Was that not the kicker? I felt like a total slut for sleeping with two men at the same time. I was pregnant, with no clue as to which one fathered the baby.
Liz shrugged. “You can get a DNA test.”
What Liz said was true. I could get a DNA test. However, did I really want to know which one was the father? I rather liked the idea that the baby was both of theirs.
Of course, there was another reason that I didn’t want to push them into taking responsibility, and it was time I told Liz.
I looked down, too ashamed to look her in the eyes. “They don’t know,” I whispered.
“What? I thought you told them.”
I glanced back up at Liz and chewed on my bottom lip. “I did, but then I told them I was going to have an abortion.”
I closed my eyes, waiting for her to freak, yell, something. When she stayed silent, I opened my eyes to see her staring at me like I had two heads.
“You’re not, are you?” She seemed scared of what my answer might be.
“No, no, of course not,” I said, fervently shaking my head.
I didn’t harbor any ill will towards any woman who made that choice, but personally, I just couldn’t do it. I fell in love with my baby the moment two blue lines appeared on the home pregnancy test.
“Then why lie to them?” She asked, her eyebrows pulling together. “I just don’t understand. I can’t believe you would do something like that. They deserve to know.”
“I know, I know,” I moaned. “I just… it was just…” I exhaled noisily.
There really wasn’t a good excuse for what I did, but I wanted Liz to at least understand why I lied.
“They were really angry.” I finally said.
“About the pregnancy?”
I nodded. “The pregnancy, the break-up, me leaving…”
“What did they say?”
“They accused me of planning, of getting pregnant on purpose to trap them.”
“No!” Liz gasped. “Both of them?”
“Well, Jordan did most of the finger pointing. He was fuming, and I can see now that his words were tossed out mostly in anger. But Alex, I could read the doubt all over his face, Liz. He believed it too.”
I felt the tears staining my cheeks, and I wiped them off half-heartedly. It still hurt so badly to think of the accusations Jordan had hurled at me. Ironically, it turned out that I was exactly who they thought I was. I was a conniving bitch for lying to them about terminating my pregnancy.
“I am so sorry.” It was Liz’s turn to pull me into a hug.
I held onto her tightly and closed my eyes, soaking in the comfort she was offering. Only for a moment, though. I pulled away, wiping away more tears.
“The three of us will be just fine, Sam.”
“You’re not going to yell at me, demand that I tell them the truth?”
Liz shook her head. “No, but I do think you should tell them. It’s not my decision though. Whatever you decide, I will be there for you, no matter what.”
I gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand in mine.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s get started on our future. First up is getting you a job, and I have the perfect one.”
Tilting my head, I asked,”Really? Where?”
“There is an opening at work. I guess I can speak to Mr. Wolford about it when I see him about the house hunting.
Liz bit her lip and looked off into space. I wondered what she was thinking. Probably another brilliant idea, I mused. I shrugged. She would tell me what she was cooking up when she was ready.
A job at Wolford sounded great. The pay would be phenomenal, especially compared to my last job, but I didn’t want any special treatment.
“Okay, Liz, but I want a proper interview, and if I am not right for the job, then that’s that. No pulling strings for me.”
Liz blinked at me. “Of course, Sam.”
I didn’t believe her wide smile for a minute. Go with it, I told myself. It was time to move on. By myself, I would have been fine, but with Liz’s help, things would be a lot easier, and we, the baby and I, would not be alone.
5
Alex
Three weeks later, and we still had not found her. I paced the office floor, as Jordan typed furiously on his computer.
"Anything?" I asked.
"No."
Jordan's tone was clipped as usual. His temper had only escalated, since I told him about Sam's empty apartment. I couldn’t blame him. My patience was thinning as well.
"Tell me you found something. She couldn’t have just vanished into thin air," I growled.
Jordan turned sharply, waves of anger pouring off him and slamming into me. His power flared hot against my skin and only my own strength kept me from staggering back.
"I have been searching non-stop for three weeks! I can't find a damn thing. It is like she just vanished." He shook his head. "She left no forwarding address when she moved. The secretary at the law firm said she quit, and they had no idea she wasn't still living here. I can't find any trace of her."