“Your job is to watch over me. Protect me. Not spy on me and tell my father.”
Suddenly, Rian’s phone rang, and his brow furrowed. “Hello?” he asked. I heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the line but couldn’t decipher her words.
“But I—” he started but then closed his mouth. “Okay, but last time—” His lips clamped together, and he sighed. “Yes, Ma’am. I understand. Sorry, yes, Miss Malpas.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Freyja, I got it.”
I love you, Freyja Malpas!
“Morgan!” my mother yelled as I put the phone back to my ear.
“Sorry, Mom.” I sat back down and leaned against the side of the building. It was warm and humid outside, but I needed the open space for this conversation.
“What do you mean, you’re pregnant? You’ve only been there a few weeks.”
“I’ve been here over a month, Mom. And I’m almost eight weeks. Devlyn made me an appointment with her doctor. It’s this afternoon.”
My mother was quiet. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“You should have called me days ago; I would have come down.”
“I know. But there’s nothing you can do. Nothing I can do until I know what’s happening.”
“I could be there with you this time,” my mother whispered.
A tear slipped down my cheek and suddenly I felt more alone than ever. She was right. I should have called her to come down and be here with me.
“Devlyn’s going to go with me. I won’t be alone. And there’s always someone around. Either Gator’s men, or Rian.”
“Morgan.”
“I know, Mom. I’m scared too.”
I wasn’t just scared; I was terrified. Terrified of losing another child. Terrified of dying. But more, I was afraid to hope. I was afraid to dream.
I placed my hand over my flat belly. The belly I wanted to grow huge. The stomach I wanted to rebel anytime I put food in my mouth or smelled something I loved.
I wanted to whine about being sick, about getting fat. I wanted to complain about my feet hurting and swelling up to three times their normal size. I wanted every symptom I’d ever heard a pregnant woman complain about.
“Have you told him?” she asked.
“No. And I’m not going to.”
“You can’t keep this from him, Morgan.”
“He doesn’t want me, Mom. If he knows about the baby, he’ll insist we be together just like last time. I won’t do that again. I won’t put myself through that only for him to leave again.”
I heard my mother’s long exhale. I could picture the look of disappointment on her face, but I was an adult. This was my decision. Was it the wrong one? Maybe. But it was still mine to make.
“I’m coming down there.”
“Mom, no.”
“Just try and stop me,” she said before she hung up on me. My mother hung up on me.
“You’re pregnant, huh?” Rian asked.
I nodded, then looked up at him and smiled. “What did Freyja say?”
Rian rolled his eyes.
