Page 50 of Billion Dollar Baby Deal

Sophie thanked him and took the seat across from him. The same ones they sat in from her first day here.

“How was work?” she asked.

Noah shrugged, cutting into his steak. “Not bad. I think Colin is struggling with the added workload, but I think I managed to delegate it a little better across the departments.”

Sophie listened and offered advice when appropriate. She wanted to get the small talk out of the way so she could bring up the real reason she wanted to have dinner with him tonight.

As the conversation came to a natural end, Sophie tried to gain the courage to bring it up. It wasn’t a big deal but it felt like one.

“So I know I brought this up last week, but I wanted to remind you that I have my twelve-week ultrasound tomorrow.” She pushed her food around on her plate.

When she’d mentioned it last week, Noah had agreed but was quickly distracted by a work call. He hadn’t mentioned it since then and her anxiety told her that he had forgotten, whether accidentally or on purpose.

Noah looked up from his plate, confused.

“You forgot,” she stated. Part of her had still held out hope that he cared enough to remember.

“I did. I’m sorry, Sophie.” Noah looked sincere and she could tell he felt horrible about it.

It didn’t stop her from being upset. “It’s no big deal. If you can’t make it…”

“No, I’ll be there,” he promised. Though she could see he was already thinking about how to move around his schedule.

“Nine thirty,” she offered.

Noah nodded, trying to appear in the moment. “Great.”

Sophie went back to eating. She didn’t know why she felt so hurt that he had forgotten. Her pregnancy hormones were certainly beginning to take a toll on her moods lately. It was unfair to expect that Noah would keep track of her pregnancy milestones and appointments. The only reason he was being involved in the first place was so that she wouldn’t feel so alone.

“Twelve weeks, huh?” Noah said, drawing her from her thoughts.

“Yeah,” Sophie confirmed. “It’s crazy, right?”

It was hard to believe how much had happened in the past three months. They had gotten pregnant, engaged, moved in together, and were in the process of planning their wedding, which was only a month and a half away.

“Completely,” he agreed. “But in the best way.”

After dinner, Noah agreed to clean up and Sophie retired to her room feeling exhausted. She got ready for bed even though it was only eight thirty.

When she laid down, she tried to think positive thoughts as she rested her hands on her belly. She was going to hear her baby’s heartbeat tomorrow! She already knew she was going to cry at the appointment because her eyes teared up just at the thought of it.

Her mind drifted to how Noah would react. Would he be happy too, or was this just something he would endure for her sake? Suddenly she wasn’t sure if she wanted him there at all. After all, why should she allow his reaction to dictate her emotions? She knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings if Noah didn’t seem interested. So would it be worth it?

She considered asking her mom to attend but knew that she would question Noah’s absence. She didn’t want her parents to dislike him, nor did she want them to know about their arrangement. Maybe that was the reason she’d been avoiding her friends and family lately. Not because she didn’t want them to be involved, but because she was too embarrassed that they would find out her secret. What would Amy think about everything?

Sophie didn’t want to acknowledge the hopeless feelings settling within her, so she settled deeper into her pillow and closed her eyes.

* * *

Sophie woke up in a panic. Her heart was pounding.

The room was dark and she took a second to ground herself. She was in her room. In Noah’s apartment.

It was just a bad dream.

Sitting up in her bed, she reached out for her glass of water with a shaky hand. But her grip was weak and she dropped it. A loud sound echoed through the darkness as it shattered all over the floor.

She turned on the lamp on her nightstand, hoping she hadn’t woken Noah. There was water and glass everywhere.

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