Free The Boss's Love by Casey Clipper

she finished her two closings, Courtney laid her head down on her desk and was about to fall asleep when Jackie, her good friend and fellow realtor, approached.  
                  "Courtney, honey, go home. You're too ill," she said. 
                  "I will. I'm just trying to get up the strength," she whispered.
                  Jackie studied her for a moment. "How long have you been feeling this way, honey?"
                  "Since this morning."
                  "Suddenly?"
                  "Yes."
                  "Could you be pregnant?" Jackie asked.
                  "I'm on the pill." 
                  Jackie shook her head. "Doesn't matter. There's still a chance. I’ll go across the street and get a test just to make sure."
                  "I can't believe that I am," she said, dismissing the idea. "I think it's from dinner last night."
                  "Let's be sure. I'll be right back," Jackie insisted. 
                  She leaned back in her chair and watched Jackie scurry out of the office. There was no possible way she could be pregnant. That thought alone made her ill. She felt she was nowhere near ready to be a mother. She didn't have the mother gene. At least that is what she kept telling herself every time Darren broached the subject. Darren's desperation to start a family was no secret. A part of her thought the reason he wanted her pregnant was to solidify her tie to him indelibly. Her husband tended to be a bit possessive.
                  Ten minutes later Jackie rushed back into the office and shoved the test at her. Courtney decided to take it to make her girlfriend happy.   
                  Jackie read the instructions to her through the bathroom door. Luckily the office was empty except for the two of them. 
                  Once Courtney finished, she put the cap back onto the stick and opened the bathroom door to wait. Jackie grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.   
                  "Take sips, don't chug," Jackie ordered.
                  "It's not a beer, Jackie," she said sarcastically.
                  "Maybe it was beer that got you into this," Jackie retorted.
                  Courtney chuckled. "It wouldn't be beer, it would be wine."
                  "Ah, yes, the dreaded wine night." 
                  Both women giggled.  
                  After the eight minute wait, Courtney went back to the bathroom to confirm the results. She stood stock-still and stared at the stick, unable to tear her eyes away. 
                  "Well?" Jackie eagerly asked.
                  "I'm pregnant," Courtney whispered horrified.
     
    ***
     
                  Seated on the lounger on the back deck, Courtney stared off into woods that fenced the yard. How did her pills fail? She wasn't on an antibiotic or taking any other medication. What the hell happened? And how the hell was she going to deal with this? She wasn't ready. 
                  Her thoughts went to all she wanted to accomplish before her and Darren started a family. She wanted to spend more time with her husband traveling, going out late at night and not coming home until three in the morning, then getting up at seven to be back at work by eight. If they wanted ice cream at two in the morning, they could get up and go. She wanted to relish those days before she needed to settle down with a baby. 
                  For the longest time her mind raced with scenarios and possibilities before she came to the only conclusion she had left. She couldn't tell Darren about the pregnancy. Quietly she'd take care of the situation and end it. When she felt ready to become a mother, she would plan it with her