“I see.” He leans back in his chair and clasps his hands together. “Congratulations.”
I shake my head. “Professor, I came here to tell you I don’t think I can do the internship anymore. Everything’s different now. I can’t?—”
He holds up a hand to silence me, so I clamp my mouth shut.
“Slow down, Riley. You don’t have to make this decision today. You have options.”
I let out a humorless laugh.
“I don’t see how. Believe me, I want this internship more than anything. It was supposed to be my way of proving I could build a career for myself. But now? I mean, what kind of boss wants to take on an intern who’s pregnant?”
“Have you spoken to Ross about this?”
“No, and I wasn’t planning to.”
Professor Hughes shakes his head. “You’re making a bigger deal out of this than you need to. Having a baby doesn’t mean your career is over. Plenty of women juggle children and demanding careers.”
“Yes, but?—”
“My wife is one of them. She finished her degree while pregnant with our second child. It wasn’t easy, but she managed, and I know you can too.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.
His calm certainty feels like a lifeline I don’t deserve.
“But it’s not just about me. My life isn’t exactly…simple.”
Professor Hughes chuckles. “Whose is?”
“I don’t know how understanding Ross will be about all of this.”
“You won’t know unless you talk to him, but I suggest you be upfront with him,” he advises. “People appreciate honesty. You might be surprised what accommodations can be made when someone shows commitment and integrity.”
Honesty.
The word feels like a slap to the face.
Somehow, I can be honest with my professor, and I can send Ross an email explaining my change in circumstance, but Kieran? The man I love, the man I’m building a life with, for some reason, I can’t seem to bring myself to tell him when he’s the one who deserves the truth the most.
I force a smile. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
We spend the rest of the hour discussing potential options when it comes to finishing up the final credits I would need to graduate, such as using the college daycare or putting my degree on hold for a few years. By the time I step back out into the empty hallway, the weight on my shoulders is a little lighter.
Maybe Professor Hughes is right. Maybe this pregnancy doesn’t have to mean the end of my career.
I lean against the wall outside Professor Hughes's office and quickly type out an email to Ross Lever on my phone, requesting a meeting before I can talk myself out of it. Then I head back downstairs to where Allister is waiting outside the double doors.
He straightens from where he’s leaning against the wall and quickly scans me from head to toe. “All good?”
I manage a smile. “Yeah. All good.”
“Let’s go.” He falls into step beside me as we make our way back to the car.
I barely take two steps before my phone buzzes with an incoming call from Oscar.
My pulse spikes as I sneak a glance at Allistair.
He’s too busy focusing on our surroundings to notice the name on the screen, so I quickly swipe my thumb across it and hold it to my ear.
