Chapter Nine

Gwen hit the SNOOZE button on the annoying and relentless alarm clock. She rolled over, seeking Dominic’s warmth only to find the other side of her bed cold. Then she remembered him saying that he had to leave early for a trip to Charleston today. She must have been more tired than she realized because she hadn’t woken up when he left.

He had gone into the office for a few hours yesterday morning as was his usual routine and then they’d spent the day on the beach just being lazy. It had been a perfect weekend and she’d been sad to see it end. She was on the verge of dozing off when her alarm went off once again. She grudgingly left the warmth of her bed and stumbled into the bathroom to start the shower.

When she stripped her clothing off and tossed it on top of her already full laundry hamper, something caught her eye. Her heart pounded when she saw some spotting on her sleep shorts. Didn’t she have a few days until her period was due? She was normally always a few days late and rarely ever early. She dropped down onto the closed seat of her toilet and dropped her head in her hands. It seemed so silly that she was upset when she should be only relieved. She wasn’t ready for a baby, and she doubted that Dominic was either.

So why then did she feel such a crushing wave of sorrow rising up to choke her? She had a nagging feeling that it was very little to do with not being pregnant and a lot to do with her fear of losing Dominic. He seemed to genuinely enjoy being with her and the sex, well, it was nothing short of earth-shattering. But what if he had just been making the most of their time together while waiting to see if he was going to be a father? Gwen didn’t think she could handle him telling her something along the lines of, “It’s been great. I’ll call you sometime.” Despite her misgivings, she had allowed herself to become attached to him. How could she not—he was every woman’s dream.

Unlike other men she had dated, she’d never once caught Dominic looking at another woman when they were together. Even on the beach yesterday, when scores of women walked by in skimpy bikinis, he’d acted as if no one existed but her. Then there were all of the little things he did each day to make her feel special. The morning coffee delivery, the texts checking to see how her day was going, his Googling of baby information to see what was and was not safe for her to do, and of course, the water class that he had taken a few more times in the morning with her. A sob escaped her throat as she imagined all of that going away as if it had never existed.

He was going to be gone until late this evening so she had a small reprieve from talking to him, and she needed every minute. She wasn’t sure what his reaction would be if she broke down crying when he would probably be swooning in relief. She had to keep it together and not look like some clingy basket case. They were mature adults and if he moved on, then she would have to accept it. After all, she’d done it before—many times. The problem was that she had allowed herself to care for Dominic more than she had other men whom she had dated much longer.

Wiping her eyes, she got into the shower with a heavy heart and then dressed with much less care than usual for work. Actually, that was being kind. Her slacks were wrinkled, her hair a disheveled mess slung in a lopsided ponytail, and to top it off, she hadn’t realized until she reached work that she had put on her tennis shoes instead of dress shoes. Oh well, she could hide behind her desk and no one would be any the wiser, or so she thought.

That hope was shot-to-hell when she saw Mia leaning against the door of her office, looking more polished than usual. Without preamble, the other woman looked at her in surprise before asking, “What in the hell happened to you?”

Gwen looked down quickly and noticed that her blouse was hanging out of her slacks, except for one small corner. Without answering, she quickly opened her door and flipped on the lights before running for the cover of her desk. Mia moved into the office as well and shut the door behind her. Gwen was surprised to find herself blurting out, “My period is coming early.”

Mia looked momentarily confused before asking, “Isn’t that good news?”

“Yes.” Gwen sniffed as she dropped her head to her desk.

She felt a hand on her shoulder before Mia asked tentatively, “Did you want a baby, after all, Gwen, or is something else going on? Are things okay with Dominic?”

To her horror, tears began falling as she sobbed, “Fine—for now . . .”

Mia stuffed a tissue in her hand, giving her a minute to collect herself before continuing. “Honey, I’m not sure I’m following you. Tell me what’s got you this upset. If Dominic has done something, I’ll go down and put these four-inch heels to good use. His ass will never be the same again.”

Gwen gave a choked laugh, grateful for Mia’s attempt at humor. Of course, she was pretty certain that the other woman wasn’t making empty threats either. She could easily see her nailing Dominic to the wall. Wiping her nose, she took a couple of deep breaths, and then settled back into her seat. “I know this is going to sound crazy,” she began, “but I started spotting this morning and instead of being relieved, all I could think was that now I’ll lose Dominic.”

Mia took her hand, and then grimaced as she ended up with a wad of wet Kleenex. “Has he said something to lead you to believe that your relationship will be over if you aren’t pregnant?”

Shaking her head, Gwen said, “What relationship? We’ve only been doing whatever we’re doing for a couple of weeks, and that all began because of a bottle of wine and a broken condom.”

“That’s total bullshit,” Mia scolded. “The man wouldn’t have had you on every surface in his apartment if he wasn’t attracted to you. And he sure wouldn’t be spending every available moment with you since then just to find out if you are pregnant or not. He could have just as easily told you to let him know. You’ve been the happiest that I’ve ever seen you since that night and the man who I’ve witnessed bringing you coffee and speaking to you in a restaurant didn’t look like someone desperate to run. Has he even asked you when you’re taking a pregnancy test?”

“No,” Gwen admitted, “he hasn’t mentioned it.”

“Well, there you go.” Mia smiled. “If he was so desperate to end things, he’d be counting the moments until he could break ties with you. Has your period officially started?”

“There was just that spotting this morning. I’m sure it’s coming.”

“Why don’t you buy a pregnancy test so you’ll know?” Mia suggested. “Then you can go ahead and tell him and you can stop torturing yourself.”

“I will,” Gwen agreed. “I just need a day to get myself together. I’m glad Dominic’s traveling on business today because I’d probably make a fool out of myself otherwise.”

With an impish grin, Mia said, “You, my dear, need a distraction. I’m going to lunch with Suzy and a few of her friends, and I want you to come with me.”

“No,” Gwen shook her head frantically. “I can’t do that. Isn’t Ava friends with Suzy?”

“I’ll check to make sure she’s not coming first,” Mia conceded. “If I get the all clear, you’re coming. They’re a lot of fun. Crystal’s probably going since her sister Ella will be there.”

Gwen looked down at her clothing before looking back at Mia. “I can’t go like this. I look like a mess. I even wore the wrong damn shoes.”

Mia looked her up and down before saying, “I’ll come to your office a few minutes early and we’ll get you all spiffed up. I’ve got an extra pair of shoes in my desk.”

Gwen could only imagine what kind of shoes those were, but teetering around in impossibly high heels had to be better than the pair of New Balance shoes she had mistakenly picked to wear with her dress clothes. She knew by the determined set of her friend’s shoulders that it was useless to argue. Nothing short of divine intervention was going to get her out of lunch today. “All right,” she conceded, “but you better have a miracle in your makeup bag, because I’m going to need it.”