Free One Night Stand (The Complete Story) by Katie Silver Page A

the test before worrying too much.”
     
    “Here.” Ava thrust the box into my hands and I took out one stick, walking towards the bathroom as if my body was on autopilot. My mind was racing so fast it was buzzing, but I knew I had to find out, one way or the other.
     
    A minute later, I stood in the hallway with my roommates, staring down at the small stick.  We all three squinted at it, but there was no use. A big fat positive signed stared right back at us.
     
    “Congratulations?” Ava finally broke the silence. “And holy shit! Emma, you are going to be the best mommy ever. Can we be godmothers?”
     
    “Are you alright, Emma?” Riley asked, reaching out to squeeze my free hand.
     
    I nodded dumbly.  I couldn’t process this. It was only supposed to be a one-night stand. I had sworn off men. And now I was pregnant with Lorenzo’s baby.
     
    “Are you going to call him?” Ava asked gently when she saw my face.
     
    “I guess I need to,” I admitted, staring down at the positive sign once more.  “I’m having his baby. He might be a dick, but he deserves to know that he’s going to be a father.”

Part 4
     
    Laying Claim
     
    I stared down at the slim what stick in my hand and wondered if it were all a dream. The highs and the lows were too extreme for this to be reality. But maybe that was just the way the universe balanced out. My two incredibly, erotic nights with Lorenzo had been beyond anything I had ever dreamed was possible. So the universe had balanced it by showing me that he was just another dog who never really cared about me, and then gave me one last kick by making me pregnant.
     
    I looked up into my two roommates’ concerned faces and sighed. No, I had to take responsibility for my own actions. I can’t blame the universe for making me pregnant. I couldn’t even blame Lorenzo. I should have been smart enough to insist on protection, no matter how drunk or love-drunk I had been. Now I needed to decide what to do next.
     
    “Are you…going to keep it?” Ava asked me cautiously.
     
    “Yes,” I replied, without even having to think about it. It wasn’t that I felt ready for a baby. I wasn’t ready at all. But I had always dreamed of being a mother and I knew that despite everything, I was going to love the baby growing inside me. I didn’t need Lorenzo, or anyone else, to help me care for my child. But it was his child too, and he deserved a chance to know that he was going to be a father.
     
    “I need to tell him. I don’t want to talk to him at all, but he deserves to know.”
     
    Riley nodded and looked at me sympathetically. “You should probably tell him in person. This isn’t really a text or phone call type of discussion.”
     
    “Yeah. You are probably right,” I sighed.  I didn’t want to see him. I knew that as soon as I aid eyes on him all those feelings of lust, need, and something else, something approaching love would bubble right back to the surface. But I had no choice and I would just need to be strong and not let myself get all soft as soon as he smiled at me.
     
    “I’ll stop by his gallery today,” I assured my roommates. “It is probably safer than going to his apartment. No beds.”
     
    “You know…you can get more pregnant…” Ava  added slyly, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
     
    “Hey! Don’t give her any terrible ideas. Lorenzo didn’t treat her well. She deserves to be with someone who treats her like a princess,” Riley countered quickly.
     
    I sighed. “The worst part is that he did treat me like a princess. I was just apparently part of his princess harem. So who knows what else he was lying about to me. Maybe he really is involved with all that mob stuff like Detective Russo kept hinting and I want no part of any of that. I guess I should go and face him now and see what he has to say.”
     
    My roommates nodded sympathetically and assured me we could postpone our study session until later in the day. I got dressed