Chapter 13

Three weeks later William found himself uncomfortable in Lumily’s lobby. This time he had even fewer reasons to be here; the guys just wanted to spend time with the mother of their future nephew or niece, as they said, as he had shooed them away last time.

“Good morning. We are here to see Ms. Monroe.” Said Theo.

Melissa looked up as she had been distracted by the computer. When she saw Theo her face fell with distaste.

“I’m pretty sure you are not on today’s visitors’ list.”

“Do we have to go through this again?” He said displeased with the woman.

“I’m not allowed to let anyone enter if they are not supposed to, it doesn’t matter who you are.”

They continued arguing. William switched his weight from one leg to the other. Leo, next to him, was chuckling seeing the two argue and Max was just shaking his head.

“Liam?” A voice sounded in the distance

He followed the sound and found Leah entering the building next to her secretary. She looked annoyed and he became more nervous.

A few days after the outing to the gallery, they went out a couple of times until a magazine published an article of the two together. It was the typical article saying he was dating someone new, but contrary to previous instances where it just seemed to be rumors, this time they had many photos that seemed to prove them right.

The photos started with their first ‘date’ as they described it when they went out to eat after he appeared at her company with his friends for the first time. Photos of them in the gallery and afterward at the park, where they got pictures of him carrying her on his back and she sitting on his lap with her hands on his face looking like she was going to kiss him and others with her just sitting on his lap and looking to the lake with his arms hugging her and both laughing; and photos after that from other days, at restaurants eating.

Paparazzi had been stalking her ever since and every time he had asked if she wanted to go out, she had come up with an excuse, she was also responding less to his messages. He had been biting his nails off for the last five days since the last time she had told him she couldn’t go out with him and had not talked again ever since. The comment from one of her aunts saying that she was not sure if she would sacrifice her privacy to be with him, and his mother telling him she didn’t think their relationship was ever going to be serious; both have kept him awake the last four days.

And with that, he had just been waiting for her to give him a sign that she was not mad and could see him again, but his friends got tired of seeing him so down and made the excuse of them wanting to spend time with her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I… You see, I—” he started to babble so Max came up.

“We wanted to see you; it’s not fair that it’s only him spending time with you. We feel left out.”

“I don’t have time for that.” She said after a pause.

“If Will has time to do things with us, even if just to get rid of us, you probably can, too.”

“Maybe, but I don’t feel like doing it.” She walked passed them.

“You look tired, and you still don’t look pregnant, are you eating enough?”

She didn’t answer, just continued walking, although William noticed her shoulders tensing, her secretary’s eyes widening and Melissa’s head looking up at them. Max took the initiative of following her and the rest followed, William hesitating but following last. They got in an elevator different from last time and Leah pressed one of the few buttons in the panel and quickly pressed the button to close the doors when they all got in, but right before the doors fully closed a hand got in between, making them open again.

“Damn it,” Leah whispered, pressing herself against the back of the elevator when Melissa entered.

The doors closed again with no interruption, but no one said anything. William saw the other guys looking around as they probably felt the tension like he did. After a couple of seconds, Melissa turned around coming face to face with Leah, but this last one looked away at a wall.

“You look like Demon when he does something wrong and you are reprimanding him but he pretends that you are not talking with him.”

“Hmm.”

Melissa took a step closer and Leah pressed herself further onto the wall, looking in William’s direction without putting her eyes on him, but he still felt as if she was asking for an escape.

“You are pregnant?” Melissa asked.

“Yeah.” She muttered.

“Since when?”

“Mm…” she squinted her eyes. “I’m not really counting. Two months and a half?”

“When was the last time you ate?” Leah looked more uncomfortable to the point she started to sweat under everyone’s gaze. “We have been so busy these few weeks with production that I could swear I have not seen you eating this whole week.”

William frowned and Leah averted her eyes away from him, not asking for an escape from him this time, she just looked at the door probably begging them to open already, but they were still five floors away.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve consumed something. I also talked with Allison, she has been checking every night.” She said grimacing.

“If your aunt knows then it’s fine.” She made a pause. “I can keep it.” Leah looked at her face surprised. “Until you are ready.”

William was going to say something but Leah chuckled before he could even move.

“Thank you, but don’t ignore the father.”

Melissa blinked a couple of times and then looked around until her eyes landed on William as if she just remembered they were there.

“Is that why they have been annoying so much?”

“They have only come twice counting today. I think.” She looked at William in doubt.

“Thank God.” Melissa looked at Theo with unfriendly eyes. “Twice has been too much already.”

“Definitely.” He muttered. “Don’t you have more secretaries? She might scare everyone away.”

“That’s why she is there,” Leah said scratching her neck while Melissa lifted her chin with pride, smirking at him. “She knows who is supposed to come, anyone that is not on the list should not be there. Simple.”

“I’m not on the list,” William murmured but he was still heard.

“I forgot.” She looked at him and then back at Melissa. “She can add you later.”

“Only him?” she asked, hopeful.

“Make my life easier, Lissa, please.” She asked, letting her know she didn’t want to be bothered every time William came with his friends.

Melissa pouted and crossed her arms turning to look at the door. Theo made a noise, making fun of her and she stared at him throwing daggers.

“I told you we were wasting time.”

“Shut up.”

“Do you treat all your clients like this?”

“You are not a client, so shut up.” She looked again at the doors. “If I knew Mr. Solace was really her boyfriend I would have let him in, but, for the first time, I was not told.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Huh?” Melissa looked at him from toes to head, appreciative. “Why not?” Theo made an indignant sound making her look at him. “You have a problem, Blondie?”

“Why would I?”

They both looked at the doors waiting and a second later these opened, Melissa getting out first.

Benjamin was standing in front of the secretary's desk and looked up with a smile when the doors opened, his eyes falling on Leah, but falling when he noticed everyone else, later tilting his head in curiosity when his eyes landed on Max, and discomfort then he saw his sister, moving out her way.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked when she walked past him, but she turned to him quickly, making him flinch back even though they were not close.

“She’s pregnant.”

“Huh?” his eyes landed on the secretary. “Jean?”

“Not her, Leah.” Benjamin chuckled.

“Pregnant by whom? The Holy Spirit?”

“By me,” William said, being the last to walk past him.

Benjamin looked at him in surprise for a second and then held out his hand to shake it, amazed. “You managed to sleep with her? And you’re still around?”

“Why would I leave?” William wondered thinking there was something wrong with Leah that should scare him away and he has not seen it yet.

“No, you wouldn’t want to leave. But a one-night stand is just a one-night stand for her, and she makes sure that it stays like that. She is not a fan of relationships” He walked into Leah’s office after kissing Jean’s cheek. “This is the second time I see you around Leah, and I’ve seen the photos. I thought you were still courting her.”

“Why are you even here?” Leah asked walking to her chair.

“Mm… I…” William started and Leah looked at him, making him gulp.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” She then looked at Melissa.

“And why are they here?” she signed at the other men.

“I don’t know but I’m sure you should not be up here.”

Melissa pouted and started to walk out, pretending to hit Theo when she heard him chuckling at her. She then stopped in front of her brother.

“Talk with her.” She muttered but they all could still listen.

“What am I supposed to tell her?” Benjamin said uncomfortably.

“I don’t know. Anything.”

“She is an adult, Mel.”

“You know pretty well why I’m saying it.”

“Yeah, but still, she is an adult. If she is keeping it, she must know what she’s doing.”

Melissa huffed and left. Leah sat down and put her forehead on her desk so hard that William gasped and got closer to check she was fine. Benjamin did the same and the rest just stared.

“Are you ok?” said Benjamin.

“Why are you here?”

“I came to bring the papers for the new machines. The company wanted physical signatures, I guess they are old-fashioned.”

She turned her head to look at him, without lifting her head from the desk as he was standing next to her with William. When they both saw her face they got close with worry. Her face was pale and sweaty and there were tears in her eyes. William knelt in front of her, removing a little of the sweat from her cheek. Benjamin used the papers on his hands as a fan for her.

“Are you sick?” William asked her with worry.

“I’m tired.” She whispered with a sob. The tear falling from her eyes broke his heart.

“Why?”

“The production.” Said Benjamin next to him. “After your photos came out there was a rise in demand. The products that were in stock, which were a lot, sold out and the production department has been doing overtime, the machines not being big enough to cover the demand in time. We have been trying to get bigger ones in the mid-time but they are overseas and will take a while to come.”

William looked at her with more worry now, knowing she was part of the production team and that she always made sure every product covered all her requirements before being put in stock. Working overtime was not good for her, especially if she was not eating properly and not sleeping as much as the pregnancy had been demanding her to.

Leah turned away from him and leaned over, vomiting in her trashcan. She fell from the chair to be closer to the can without splashing around. William grabbed her and felt her body shaking.

“Can you bring cold water? The coldest you can find.” Max asked Benjamin kneeling on the other side of Leah.

Benjamin looked at him bothered that he was sending him away, but this was not time to argue so he did as asked.

“Are you going to vomit more?” Max asked her seeing she just did a little.

She shook her head and he grabbed the plastic bag in the can and made a knot so the smell didn’t make her vomit again.

“Can she lie down?” Leo asked kneeling with them, Theo doing the same.

“She has to lie down and rest,” Max said, helping her with William to do so on the floor right there to not move her too much and make her vomit again. “I don’t care if you are the best CEO in the world, you cannot work the same, even less overwork yourself while pregnant.”

She closed her eyes and a tear fell from each of her eyes. William quickly removed his jacket and folded it in the form of a roll. He grabbed her lower back and lifted it to put the jacket under it. While doing so he felt a bone in her hip area popping. He looked at her face with worry but her face seemed to relax a little. She opened her eyes and saw it was him, her eyes filling with guilt.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he grabbed one of her hands. It was very cold and still shaky.

“What for? Were you going to make lotions and body butters with me to reduce my workload? There’s nothing you were able to make.”

“I would have forced you to rest.”

“Which would probably make me punch you.” She looked weirdly at Max when he touched her head but then noticed he was trying to put his jacket under her head while Leo and Theo used theirs as fans. “Thanks but not necessary.”

“Your hands are colder than ever,” William said gaining her attention again. He touched her face and noticed it was a little hotter than it should be. “You probably have a fever, too.”

“Here’s the water.” Said Benjamin coming back.

She took a sip in the same position as the bottle had a little straw.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?” William asked her. She frowned but didn’t say anything.

“She didn’t say no right away,” Benjamin muttered, kneeling with them next to her. “Do I have to start praying?”

“I think y’all are exaggerating.”

“I understand you don’t know how a pregnancy works because you have never wanted to have kids, but I know a little about the subject.” She looked at him. “You have, not only not slept properly, or eaten poorly, you have been lifting heavy boxes and all those stuff which are not good in the first trimester, and I’m assuming you are still there considering your belly is still flat. If I knew you were pregnant I would have thrown your ass out of the company and forbid you to come for a few months.”

“Forbid.” She chuckled as if he told her a good joke. She then sighed and massaged her temple as if she was having a headache. “Ok, but I don’t think it’s necessary to go to a hospital. Just call Ally or Lind.”

Benjamin put a hand on William’s shoulder.

“Can you carry your woman?”

“I…” he looked at Leah, who rolled her eyes. “Yes, I can.”

“Then, take her home and stay with her until one of her aunts appears. Do you know them?”

“Yeah, both of them.”

“Ah,” he sighed theatrically. “He’s part of the family already. Whatever. Take her. I have to stay and keep everything from falling apart in her absence.”

“I’ll probably be back tomorrow.” She said while William carried her.

“I doubt it.” He muttered only her hearing him.

“If someone lets you be here tomorrow, then nobody loves you,” Benjamin said behind them. “And because I think I do, I’ll tell everyone in security to not let you in regardless of what you say.”

William saw Leah frowning and looking behind his shoulder. He also looked to see Benjamin waving them goodbye before the door closed behind them all.