Page 67 of Nanny for the Damaged Ex-SEAL

"Are you ever going to get that?"

She shakes her head sharply. "No."

I sigh and go back to the rack of baby clothes.

Then suddenly, I hear a loud sound. I turn around to see that Bria has smashed her phone on the floor. I drop the green dress I’m pulling off the hanger and go over to help pick up the phone. The entire screen is cracked down the middle. But I can't bend down. One of the attendants comes over, picks it up and hands it over to me. Thankfully, it seems to just be the screen that’s damaged.

Bria is sitting in a chair in the corner, sobbing.

"Is everything okay?" the attendant asks.

"We’ll be fine. Thank you."

She leaves and I waddle over to Bria. "Are you alright?"

She shakes her head and takes off the dark glasses she's been wearing since she came to the house to pick me up.

I place the phone on a small stool beside the chair and I sit on the edge of it. "Is something wrong?"

"Chad is cheating on me."

"What?"

"He came home during a work trip for the weekend and a call came in while he was in the bathroom. It's the woman he's seeing. She hung up when she heard my voice. I got her number, and when he left on Sunday, I called her. She tried to lie at first, but then she confessed. She said she knew he had a girlfriend, but that he told her our relationship was falling apart."

"Oh my God. Oh my…"

"That's not the worst part. She's pregnant," she adds, then starts to sob again.

I exhale slowly. "Did you confront him yet?"

She nods.

"What did he say?"

"He lied, that's what he did. He said she was a stalker ex and that she was lying. But even after I got her to send me evidence, he's still lying. Do I look like a moron, Aria? Do I have the word idiot written across my forehead?"

"No, you don’t. Was he the one calling you just now?"

"Yes, I blocked his number, but he's been calling from others."

"I’m so sorry. If I'd known all of this, I wouldn't have asked you to come baby shopping with me."

"No. I thought it would help get my mind off of it, but now that I'm here all I can think about is that my boyfriend is having a baby with another woman. I was supposed to have his babies.” She lets out another trail of sobs. “What have I done to deserve this? All I did was love that man. All those years are gone. Just like that. Gone."

I hold her close and hug her tightly as she cries. My heart is breaking for her. Here I am, celebrating, while my sister's life is falling apart.

I wake up to a sharp pain across the top of my belly. I've had pain before in the past eight months and some weeks, but this feels different from anything I’ve ever felt before. It starts in my belly, then pulls down and weaves itself down and across my lower back. I open my eyes to the darkness in the room and I feel for Connor, giving him a gentle shake. He doesn't stir; he's snoring lightly.

I shake him harder, and this time he stirs.

"I'm in pain."

He jumps up and switches on the bedside lamp. "What?" He touches my belly.

I feel a wet spot forming between my thighs and try to lift up. "The baby."

"The baby's coming? Oh, my God. It's not time yet! We’re not ready!"

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