Page 8 of Playboy Billionaire's Secret Baby

“Allegra, you lookamazing,” I gush as soon as I lay eyes on her. My heart races faster with excitement for my best friend. “Being married really does suit you.”

“Aw, well the Italian sunshine helps,” she giggles as she joins me at the table in Diana’s Diner where we’re having lunch. “You should come and visit more often…enjoy the sun with me. You can’t love being in the grim, gray UK all the time. It’s really miserable.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t know. There aresomebenefits to being here… although the weather isn’t one of them. The rain today definitely doesn’t help.”

I wouldloveto visit Allegra now and spend time in Italy again, but I can’t… not when there’s even the slightest risk of bumping into Frederico.

After running out on him in the early hours of the morning after our passionate night of fun, he’s the last person I would want to see. I can’t imagine anything more embarrassing than that. And that’s before I consider the pregnancy. Knowing that I’m going to have his baby only makes the situation so much more complicated… yeah, I’m definitely better in the grim, gray rain.

“Anyway, tell me all about the honeymoon,” I demand. I don’t want the spotlight to be on me for longer than it needs to be. “The photos you sent were to die for.”

“Oh, it was gorgeous, but honestly the photos I sent are about all we saw of the place. Adam and I couldn’t make it out of the bedroom for very long at all.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. I saw you guys on your wedding day.”

She lets out a low, satisfied sigh. “I didn’t think it would feel this different to be married, but it does. I can’t explain it, but it feels amazing. Being Mrs. Harris is definitely who I’m supposed to be, even though it feels weird saying that aloud.”

There it is…that pang again… this just isn’t happening. If I thought dating was hard before, then doing so as a single mom could be near impossible. Ireallyneed to forget about love. Otherwise, this little pang of jealousy is going to become an overwhelming pain I can’t let go of.

The last thing I want to do is start resenting my best friend just because she has something that I don’t. Allegra deservesallof this and I wouldn’t ever want to take it from her, ever.

I lean back in my chair and listen to tales of Allegra’s adventures with a smile on my face, showing my own sadness down. I can blame it on the hormones now, can’t I? I mean, a woman doesn’t go through pregnancy without her emotions all over the place. Just because this isn’t how I envisioned pregnancy would come for me, doesn’t make it wrong.

I always thought that I would be sitting in Allegra’s chair when I found out that I was having a baby. I would be married and happy. I’d have someone great to rely on and help me through everything but plans don’t always work out…but it’ll be fine.

Uh oh. I press my hand to my chest as I start to realize that I’m gasping for air like I’m sinking under water. I can’t breathe, however hard I try. My secret is creeping up on me, surging through me, threatening to come spilling out at any given moment. I’ve spent all night long trying to work out how to present this information in the best way, but all that is gone now. My brain is blank, not quite sure how to say any of the news out.

“Whoa, what’s going on, Lexi?” Allegra leans across the table and holds my hand. Concern flashes across her face as she cocks her head curiously to one side. “Are you sick? You should have said something. If you’re not doing well, you don’t need to be here right now.”

I shake my head because her words are overwhelming. I don’t want her to go. I can’t be anywhere else in the world but here.

“I have something to tell you,” I just about manage to whisper out. “Something…”

“Whoa, you’re freaking me out, Lexi. What the hell is happening?”

Of all the ways I thought I’d tell Allegra, this definitely isn’t it. I’m tied up in knots, unable to untangle myself from the web I’m trapped in. I think telling my best friend makes the issue even more real, which is why I’m freaking the hell out.

“I haven’t been feeling too good for a while. A few weeks maybe; months, even.” I’m going in too deep, telling the whole story when I don’t really need to… but I can’t seem to stop my mouth from running off at the speed of light. “And I didn’t know what it was. Or maybe I suspected but I couldn’t quite admit it to myself until last night, when I took a test.”

“A test?” Allegra’s eyebrows furrow together. “What sort of test?”

I suck in a deep breath and prepare myself to just get it all out already. “A pregnancy test.”

Why do I feel like a teenager telling my mother I’ve been bad? I could almost cower in the corner because I’m so worked up. Even though I know the one person who will support me through anything is sitting right in front of me.

“Wow, and the test was positive, I take it?” I nod. “That’s wild. I didn’t think…”

She doesn’t finish her sentence but she doesn’t have to. Why would Allegra suspect that her virgin best friend who hasn’t dated anyone decent, ever, suddenly is pregnant at such an awkward time in her life? She knows me better than anyone, how hard I’ve worked for my career, and how successful I want to be as an architect…I’m not saying that I can’t have it all, because maybe I will, but it’s scary nonetheless.

“Who’s the father?”

The dreaded question comes way too quickly. I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I should be honest so I follow my gut now that the time has come. I find myself shaking my head before I’ve even actively made a decision.

“It’s just some guy at the office I had a little thing with for a while.” Shit, guilt flows through me violently as I let the lie flow from my lips. I can’t admit to it being Frederico because I don’t want to put Allegra in an awkward position with her friend. Plus, if I’m really honest, I’m more than a little embarrassed by what happened in Italy. I can’t shy away from that truth. “But it’s not athing, and he’s already let me know that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me or the baby. So, this is something I will be doing on my own.”

Allegra’s expression stiffens. “Do I need to kick some ass?”

I shake my head before she gets carried away with her rage. She doesn’t need to start a fight with some guy who doesn’t even exist.

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