71

LAURA
Ice cream + Good TV = Therapy.
At least it used to be therapy. I wasn’t very sure it was working right now.
I hadn’t possessed the will to go to work today. Hadn’t been able to summon an atom of strength. So I’d decided to stay home of course, which ended up being even worse because I was left to my own very loud, very chaotic thoughts.
No matter how badly I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday. About Alex specifically, not the encounter with his fiancee.
I wanted to cave in so bad.
Anytime I closed my eyes, I saw his pleading face and pain filled eyes. I had never wanted to pick up my phone and call someone so bad. My longing was only held in check by fear. A deep rooted fear of what it would do to me if he broke my heart again.
Now, the stakes were higher.
I did not only have myself to think of, I also had to think of my unborn child. What if I let him in again only for him to…I don’t know, hurt me in a away I’d never recover from or what if he just upped and left one day when the baby was already here?
Whatever decision I made now, it had to be a careful one for obvious reasons.
I mean, sure it would be amazing for the baby to have both parents growing up, but I didn’t want that to be the reason I took him back. Besides, he would still be a part of the baby’s life even if we weren’t together and I was certain he knew that.
Thing was, I missed him so fucking bad and he was pretty much all I could think of.
I frowned down at my spoon in the ice cream bucket.
This was not working at all.
Sighing, I scooped some and brought it to my mouth, staring at the TV dejectedly. God, this was so sad. Since when had I become this unbelievably sad person?
Right. Since Alex waltzed into my life.
Alex. Alex. Alex.
My life would have been so much easier if I had never met him. Maybe I shouldn’t have used the elevator that night. I should have taken the stairs. Sure, it would have been hell in that dress but at least I wouldn’t be suffering right now.
Wanting someone so much but not being able to go them because you were scared.
I threw my head back on a groan, freezing suddenly when my phone rang.
My head whipped around so fast, it was a miracle it didn’t fall right off my neck. My heart rate accelerated at the possibility that it was Alex. Hell, if it was, then I was bloody well caving.
Transferring my bucket of ice cream to the couch, I dove for my phone on the kitchen island, my shoulders sagging with disappointment when I saw that it wasn’t him. Well, what had I been thinking anyway? I’d blocked him, hadn’t I?
In my desperation to speak to him, I’d forgotten that one important detail. Damn it.
I frowned when I saw the caller ID.
Drew.
He’d tried to reach out to me a few times ever since shit hit the fan but I’d sent all his calls to voicemail and left his texts unanswered. They’d all known their friend was engaged but had kept their bloody mouths shut. He was a traitor and I was not interested in whatever he had to say.
Going back to the couch with my phone in hand, I let the call go to voicemail. He called again, same thing. When he called the third time, my blood spiked and I swiped on my phone screen angrily.
“Don’t you know when you’ve called a person twice already and they don’t answer its because they don’t want to talk to you and you should leave them alone?” I snapped into the phone.
I could literally hear his smirk as he said, “Three’s my lucky number.”
“Well, its not mine!”
“Do you even have a lucky number?” He teased.
“Hey.” I frowned. “I already do not want to talk to you and you’re harassing me on top of it?”
Drew laughed then he exhaled a relieved breath. “I’ve missed you, Laura.”
His words brought tears to my eyes and I blinked quickly, trying to fight them back. It was these damn pregnancy hormones. Balery was suffering the same thing too. We were two very emotional best friends right now.
When I said nothing, Drew pressed. “Aren’t you going to tell me you missed me too?”
“I don’t,” I lied.
I was such a bloody liar. I’d missed him so much, I’d considered picking his calls a few times and calling him an asshole.
“Liar,” he said and I heard the smile in his voice.
Sniffing, I brushed away the one tear that had managed to escape. “I hate you for what you did. I mean, you didn’t really do anything but you could have said something. Instead, you just sat there and let it happen.”
He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. You all just looked so happy and I didn’t want to rain on your parade. The guilt has been eating me up ever since though and I’ve been wanting to tell you how sorry I am but you wouldn’t pick my calls.”
“You deserved it.” I shrugged.
“I do,” he agreed. “Do you forgive me?”
Resting my back, my eyes moved to the TV. “I’m not letting you off the hook so easily.”
“Of course.” He laughed lightly and he sounded like he was walking. “How about I make it up to you?”
“How?”
He seemed to ponder on it for a bit. “How about I get you the biggest bucket of ice cream we can find in your favorite flavour?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve got ice cream already. Nice try, though.”
The line was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. “I can’t think of anything else. What do you want?”
Crossing my legs, I decided to milk the situation. “I’ve had my eyes on a pair of Louboutin heels for a while now…”
“Deal. Get ready. I’ll pick you up in twenty.”
I stared in surprise at my phone. He’d ended the call. I’d only been joking about the pair of heels-okay, maybe not entirely-but I hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. In a daze, I got up and hurried to my room to get ready.
***
“God, I’m starving.” I said as we walked out of the store, the bag containing my heels swinging from Drew’s left hand.
Glancing over at me, he shook his head, lips tilted up in a smile. He was wearing ray bans so I couldn’t see his eyes but I knew they were filled with amusement. He opened the car door for me.
“Let’s get you something to eat.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, I was eating the best chicken wings I’d ever tasted while Drew watched me like he’d never seen a woman eating before.
“What?” I barked at him, but he just smiled.
“I love the way you eat with gusto,” he said. “You don’t pretend. Never change, Laura.”
I snorted. “I’m pregnant, Drew. Not undergoing a personality transplant.”
“No, you definitely are not.” I threw him a nasty look because his tone suggested it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. “Anyway, do you forgive me now?”
“Still thinking about it.”
“Look, I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
Taken aback by the sudden change of topic, I turned to him wide-eyed. “I haven’t even forgiven you and you’re already asking favors?”
He grinned at me sheepishly. “I could wait a few days more if you want.”
“That would be the smart thing to do.”
“Okay…” He dragged out the word, looking out the window and I sighed because I knew there was no way I would live with myself if I didn’t ask him what his stupid favor was.
“Fine. What is it?”
The bastard grinned. He must have known I’d give in. “So, I’ve got my girl’s birthday coming up and I’ve told you about how she loves your products. I’m thinking about getting her some and I need help direct from the source.”
I couldn’t even pretend that I wasn’t flattered. My work was my pride. But-“Wasn’t that your ex?”
He blinked. “We’re back together now.”
Well, then.
“What do you need my help with?”
“Picking out something for her. We could go to your store now if you don’t mind.”
“I hadn’t been planning on going to the store today but…” I sighed. “Okay. Sure. But know that you will be keeping a pregnant woman on her feet. I hope the guilt eats you up.”
***
“I think this is so sweet, really. What you’re doing,” I told him as we walked between the rows and rows of hangers.
He nodded absently, texting away on his phone.
I stopped in front of one of my latest designs. “Let’s get down to business then. Whats her size, favorite color and preference?”
His eyes jumped to mine in confusion. “Her size?”
“Please don’t tell me you don’t know what size your girlfriend is.”
Alex and I hadn’t even lived together long yet he knew what size clothes I wore.
He shrugged, frowning. “It never came up. What was I supposed to do? Ask?”
I lifted my brows in disbelief but then again this was the Drew I knew. He’d been hiding all day, trying to act all prim and proper like a gentleman and not the vagabond I knew him to be.
“Yes, Drew. That’s what a sane person would do.”
“What am I supposed to do now?” He asked. But he was still typing away on that bloody phone of his and it was beginning to annoy me.
I stepped into his personal space and his eyes jumped from his phone. For a moment, he looked genuinely frightened. “Call her and ask her.” Then I turned around to walk off to my office, muttering, “What a waste of time.”
“Wait,” he called just as I saw Bailey hurrying in my direction with wide eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“You have got to see this” Then she took my hand and tugged me towards the store front.
Where I met utter chaos.