in a low voice that had to bounce off her face since they were so close.
Jaime raised her hands quickly and pushed Jessa.
As she stumbled back, caught off guard, Jessa’s hand went to her belly as she tried to keep her body from falling back down the stairs. My baby! She fell back against one of the columns flanking the porch with an umph!
Jessa eyed the other woman as she stood there looking pleased with herself. She licked her lips as she stood up straight and pretended to dust herself off. “You really have to be more careful with how you handle a pregnant woman, Jaime. Eric would hate for something to happen to his unborn child,” Jessa said, knowing she was completely wrong for the satisfaction she felt as Jaime’s eyes got as big as half dollars and her mouth fell open in shock.
She hadn’t meant to tell her like that. She really hadn’t.
“Jaime, look, I really came to apologize and I didn’t mean to tell you like that—”
“You’re lying,” Jaime spat.
Jessa shook her head. “No, Jaime. No, I’m not. I’m not lying,” she said softly, feeling a stress headache beginning to pulse at the base of her neck. She turned and walked down the stairs.
“If you think you are going to pimp your bastard child off on Eric, you are mistaken. You tell Pleasure or whomever you were sleeping with that they have a baby on the way, but don’t bring that bullshit on my front step, Jessa Bell! Do you hear me?” Jaime screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Hell, everyone can hear you,” Jessa muttered as she just continued to walk away, not bothering to explain that she had no other lovers except Eric or even acknowledge Jaime still screaming at her like a fool.
“Do you hear me, Jessa? You and your bastard stay the hell away from me!”
Later that evening, Jessa dropped her robe and stood nude in front of the full-length mirror of her dressing room. She cocked her head to the side as she studied her body. Soon her breasts and belly would swell. Oh God, and probably my nose, Jessa thought, raising her hands to touch it as she twisted this way and that in the mirror.
She pressed her hand to her flat belly.
The day after she took the pregnancy test she had herself in her OB/GYN’s office. Everything was all confirmed. She was two months along. There was a baby on the way singing, “Sign, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
Jessa closed her eyes as she tilted her back and released a long, steady breath filled with all of her stresses. She hadn’t even decided if she was going to have the baby yet—if she even deserved to have the baby—but today when Jaime pushed her and she thought she was going to tumble down the stairs, her first thought had been the baby. Her baby.
Her baby by the married man who killed himself after trying to kill her because she wanted to end their affair.
My life is a fucking soap opera.
Turning from the mirror, she quickly walked back into the bedroom and snatched up the deep purple sheer demi-bra and thong she had laid out earlier. She pulled on a fitted matte jersey dress, but then changed her mind and grabbed a pair of linen slacks and button-up white shirt to put on instead. The dress said vamp. Not the image she needed for where she was going.
It took her just twenty minutes to drive to the hospital and another five minutes to find the chaplain’s office. It was late and it was hardly the spot for a confession, but Jessa knew she had to lay her burdens somewhere in order to make some hard decisions on what to do.
Taking just a moment to pause, Jessa knocked briefly on his door.
“Come in.”
She entered and smiled a bit as the chaplain, Reverend Dobbins, rose from his seat and barely looked that much taller. He was a man of short stature with a pleasant round face and not a bit of neck. His scalp and cheeks were almost as red as his hair. But his presence that night had calmed her, and tonight she sought that same peace as she struggled with all of the repercussions
Jaime raised her hands quickly and pushed Jessa.
As she stumbled back, caught off guard, Jessa’s hand went to her belly as she tried to keep her body from falling back down the stairs. My baby! She fell back against one of the columns flanking the porch with an umph!
Jessa eyed the other woman as she stood there looking pleased with herself. She licked her lips as she stood up straight and pretended to dust herself off. “You really have to be more careful with how you handle a pregnant woman, Jaime. Eric would hate for something to happen to his unborn child,” Jessa said, knowing she was completely wrong for the satisfaction she felt as Jaime’s eyes got as big as half dollars and her mouth fell open in shock.
She hadn’t meant to tell her like that. She really hadn’t.
“Jaime, look, I really came to apologize and I didn’t mean to tell you like that—”
“You’re lying,” Jaime spat.
Jessa shook her head. “No, Jaime. No, I’m not. I’m not lying,” she said softly, feeling a stress headache beginning to pulse at the base of her neck. She turned and walked down the stairs.
“If you think you are going to pimp your bastard child off on Eric, you are mistaken. You tell Pleasure or whomever you were sleeping with that they have a baby on the way, but don’t bring that bullshit on my front step, Jessa Bell! Do you hear me?” Jaime screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Hell, everyone can hear you,” Jessa muttered as she just continued to walk away, not bothering to explain that she had no other lovers except Eric or even acknowledge Jaime still screaming at her like a fool.
“Do you hear me, Jessa? You and your bastard stay the hell away from me!”
Later that evening, Jessa dropped her robe and stood nude in front of the full-length mirror of her dressing room. She cocked her head to the side as she studied her body. Soon her breasts and belly would swell. Oh God, and probably my nose, Jessa thought, raising her hands to touch it as she twisted this way and that in the mirror.
She pressed her hand to her flat belly.
The day after she took the pregnancy test she had herself in her OB/GYN’s office. Everything was all confirmed. She was two months along. There was a baby on the way singing, “Sign, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
Jessa closed her eyes as she tilted her back and released a long, steady breath filled with all of her stresses. She hadn’t even decided if she was going to have the baby yet—if she even deserved to have the baby—but today when Jaime pushed her and she thought she was going to tumble down the stairs, her first thought had been the baby. Her baby.
Her baby by the married man who killed himself after trying to kill her because she wanted to end their affair.
My life is a fucking soap opera.
Turning from the mirror, she quickly walked back into the bedroom and snatched up the deep purple sheer demi-bra and thong she had laid out earlier. She pulled on a fitted matte jersey dress, but then changed her mind and grabbed a pair of linen slacks and button-up white shirt to put on instead. The dress said vamp. Not the image she needed for where she was going.
It took her just twenty minutes to drive to the hospital and another five minutes to find the chaplain’s office. It was late and it was hardly the spot for a confession, but Jessa knew she had to lay her burdens somewhere in order to make some hard decisions on what to do.
Taking just a moment to pause, Jessa knocked briefly on his door.
“Come in.”
She entered and smiled a bit as the chaplain, Reverend Dobbins, rose from his seat and barely looked that much taller. He was a man of short stature with a pleasant round face and not a bit of neck. His scalp and cheeks were almost as red as his hair. But his presence that night had calmed her, and tonight she sought that same peace as she struggled with all of the repercussions
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