Hey Baby

Baby Shower? More Like Christmas Morning

I wasn't sure who was worse; Miles' mother, Lincoln's, or my own.

Unfortunately, Monae had forgot that my mother had no idea who Miles was, and had invited her without a second thought in her pretty little head. Because I was far from a confrontational person, I let it go and hoped for the best. If we were able to keep Mrs. Levitz at a far enough distance from my mother, she wouldn't have a single clue, but it proved to be far harder than I thought as more people filed into the penthouse.

The last month had been hard; on campus or in bed, not able to do much on my own. Miles had also hit it right on the money in the assumption I'd be in more pain and find it harder to do everything the further along I got. Thirty-two weeks and I could barely stand without peeing myself a little-but it'd made for good publicity for Lincoln anytime we were out in public.

"Your parents and sisters just got here." Mona leaned in to whisper over the back of the couch. I immediately tensed and threw a glance over my shoulder until my eyes zoomed in and focused in on Mrs. Levitz. She was deep in conversation with Deandre, holding a glass of wine that looked heavenly between her longer, slender fingers. "Do you need help up?"

I waved off her extended hand, earning a disapproving glare before she stalked off to join her boyfriend. I had just walked around the couch when Elizabeth and Mandy's eyes found me. Both of my sister's let out cries of horror as they approached.

"Holy crap, Ari! You're huge!" Mandy gasped, touching a hand to my protruding stomach.

Elizabeth was a bit more subtle and leaned in to hug me before she rubbed her hand along my bump. "You're glowing, sis."

I absolutely, one hundred percent was not glowing. It'd taken three hours for Monae to just do my hair and even with a thick layer of makeup on, it still couldn't hide my exhaustion.

"So," Mandy poked at my arm. "where's baby daddy?"

My eyes immediately shot to Miles sipping on wine at the refreshment table. Then, hoping neither of my sister's had caught the slip, I searched the room for Lincoln, but he was nowhere to be found. "I don't know. He must have stepped out."

Mandy took it as her cue to veer off, and unfortunately met my real baby daddy at the table and he greeted her and extended a hand to introduce himself. My eyes found my parents as they exited the elevator-with Lincoln and his parents in tow. Fortunately, they all headed for the kitchen, and didn't look my way once.

"What's going on?" Liz asked softly, her long acrylics brushing my arm. I turned my head to the left and met her knowing hazel eyes. "I want the truth, Arielle."

I led her out onto the balcony and shut the doors gently, before I said, "You have to promise not to tell Mom and Dad."

"I'm not promising anything until I know what's going on."

"Lincoln isn't. . . he's not Belle's father." I managed to choke out.

She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me for a minute before saying, "I gathered that when your eyes shot to the hot guy drowning himself in wine when Mandy asked where the baby's dad was."

"Liz, please don't tell them." I pleaded.

"Why are you lying about it?" she asked. "The last I knew; you'd sworn Lincoln off entirely. Now you're pretending he's the father of your unborn child and dating him? What have you gotten yourself into, Ari?"