Chapter 5

DELILAH

"Fuck, this sucks," I groan, wiping my mouth as Derek holds my hair and ties it back into a bun on top of my head.

"You're so lucky I love you, babe."

"Why do they call it morning sickness if it happens well into the afternoon?" I lean my head on the seat of the toilet in my apartment.

"I don't know. Why do they call it Plan B if there is no C?" Derek laughs, but stops and looks slightly guilty when he sees me glaring at him.

I'm pregnant; seven weeks, to be exact. I went to the doctor the following week after I took the test with Derek and sure enough, I'm having a stranger's baby.

The only shining light here is that the baby's going to have good ass genetics. At least in the looks department. Hopefully, Wells… if that's even his real name, doesn't have any worrisome shit in his family genetics.

I haven't heard from him, so I was obviously just a one-night, fun fuck in an alley which is cool, except well, now I'm carrying his fucking baby. After not hearing from him, I didn't panic or wallow. I've had plenty of one-nighters, but now I'd really like to get in touch with him.

Derek and I did talk about ending the pregnancy, or adoption, but ultimately, I decided against it.

I may not be ready and this definitely wasn't in the plan, but I'm kinda attached to Little Boba already. Even if he or she does make me sicker than shit for more than half the day. Now, if I could locate Wells to at least tell him he's gonna be a dad, that would be great.

Do you know what isn't covered in one-night stands? Last names, where you work, etc… so while I know he owns clubs in Vegas, that's like looking for a needle in a haystack. I gave him my damn phone number. You'd think he'd at least check up to make sure I actually took the pill. He obviously didn't care though, so maybe I'm not his only baby mama. He is almost double my age. Hell, he could have a whole ass family for all I know.

Oh, God what if I'm the other woman? What if Little Boba is his secret love child?

My phone ringing from the living room interrupts my pity party for one. Derek runs to get it for me as I move to rinse my mouth out with a glass of water from the bathroom tap and sit back down on the toilet.

"It's Claudia," he says, holding it out toward me.

Fuck, she's been persistent this month, calling almost every day. I've been avoiding her like the damn plague because I don't feel like listening to her ridicule me on my life choices when she inevitably finds out I'm pregnant.

"Hi, Claudia," I answer, my tone screaming— I'm annoyed by this call already.

"Don't sound so happy to hear from your mother. It's been a month, Delilah. For goodness sake, I was worried someone murdered you out there."

"Don't be dramatic. I'm fine, just busy."

"Well, anyway, I have amazing news. Wait, wait, let me switch to video." I don't even have time to form a plan in my head before my phone lights up asking to accept her video call.

Fuck it. Might as well rip the bandaid off.

"Oh, my word Delilah. Are you in the restroom? Do you have any manners at all?"

"Mother, you called me and for your information, yes, I'm in the bathroom. I don't feel well." I sigh and roll my eyes at her.

"Hungover, I assume. God, Delilah, when are you going to grow up?"

"You know what, Mother? This chat is over." I raise my hand to hit the end button dramatically, but she cuts me off.

"I'm getting married!"

"Excuse the fuck out of me?" I close my eyes and open them again slowly, staring at her in complete disbelief.

"I'm engaged. He asked last night!" She holds up her ring finger, showing me her way too big diamond.

"You've known this guy for how long and now you're just marrying him?"

Of all the cockamamy shit my mother has done, this might be the top of the list.

"Well, you see, I ended up knowing the man Daddy set me up with and we've really hit it off again, and well, when you know, you know." She rambles and her eyes keep darting away from the phone. I can tell she's not telling me the whole story.

"Mother, what aren't you telling me?"

She looks at me, then away from the screen for a minute before she looks at me with her teeth exposed nervously. "It's just someone from my past I used to know. I was angry at first when I realized he was my dinner date, but he made it up to me. We've been going steady ever since and it's just like old times. I'm in love, Delilah. Aren't you happy for me? We're finally going to be a part of a real family. Me, you, and a dad, just like you always should have had."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Claudia?!" I shout, holding a hand to my forehead. "You've been dating for not even two months and you're just madly in love and getting married. I'm assuming he's rich and you see him as your meal ticket. And what the hell? A dad? Really, Claudia? I'm a grown-ass woman. There will never be a dad for me. That ship sailed years ago."

"Language, Delilah! Now, I understand you might need some time to process this, but we're getting married in October. I want you there to be my maid of honor. We're getting married in Florida on the beach! October eighteenth, it's a Friday, but we're having a small ceremony and it's the only date the resort had available on short notice." Her smile's huge and her eyes are lit up like a firework on the fourth of July.

I'm about to ruin her fucking day, and I'm not one bit sorry about it. "Yeah, Mother, I'll be there. But we'll need to pick a dress with room to grow. I hope you won't mind me being fat."

"What do you mean? Are you going to gain weight purposely to ruin my big day?"

"No, Claudia, I'm pregnant. In October I'll be seven months. Congratulations, you're going to be a grandma!" I smile at her and she looks as pale as Casper and ready to puke herself now.

"Who's the father? Some delinquent?" she sneers.

"A guy I met a few months ago. We had a night of passion and the morning-after-pill didn't work. Here we are." I shrug and I see her tense at my words. I'm not going to admit to her that I forgot to get and take the pill. I just accused her of marrying for money she will no doubt throw that right back at me and say I trapped a man.

"What does he think about this? Is he at least taking care of you?"

"He doesn't know. Can't find him, don't know his last name. So it's just me, Little Boba, and Uncle Derek." I look at Derek and he smiles, nodding at me.

"That's just great, Delilah. A single mother! Really?! You know how hard it was for me to raise you and you go do the same thing? You don't even know the father. I raised you better than this. What has gotten into you?" she chastises me.

I just stare at her, not giving her tantrum an answer. I'm twenty-one years old and a college graduate, so it's not like I'm hard up to care for myself or a kid. Clueless? Yeah, but nothing I can't learn.

Deciding to be more of an asshole because it's Claudia I give her an answer I know will set her off.

"Claudia, I'm pregnant. Obviously, a dick has gotten into me, and cum, well, and now an embryo."

"I have to go. I need time to process this news. You've ruined the day after my engagement. I expect to see you at the wedding. I'll send you the details."

"I don't give a shit about your engagement. I'll be at the wedding, looking like a whale, but there to celebrate you marrying some dude you barely know." I hang up on her, but not before I see her cheeks redden as she again looks off-screen nervously.

True to her word, the next week I get a lengthy email with every detail of the upcoming nuptials. I'm to arrive three days before the wedding at the Hilton on Marco Island, Florida. I can go to the dress shop here and pick out a dress and video chat her to give her approval as long as the dress comes in black since it's slimming. Thursday night we have the rehearsal dinner and Friday morning we have in-suite mani/pedis, makeup, and hair. Then at four PM is the ceremony and reception to follow.

She's even gone as far as to book my flight there and back, get me a rental car, and include an extra ticket if I, and I quote, ‘find the baby's father, or I guess you can bring Derek'. I fight to hold back a deep belly laugh at her fucking audacity.

It crosses my mind to hire some ragamuffin off the street to come with and play the part of the baby's donor. Just to piss her off. But it's her wedding and I'm not that low. Even if it is Claudia.

She's been like this my whole life. I was never skinny enough, popular enough, or had enough boys calling after me. Never mind being valedictorian, getting high honor awards and scholarships out of the ass. She only worried about me being prom queen or having a new guy taking me out every Friday night.

I'm used to her bullshit, so it's just another day for me, but I swear if she tries her scrutiny and judgment on Little Boba, I will never speak to her again. If I can live my whole life without a father and turn out just fine, then Little Boba can live without a grandma. I plan on being enough for this baby, filling any role I need to so he or she knows they're loved beyond measure.

The love might just start after we're done with this puking all the time, though.