Her Baby Secret (Friends & Lovers Book 1)
Read Her Baby Secret (Friends & Lovers Book 1) Online
Authors: Jaye Diane
Her Baby Secret
Friends & Lovers Book 1
Jaye Diane
Her Baby Secret
Copyright 2015 by Jeanette Diane Richardson
ISBN: 9781310079825
Copyright and Legal Notice: This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights.
Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording or information storage and retrieval) without the expressed written permission of the author.
This book is dedicated to everyone who has ever believed in me. Thank you for your love and support.
Table of Contents
Feeling the intense thumping in her head, Robyn Phillips stepped out of her apartment building, wondering if she'd be better off walking than driving. She'd had the migraine since the night before and it showed no signs of improving despite the fact that she'd taken acetaminophen last night and that morning. She'd also tried a hot bath before bed the night before but that hadn't done the trick either. She'd dealt with migraines from time to time since she was a child. But they seemed to be coming even more often lately and it was worrisome. Along with the migraines came a plaguing nauseous feeling that seemed to be getting worse the longer she had the headache.
Pocketing her car keys, she walked the block and a half to the bus stop, the cold November air burning her cheeks. Pulling her hat down lower and her scarf up around her lips, she reached the bus stop and dug around in her purse for bus fare. Despite the cold winter air, the Jersey City streets were filled with people walking back and forth, some in a rush but some going at almost leisurely paces. Being that it was Black Friday, Robyn supposed she was lucky that it was as calm out as it was. Her apartment was very close to a major shopping district and she'd seen the sale signs in the store windows on her way home last night.
Her phone vibrated in her coat pocket. Robyn took the purple phone out and looked at the screen. A message from Emerald, her best friend.
Still on for lunch?
Robyn managed to smile and typed back a quick
yes
before putting the phone back into her purse. She and Emerald had been so busy with work and Thanksgiving that they hadn't seen each other in a couple of weeks, but they still talked every day.
Emerald was the only one who knew how heavy Robyn's heart had been these past few weeks...the only one who knew all of Robyn's secrets. And Robyn missed her more than she'd thought possible. Completely caught off guard by her emotions, Robyn sniffled and realized that a tear had rolled down her cheek.
I'm being ridiculous
, she berated herself, quickly wiping her face with the back of her gloved hand and ignoring the curious looks she got from the other two people waiting on the bus stop.
It didn't matter that she'd been dumped by her dream man right before Halloween without any real explanation. It didn't matter that she'd been deeply in love with him. It especially didn't matter that Emerald was the only other person in the world who knew they'd even been together. No, none of that was a reason to cry in public. Or cry at all, for that matter. She was grown. She was an adult. She should know by now that crying never solved anything. And yet she had to keep fighting tears anyway. It was a daily struggle.
A look at her watch told her that it was already 10:00. She hoped the bus arrived soon. She didn't want to be late for her appointment. Dr. Aldridge had been her doctor since she was sixteen so she knew he wouldn't mind that she was late but it was a matter of consideration. She hated being late for anything. Aside from that, she was anxious to get the doctor's opinion on these awful migraines.
She knew it was probably just stress. Losing Devin had basically come out of the blue and she'd been very shocked because they'd seemed to have a deep connection. Being longtime friends had all but guaranteed that they'd have some kind of meaningful relationship. It had been going very well up until those last couple weeks. To suddenly get dumped the night before Halloween, and without knowing exactly why, had put a great strain on Robyn's mind. She battled between a keen sense of rejection, her anger at what she felt was an injustice, and her loneliness.
From his vague responses, she could only assume he wanted to go back to being friends. He wouldn't give a clear reason for becoming so distant so fast. It was a complete change from how he'd been the last time they'd seen each other, which had been little more than a week before. But Robyn hadn't been able to deal with how nonchalant and cool he was. She'd exploded and called him some names, which she wasn't proud of. Later, she'd called to apologize and he'd basically brushed her off, telling her quickly that it was okay and hanging up.
She hadn't felt so hurt, angry and frustrated by anything in her entire life. It hurt that she was missing him and he obviously didn't care. It hurt to feel that she'd somehow failed as a girlfriend and maybe the friend that he once was didn't have the heart to tell her where she'd gone wrong. She'd thought everything was good between them. The conversation had flowed easily and naturally. He was sweet and kind and so, so sexy. The sex was amazing.
In the few months that they'd been together, she'd begun to crave his touch. Just thinking about their lovemaking was enough to make her quiver. She did a small shimmy on the sidewalk and tried to cover her movements by fussing with the buttons on her coat.
Startled, Robyn realized that the other two people were gone. She couldn't believe that her mind had wandered so much that she hadn't seen or heard the bus. Muttering a curse under her breath, she turned and rushed back to her street, walking as fast as the headache would allow. Time was running out. She had no choice but to drive now.
She wondered if she'd ever get Devin out of her system. She suspected that the horrible way she was feeling was all because of him. She needed to stop letting someone who'd dumped her have her so much power over her. When would she stop licking her wounds? When would her heart finally start to heal?
A month earlier
She knew she looked good. She wasn't conceited but she could acknowledge that she was a good looking person and that she looked especially good tonight. She'd dressed in a midnight blue off-the-shoulder sheath evening gown. It had lace overlay and a sweep train. The sheer lace looked seductive over her arms and soft swell of her breasts, though the bodice wasn't transparent as the arms were. Still, she knew she looked good. Her light brown, almost fair skin seemed to accentuate the rich, dark blue of the gown and she could not wait until Devin got a look at her in it.
She'd left her long, brown hair hanging down, though it was clipped back with a couple of gemmed butterfly clips. She hadn't worn makeup, mostly because she hated it but also because he liked her without it. Who was she kidding...he liked her any and every way. It didn't matter if she was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt or a fancy gown, Devin always made her feel treasured and beautiful.
Grinning happily, she grabbed her purse and headed out of her apartment. Since he was leaving work late, they were actually going to meet at the restaurant. She didn't mind. It was a cool October night but she'd opted not to wear a coat. She wanted to show off her gown and she would be getting straight into the car anyway.
Just as she opened the front door of her apartment building, her cell phone rang. Seeing the number of Devin's office, she quickly answered.
"Hello."
"Robyn?" It was Cassandra Green, a close friend of Devin's, who was actually a receptionist at his job. She sounded harried and rushed.
"What's up, Casey?" Robyn asked, a sense of disappointment sweeping over her even though Casey hadn't said anything else yet. But she already knew what was coming. She let the building door swing closed and stood inside the hall.
"Dev asked me to call you," Casey said, "He has to cancel for tonight."
"Damn," Robyn mumbled, staring down at the floor and then at her midnight blue heels.
"I know," Casey said, sounding a little sympathetic. "We're swamped here."
"I understand." Robyn turned and slowly started back down the hall to the stair well. "Can you have Devin call me when things settle down? Maybe we can have a late dinner at his house."
"Oh, we're actually going to have a working dinner tonight. The boss just ordered Chinese for everyone. It actually should be here soon."
"Okay..." Robyn slowly climbed the stairs to her second floor apartment, wanting to lash out at someone. The disappointment she felt was palpable. After she thanked Casey for giving her the message, she hung up the phone and walked back into her apartment feeling dejected.
A half hour later, she was covered in blankets on her couch, eating a bag of cheese popcorn and watching The Proposal. Sandra Bullock was her favorite actress and she had all of her movies. But nothing could bring her out of the sour mood that she'd gotten in when Devin canceled their date.
She understood that his job hours were sometimes unpredictable. He was a game designer for 50G Studios and his days varied from 8 hour days to 12 hour days, depending on how far he was into a project. But it bothered Robyn that they'd just spoken to each other a couple hours before and he'd been as excited about their date as she'd been. To cancel at the last minute, literally, just wasn't like him.
She sighed and shoved some more popcorn into her mouth, waiting eagerly until she could talk to him on the phone. When nine o'clock hit, and then ten, and she still hadn't heard from him she debated for a few seconds about calling him. She quickly found his name in her phone and called.
He answered the phone immediately.
"Hello?"
The sound of his voice always had the same affect on her. His voice was so smooth and sexy, the deep baritone gave her chills and made her flush at the same time.
"Hi, Devin...I was hoping you'd call. But it's getting late and I'm going to bed soon. How are you?"
"You were waiting for me to call?" He sounded annoyed but didn't wait for an answer. "I'm already in bed, actually."
She frowned, trying to push away her annoyance. He'd actually been about to go to bed without bothering to call her.
"I wanted to see if we could reschedule dinner..." Robyn said doubtfully. Since he hadn't been going to bother to call her, it was clear that
he
didn't care about rescheduling. She hoped that he'd just had a bad day or something.
"I'm not going to be free for dinner until...next week," He mumbled, his voice low. "Tuesday or Wednesday."
"Oh." Robyn couldn't hide how down she felt. Today was Thursday. She couldn't imagine waiting almost a week to see him. She knew that he had a conference to go to on Saturday and it was an all-day event. He was actually flying out Friday afternoon. And his family got together for family dinner almost every Sunday.
"How about we have lunch at my place on Sunday?" He surprised her by saying.
"I'd love to," She said, smiling, her pathetic little heart seeming to jump for joy in her chest.
"I'll order those little quesadillas you like," He said, his voice warming up, sounding like her Devin again.
"I can't wait," She said honestly. They spoke on the phone for a few minutes more before ending the call. They both had a very early start each day. But if he would have stayed on the phone with her, she'd gladly have given up her sleep and stayed on the phone all night. She was like a school girl with him and in many ways, she didn't recognize herself. It didn't matter. It didn't matter that deep down inside, she felt giddy and stupid. And so in love that she'd just about do whatever he asked - within reason.
She went to sleep with a small smile on her face and woke up happy the next morning.
Robyn woke Sunday morning to the sound of her phone ringing. Seeing that it was Devin's office, she didn't answer the phone, already knowing that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. They'd barely spoken since Thursday night - only exchanging a few text messages - and as worried as that made her, she resisted the intense temptation to call him. She wouldn't do it. He'd canceled their date on her and hadn't called. She'd had to call him. The least he could do was reciprocate by keeping in touch.
She knew he'd gone to his conference but his return flight had been Saturday night. She'd offered to pick him up for the airport but he'd said not to bother since his job had gotten a shuttle for him and the other employees who'd gone on the trip. The shuttle would take them back to the office where there cars were. And that was the last she'd heard from him.
To see his office calling at eight am on a Sunday morning was a stab in the gut. She knew it would only be bad news. Probably cancelling their lunch date. She pulled the blanket over her head, annoyed by the prick of tears at the back of her eyes. But she refused to let them fall.
She stayed under the blankets for several minutes, thinking of reasons he could be calling. Maybe he wanted to have breakfast instead. Maybe he was picking up groceries so they could cook lunch instead of order and he wanted to know what she wanted. Maybe he was outside her building. But she didn't believe it and she tossed and turned under the blankets.
A little while later, she had her fears confirmed when she listened to Casey's voicemail message, saying that Devin had to cancel their lunch date. Casey sounded like she felt bad for Robyn and that made Robyn want to cry even more. Why hadn't he told her himself? If things were that crazy at work, why hadn't he told her the night before? It wasn't even nine in the morning. He'd already known they weren't going to be able to have lunch. Why
another
last minute cancellation? And having a receptionist call made it so impersonal. It didn't matter that he'd been friends with Casey since college and that Robyn had known her for just as long. Robyn would have rather received a quick call or even a text from Devin himself than from a third party.