The Bet

Chapter 14

The time Emma and I had spent together during the bet was now just as long as the time we'd spent together as a couple. I'd thought I'd have a hard time being a good girlfriend, but it wasn't hard. It was just fun.

We did have little discussions from time to time, mostly about what and where to eat, or Emma constantly forgetting to put the lid properly back on the jar of jam or me not picking out the right color of fabric to match Emma's eyes.

Yes, now that Emma and I were together, I finally had someone to fit clothes on. My boss, Mrs. Belfrey, had been utterly enthused by my previous design, the red dress, but Mrs. Booth couldn't wear it, because she didn't have my body type. I'd gotten her exact measures and they almost precisely aligned with Emma's. At least good enough for me to use Emma as mannequin.

She liked it, too. I could see that. Emma enjoyed trying on my designs and I liked making them for her even more. Especially because every time she'd tried something on, whether it fit or not, whether it looked good on her or not - I often argued it looked stunning, while she disagreed and took the garment off as soon as possible - she would kiss me gently on the lips.

We kissed constantly, whenever either of us felt like it and because we were still in that honeymoon phase, that meant always. But the short kisses we shared whenever she'd tried on an outfit were different. I didn't know why, but they just were and I loved that.

"This relationship is making me fat," Emma said and poked her index finger in her stomach. Her abs had made place for a slight visible swell and I kissed her cheek.

"What a shame," I replied, teasingly, but worry crept up in me. I didn't care at all about Emma gaining fat and whatnot, but I didn't think this was just fat. It had too perfectly grown in her lower stomach.

She turned towards me. We were lying in my bed and I heard Rocinante meowing on the other side of the door. She wanted to be let in. "Hm, perhaps you could open the door to stop her from making that noise," Emma said and moved her lips to mine. "I'm already nauseous. I think I drank too much last night."

And there it was.

Emma hadn't drunk a lot, at all. One glass of wine, at most. She handled alcohol not as well as I did, but even she wouldn't get a hungover after one glass of wine.

It'd been just over two months since Emma and Killian had slept together. I knew Killian and I knew his worst nightmare was becoming a dad, so he'd do everything in his power to make sure he and his lovers were protected. But I didn't know exactly how drunk they'd been that night and they could've forgotten. I was quite certain Emma had been impregnated by my best friend.

~~~~

I cried on my way to work. I didn't want to and so far I didn't have any reason to, but just the reminder that Emma had slept with Killian was somehow enough to let my tears escape.

Mrs. Belfrey immediately noticed something was wrong. She wasn't that interested in her employees' personal lives, but she clearly cared about us. She handed me a box of tissues and gestured me to sit down behind the counter.

"What's up?"

"I think my girlfriend's pregnant," I said and swallowed. The tears had lessened, but I knew I still looked like an alien with red, puffy eyes and stains in my neck. "I know you prefer keeping our private lives to ourselves, but I just figured it out and I don't really know what to think of it."

Victoria Belfrey sat down next to me. The shop had yet to open, so we still had a little time to spare. "I feel safe assuming you're not in any way related to the child."