Not the Boss's Baby

Mom didn’t cook. But she could order comfort food like a boss. “That’d be great,” Serena admitted. She was eating for two now, after all. “Dad coming to get you tonight?”

That was their normal routine. If he still had a car that worked, that was.

Mom patted her on the arm. “Sure is. He got a promotion at work—he’s now the head janitor! He’ll be by in a few hours if you can wait that long.”

“Sure can.” Serena settled into the booth, enjoying the rare feeling of her mother spoiling her. She pulled out her phone and checked her email.

There was a message from Miriam Young. “Ms. Chase,” it read, “I’m sorry to hear that you’re no longer with the Beaumont Brewery. I’d be delighted to set up an interview. The Rocky Mountain Food Bank would be lucky to have someone with your skills on board. Call me at your earliest convenience.”

Serena felt her shoulders relax. She would get another job. She’d be able to continue being her own stability.

Mom brought her a plate heaped with potatoes and chicken. “Everything okay, sweetie?”

“I think so, Mom.”

Serena ate slowly. There was no rush, after all. Yes, if she could get another job lined up, that would go a long way toward being okay.

Yes, she’d be fine. Her and the baby. Just the two of them. Tomorrow, at her first appointment, she might get to hear the heartbeat.

The appointment Chadwick had offered to attend with her.

She knew she’d be fine on her own. She’d hardly missed Neil after a couple of weeks. It’d been a relief not to have to listen to his subtle digs, not to clean up after his messes.

Even though she’d only had Chadwick in her bed for a night, that night had changed everything. He had been passionate and caring. He’d made her feel things she’d forgotten she needed to feel. In his arms, she felt beautiful and desirable and wanted. Very much wanted. Things she hadn’t felt in so long. Things she couldn’t live without.

Now that she’d tasted that sort of heat, was she really going to just do without it?

As she ate, she tried to figure out the mess that was her life. If she got a job at the food bank, then she would be able to start a relationship with Chadwick on equal footing. Well, he’d still be one of the richest men in the state and she’d still be middle class. More equal footing, then.

Finally, the rush settled down just as Joe Chase came through the door. “Well, look who’s here! My baby girl!” he said with obvious pride as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Mom got him some coffee and then slid into the booth next to him. “Hey, babe,” her dad said, pulling her mom into the kind of kiss that bordered on not-family-friendly.

Serena studied the tabletop. Her parents had never had money, never had true security—but they’d always had each other, for better or worse. In a small way, she was jealous of that. Even more so now that she’d glimpsed it with Chadwick.

“So,” Dad said as he cleared his throat. Serena looked back at them. Dad was wearing stained coveralls and Mom looked beat from a day on her feet, but his arm was around her shoulder and she was leaning into him as if everything about the world had finally gone right.

“How’s the job?”

Serena swallowed. She’d had the same job, the same apartment, for so long that she didn’t know how her parents would deal with this. “Well...”

She told them how she’d decided to change jobs and apartments. “The company may be sold,” she said as both of her parents looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I’m just getting out while I can.”

Her mom and dad shared a look. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that boss of yours, does it?” Dad asked in a gruff voice as he leaned forward. “He didn’t do nothing he shouldn’t have, did he?”

“No, Dad, he’s fine.” She wished she could have sounded a little more convincing when she said it, because her parents shared another look.

“I don’t have to work weekends now,” her dad said. “I can round up a few buddies and we can get you moved in no time.”

“That’d be really great,” she admitted. “I’ll get some beer and some pizzas—dinner for everyone.”

“Nah, I got a couple of bucks in my sock drawer. I’ll bring the beer.”

“Dad...” She knew he meant it. A couple of bucks was probably all he had saved away.

Mom wasn’t distracted by this argument. “But sweetie, I don’t understand. I thought you liked your job and your apartment. I know it was rough on you when you were young, always moving around. Why the big change now?”

It was hard to look at them and say this out loud, so she didn’t. She looked at the table. “I’m three months pregnant.”

Her mom gasped loudly while her dad said, “You’re what now?”

“Who—” was as far as her mom got.

Her dad finished the thought for her. “Your boss? If he did this to you, ’Rena, he should pay. I got half a mind to—”

“No, no. Neil is the father. Chadwick wasn’t a part of this.” Or, at least, he hadn’t been two weeks ago. “I’ve already discussed it with Neil. He has no interest in being a father, so I’m going to raise the baby by myself.”

They sat there, stunned. “You—you okay doing that?” her dad said.

“We’ll help out,” her mom added, clearly warming to the idea. “Just think, Joe—a baby. Flo!” she hollered across the restaurant. “I’m gonna be a grandma!”

After that, the situation sort of became a big party. Flo came over, followed by Willy the cook and then the busboys. Her dad insisted on buying ice cream for the whole restaurant and toasting Serena.

It almost made Serena feel better. They couldn’t give her material things—although her proud dad was hell-bent on trying—but her parents had always given her love in abundance.

* * *

It was nine that night before she made it back to her cluttered apartment. Boxes were scattered all over the living room.

Serena stood in the middle of it all, trying not to cry. Yes, the talk with her parents had gone well. Her dad would have all of her stuff moved in an afternoon. Her mom was already talking about layettes. Serena wasn’t even sure what a layette was, but by God, Shelia Chase was going to get one. The best Serena had been able to do was to get her mom to promise she wouldn’t take out another payday loan to pay for it.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her parents so excited. The change in jobs and apartment hadn’t even fazed them.

But the day had left her drained. Unable to deal with the mess of the living room, she went into her bedroom. That was a mistake.

There, hanging on the closet door, were the dresses. Oh, the dresses. She could hardly bear to look at the traces of finery Chadwick had lavished on her without thinking of how he’d bent her over in front of the dresser, how he’d held her all night long. How he’d promised to go with her to the doctor tomorrow. How he’d promised that he wouldn’t fail her.

He was going to break his promise.

It was going to break her heart.





Fourteen


Serena got up and shaved her legs in preparation for her doctor’s appointment. It seemed like the thing to do. She twisted up her hair and put on a skirt and a blouse. The formality of the outfit was comforting, somehow. It didn’t make sense. But then, nothing made a lot of sense anymore.