Nick let out an aggravated sigh as he tossed his pen down on his desk. He had to finish the model he was working on for his presentation on Friday, but his mind kept replaying the fight he had with Gaby. It had been a week since then, and Nick barely got any sleep, he regretted calling Gaby a spoiled rotten little bitch and saying that she was a worthless friend. If it weren't for Gaby pushing him, he wouldn't have the job that he did. Nick knew that if he saw Gaby anytime soon, she would most likely try to take his head off. Finally tired of staring at his sketches Nick decided to bury his sorrow with some pastries. Nick walked into Lauryn's bakery ready for a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee but was deflated when Nick found himself waiting on a line that stretched around the building. After fifteen minutes of waiting Nick finally placed his order.
"Hey Nick, the usual?" Whitney, Lauryn's apprentice, asked as she smiled at him.
"Yeah," Whitney quickly prepared Nick's order and handed it to him, when he went to pay for it she shook her head no.
"It's on the house, bosses orders," Whitney said as she nodded in Lauryn's direction as she walked over to Nick.
Oh great. Nick thought as he put on a happy face when Lauryn reached him.
"Come with me; we need to talk," Lauryn said as she wrapped her arm around Nick's and escorted him to an empty table.
"Lauryn I didn't come here for a lecture," Nick said as he poured sugar into his cup of coffee.
"Well too bad, you're going to get one." Nick rolled his eyes and looked at Lauryn.
"You need to make up with Gaby; she's miserable."
"Why do I have to be the one to set things right?"
"Because you're the one who called her a bratty little bitch or whatever you said,"
"I didn't mean it I was just upset."
"You're telling me," Lauryn said as she took Nick's cinnamon roll. "Gaby is in a terrible space, and she needs you more now than ever, and I know you need her," Lauryn said as she tore a strip away from the roll.
"I was going to eat that you know," Nick complained.
"No cinnamon rolls for you until you make up with my cousin."
"I'll talk to her; I'm just giving her time to cool down."
"Okay, see that you do, you don't want to be added to my uncle's hit list," Lauryn said as she got up, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts and a half-eaten cinnamon roll.
Gaby stood in front of her bathroom mirror and stared at the little bump protruding from her stomach. Gaby knew that she had to tell Nick about the baby, but after their fight, she didn't want to see him let alone speak to him. Gaby placed her hand on her stomach and looked down and said
"It might just be you and me kiddo because your daddy is a big dodo head." She said trying to keep her words rated G. Gaby pulled her shirt down and walked out of the bathroom humming her favorite Carrie Underwood song. Gaby was getting ready for her lunch meeting with Derek, she would have preferred to have the meeting at his office, but once he mentioned lunch, she got hungry and agreed. Gaby tossed open her closet door and tried to figure out what to wear. After a half hour of deliberating she settled on a sweater dress with leggings and a pair of knee-high stiletto boots. When Gaby arrived at the restaurant, Derek was waiting for her at the table. As soon as Gaby sat down and they ordered they started to talk business.
"Rhonda and I talked last night, and she wants to spend at least five to six months promoting the new book even though you already have an established fan base."
"When will that start?"
"Well, the book will be released the first week in December, that weekend you can start touring and end in late May or early June."
"Yeah, that's not going to be any good," Gaby said as she picked at her salad.
"Why not?" Gaby contemplated whether she should tell Derek that she was pregnant and decided that she had no choice.
"It won't be any good because I will have to be home to take care of my baby around that time." Gaby watched as all of the color drained from Derek's face.
"What?" he asked as little beads of sweat formed on his brow.
"Yeah, I'm about three months pregnant."
"Three months?" Derek said holding up three fingers.
"Yeah,"
"Is-is it mine?"
"No."
"It's not?"
"No, we stopped having sex about four months before the wedding remember," Gaby said as she shook her head as she realized what was another sign out of many that Derek was not ready to get married.
Derek let out a sigh of relief as he sat back in his seat.
"Well damn you don't have to be so happy about it," Gaby said as she tried to keep from feeling hurt.
"It's not that I wouldn't love to have a child with you, but I'm in no way ready to be a father. To me, that's the scariest thing in the world." Derek said before he gulped his water down.
"I'm not going to act like I'm not a little hurt. We haven't been separated six months yet and your pregnant by another man."
"It wasn't planned trust me," Gaby said as she nibbled on a breadstick.
"Who's the father?" Gaby just looked at Derek because she knew that he knew exactly who the father was.
"I see." Was all Derek said as he sat back in his chair. Gaby had to admit that she was a bit scared of becoming a parent but she was more excited than anything, but she wasn't too sure about Nick.
After her meeting with Derek, Gaby found herself driving to Nick's house. She sat outside his house for ten minutes before she finally decided to get out of her car. Gaby walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell as the frosty wind whipped across her face. When the door opened the door, Gaby groaned mentally.
"Hi Gaby," Giselle said smiling at her. Gaby noticed that she was dressed in Nick's Columbia sweatshirt and tube socks
"Hi Giselle, is Nick here?"
"Yeah hold on, come inside." Gaby stepped inside and closed the door behind her as Giselle went to get Nick upstairs. When Nick came down the stairs, he saw the expressionless face Gaby had and wondered what she wanted.
"Gabs?"
"I just came by to give you your key back." She lied, Gaby dug into her purse and pulled out the key with a rhinestone G attached to it. Gaby held out the key for Nick to take.
"Gaby you don't have to do that. I didn't mean what I said-"
"-yes you did and your right. If I was such a great friend I would have called you no matter how confused and upset I was. It's time we go our separate ways, give the key to Giselle."
"Gaby it's not like that with us."
"Just take the key Nick." Nick took the key from Gaby with a frown as Gaby fought to keep her tears at bay.
"I'll get out of your hair now." She said with a sniffle before she walked out of the house. Nick stood there trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this hole he dug himself in. Nick looked down at the key, he just thought Gaby would be mad at him for a week, and then everything would be back to normal. Nick realized what a big mistake it was to flaunt Giselle around. It made Gaby think that she was being replaced, but his relationship with Giselle was strictly sexual. After seeing how Gaby freaked out after the kiss, they shared Nick realized that he could no longer pretend like he did not want something more. Giselle was a distraction and nothing more. The only woman who would ever have a significant role in his life was Gabrielle.
********
"These fit just last week," Gaby said as she struggled to button up her jeans.
"Yeah well it's a new week, and the baby is growing," Lauryn said as she flipped through a magazine as she laid on Gaby's bed.
"At this rate, I won't be able to hide it for as long as I thought."
"Why are you still trying to hide it? I thought you told Nick last week." Lauryn said looking up from her magazine.
"I went over to his house to tell him, and when Giselle opened the door, I lost my nerve. I just gave him his key back."
"Gaby you need to take your big girl pill and just tell him before it's too late. The longer you wait, the harder it will be, and the more upset Nick will be at you for not telling him sooner."
"I know, I know, but that's a huge ass pill to swallow," Gaby said as she shimmied out of her jeans.
"We all have to take it sometime and for you, the time is now. Now hurry up before you're late for your appointment." Gaby gave on pants and tossed on her trusty sweater dress and headed out the door.
Gaby sat in the examination room anxious for the doctor to come in because she wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat.
"Are you nervous?" Lauryn asked.
"About what?"
"About having a baby?"
"A little, I think I'm more nervous about telling my parents than actually becoming a parent."
"Oh yeah, Uncle is going to kill Nick when he finds out."
"I don't even want to think about it," Gaby said as she covered her face with her hands.
"It'll be okay, what's the worst they can do? You are a grown women." Gaby just looked at Lauryn.
"Yeah your right, they are going to kill you." Gaby groaned as the door opened.
"Hello, Gabrielle my dear." Dr. A said with her slight African accent present. "How have you been?" she asked as she took a seat on the stool next to the exam table.
"Okay, I can actually keep food down now. Dr. A this is my cousin and the baby's god-mother Lauryn."
"It's nice to meet you Lauryn." Dr. A said shaking her hand.
"I see that you gained three pounds since your last visit, that's a good sign." Dr. A said as she looked at Gaby's chart before she started the sonogram.
"Have you talked to the baby's father yet?" Dr. A asked as she squirted the cold sonogram gel onto her stomach.
"No," Lauryn said shaking her head.
"When do you plan on telling him when we are rolling you into the delivery room?" Dr. A asked with a frown.
"No I'm going to tell him soon, it's just complicated Dr. A." she said as she imagined what her life would be like as a single mother.
A rapid heartbeat filled the room bringing Gaby back to reality.
"It's nice and strong," Dr. A said with a sigh.
"It's so fast." Gaby said with amazement.
"That's perfectly normal."
"Awww this makes me want to have a baby," Lauryn said.
"Randy is going to kill me, you know he doesn't want to share you just yet."
"He'll get over it," Lauryn said with a laugh.
Gaby looked at the sonogram screen and saw the little life that was growing inside of her. Gaby wiped the tear that was falling down her cheek. All of a sudden everything just became so real for her. When Gaby got home that night, she tried to practice how she was going to tell Nick that he was going to be a father, but nothing felt right. Eventually, Gaby gave up and decided to watch a movie. Gaby was halfway through the film when there was a knock at her door. Gaby looked at the clock hanging on the wall, and it read 11:30; she wondered who it could be. When she opened the door, Nick was standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets.
"Nick, what are you-"Nick cut her off with a kiss. Gaby wrapped her arms around his neck as she stood on the tip of her toes to level with him. Nick lifted Gaby up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as Nick carried her into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Nick's large rough warm hands slipped underneath her shirt as he kissed her relentlessly. Nick kissed his way down to her neck and nibbled at the soft spot behind her earlobe, as he caressed her breast. Gaby could feel herself going numb as she clung to him.
"Nick." She said in a faint whisper. "Nick wait," Gaby said as she struggled to form her words as Nick gently tugged at her shirt.
"I'm tired of waiting Gaby," Nick said as he as swiftly removed Gaby's tank to before he laid Gaby down and hovered over her. Gaby ran her fingers through his sandy brown hair as her chest heaved up and down.
"You can't take this back."
"I wouldn't want to, and I'm not going to," Nick said as he claimed her lips again.