By now the whole job knew I was pregnant. As much as I was favored around here, I was very private about my personal business.
They couldn't tell you my relationship status or even how many siblings I had.
I walked into Charlotte's office and hid something behind my back. "What are you doing?" She asked when I kept looking back at the door.
Very smoothly, hence my sarcasm, I took the invitation and slid it across her desk, looking everywhere but at her. My teeth dug into my lip.
"You are ridiculous," she snatched the card and laughed. "A gender reveal? You find out the gender already?"
"Yep, it's at my baby daddy's hotel," I sit on her desk and cross my ankles. Charlotte wrinkles her nose with a crooked smile at my rich-girl voice.
Warren approved of us being able to hold the gender reveal at the hotel, Josie says. Sierra got right on making invitations when Josie said she could have it ready by March 3rd, which is in two weeks from today.
"What do you think it is?" Char looks at the invitation.
"I think it's a boy...Warren thinks it's a girl," I say, "and I want to switch it up. Instead of pink and blue, gold will be for the girl, and white for the boy. But I might wear nude or something. Want to go dress shopping with Sierra, Remi, and his mom?"
"Can we detour to get me some shoes?" She points her pen at me.
"Sure," I say like that wouldn't be obvious, "what color will you wear to the gender reveal?"
"You're having a gender reveal?" Tommy walks in. "Where is my invitation?"
I thought I would have ran Tommy off by now when he found out I was pregnant. We had grown close with each other, and while he was here, him, Char, and I had become a little trio. Not even a week ago I had vaguely explained the situation with Warren, subtly making it clear that I was available. He congratulated me, and every now and then he still makes his flirty, playful comments.
"You'd want to come to something like that?" I stifle my laughter.
"Duh, why not," he scoffed, "I thought we were better than that, Sonny."
"My bad," I toss my hands up, "I'll get you a invitation."
"You going to wear gold, for a girl, or white, for a boy?" Char asked.
"Honestly, it depends on what color my closet holds the most of," he scratches his head.
Char laughs. "What's Warren wearing?"
"Hell if I know. He doesn't get into all the planning and stuff," I shrug.
"Is he helping at all?" Tommy squints on eye.
"Of course," I say, "but he's busy with work and-"
"How is he going to have a baby and always be busy?" Tommy scoffs.
"Careful, Thomas," Char rests her chin in her hand, "your jealousy is showing."
I smirk at him as he grows defensive. "I'm not jealous, they're not even together. I'm just sayin'," he leans back in the chair, "he better start learning to take some type of time off."
Getting off of Char's desk, I grab his shoulder, giving him a small squeeze. "He's helping in his own way, plus he's a business man with several long to-do lists. Cut him some slack."
The conversation from last week pops up in my head, making my smile twitch as I walk out the office. I bump into someone and papers fly everywhere.
"Ugh!" I recognize that nastily voice that I dread so much.
"Shit, I'm sorry Nancy," I mutter genuinely, bending down to help pick them up.
"Hey, I got it," Tommy comes and picks me up by my arm to do it himself, Char coming to my other side.
I fix my cardigan. "Thanks..."
"Watch where you're going, will you," Nancy tosses her hair over her shoulder.
Tommy stands up with her papers and hands them to her. I feel sick watching a seductive smile grow in her face as she purrs a 'thank you'.
Nancy catches my reaction and her face goes cold. "You know, I didn't know you were married, Dawson. Kind of confused me that you're pregnant....but no ring," she pokes her lip out.
Char gets ready to say something but I beat her to it. "Don't stress yourself being confused, it's easier to mind your business," I sneer at her and brush past her to go into my office.
Nancy has been throwing shots at me since I started showing in the slightest way. Bringing up my eating habits, saying, "that's why you looked a little bigger," like it was something that she had been wondering for the longest. She even passed a comment on my constant bathroom breaks.
I wish I could deck her clean in her nose, but I'm giving her until this baby comes to straighten up. Sure, I could hit her and use the pregnancy excuse, but no, when I get her, I want it to be free game.
I grab my backpack and clock out to be on my way to the doctor.
~
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Warren springs up when I approach the doors to the clinic. My nerves are still strung up about Nancy.
"Nothing," I walk past him, a grip on my wrist brings me right back to stand in front of Warren eyes bore into mine.
"I asked a question," he drops my wrist.
"Work," I mumble shortly, "it's fine though..."
I turn around and the sound of my heels announce my entrance. I hear Warren follow behind me but he doesn't say anything.
"Good afternoon, name?" The nurse smiles sweetly. Just because, I check my tone before answering.
"Dawson Callaghan," I force a smile.
"Okay, go ahead and have a seat, the doctor will be with you shortly."
We sit down and I find myself rubbing my stomach to comfort myself. "What happened?" Warren asks.
I huffed. "In today's world, it doesn't look cute for a woman to be pregnant with no ring."
"Who said something?" He furrows his brows, his hands start to clench but he stops them.
"Some girl from work," I roll my eyes, "but I been having problems with her."
"Fuck her," he blurts, curling his lip up.
I look at everyone who is sitting near us and they give us all kind of looks. That makes me laugh, but I cover my mouth to keep from causing a bigger scene. Warren's eyes turn up, seeing my change in attitude.
"You have a problem," I whisper to him, "and you know you can't do all that cursing in front of a baby. You better work on that."
"Can't make any promises, but I guess," he mumbles, "and you know you aren't alone in this."
"True..." I think about everyone's support, "pound it," I say in a sing-song voice, holding my fist up.
"You're going to leave me hanging?" I frown to fake my offensiveness.
Warren rolls his eyes and unenthusiastically balls the fist the rests on the arm chair. I bump it with his and blow it up.
"You're aren't fun," I blink and look at him as he rolls his eyes again.
"Has your mom updated you on the gender reveal?" My excitement starts to bubble. "The colors will be gold for the girl and white for the boy, but we'll throw in a little silver to add some shimmers. That way the white won't look so dull next to the gold. I don't know what I will wear..." I looked at him in the corner of my eye, he actually seemed to be listening. This was usually around the part where he'd cut me off.
"You're listening?" I arch my brow.
"Yes."
He'd usually go as far as to tell me to stop talking. But I shrugged and took this glorious opportunity. "What will you wear? Will you wear gold? You can come on and admit that you think it's a girl."
"Someone is making our clothes," he looks at his watch.
"Warren, I don't have that kind of money," I shake my head, "Dillard's is already digging in my pockets."
"You don't have to worry about that," he says, "they are on my payroll anyway."
I pull back so I am further away from him in my seat, not really convinced. This is all normal for Warren and his family, not for me. Some say I was doing too much when I got a custom prom dress, that still had a tight budget, too. The only dress I also could see getting made was maybe a wedding dress. But for a gender reveal?
"A gift from my mother to you," he tried to make it sound better.
"That you are paying for..."
"Come by the club and get altered this weekend," Warren sighs as he pulls out his phone. By him doing that, I guess our 'conversation' is over.
~
Another good doctors appointment. Warren and I are about to go our separate ways when I stop him. "My dad asked if you wanted to come and help paint the house. My brother, too."
"Can I say no then?" His eyes looked around the parking lot.
"You can," I grumble and give him a pointed look, "no one's making you."
"What time?"
"4:30 maybe...or five. This Saturday," I look down at my feet.
"I'll come to your place then," he says.
"Okay," I say. Warren stops walking and I take a few steps before looking back at him in curiosity. "What?" I return back to the sidewalk so I am standing in front of him.
"You don't have anything to say about what I told you the other day," he stated, his eyes searched for something in my face.
I thought for a second. "You think your chef should make a two tear cake instead of cupcakes?"
"About the work I am involved in," his raised his brow.
That was because I didn't really have anything to say, I didn't know what to say either. I hugged my body, tightening my stance as I make my ankles touch. The wind blew wild strands of my hair across my face. "I mean...I'm trying not to imagine you as some gangster running the streets at night with a fitted cap, a muscle shirt and-" I crinkle my nose- "jorts..."
He huffs as he runs his hands over his mouth. "I'm not trying to be funny, Warren. I really don't know what to say," I tell him, "you aren't painting a clear picture of what you're trying to tell me."
"I'm not as good of a man as you think I am, Dawson," he stresses to me, "that's the damn point."
His voice gets louder every word he says. I look around at the people passing us, we must look crazy. "Is that what you want to prove? That you're a bad person?"
I shake my head when he doesn't say anything. "I don't know who's company you sit in. But if you think you are bad because of- of association or something maybe, then that's not how that goes. My mom hung around bad people, too. The difference between you and her is that she really was like them. It showed in her words, her actions- it was written all over her face."
I stopped to sigh. "You have a baby on the way...and you have more then enough time to get your shit together. And that's all I've got to say about that."
His cold eyes didn't flinch at all. I hugged myself tighter as I carried on walking to my car.