Cressida scandal, but also recognizing verbally that she knew.

“I understand.,” she said.

“But it’s still not fair. You’re a good person, Billie.”

A smile tugged at her lips, and her freckles never looked lovelier. “That doesn’t do much for my street cred, does it?”

He chuckled, enjoying the light energy between them. His shoulders dropped a notch, and warmth filled his chest. He rocked back in his chair, regarding her, then their gazes locked and that punch in the gut happened again. Desire zapped through him, though if he were honest, he wasn’t fighting just pure lust. A different emotion lurked around them, one he’d have to be extra careful about. One that reminded him why he’d been going on endless runs or working overtime for the past few days.

She must have felt it too, because she shifted in her seat, chewing her lip. “I, hmmm, have some stuff to do.”

“Of course.”

A month later…

“What are you doing this evening?” Hannah asked Billie on Friday afternoon in the break room. “Our crazy lot will go to a happy hour in the bar down the street.”

“Oh that sounds fun,” Billie said, picking at her salad. She should eat something, if anything to gain some strength.

She’d woken up with an upset stomach, which she blamed on the food she had for dinner the previous night. She should have known all those different spices wouldn’t agree with her on the first trial. But she’d been excited to try a new restaurant after work—though she’d been alone.

Another wave of a nauseating sensation washed through her.

“Hey are you okay? You’re pale,” Hannah said.

Billie touched her stomach. “I ate something bad last night. I’ll be right back,” she said, then rushed to the restroom, and barely made it to the stall.

A few minutes later, she splashed cold water on her face. This shouldn’t be happening, right? The food should have gone through her system.

Maybe she picked up a flu bug. She closed the tap, then looked at her reflection. Hannah was right, she looked pale even after throwing up.

Yeah, she could safely say that tonight she wouldn’t be going to a happy hour. She’d be lucky if she had an unhappy one at this point.

Just her luck, she finally got invited to go drinking with people from work and her tummy didn’t cooperate.

“You okay?” asked a blonde woman who just entered the bathroom.

“Yes… just tummy issues,” Billie said, then picked some paper towels and pat it on her face. “You know how it is…”

“Oh yes.” The stranger washed her hands efficiently. “Hope you feel better,” she said, then she dried her hands using the automatic dryer, then left.

Billie glanced around, her gaze traveling aimlessly as she tried to figure out how long it’d take for her to feel better. Then, she studied the sleek, small vending machine filled with feminine products.

A shot of apprehension leaked into her bloodstream.

Her period.

---