I rang the doorbell of the duplex. A moment later, the door opened, and my mother’s head popped into view.
Ava Tristen was a tiny woman with graying hair cropped close to her chin.
My heart began to hammer.
She would probably be thrilled when I told her I was engaged—she’d been begging me to settle down for years.
But what would Mom say when she found out I was pregnant and going to have a baby with a man I’d known for such a short time?
“Kyla! I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Come in!” she said, opening the door wider.
“Hi, Mom. I decided to stop by to see if Josie wanted a ride to brunch. And to see if you wanted to join us.”
“Me? Are you sure you want an old lady among all you single girls?” Mom teased, leading me into the kitchen where my sister sat sipping tea.
“Of course I do!” I insisted.
From my earliest memories, it had been the three of us against the world, and my mom was the one who had always encouraged me to work hard and dream big.
I breathed deeply, trying to steady my nerves. “Mom, I have something to tell you.”
“Is it about the fact that you’re going to have a baby?” she asked, her tone deadpan.
My heart plummeted to the floorboards. I cast a murderous look at Josie, but she looked just as shocked as me.
Mom chuckled. “Your skin is waxy because you’ve been throwing up all morning. Your breasts are bigger. And I’ve never seen you before noon without a cup of coffee in your hand.”
I should have known better than to think I could hide anything from my mother. She’d always been far too perceptive to fool for long.
Trying not to look guilty, I met my mother’s gaze. “About eight weeks. The father’s name is Jensen Hawksley.”
“And he’s a millionaire!” Josie chimed in.
I glared at her. “That’s not important. What’s important is that he loves me, and we’re going to get married.”
I held my breath, waiting for my mother’s reaction.
She yanked me into a fierce hug. “Are you happy, Kyla?” she whispered in my ear.
“I am, Mom. I really am.” My words got caught in my throat.
Summoning a laugh, I straightened. “Now will you come with us to brunch? There’s so much we have to talk about!”
“Of course! My first grandchild. I can’t believe it!”
We all sat around the table at Somersets, the chic bistro that Rhea had reserved for us.
Megan and Rose sat beside Marie, who looked exhausted from her hours spent on a recent vice case with the police department.
All of them were clutching long-stemmed glasses filled with mimosas, while mine contained only orange juice.
“How much longer are they going to have you working undercover?” Rose asked Marie, who was yawning into her omelette.
“I can’t really talk about it, but hopefully not too much longer,” Marie replied. We were used to her not being able to give details about her job.
“What about you, Megan?” I asked. “Are you looking forward to spring break?”
“Yes! These freshmen are driving me crazy. They have no idea how to manage their schedules without their mothers breathing down their necks.”
“Not me! I was always the one who had to encourage Kyla to make time for fun,” Mom said, her cheeks a little flushed from the champagne.
Everyone laughed, and then Coleen looked at me expectantly. I returned her glance, then used my spoon to gently clink on my flute of orange juice.
The conversation paused, and the girls all looked to me.
I raised my glass to them.
“First of all, thank you guys for coming to brunch today. I am truly lucky to have so many wonderful friends, as well as my family, in my life.”
Tears began to well in my eyes. I’d noticed this happening more and more often as the weeks passed. This time, I didn’t bother to brush them away.
“And I just wanted to tell you all how special you are to me. And to give you these.” I reached under the table for the small boxes that I had prepared earlier.
There was one for my sister Josie, as well as Coleen, Rose, Megan, and Marie. I’d already given my mother hers back at the house.
“Will you all please be my bridesmaids?” I asked.
“Of course!” In unison, they screamed in delight and stood up from the table.
A moment later, I was buried in a pile of arms and excited shouts as my friends enveloped me in a tight group hug.
“I can’t get married without my besties,” I said, my voice muffled by the press of arms.
When they finally released me from the hug, my friends gasped as they unwrapped the packages to reveal sterling silver bracelets, each one complete with an engraved heart.
“Aww Kyla, this is beautiful!” Megan said as she fixed the bracelet around her wrist.
“It’s wonderful. Thank you,” Coleen said, fingering the heart charm on hers.
I beamed back at them. “Now you all have to help me plan the wedding!”
Another explosion of flurried chatter ensued.
“We have to go dress shopping! Quick, before you start to get too huge!”
“What about your bachelorette party? Oh wait, you can’t drink.”
“Where are you guys going for your honeymoon? Do you want to risk a long flight?”
My heart began to thump heavier in my chest with every question. There was so much to think about.
“I—I’ve barely had time to think about it. I’ve been so busy with work, and there’s the presentation for the Ambassador’s Ball—”
“But that’s in June! You have to have the wedding before that!” Josie said.
I nodded. “I want to get married before I start to show too much, but that means we only have two months or so. But we don’t want anything fancy, just a small wedding. Honestly.”
Coleen looked like I’d just announced that Christmas was canceled.
“You’re marrying one of the city’s most eligible bachelors, and you want a small wedding?” she asked. “Where’s the fun in that!”
“Jensen doesn’t like all of that press attention, and neither do I. We don’t need a big affair.”
I continued, “Plus, it will make it a lot easier. The wedding isn’t the most important thing anyway, it’s what happens next. The wedding is just a day.”
“Just a day!” Rose cried.
“What about the engagement party?” Marie said. I shot her a grateful look for the change of subject.
“She also needs a baby shower!” Josie added.
“Ooo we could do a joint baby shower & engagement party!” Megan said, clapping her hands.
“We’ve got to get busy! There is still so much to plan before I become a grandmother!” Mom gushed.
The orange juice, which until now had actually been sitting well, began to churn in my stomach.
Two months until I became a wife.
Less than eight months until I became a mother.
And in between those two major life events, I was somehow supposed to plan for a high-profile charity ball that would determine my success as the new Marketing Director for the hotel.
How was I supposed to get all of this done?
Coleen was the first to notice that I had stopped participating in the wedding chatter.
“Hey girl, are you okay?” she murmured in my ear.
My cheeks felt hot and flushed, but I swallowed and managed a weak smile. “Yeah, just a little morning sickness.”
She peered at me suspiciously but nodded.
“Actually, if you will excuse me, I need to go to use the ladies’ room,” I told everyone, standing from the table.
“Kyla, do you need anything?”
“No, Mom. I’m okay. You guys stay here, you don’t need to hear me puking,” I said hurriedly, then headed toward the bathroom.
Once the stall door was locked behind me, I fished my phone from my bag and unlocked it.
My breath was coming in short bursts. I forced myself to breathe in slowly through my nose.
Despite the weight of anxiety still on my shoulders, I smiled at my phone.
Jensen was right. I’d never been the type of woman to place so much importance on one day.
I washed my hands and headed back to the brunch table.
What mattered was starting our lives together.
A small, intimate wedding would be better anyway. Away from the flashy photographers that swarmed the Hawksley brothers like mosquitoes.
Feeling much better, I sat back down with my soon-to-be bridesmaids and began making plans.
I stared out the window of the luxury SUV as the car headed toward the penthouse that I now called home.
“Is everything all right, Kyla?” Dante asked from behind the wheel.
I’d been silent since getting into the car. Two hours of talking about color schemes and centerpieces and baby strollers had left me feeling unsettled.
For years, I had focused all of my attention on my job, not sparing a lot of time for things like relationships.
Now, all of a sudden, I was preparing to become a wife and mother.
And even though I had no intention of giving up my hard-fought career ambitions, it was beginning to dawn on me how monumental a change it was going to be.
“I guess I’m just nervous,” I said to Dante. “There’s so much planning to do.”
“But isn’t that what you’re best at?” the chauffeur responded. “Putting your dreams into action?”
I smiled at him. “That’s different. That’s work. This is—”
“This is your future. And remember, you aren’t alone in this.” Dante hesitated. “May I share something with you, Kyla?”
“Of course,” I said curiously.
“I’ve known Mr. Hawksley for a very long time. The only time I’ve seen him happier than when he first met you, was when he learned he was going to be a father.”
I couldn’t help the broad smile that came to my face at Dante’s words.
My hands drifted down to settle my stomach.
Jensen was going to be the father of our baby.
Immediately, all my troubles felt a little less fearsome. I breathed deeply for the first time in hours.
My phone vibrated in my purse.
Had Jensen gotten some kind of psychic message that I was thinking about him?
I swiped it open, but it wasn’t a text.
It was an email. I clicked it.
As I began to read, I felt the blood drain from my face.
