Having Nathan's Baby by Fran Louise Read Free Book Online

body language was still on the offensive. “I realize we’ll have to make sacrifices-”
    “We?” The word blasted from me like a bullet from a gun.
    He flinched and recovered. “Yes, we,” he said, his tone reasonable. “I realize you’ll be carrying the baby, but we’ll both be raising it-”
    I jerked the seatbelt out of the buckle and yanked the door open. Cool air swarmed around me as I fought the sudden onset of nausea.
    “Are you ill?”
    “I’m-” I turned to face him at the other side of the car. “No, Nate: I’m pregnant! I’m…” I was what? Lost? Confused? Dealing with this pregnancy afresh now that Nathan had suddenly made it all terrifyingly real?
    I stared at him, unable to believe this was actually happening. The same, familiar handsome face stared back at me, but there was a strange gravity behind it that I hadn’t noticed before. It rendered him almost unrecognizable.
    He shut his door and came round to my side of the car. He didn’t approach me, but instead leaned against the hood. There was maybe a meter and a half between us. “This has happened, Chloe,” he said slowly. “You can’t pretend it’s a minor blip you can shove under the carpet and forget about. I want to have this baby-”
    “But why?” I was almost wailing. “You were as shocked as I was yesterday!”
    “And I’ve given it some thought since then. It’s made everything else seem...” He sighed . “... inconsequential, that’s why.” His tone was defensive. “Now that I’ve really taken the time to think about it, I realize this is what I want. It’s more important than anything else I can think of. I don’t understand why you don’t feel the same way-”
    “My life isn’t inconsequential! That’s why!” I said.
    “That’s not what I meant.” He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Still his gaze bore me down. His expression looked almost pained as he searched for a way to express himself.  “This isn’t a sacrifice at all. It’s a gift.”
    Humorless laughter bubbled hysterically in my chest. “A gift?” I cried. I felt my expression crumble. “This isn’t some movie of the week! Or a stupid greeting card! We’re talking about bringing a real, live human being into the world.”
    His expression told my very clearly that he was aware of that. It didn’t faze him.
    Acid rose in my throat; I felt anger or desperation, or maybe both. “I’m the one who has to put my career on hold to have this baby, not you!”I said, trying to control my quaking voice. “I know enough about pregnancy to know I won’t be able to keep the hours I’m doing just now when I’m six months gone. And they’ll be expecting a hell of a lot more from me once I’m a partner. How am I supposed to juggle that with a newborn?” I turned away on a gasp of frustration. “Forget that! I’ll be showing long before the final decision is made. As soon as they find out, I’ll be off the partner track.”
    “This is a baby, Chloe – not a dog you can decide to take or leave at the pound,” he said, still aiming for reason with his tone.
    “I’m aware of that! I’m also dealing with the fact that my whole life has just turned upside down! I’ve been on this partner track for the best part of a decade, and I’m this close to getting it.” I pressed my thumb and forefinger together tightly. “Do you think they’ll want a partner in their firm who’s going to be AWOL for the first few months while she’s nursing? Who’ll be obliged to leave the office to attend PTA meetings and doctor’s appointments and school recitals?”
    “We’ll get a nanny-”
    “What’s the point of having a baby if we leave it with a nanny all day?” I said. I swung back around, my voice rising. “I work eighty-hour weeks, Nathan. Eighty.”
    His expression remained as flat as his tone. “You’re telling me there are no other female partners with children in your firm.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m telling