Dance With Me, Baby(5)

“Ohhh,” she drawled as understanding hit. “And no sexual activity since then?”

“Only in my dreams since he was here while I was touring Europe.” Those dreams were no joke, either. He’d come to me each and every night I was gone, tormenting me with my need for him. I relived all the things he’d done to my body during the night I’d spent with him. Over and over again. Waking up with your hand in your panties and your heart thundering when you were sharing a room with another ballerina was not my idea of fun. I was just lucky she was a deep sleeper and hadn’t caught me in an embarrassing position.

“It seems we have a different reason to schedule your ultrasound then, since we’re nearing the usual time for a mid-pregnancy scan.” I got a lump in my throat at hearing the term ‘mid-pregnancy.’ I felt like I’d missed out on so much of it already. “Although the main purpose of the scan is to check that your baby is developing normally, we may also be able to tell if you're expecting a boy or girl. You may want to bring the baby’s father, a family member, or a friend with you since it’s such a special moment.”

The baby’s father. I had to be the only woman ever who lost her virginity during a one-night stand, got knocked up, even though they used condoms every single time that night, and didn’t realize she was pregnant for four months! Oh my goodness, this meant I had to face Declan again. How mortifying.

I didn’t have any other choice, though. There was no getting around it since I needed to tell him I was pregnant. I didn’t even have his phone number, which meant my only choice was to drop in on him unannounced at his apartment. He was bound to think I was either lying to him or that I’d kept the pregnancy a secret for the past few months.

The rest of what the doctor had to say went in one ear and out the other as I agonized over what to tell Declan and when. As I stumbled out of the office with all sorts of paperwork in my hand, I glanced at my watch and heaved a huge sigh of relief at what time it was. My visit to Declan would have to wait since my ballet mistress had organized a welcome home party for those of us who’d been on tour together.

The last thing I wanted to do was attend a party of any kind, not after having this bombshell dropped on me, but I didn’t want to let her down. Plus, it sure didn’t hurt that I had the perfect excuse to wait until tomorrow to face Declan. And with my stomach growling, I was reminded of my need to eat for two.

I hurried along the street, choosing to walk the six blocks between the doctor’s office and the restaurant instead of catching a cab. The fresh air helped me to clear my head and focus on what was important. As I walked into the restaurant, I was still scared about all the changes the baby would bring, but I was also tremendously excited. There was a tiny life growing inside me, one Declan and I had created together. I might not have any idea what to do next yet, but I refused to regret this baby. Not even for a moment.

“Europe must have agreed with you, darling,” Serena murmured as she air kissed me on both sides of my cheeks. As the company’s ballet mistress, her job was to give the daily classes for the dancers and to rehearse the ballets in the company repertoire. She was a harsh task master, but I’d always had a good relationship with her. “You’re practically glowing.”

I was sorely tempted to blurt out my news to her right then and there. It was a conversation which was going to happen soon anyway, but we were interrupted by one of the dancers who’d joined the company when I was getting ready to leave for my tour.

“Juliette, this is Lisa Morisette, a newer member of the corps.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” Lisa offered. “I wanted to tell you how excited I am to dance with you. I didn’t get a chance to tell you how amazing you were as Gamzatti in La Bayadère. I looked for you at the cast party the night before you left but never managed to find you.”

“Yes, I left a little early.” I left the ‘so I could go get knocked up by the sexiest man ever’ unsaid, figuring I shouldn’t blurt it out to a virtual stranger.

“Well at least I got the chance to meet you tonight before I got distracted by my blind date.”

“Blind date?”

“Yeah, one of my friends has been telling me about her husband’s best friend ever since I moved here. From everything she’s said, he sounds too good to be true. Handsome, smart, kind,” she rattled off.

“Mmmhmm,” I murmured non-committally, trying to think of a way to get out of this conversation gracefully. She seemed like a sweet girl, but I wasn’t really in the mood to discuss someone else’s dating life considering the state of mine.