Vulture (a Stepbrother Romance) -(47)

I dreaded and yet at the same time longed for the morning, when I’d be able to see him again at work. But if he wasn’t answering my calls now, how on earth would he react to seeing me face-to-face in the office?

I spent the whole night stressing about whether I should actually go into work that day or just avoid it all together. And when morning arrived, the longing and urgency I’d felt the night before was overshadowed with worry. But I forced myself to go in and face Harvey. I was determined not to remain the coward Eric had made me into. I had to fight for what I wanted… and I think I wanted Harvey and the baby. I knew I did.

I stepped onto the fifth floor and pushed past the throngs of people squeezing off the lift and heading to their stations. I dumped my belongings at my desk and sneaked a glance at Harvey’s office to see if he was already there. It was empty, and I was filled with disappointment.

The glass doors flew open, and behind me Harvey’s long strides sounded; beside him Sadie’s lighter footfalls shuffled along the carpet. He went straight into his office without a glance and shut the door. Sadie nodded to me and sat at her desk.

Dread settled in my belly, but there was also something else, a familiar sensation of excitement and longing that always made itself known at the mere of sight of Harvey. But he hadn’t even said hello to me.

“What’s up with your face?” Sadie asked as she openly stared at me. “Did you do the test?” she whispered, leaning over.

I nipped at the inside flesh of my cheek and turned the other way.

“Oh come on, tell me. What’s the verdict?”

I sighed; she would get it out me sooner or later, I thought.

With a weak smile I swivelled my chair in her direction and nodded. “It’s real. I’m pregnant.”

I could tell by the glint in her eye she wanted to spring up and give me a hug and to celebrate, but she stayed rooted to her chair. “And how do we feel about it?”

“Still processing it all,” I replied.

“What does Harvey think? You did tell him, didn’t you?”

I scowled at the mention of his name. Before I could answer, his door opened and he breached our little conversation.

From across the room I glared at him, standing there, so fucking smug, as if nothing had happened, and yet I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him. Out the corner of my eye I could see Sadie’s head moving from side to side, as if she were at a Wimbledon final. It seemed like we were frozen, looking at each other, and I didn’t dare to breathe. He returned my look, but there was sadness, vulnerability in his eyes. I’d always been amazed at how he could tell just by looking at me the mood I was in, or how I was feeling. But the world had shifted, and as I gazed at him, a whole room between us, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that something was wrong, that he was hiding something. He’d pushed me away last night for a reason. I didn’t know what that reason was, but it was there. He’d been holding it back this whole time—perhaps it’d been there forever—but I’d been too blinded by my own worries to see it. To see that he too was in pain, a shadow of a clinging demon, ever present, on his shoulder. And there upon him, clear as day, was a crack in his armour. He’d hid it so well.

A whole minute elapsed before I looked away, turning my face from his intense stare.

“Harvey? Did you need something?” Sadie asked cautiously.

He shook his head and started to walk through our little alcove towards the glass door. I turned my chair away from him. He held the door ajar, but before slipping through, he cleared his throat and said, “Sara, I have some news to tell you, but I have to run. I have a meeting across town, but I’ll tell you as soon as I get back, so don’t go anywhere. OK?”

I nodded, my voice a whisper as I said, “Sure.” Then he was gone again.

“Ooookay… What’s up with you two?” Sadie said.

“Nothing.”

She snorted. Obviously, I wasn’t very convincing.

“Fine,” I said. I threw up my hands and let everything out. Without any restraint, I let the words spill out in a rush, my anger and frustration increasing the more I spoke. “You want to know what happened? I’ll tell you! He came over, scared me half to death, then I told him about the baby and he bloody kissed me!”

She gasped, her mouth widening into a smile. “Did you sleep with him?”

“No! We didn’t get that bloody far, ‘cause he fucking left!”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t fucking know!”

“Bastard! But he did kiss you? What kind of kiss… Was it just a peck? Or…” she said as she wrinkled her nose.