Six weeks later
Rachel and her best friend Sam were standing dumb-founded in her bathroom looking at six positive pregnancy tests. Rachel and Sean were still hot and heavy for each other and saw each other regularly with him still working at the fitness center and giving her swim lessons. They had been to the movies, the theatre to see the latest Tyler Perry's hit show; she'd met Jared's wife Dana and their eight-month old son Jared junior and Sean had spent Thanksgiving with her and her family. A.J. and Asiah hadn't made it home for the holidays because they had each decided to spend Thanksgiving with their best friends. She and Sean were spending a lot of time getting to know each other and loving every minute of it. They had decided after that fateful morning to slow things down a bit. So for the last five weeks they had decided to hold off on the sex and just spend time finding out everything they could about each other. The attraction between them remained hot and heavy and more times than not during the cool down period Sean had left Rachel's home on more than one occasion with blue balls from the perpetual hard on he was sporting. This past weekend was Christmas and they had opted to spend it together at Sean's place. Giving in to temptation and they'd made love but they were careful used protection every time. Now here she stood with her best friend freaking out because she'd gotten herself pregnant the first time, she had sex in over four and a half years. Damn, she couldn't believe this. Taking out another pregnancy test this time it was different brand.
"Damn, Rachel, how many sticks are you going to pee on before you accept the fact that you have baby Grayson the fourth on board," Samantha asked.
"As many as it takes for one to tell me I'm not pregnant," Rachel answered. "Damn it, Sam, I can't be pregnant now. I just got the kids off to college. This was supposed to be my 'me' time. Girl what am I going to do with a newborn one and two o'clock feedings, diapers, teething, and croup? I can't go through all that again this old. I barely made it through the first two times around," Rachel ranted at Sam. Hell, I'm going to be 39 when the baby is born and 40 at his or her first birthday. By the time the kid graduates from high school I'll be old, wrinkled, grey, and bent over using a walker to get around," Rachel cried.
Samantha laughed but sobered quickly when she realized Rachel was seriously panicking. "Look, Rachel, you are beautiful, healthy and you barely look 30. Besides your situation is completely different now you are hardly going to be doing two a.m. feedings alone like you did with your first two. Rachel, when A.J. and Asiah were babies, Tony was on the road in trucks and gone most of the time. He wasn't making that much money and you were working a full-time job on top of caring for two toddlers. Then the accident happened and Tony was gone and you were alone. Yes, those times were hard but, look at you now. You have the money to hire help if you need it. That huge dressing room just off your bedroom could be turned into a beautiful nursery. Remember how you always wanted a nursery with all the trimmings for your first two children when they were born but you were living with your Mom then and there was no room or money? And let's not forget this baby has a father who is crazy about you and will be crazy about him or her too. So this is not a bad thing, girl," Sam reasoned.
"So when are you going to tell Sean," Samantha asked.
Rachel, groaned, "Oh God, I don't know. He keeps saying if we are pregnant he will do the right thing but I don't want to pressure him into a marriage or lifelong child support and visitations. I don't even know what he thinks the right thing is. Every time he has tried to bring up the subject I have avoided talking about it. Now I don't know. He had to go out of town on business. The construction at one of his fitness centers hit a snag they could not fix without his help so, he may be out of town for a few more days. He's been asking me every night when he calls but I have been avoiding the topic. I think he knows but he wants me to confirm it to him. I don't want to run him away with a baby. Oh my God what are the kids going to say and what about my Mom and the rest of my family? Damn, Sam, how did I get myself into this mess? No, this is your fault Sam," Rachel wailed accusing Sam.
"What?!" How is this situation my fault?!" Sam asked incredulously.
"If you hadn't made me promise to have fun, see what happens, don't run the man away Rachel," Rachel said mimicking Sam's advice to her. "I wouldn't be in this predicament," Rachel reasoned trying to throw the blame at Sam.
"Well, honey, I distinctively remember also telling you to use protection. Did I not? I didn't tell you to jump his bone without a condom; you did that all by yourself, thank you. And you are forgetting one important fact; you did not get into this predicament by yourself. That is physically impossible. Now, what you need to do, is tell Sean he is going to be a father," Sam said.
"I know I just hate to tell him over the phone I would rather wait to tell him in person," Rachel said with her head in her hands.
"I guess I can understand that. So you are going to tell him when he gets back in town, right," Samantha asked
"Do I have a choice," was Rachel's answer.
Two Weeks Later
Sean was still in Chicago trying to locate a new contractor for his fitness center located in Harpo production studios. The contractor his building manager hired had gone belly up in the stock market and left Sean's new facility only partially finished. He had a deadline for the opening and needed a new contractor pronto. He was going over the bids for the new contractors vying for the job when he got a call from Jared.
"Hey Jared, how is it going in Atlanta," Sean asked.
"Hey Sean, everything is good. Listen, you told me to keep an eye on your Lady for you, well today during her workout she got dizzy and almost passed out. She blamed it on not eating anything today before working out. But buddy she looked ill afterwards when she left the center for home. I called Dana and asked her to go over and check on her for me. I just thought you should know," Jared said.
"Damn, I knew it. Man she's pregnant and I'm stuck up here cleaning up this mess I need to be with her. I hope she's taking care of herself and my baby. I need to wrap this up soon I can't have her down there going through this without me," Sean said.
"Sean you know what this means? You are going to be a father, Buddy! Congratulations, man you are going to be one hell of a dad," Jared said.
"To hell with this mess here in Chicago, I'm catching the first flight out of here I'll be home tomorrow man. Don't say anything to Rachel I want to surprise her, ok?"
"Ok, Sean, see you tomorrow, buddy," Jared said before hanging up.
Sean decided to call Rachel. He really needed to talk to her, to hear her voice. He'd been reluctant to admit his feelings for Rachel but considering she was possibly carrying his son or daughter he had to stop being reluctant and face the facts. He was really losing his heart to the voluptuous Rachel Mathews and he wanted to make her his permanently. Picking up his phone he hit number one on his speed dial. He'd given her the number one because she was his one and only lady. He couldn't wait to hear her voice.
"Hey Babe," Sean said when Rachel answered the phone.
"Hey Sean, I guess Jared couldn't wait to call you to tell you about my little dizzy spell this evening huh?" Rachel asked.
"How did you know he called me?" Sean inquired
"Well Dana just left about 30 minutes ago and I figured if he called her he would definitely call you too," Rachel answered.
"Babe, don't you think you should tell me what we both know?" Sean said. "Just tell me Rachel, I am a grown man. I can handle it."
"I'm eight weeks pregnant with your child Sean. My doctor confirmed it today. Now are you satisfied," Rachel said with tears in her eyes.
Sean could tell she was crying but didn't know why. So, he asked, "Babe, are you crying? Please don't cry, everything will be alright. You know you are not in this alone, I'm going to do the right thing, you will see," Sean tried to console her wishing he was there holding her now.
"Why do you keep saying that Sean, what is the right thing you keep promising to do?" Rachel asked through her tears.
"Well the baby will need my name and so that means we will get married and raise our son or daughter together. That is the right thing to do, Babe," Sean said.
"Well I don't want you doing the right thing. I don't want you to marry me because I'm pregnant. When I marry again, that is, if I marry again, it will be for love Sean not because I got knocked up. I am not spending the rest of my life tied to someone who married me just to give his kid his name. I won't do that to you or to my child. Raising a child in a loveless marriage is more damaging than raising that child as a single parent. I will not marry you and put you, me, and my baby through that. I'm sorry Sean but I can't marry you not without true love, goodbye Sean," Rachel said before hanging up the phone.
Sean just sat there holding the phone staring into space for a moment. 'What the hell just happened did I just lose my woman and my child over the phone? Hell, I know what Rachel wanted to hear but I don't know if I even believed in the concept of love. I know I have strong possessive feelings for Rachel. I know I crave her body. I know I want her with a passion that is boarding on obsession, and that the thought of her carrying my child makes me happy as hell. But can I say I love her? Am I even capable of love?' Sean was a 6'6", 285lb tower of confusion and he needed the one person he knew could help him figure this thing out. With that thought in mind he picked up the phone and dialed the airlines to book a trip to South Carolina. He was going home to see his Mom. Sean needed her advice and tender loving care before he faced Rachel again.