Page 54 of Full Out Fiend
I cock one eyebrow and laugh. “I mean, yes? What else would I be pregnant with, Re?”
Next thing I know, she’s engulfing me in a hug and squealing.
“Okay,okay. Settle down. Andquiet down. It’s obviously not public knowledge yet, so you can’t go carrying on—”
“When are you due? Who else knows? Holy shit, babe—who’s the father?”
I tackle the most unexpected answer first.
“Um, remember when you had to pick me up in the middle of the night after my bachelorette party?”
“What?Him? No.No!”
She’s saying no, but she’s jumping up and down and clapping her hands, brimming with excitement.
“Holy shit. What was his name? Fleeting? Flint?”
“It’s Fielding,” I correct with a pointed look.
“Yes. Field-ing.” She wags her eyebrows at me suggestively. She knows all the sordid details about that night. I told her everything because at the time, he really was just a one-night stand. I sort of regret the way I objectified him now that I know he’s going to be in my life for, well, ever. We got the paternity test results back yesterday. Fielding is the father for sure.
“Holy shit—does he know?”
I inhale deeply and check my phone—eight minutes until my next appointment. “Re, I love you, but your enthusiasm is at a nine, and I need you to be at a three or four for this conversation.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” she insists, settling in beside me. “I know we don’t have a ton of time—girls’ night tonight so you can tell me everything?”
I wince at the idea of doing anything but going home and crashing after I finish out this day. “How about Friday? I work until eight tonight, and in addition to being super nauseous, I’m also bone-crushingly exhausted by the end of the night.”
“Shit. Yes. Of course. My sister went through that when she was pregnant, too. Okay, Friday night, I’m taking you out. And you can sleep over if you want. Unless you have better plans…”
She eyes me suggestively, so I take the opportunity to set the record straight.
“Fielding knows about the baby. He went with me to the doctor last week, actually. But we’re not together-together or in a relationship. I told him I needed to focus on myself right now. He—he wants more, I think, but I just don’t have anything to give right now. Here…” I unlock my phone and show her the ultrasound images from our appointment. “Check these out.”
Serena swipes through the images, her mouth forming into a perfectO. When she looks up to meet my gaze, she looks as if she’s about to burst into tears.
“You’re going to have a baby,” she whispers. “You’re excited, right? Happy?”
“I am,” I admit. “Obviously this was so not the plan—but I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and Fielding has been nothing but supportive.”
“I’m so excited. And proud. You’re handling this so well.” She gives me a side hug before resting her head on my shoulder. “You deserve to be happy, Daphne.”
I scoff at her optimism but squeeze her back. “I had my shot at happy.”
“No, babe. You had your shot at mediocre,” she wisecracks. She wasn’t Anthony’s biggest fan, but sheesh. I side-eye her as she continues. “If you had married Anthony, things would have been fine. You would have been happy enough. But what if this version of your life is better than anything you ever imagined? You deserve true happiness. I hope this is the start of something great.”
Chapter 31
Daphne
Iworrymybottomlip between my teeth as I read his text again.
Fielding: Weird question. Can you send me Serena’s address?
How do I respond to that? Fielding doesn’t seem like the overbearing type—at least not in a way that requires him to know my plans or whereabouts. He’s a lot, but he’s not domineering or high-handed. I can’t imagine him keeping tabs on me, even if I’m carrying his child. So why does he need—
My phone vibrates again and interrupts my overthinking.