Chapter 85: Pregnancy Test

His phone buzzed again and again. Then several times in quick succession. The family had clearly woken up and chosen violence. Dorian didn’t bother opening any of the replies. He already knew what would be waiting. His mother would be delighted.

Daniel would make some inappropriate comment. And Ginny, the traitor, would sit somewhere feeling extremely pleased with herself.

Dorian considered responding. Then he thought better of it. Even an emoji would feed the frenzy.

Silence was the only defense available to him now. He slipped the phone into his pocket. He was going to kill Ginny.

*****

Naomi’s meeting with Ginny ran much longer than expected. The guest count had increased enough to affect quantities, serving arrangements and the rehearsal dinner menu, and by the time they finished adjusting everything, Naomi was already too late to make it to the bakery.

There was somewhere else she needed to go anyway.

Tessa.

She had been avoiding her best friend ever since seeing Jordan at the restaurant. Calls had been shorter.

Every time Tessa mentioned her husband, Naomi felt like someone had pressed a thumb against her conscience.

She couldn’t keep doing it. She was going to tell her. Dorian had said she needed to choose the path she could live with.

If she stayed quiet, Tessa could continue building her marriage around a man who might already be betraying her.

And if Tessa found out later that Naomi had known? That would be another betrayal layered on top of the first.

Naomi couldn’t do that to her. On the other hand, telling her meant watching that beautiful, stupid happiness disappear from Tessa’s face.

There was no winning here. Only choosing which kind of guilt she could survive. Information was better.

At least with the truth, Tessa could decide what she wanted to do with her own life. Tessa worked in a multi-office building with several small professional businesses operating from different floors.

Her office was on the ground floor. It was where she received clients.

Naomi entered the building, and the receptionist greeted her with a familiar smile.

"Hi, Naomi."

"Hey."

"You can go right in."

Naomi nodded her thanks. She wasn’t exactly a stranger here. She had visited Tessa often enough that nobody needed to call ahead or announce her like some important client.

Which was unfortunate, because right now she would have appreciated a few extra minutes to prepare herself.

She walked toward Tessa’s office and pushed the door open. "Tessa?" Her friend was sitting behind her computer, staring blankly at the screen. Naomi immediately frowned. "You okay, Tessa?"

Tessa’s head snapped up. "Naomi, where have you been?!" She shot out of her chair and wrapped both arms around her.

"What’s happening?" Naomi’s stomach tightened.

Had Tessa already found out about Jordan? Had Jordan confessed? Maybe Naomi had worried herself sick for nothing because the truth had already exploded without her.

Tessa pulled away and dragged both hands over her face. "Ugh... I’m pregnant."

"What?"

Tessa nodded miserably. Naomi’s brain stalled.

"I thought... you said... but you..."

"I know!" Tessa dropped back into her chair. "We didn’t plan it. It just happened."

"How did it just happen? You told me you would plan. You weren’t ready yet."

"Yes. We were trying!"

Naomi’s eyes widened. Tessa immediately corrected herself.

"No, not trying for a baby. Trying not to have one. I guess something slipped in between."

"Slipped?" Naomi genuinely could not understand what that was supposed to mean.

Tessa gave her a look. "You know? Pulling out."

Right.

She had absolutely no moral authority here. It wasn’t like she and Dorian had exactly been running a reproductive-health campaign themselves.

Considering theirs was a temporary marriage with an expiration date, they were probably the two people who should have been behaving like contraception came with legal penalties.

And yet.

Naomi cleared her throat. "Okay. Fine. I’m not judging." She sat in the chair opposite her. "Have you told Jordan?"

"Yes."

Her stomach twisted again. "And?"

"He seems excited." Tessa gave a helpless shrug. "I didn’t expect it. Everything is going so well with our jobs, I thought he would flip out!"

Of course he was excited. Naomi felt suddenly sick.

"And you, Tessa?" Naomi asked carefully.

"I don’t know." Tessa looked back toward the computer. "I have loads going on. How am I supposed to have time to be a mum, and a wife, and handle a struggling business all at the same time?" She rubbed her forehead. "Jordan’s mum will be our only support system."

"And me," Naomi said quickly. "And me, Tessa."

Tessa looked at her. "Sweetie, you work two jobs. Where exactly are you going to find time to be an aunt?"

"An aunt?"

Tessa gave a small laugh.

"I like it. But I’m hoping this whole Chef Bennett brand thing takes off after Ginny’s wedding," Naomi continued. "If it does, I can quit the bakery. I’ll have more time."

Tessa immediately shook her head. "I can’t ask that from you. Your free time is going to be spent babysitting?"

"Whatever you need, Tessa."

"I’m serious."

"So am I." Naomi squeezed her hand. "Anything you need. I’ve got you. Smelly diapers and all."

the reason she had come here disappeared beneath something much bigger. Tessa was having a baby.

Her best friend was actually having a baby. Tessa leaned back and stared at the ceiling like the reality had only just landed.

"I’m going to be a mum, Naomi."

Naomi turned toward her dramatically. "Say it with feeling! I’m going to be a mum!"

Tessa laughed harder. "I’m going to be a mum!"

"One more time, babe!" Naomi yelled.

Tessa lifted both hands in the air. "I’m going to be a mum!"

"That’s more like it!"

They both dissolved into laughter. Then Tessa’s smile vanished almost immediately.

"Oh, I’m going to be fat."

"I’ll be fat with you. I’ll eat anything and everything. We can be fat buddies."

Tessa chuckled and reached for Naomi’s hand. "You’re ridiculous."

Naomi squeezed her fingers. "You’re the best girl in the whole world."

somewhere underneath all the laughter, the truth was still sitting there.