Her Baby Secret (Friends & Lovers Book 1) (3 page)

Taking several deep, calming breaths, Robyn fixed herself a can of chicken soup and a cheese sandwich, then picked up her cell phone. Her phone was off and wouldn't even turn on, letting her know that it had died sometime that morning or even overnight. When she plugged it in, and powered it on, she saw that she had several text messages from her mother, griping about her not going to family Christmas. While she started to type a reply to one of the messages, the voicemail notification rang and she listened to it. Messages from her mother, pleading with her to cancel the tutoring sessions, complaining about ungrateful Phillips daughters, and then finally saying that she was coming over to settle the matter once and for all.

Robyn closed her eyes and shook her head. This was going from bad to worse and she didn't know what the hell to do about it. She tried to call her mom but the phone rang and rang.

She hung up without leaving a message, not even knowing what to say.

After her clothes had washed and dried, Robyn brought them up to her apartment and began to fold them. She felt a little sick and prayed that she wouldn't puke again. Evidently morning sickness wasn't just in the mornings.

A quick search on the computer and she felt better knowing that there were several things to help her get through the nausea. Going to the kitchen, she opened a pack of saltines and crammed one into her mouth. The bell rang as she chewed.

She hurried up to swallow and went to the intercom.

"Who is it?"

"Your mother," Came Marjorie's curt reply.

"Hey, Mom," Robyn said happily, and then buzzed her mother in. Although she was glad to see her mother, she felt that same panic from the day Dr. Aldrige had told her she was pregnant. It quickly creeped up until it was in her heart and her throat, making her heart race and her throat feel dry. She forced herself to breathe evenly as she opened the door for her mother.

Marjorie Peyton Phillips was an actual blonde bombshell, hourglass figure and all. She was smart and beautiful, a Harvard graduate and beautiful to boot. She'd come from an upper-class family who had been none too thrilled when she began seeing Quinton. But after they realized how much Quinton and Marjorie loved each other, they'd supported the relationship. Too bad the same couldn't be said for other people. Her parents had had a very hard life together at first.

"What's the matter with you?" Marjorie asked without preamble.

"Nothing," Robyn denied nervously, closing the door behind her mother.

"I know you," Marjorie said quietly, grabbing one of Robyn's hands. "You love family. You love Christmas. I can't believe you'd actually tutor someone
on
Christmas."

"I'm fine, Mom...there's nothing going on. I didn't think it'd be that huge of a deal."

"You're shaking like a leaf," Marjorie said, her light brown eyes meeting Robyn's darker ones.

"I'm cold." Robyn yanked her hands away and made a show of going to the thermostat and turning up the heat. She could actually hear her heart beating in her ears.

"So what's going on, Robyn?"

"I already told you. They're worried about their son and plus they're going to pay me a good amount of money to do it."

"Do you need money?" Her mother asked. "Is that what's going on sweetie?"

"No!" Robyn denied instantly.

"Business is going well for your father and me," Her mother went on. "We can give you as much money as you need."

Her mother, along with Devin's mom Angelica, had opened up their own little restaurant a little over ten years ago. It was very popular. People loved the homemade food and pastries. It was the first time in her life that Marjorie Phillips had gotten an actual job. After graduating from Harvard she hadn't had to work and had no ambition to work. And after marrying Quinton, she'd taken care of home and then children.

"I don't need money, Mom," Robyn said, going to sit on the couch. "But it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra. So when they asked me to tutor their son, who's one of my favorite students, of course I said yes."

"Someone has to be sensible. You can't honestly think your father and I would actually be okay with you missing Christmas."

"I knew you'd be disappointed but I didn't think it'd be this big of a deal."

"I want to talk to these people. This is crazy."

"You are
not
talking to them, Mom!" Robyn cried, slapping her hands over her cheeks.

"If I can't talk some sense into you, I will talk some sense into them. You've never missed Christmas and you're not going to start now."

"Oh my god," Robyn mumbled. "I'm an adult, Mom. You can't be serious."

"Sugar, I am oh-so-serious. You have no idea." Marjorie sat on the couch beside Robyn and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. "I am not leaving this apartment without the number of those moronic people."

Chapter Three

"Hello, Mrs. Miller, this is Ms. Phillips, Chase's teacher."

"What the hell?" Emerald was obviously confused.

Robyn cleared her throat, gripping her cell phone in her hand. She stared at her mother. Marjorie was glaring at her from her spot on the couch, her arms still crossed.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your weekend but I had to call you right away to let you know that regrettably, I will not be able to tutor Chase on Christmas."

"Robyn, what the hell is going on?" Emerald asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Robyn went on, trying to keep her tone even although she was already past flustered. "My mother has insisted that I can
not
miss Christmas and I guess I have no choice but to go along."

Emerald began to laugh uncontrollably, a deep belly laugh that made Robyn want to pull the phone away from her ear.

"I'm so sorry for any inconvenience but I will be happy to tutor Chase on all the other days that we agreed on."

Emerald continued to laugh. Thank god Marjorie was across the room or she'd be able to hear the raucous laughter coming out of the phone.

"Yes, okay." Robyn walked into the kitchen with the phone and quickly whispered, "This is not funny. Will you shut the hell up?"

"I just...I just can't help it!" Emerald said, bursting into a fresh fit of laughter. "Who's there, Marjorie or Quintin? I swear...your parents are the best! They are too funny!"

"Thank you for being so understanding," Robyn said, turning as her mother walked into the kitchen. "Yes, okay. You enjoy your evening too."

She quickly pressed the button, ending the phone call and rapidly ending the annoying sound of Emerald's mirth.

"Satisfied?" Robyn asked her mother.

"Very," Marjorie said, smiling triumphantly. "I'm glad you came to your senses."

"You really didn't leave me much choice," Robyn sputtered, feeling more than a little peeved at the entire situation.

"Did you really expect anyone to be okay with you missing Christmas? You must be out of your mind. But let's not dwell on that. I'm too happy that I'll have my entire family together for yet another Christmas."

Robyn saw the glowing happiness on her mother's face and felt ashamed of her cowardice. She'd gotten herself into this situation and she needed to deal with it like an adult. She wasn't anywhere near ready to confess to anyone but she shouldn't punish her family for her indiscretions.

Unfortunately, spending time with her family on Christmas meant that she'd have to spend time with the Jamison family too. Specifically Devin Jamison. She could only pray that she'd be able to keep her composure in front of her former friend and keep her secret to herself.

Robyn sipped from a steaming mug of tea. It was a tea specially made for pregnant women. Now that she'd officially made her decision, which still made her heart thump when she thought about it, she wanted to do the best she could by her baby. She was relieved that she'd been diligently taking the prenatal vitamins that Dr. Brynne had prescribed. Dr. Brynne had insisted that she take the vitamins because should she decide to go through with her pregnancy, the baby would have had the best care up to that point.

Dr. Brynne had also wanted to do a sonogram but Robyn hadn't been ready for that. After the doctor had quietly lectured her about the importance of getting a sonogram whether she kept the baby or not, Robyn had promised that she'd come back very soon. Now, on a Sunday morning, she was eager to make an appointment for the sonogram. She'd call first thing Monday morning.

She'd spent a good half hour on the phone with Emerald the night before, listening to her friend laugh constantly as she explained the pack of lies that she'd told her mother. When she got off the phone, she'd fallen asleep on the couch in the clothes that she'd worn to clean the house.

She'd woken up that morning and rushed to the bathroom, feeling sluggish and disgusted. After she'd emptied the contents of her stomach, she got on with her day, brushing her teeth and showering. After she was dressed, she actually felt halfway decent. That was the first full night of sleep she'd had in weeks, since Devin had broken up with her.

She'd gone to the grocery store, spending more money than she'd ever spent on groceries. She knew that she hadn't been taking very good care of herself and she was determined to do better. She had to for her baby's sake.

Her baby.
It still didn't seem real that she was going to be a mother. Her heart ached because she couldn't share the news with anyone, not even her baby's father. In time, she'd have to tell Devin and then everyone else. All she could do was pray that the news wouldn't tear the Phillips and Jamisons apart. Decades of friendship hung in the balance.

Robyn took another sip of tea. It really was very good. She'd been expecting some kind of medicinal taste but the tea kind of tasted a little like chamomile, which was one of her favorites.

Emerald entered the living room, having been in the bathroom for several minutes.

"Are you okay?" Robyn asked her friend as she sat down on the couch.

"I hope so," Emerald said. "You know that stepmother number 3 is still learning to cook, right?"

Robyn nodded quietly.

"Well I had dinner with her and Dad last night and she made rice and chicken... How do you fuck up rice and chicken? I don't get it. But I forced myself to eat as much of it as I could. And now I'm paying the price for it."

"Are you sure it’s her food that did it?"

Emerald rolled her eyes. "I spoke to Dad this morning. He and SM3 both have the same bad stomachs that I've been dealing with. I swear, I will never eat her cooking again. I don't care how much he begs me to eat it. She'll just have to have her feelings hurt."

"Oh well," Robyn said, shaking her head sympathetically. "It has to be done."

She wondered what Devin was doing with his day off. He always said Sundays were his favorite day of the week because he usually didn't do any work on Sundays. He'd sleep in late, order a huge breakfast and laze around the house until it was time to go to dinner with his family. She'd enjoyed a few lazy Sundays in bed with him during their time together. God, she missed him so much and she hated how thoughts of him kept invading her mind.

She and Emerald spent the remainder of the day watching movies, both curled up on the couch. Robyn tried as hard as she could to focus but thoughts of the baby and of Devin were never far away. She willed her brain to push all thoughts of him away but inevitably she'd start thinking of him again.

July

Robyn had never been so nervous about – or so eager for- a first date in her life. She'd had such a bad crush on Devin for as long as she could remember. She'd struggled to keep it to herself, having always been told that they were basically family.

Sitting across the picnic table, she was glad that they'd decided to keep it casual. She'd prepared a basket of food for them. He'd brought wine and dessert.

“I still can't believe we're sitting here like this,” He said, a small smile on his handsome face.

“I can't either.” She hadn't felt so excited about something for a long time. She was so happy he'd finally asked her out on a date. It was embarrassing how many times she'd fantasized about it over the years.

It was late in the evening but there were still a decent amount of people in the park. But they seemed to be in their own bubble, a cloud of intimacy around them. Under the full moon and the stars, and sitting across from Devin, she felt like anything could happen.

“I had a crush on you,” She found herself admitting as they ate their simple dinner of chicken and salad.

He raised his dark brows in surprise.

“I really did.” She grinned. “For a long time.”

“I liked you too, Robyn,” He said, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. “That's why it's so amazing to me that I finally have you.”

“Oh, you think you have me already?” She teased.

“The minute I asked you to have dinner with me, you were mine.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

Chills ran through her body and instant awareness coursed through her. Her nipples peaked and she was grateful the only light they had was from the park lights and the moon. In only a thin sundress with sheer underwear underneath, her reaction to him would be obvious.

The rest of their date had gone smoothly, the conversation flowing easily. They knew so much about each other since they'd grown up together but there was still so much to talk about. When Devin escorted her into her apartment building and up to her door, she hadn't wanted to say goodnight.

Leaning up against her door, she debated asking him in. Would he think she was a ho? Or would it seem as natural to him as her mind was telling her it was?

“Are you okay?” He asked, his hazel eyes warm and welcoming.

Without giving herself time to think, which would make her second-guess herself, she leaned in to kiss him. He groaned and took her mouth, his arms tightly enveloping her. The more his tongue slid against hers, the less she was capable of having coherent thoughts.

He pulled away and wordlessly took her keys out of her hand, unlocking the door as if he'd done it many times. They stumbled into her dark apartment and landed on the couch. It had been the most memorable night of her life. And she'd been hooked on Devin ever since.

"Are you going to cook some dinner?" Emerald asked now.

Robyn jumped up off the couch, seeing that it was getting dark outside. She'd been completely unaware of the time. She tried to force herself not to think of Devin or all the wonderful times they'd had together. But she ached without him.

"I'm actually going to make homemade beef lo mein," Robyn said, and her voice sounded stilted to her own ears. "All the ingredients are in the fridge."

"Ooh I can't wait," Emerald said, following Robyn into the small kitchen. "It was so good when you made it last time."

"I'm going to make extra," Robyn announced unnecessarily. She always cooked more food than she'd eat, usually giving it away to someone. She loved to cook but didn't like to cook just for herself. "You can take some with you when you leave."

Emerald sat at the small kitchen table and watched while Robyn put a pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti. While Robyn chopped fresh vegetables, she listened to Emerald tell her about her creepy boss. She'd been a receptionist at a gym for more than 6 years, straight out of high school. Recently, her boss, Mr. Marley had retired, giving his creepy son full control of the gym. Ever since the younger Marley had taken over, Emerald complained more and more about him hitting on her.

"I'm so sick of this, you know?" Emerald went on. "People say I'm crazy but I have the best job ever. I work at a gym, surrounded by mostly health conscious people and lots of sexy ass dudes. I just have to answer the phone and play on the computer all day and schedule people in different classes. It's easy and I'm good at it and I'm comfortable. Well, I was... This stupid loser-pervert is going to make me quit one day."

"Have you threatened to sue him for sexual harassment?" Robyn already knew that Emerald had told the jerk more than once to get lost and that she wasn't interested.

"He said it's his word against mine and that no one will believe me." Emerald tapped her fingers against the table.

"I think you should start looking for a new job," Robyn said as she added the spaghetti to the boiling water. Her stomach rumbled, even though she'd had a chicken sandwich for lunch immediately after she'd gotten home with the groceries.

"I think so, too." Emerald shook her head. "Anyway, let's talk about something else. Did you get all your Christmas shopping done?"

"Yeah, I actually did," Robyn said, sitting across the table from her friend. "I'm glad I got it over with. Christmas shopping gets worse and worse every year."

"I know," Emerald said, watching Robyn take an apple out of the bowl of fruit that was in the center of the table. Robyn quickly bit a huge chunk out of it. "You know you should wash that first."

"I know," Robyn said after she'd swallowed, standing and going to the sink to rinse the apple that she'd already bitten. "But I didn't even know I was going to grab it. I was suddenly so hungry I had to bite
something
."

Emerald smiled. Robyn returned to the table and sat down, eating the rest of the apple as she and Emerald talked about what gifts they'd purchased for their family and friends. Once the spaghetti was done and drained, Robyn put the noodles into a plastic bowl and poured a little sesame oil over them. She tossed the noodles, then covered the bowl with a plate so that the noodles would stay warm.

She put peanut oil in a pan and put the pan over a high flame. She added fresh garlic and ginger to the pan, stirring it quickly before reaching for the vegetables she'd chopped. Her mouth watered but it was decidedly unpleasant. The bile rose up in her throat without warning and she ran for the bathroom, not even making it to the toilet and having to settle on vomiting in the sink.