His Change of Heart: Unexpected Pregnancy Romance (11 page)

   He looked longingly into her eyes. And Avery gazed mutely back at him, unable to say what she knew he was waiting to hear from her—what she knew he wanted her to say to him. She couldn’t—didn’t want to tell him that she still loved him, with all her heart and soul. She couldn’t bring herself to say any of what she was feeling, not after what she had gone through in the last weeks—what he had put her through. It was still too soon for her. She wasn’t ready or able to declare her undying love for him. That part she would keep to herself, for now. She just wanted to live in the moment, revel in what he was eagerly and freely offering to her—his body, his passion.

    Avery felt him unzipping the back of her dress, and his fingers unclasping her push-up lace bra. He was on his knees before her, and he leaned in and kissed the top of her naked chest, and her exposed breasts, taking each one into his mouth, caressing the nipples with the tip of his eager tongue, sucking them greedily. Avery held onto his shoulders and gasped.

  “God! I miss you. I miss you so much, Ave, it hurts.” He buried this head between the curves of her full breasts. “You are so beautiful—every part of you is ravishing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. It was torment watching those idiots flocking around you, fighting for your attention, and you letting them near you. I wanted to kill them, and you for allowing them so close to you. I almost did when I saw Jason with his arms around you on the dance floor. He had no right to touch you the way he did.”

   His mouth came down hard on hers, as he pushed her back onto the large cushion.

  “I miss what we had together, Ave,” he whispered to her, his wandering lips close to her neck as he snuggled her with light kisses. “I was a fool to want to give it up, to walk away from you and us.”

    He kissed her again. Avery felt his hands on her legs, stripping away her sheer stockings and moving her red lace panties to the side so that he could get to her. He lifted the full skirt of her dress and parted her legs slowly. He ran his hands tenderly across her bare legs, taking the time to bend and kissed the smooth surface as his head made its way to her aroused, waiting womanhood. She let out a deep moan when he took her in his mouth and ate her, ardently, passing his tongue over her delicate parts, nibbling and sucking her. Avery buried her fingers into his scalp, and pulled on his thick mane to keep herself from screaming out, delirious with what he was doing to her.

  She missed their lovemaking, especially this intimate part of it as much as Will did, which was why she had absolutely no problem surrendering herself completely to him. He knew how to bring her to the point of no return, how to satisfy her. And Avery didn’t know which she missed more, Will being there with her, or the passionate way he made love to her every time they were together.

   And she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was completely powerless when it came to him, and their lovemaking. She was helpless in his arms. He had this indelible hold on her, especially on her body that always left her wanting more and more of him. She moaned softly as he continued to move his tongue over her, one of his hands reaching up to cup her breasts, passing his fingers caressingly over her delicate nipples.

    Her entire body was quivering, burning up with desire for a man she knew she should hate. But she was enjoying what he was doing to her, and she loved him for it. She had needs that needed met and he was meeting them in the most delightful way ever.

  She had tried, heavens knew she had, but she couldn’t resist him, especially his electrifying touches that seemed to send shivers through her entire pliant body every time they were together. She was consumed by a crazy desire for him—her starved body wanted what it wanted and she wasn’t going to deny herself that pleasure. She had all the time to despise Will after, though she wasn’t certain she could, as much as she had tried to.

    She wriggled her hips to keep up with the movement of his tongue over her, as he cupped her firm buttocks in his hands and brought her closer to his mouth. And before Avery could control herself, she let out a deep scream, and dug her fingers deep into Will’s hair as her body convulsed with an intense orgasm.

  Will raised his head and looked at her, his eyes bare with desire for her. He seemed like a different man. He appeared subdued and whipped. And without saying a word to her, he reached for her hand and guided it to his swollen manhood. “Leave with me, Ave. Let’s get out here,” he whispered to her, bending over her, looking expectantly, longingly into her eyes. “We can get a room or drive back to my place in the city. I want you more than you could imagine. I need you,” he spoke softly next to her lips. And he kissed her again, with her hand still resting on his firmness, his hand holding her hand over him.

  Avery gazed into his eyes. She wanted this as much as Will did, even more, but their situation was complicated, more so than she was willing to accept. Sleeping with Will would only made what she was feeling for him more difficult to deal with. She had to be strong, if not for herself, but for her pride. She didn’t know what kind of game he was playing with her, drawing her into, but she would be damn if she allowed him to add to her heart break.

    “I can’t,” she told him, with all the willpower she could draw on at the moment. “As much as I want to, I can’t. You are seeing someone. I don’t think it’s fair to her and to me, especially me. You made your choice, Will. I’m sorry, but you can’t have it both ways.”

   “You seem quite willing before. I didn’t see you protesting or even resisting to what was happening between us. Ave, please give me this chance and spend the night with me. I swear you won’t regret it.”

   “I think I will, Will. And the woman you brought with you? Won’t she wonder where you took off to?”

   “My relationship with Lori isn’t what you think. I can explain why she’s here with me.”

  “You don’t have to. I saw the way you look at each other. And I most certainly don’t need to hear the intimate details of your relationship, Will—I really don’t. You are with her now. I understand that. I have even accepted that you have moved on with your life.”

   Avery got up and began fixing her stockings and dress, zipping it up herself. She looked around for her sandals and went to get them off the bench where she had been sitting before. When she came back, Will stood up and took her in his arms, pulling her close, stroking her hair, her face, gazing calmly into her eyes. Avery felt his hardness against her body and she blushed, unable to keep his gaze.

    He was still aroused. “She means nothing to me, Ave, not like you do. I’ll go get my car,” he said to her. “Please don’t deny me this. I’m hurting here. I want you.” He placed her hand firmly against his manhood and kept it there, with his hand pressed hard over hers.

  Avery shook her head without giving him an answer. Then she broke away from him and ran, back to the building, with her sandals dangling in her hand, leaving him standing there gazing after her with a pained, frustrated look on his face. Jason was standing outside when she got back to the main hall. He came up to her as soon as he saw her. He had a worried look on his face.

  “I was wondering where you disappeared to. Are you okay?” he asked, reaching for her arm. “You look frazzled. It’s Will, isn’t it?” he asked, taking in her smeared lipstick that was still barely on her lips, her flushed face and messy hair that Will had ran his fingers through, undoing her curls.

    “When would he learn? He had his chance with you, Avery, and he blew it big time. It’s time he accepts that you aren’t with him anymore.” There was an angry tinge to Jason’s voice. “You aren’t thinking of getting back with him, are you? Not after the way he treated you. He doesn’t deserve you.” Jason took her hand and look at her. “You are an extremely beautiful and intelligent woman, Avery, any man would love to have you. You can do so much better than Will. You are a way better person than he is, in every way.”

   Avery didn’t answer him. Instead, she said; “I’m not feeling well. Is there any way I can bother you for a ride back to the city. We were supposed to stay at the hotel until tomorrow, but I think it’s better if I find my way back home. You can drop me off and come back to the party if you like.”

   “No bother. I will be happy to take you home, and stay with you, if you want. It’s late anyway. I have had enough dancing and booze for the night. Wait here. Luckily I drove myself here.”

   Jason came back to her side within minutes. And as Avery was leaving with him, she saw Will coming back from the garden. He looked angry and disheveled—his tie was undone and uneven, pulled hastily to one side as if he had been struggling to get it off. His white shirt was hanging out of his pants, and he wasn’t wearing his jacket. He didn’t look like that when she left him minutes before. Maybe he had a meltdown of some sorts. And knowing Will like she did, she wouldn’t be surprise if he hadn’t tossed a few rocks and whatever else was within his reach. She had seen the outrage look on his face when she had pulled away from him.

   Will gave them an intense sullen look when he saw her with Jason, and for a second, she thought he was going to sock Jason, knock the daylights out of him. But he just kept on walking, with a huge scowl on his face without saying a word to either of them. He didn’t even turn to look at them as he made his way inside. She put on a brave face and held on to Jason’s arm as they made their way outside to the area reserved for valet parking.

Twelve

  
“
I
have your results here, Avery.”

    Avery, sitting on a chair in Dr. Reese’s office, gazed expectantly up at him as he came into the room carrying her file in his hand. She watched silently as he shut the door behind him, went around the large desk and took a seat across from her.

     “You are pregnant. About three months along, I’m guessing, and from what you have told me. You are definitely expecting a baby. Congratulations are in order, I hope.” He smiled at her.

    “I’m what?” Avery asked in awe, looking at Dr. Reese in wild astonishment, as he broke the unexpected news to her.

   She sat nervously on the edge of the chair and stared incredulously at him as he repeated what he had just said to her, this time without the congratulatory smile that was on his face before, as he took in the nervous, bewildered look on her face.

  Understandably, she was in shock. She couldn’t be pregnant. Dr. Reese must have her confused with one of his other patients. There was no way she could be expecting a baby—absolutely no way.

    “You are pregnant, Avery. Both your blood work and urine test came back positive.” Dr. Reese tapped his pen on the chart on the desk in front of him and looked up at her. “I’m surprised you didn’t come in earlier. You have been having some of the usual symptoms associated with your pregnancy. From what you told me, you haven’t been menstruating. That’s always one of the first signs, along with the bouts of nausea, vomiting and unusual tiredness you have been experiencing.”

  He gave her a questioning look. “I will need to ask you a few questions to determine your time of conception and your due date, but from what I see here, you are most likely in your first trimester, probably a little over.”

    Avery looked at Dr. Reese impassively, as if he was speaking to her in a completely different language—one which she didn’t quite understand. She was having an extremely hard time digesting any of it. He must be reading the wrong chart, not hers. Or the lab must have switched her tests with another patient, someone who was probably sitting in the next room, waiting for this happy news with her boyfriend or husband. Not her. She wasn’t pregnant—there was no way she could be, especially now.

   She had always been extremely careful every time she was with Will, well except for that very first time they had slept together, but that didn’t count because it was over a year ago. She had made every effort to avoid something like this—an accident. But obviously she hadn’t been careful enough, because here she was, getting this news!

    When Avery had called Dr. Reese’s office this morning looking for an appointment, she had no idea that this would be the outcome. She hadn’t been feeling well lately, but she had quickly dismissed the bouts of nausea and vomiting she was having to stomach flu or a viral infection. And she had blamed her swollen, sensitive breasts on PMS, and when she was late, she had chalked it up to stress.

    She was going through a break up, after all. My god! All the knowing symptoms had been right there, staring her full on in the face, and she had conveniently chosen to ignore them, until now. She probably didn’t want to believe the possibility that she could be pregnant. She guessed she didn’t want to know.

     And when she walked into the clinic an hour before, she thought Dr. Reese would have a quick look at her, and send her on her merry way with a prescription for a week’s worth of antibiotics, and a warning to drink plenty of fluids, stay in bed for the next couple days and rest. And since some of her students had been out sick with the flu, she thought she had picked up what they had.

  God, she hadn’t been expecting any of this—certainly not this sudden diagnosis that she was going to be a mother. It was the worst possible news she could hear at the moment. She didn’t want to have to deal with something like this, not now, and especially not alone. She had enough going on with her as it was—she was just barely hanging on. She didn’t need an unplanned pregnancy adding to it.

    Avery rubbed her forehead dejectedly and stared vaguely down at the tip of her shoes. Her entire world was falling apart, right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to prevent it from happening, including this sudden news that she was going to have a baby.

    She took several deep breaths to calm herself and pressed her hand hard against her heaving chest. She felt like she was having a panic attack. She hadn’t had one of those since she was twelve, and she had received the terrible news of her parents’ fatal accident.

  Dr. Reese gave her a concerned look. “Are you alright? Can I get you a glass of water? Or maybe you will like to lie down.”

   He made an attempt to stand up and come towards her.

“No, I’m fine,” Avery told him in a small voice, squeezing the handles of the chair she was sitting on.

“You don’t look fine.”

  “I just need a minute, that’s all. Maybe a glass of water.”

   Dr. Reese left the room to get her the water. God! She didn’t know what she was going to do—how she was going to get through any of this. She was literally alone. She had no one, including close family members to speak of. And except for the close friends she had here, she really didn’t have anyone to turn to. Her relatives were back in Montana, and had a life of their own to worry about.

   She hadn’t heard from them in months. In fact, she was the one who had been calling them and trying to keep in touch after Aunt Beth’s funeral. She doubted they would be interested in news of her pregnancy. She couldn’t call and tell them that she was carrying a child for a man who wasn’t in her life anymore. She couldn’t burden them with her failed love life.

    Did she wish that Will was here with her right now, sitting at her side, sharing in what should have been a very special moment for them? Yes, she did. For in spite of everything that had happened between them in the last months,  she would have loved for him to be here with her—holding her hand and telling her everything was going to be okay—but he wasn’t. She didn’t even know where to reach him. She didn’t have a phone number for him.

  She had refused to take the numbers he had offered her when he had left for Chicago. She wanted to make a clean break from him and didn’t feel that keeping in touch with him was the best thing for her. She didn’t even know if he was still in Chicago. And she had asked Kat not to talk about him anymore. It had been too painful listening to Kat go on and on about how well he was doing there. She didn’t want to hear details about his accomplishments or about the women he was dating. She had her life to worry about, even now more than ever.

  “Here you go.” Dr. Reese handed her the water and stood next to her as she drank it.

  “You seem surprised, Avery. I take it this isn’t the news you were expecting to hear. But you are pregnant. If you don’t mind me asking, are you in a stable relationship with the baby’s father at the moment.”

    Avery lifted her head to look at him.

   “I’m always concerned about the well being of all my patients, especially the ones who are having a hard time with the news of impending motherhood,” he explained to her. “We offer services that can assist you. The clinic can direct you to counseling and other resources if you feel you need them.”

  “I’m single,” Avery offered reluctantly, without going into further details. The last thing she wanted was to start talking about personal life that was already in shambles. “I’m shock,” she managed to say in a small voice. “I don’t understand—how could this have happened.” She stared at Dr. Reese with a puzzled look on her flushed face. “Are you certain those results are mine, and not someone else’s? Maybe my tests got switched in the lab. There is no way I could be pregnant,” Avery continued in denial.

   She saw the frustrated look on Dr. Reese’s face and quickly corrected herself. “I mean, I was on the pill for a year. I have always been careful.”

  “Obviously, you weren’t careful enough, Avery,” Dr. Reese told her in a sympathetic voice. “You may have missed a day or two. It makes a huge difference if you did. I’ve had patients who missed a day, and got pregnant and didn’t know it. It’s always difficult to keep up with these things when you have a very busy schedule. That’s why I tell my young patients, especially, to use another form of contraceptive that suits their busy lifestyles. Were you taking any kind of antibiotics, maybe, something that could have interfered with the effectiveness of the pill?”

  “Not that I could recall. I don’t think so.” Avery searched her brain to remember if she had been ill in the last months. She came up with nothing. “No, I haven’t been sick. Except for the occasional seasonal cold, I haven’t been sick, not even with the flu. And I use over the counter medication if I have to take something, nothing prescribed. Then: “On, my god!”

    It all came back to her, now, her memory of that day rushing back to her like a full on tidal wave, knocking her breath away. She brought her hand up to her mouth and stared wide eyed at Dr. Reese across the large oak desk.

   “I remember missing a day or two. I thought nothing of it at the time because I have always been regular.”

   “It only takes one time, Avery, especially for a fertile young woman in good health, such as yourself. I could have recommended the morning after pill if you had contacted the office and explained your situation. Prevention is always the way to go.”

  “I didn’t know I would end up pregnant. It was only two days,” Avery replied in a small dismay voice.

   Avery remembered that weekend over three months before very well. Will had picked her up at work and whisked her off at the very last minute for a romantic weekend to his place in the Hamptons. He had planned the whole thing without her knowing about it. He had been waiting for her when she got off work on Friday. He had called her from the car as soon as she stepped out of the building, and told her he was parked across the street. And Avery had found him leaning against the black BMW, smiling and waving at her.

   She barely had time to pack a bag, and understandably, she had forgotten to take the package of birth control pills with her. She hadn’t thought of taking them from the drawer in the bathroom where she kept them when Will had dropped her off at her apartment to grab a few things, including her toiletries. It was only after they had gotten to the house and she was getting ready for bed that she realized she didn’t have the pills with her.

  She had panic and told Will, thinking he would go out and get something for himself, but he had told her he would be careful. She had even thought of finding a pharmacy and getting an emergency refill, but Will had convinced her there was no need for her to do that. And she had been naïve enough to believe him and trust his judgment. And since it was supposed to be a romantic weekend getaway for them, they hadn’t held back one bit—they had spent most of the time making love. And after she got back to the city, it hadn’t crossed her mind that there was a huge possibility that she could get pregnant, until now.

  “You have choices, Avery.” Dr. Reese offered, looking at her crestfallen face. “I can see this is something you aren’t quite prepared for. There are alternatives available if this is an unplanned pregnancy. And if you chose to terminate the pregnancy you must come back and see me right away. You don’t have much time left. From what I see here, you are very close to entering your second trimester. You will need to act fast. You can make an appointment with one of the secretaries on your way out. They would set you up with a counselor and we would take it from there.

    “Wh.aa..? Did you say something?”

   She had barely heard most of what Dr. Reese was saying to her. She was too distressed to think. She wasn’t in the best frame of mind to be making life changing decisions for her and the baby she was carrying—Will’s child. She was confused—her mind was racing a mile a minute—she wasn’t thinking straight. In fact, she wasn’t thinking at all. She grabbed her handbag off the floor, mumbled something to Dr. Reese and fled the room.

   She hurried through the spacious halls, completely unaware of the curious stares coming her way from the people sitting in the large waiting room, and from the secretaries out front. She ran outside and stood in a far corner of the long hallway, close to the elevators, with her back up against the wall and tried to catch her breath.

    This couldn’t have happened to her at a worst possible time. She was carrying the child of a man who had pushed her from his life—a man she had been struggling for months to get over—get out of her system and heart, and now she had something of his that was going to tie them together for the rest of their lives. They now have an unbreakable bond—a child they created together.

   Goodness! She couldn’t believe she was having a baby. In about six months or so, she would be responsible for another person, a tiny helpless human being who would be depending on her to love, feed, clothe and shelter him or her for a very long time. Heavens, she couldn’t even take care of herself the way she should.