August

"I love you." I tell Robin, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She rests her head on my chest, her legs between mine. She's been working non-stop all day, causing me to worry. It took ten homemade chocolate chip cookies for her to lie down with me. It was definitely worth it.

"I hate you." She mumbles. When I glance down at her, she smiles.

I rub my hand down her back and sigh. "When do you have to leave?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"Where are you going, anyway?"

"I can't tell you."

I frown as she pushes her leg further to mine. "Why the hell not?"

"Because I don't want you to get your hopes up."

Curiosity rises inside of me quickly at her response. "Now I really want to know."

"No, I'm not telling you. So drop it."

I scoff and roll my eyes. "Fine. While you're gone, I can bring over my other girlfriends. Today is 'Rock the Bed' day."

She sits up immediately and jumps off of the bed. When she stumbles, I cover my mouth to suppress my laugh. She faces me, a glare resting on her face. Robin holds her middle finger up to me before storming off.

"Asshole." She mutters.

I stand up quickly and follow behind her. "Come on, gorgeous, you know I was kidding!"

She glances back at me and when she spots me catching up, she picks up her pace. "Leave me alone."

I meet her in the kitchen. Robin rolls her eyes and turns away from me. I place my arms around her waist and hug her from behind. "Robin." I mumble against her skin.

"Go away."

I kiss her neck. "I'm sorry."

She pauses for a beat. Robin turns around and folds her arms. My hold remains on her as she stares at my hair. I bite back my smile.

"You are an enormous dipshit. My mother's basement-rat has a higher intelligence quotient than you." She replies, pushing the hair hanging over my face back.

I smile. "You're right."

"I know."

"My head was fucked up from your beauty." I grin and pull her closer to me as she smiles. "Maybe I need a kiss."

She drops her arms and fixes her dress. My gaze drops to her hips. The desire to kiss her only increases. "Oh, really?"

"Mm-hmm. You know, to fix my head. I think it'll help a lot."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

I brush my lips against hers, a soft teasing stroke. Pulling her closer to me, I lift her with one hand, running the other through my hair as I start to kiss her slowly. With my hand on her ass, I set her on the counter and bring both of my hands to her waist. I stand between her legs and groan when she wraps them around me.

I deepen the kiss, causing Robin to whimper softly. She pulls away, only to begin kissing my neck. When she presses a kiss behind my ear, a chill goes down my spine. 

"Fuck. Don't do that."

"Why not?" She whispers in my ear. My grip tightens on her waist as I try to steady my breathing.

"Because I'm gonna lose it. And if I do that, you're not going to leave this apartment."

Despite what I have just said, she places another kiss behind my ear. I groan and adjust myself. With one last squeeze to her hips, I back away.

I stare at her as she sits on the counter, panting heavily. I slide my hand in my pants and groan. She watches me as I adjust my semi-hard on. I remove my hand from my pants when she bites her lip, knowing I won't be able to take it.

I lean against the sink. Robin hops off of the counter and fixes her dress. She swipes her keys and purse off the counter. "Okay, I'm going to—"

"That dress is coming off tonight."

She faces me with a glare. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"No, love."

"Then what is it?"

"A promise."

Robin

The obstetrician has already asked questions regarding my missed period this month, the random cravings I've been having this month, and random vomiting. Now we wait for her to return.

I sit on the hospital bed, biting my nails, as Kelly sits on a chair in front of me. She stares down at her phone, engrossed in something that seems to make her smile. I assume it is Spencer from work. After their first date, Kelly comes to work eager to see him. When she's not talking to him, she's usually babbling to me about how much she likes him.

Time passes slowly. With each tick of the clock, my heart rate speeds up and I grow more and more anxious.

"Kelly." I say.

Her head shoots up from her phone. "Yes, ma'am?"

I remove my fingernails from my mouth and play with the hem of the hospital dress instead.

"You're not going to insult me when I ask this question, correct?"

She frowns. "Yes, of course."

"Okay." I exhale a shaky breath. "What if… what if I'm pregnant and I lose the baby again?"

She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Ma'am, please don't think like that. The miscarriage was not your fault-"

"What if I get cancer? It's practically traditional in my family. It's an eighty-five percent chance the baby or me could die. I can't take that risk."

"Ms. Davis, what are you saying?"

"Look, I'm most likely not even pregnant. The first time was just luck. I can't have children, remember?" I swallow. "But, if I am… I'm not keeping it."

Her eyes widen and she rises up from her chair instantly. "Robin, what the fuck!"

My head jerks back a little at her sudden outburst. Shocked. Kelly has never used my first name when speaking to me. Surprisingly, I'm not mad. Just stunned.

"Excuse me?"

She closes her eyes and brings her hands together. Kelly exhales and inhales deeply as she mutters something I can't quite hear. When she opens her eyes, she smiles.

"I apologize, Ms. Davis. Please do not fire me. I am just very, very, frustrated." She leans forward and whispers, "May I tell you what I think of this whole thing?"

I cross my arms and scowl at her. "Yes. But keep in mind your career is in my hands."

Kelly nods and begins pacing in front of the bed. "You and August are the most difficult people I have ever met. When you were enemies, I could practically feel the tension between you two. When you had sex for the first time together, I thought, 'Wow, it's about time.' When you guys had your enemies with benefits thing, I thought, 'They'll get together soon.'"

Kelly shakes her head and stops pacing. "You told him how you felt and, as I suspected would happen, August ran away. He has commitment issues and doesn't know how to properly express his feelings through words. Instead, he shows his love for you through physical touch, gifts and compliments. Honestly, anyone with eyes could see he was in love with you. Everyone except you, of course. Which brings me back to my first statement."

She steps forward and I flinch when her hand meets my stomach. She touches it through the light fabric of the hospital dress.

"All of your life you have wanted a baby. You told me it's the only thing that will love you back, no matter what. Do you remember that?"

"Yes." I mumble.

"I know you're scared-"

"I am not scared. "

"Ms. Davis, you can tell me how you feel. I'm not like your former friends and lovers. I won't judge you. You're not weak for admitting or showing your emotions and feelings. If you're worried about August, you're stressing yourself out for no reason. He loves you so much. So please, for the love of god, take the risk, okay?"

When I don't reply, she stands up and runs a hand through her hair. Kelly stares at me, desperation written all over her features. "Please."

She's convinced me.

If I'm pregnant, I want to keep it. If I'm not, then that's fine too. Even if I miscarry again, it will hurt like hell, but I can't give up. I won't give up.

Yesterday, after finding out what Marie did to me, I told myself that I would never call someone my best friend again. They weren't worthy of it. But that was a mistake. All of this time, my real best friend was right in front of me.

August is the love of my life. Our story is one of uniqueness. Our differences are what makes our relationship so strong. I cannot wait to grow old with him. But Kelly, she is my best friend. It's a shame I've only realized this now.

I nod and shake my sweaty hands. I sit up straight. "You're right, Kelly. I never thought I would let those words leave my mouth, but you're right. No matter what happens, I'm just going to keep trying."

She smiles widely, her eyes lighting up. "I'm proud of you, boss! You deserve it!" She replies as the nurse steps inside.

She clicks her pen and jots something down on her notepad as she walks towards me. When she stands in front of me with an unreadable expression, my nerves skyrocket.

"Ms. Davis," she begins. She pushes a strand of her red hair out of her face. "We ran some tests."

I give her all of my attention. My heart pounds in my chest. "And what were the results?"

It's as if time moves slowly as I wait for her response. Each second that passes by, filling me with anxiety. "The results were…" she lifts a page up from her notepad and only stares at it.

I scowl, growing impatient. "What is this? A Telenovela? Tell me the-"

"Positive."

I stare up at the woman, trying to decipher whether I heard what I think I did. "May you repeat that?"

She smiles. "Congratulations, you are pregnant, Ms. Davis!"

I'm pregnant.

Holy shit, I'm pregnant.

My heart leaps with joy and I am suddenly paralyzed with happiness. Never in my life have I felt this way. I start to feel dizzy with excitement.

I am so overwhelmed with emotions I begin to find it hard to breathe correctly. I do the best I can to speak and what leaves my mouth is a sound that cannot be named. It is one of shock, gratitude, but mostly, relief. Relieved that I was given a second chance. A chance to prove that I am worthy of motherhood.

"I'll leave you to it." The nurse says, patting my shoulder and leaving the room quickly.

"Congratulations!" Kelly shouts, rushing towards me, her arms open for a hug.

Before I can protest, her arms are around me and she is hugging me tightly. She rocks side to side and, for the first time, I hug her back. I wrap my arms around her happily, resting my head on her shoulder.

I am filled with such joy that I can't stop the streams of tears that fall down my cheeks. My body shakes as Kelly pats my back and continues to hug me.

She pulls away after a while, tears leaving her eyes as well. Kelly chuckles and sniffles. "Ma'am, please stop crying or I don't think I'll be able to stop myself."

I smile and wipe her tears with my thumb. "You first."

Kelly holds my hands and smiles. "It makes me so happy to see you finally getting everything you deserve, Ms. Davis."

I sniffle and shake my head, feeling more tears build up. "This whole year, I don't think I've ever cried this much in my life. Last year, the only time I cried was when a character I hated in a book didn't die."

Her eyes widen slightly. "You are a cruel woman!"

"Kelly—"

She holds her hand out. "You don't have to continue. I know exactly what you're going to say."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "You do?"

"Yes." She touches my hand. "I would love to buy matching necklaces with you."

August.

I sprint up from the bed and search for my purse. "I have to tell, August!" I yell. I can't decide if I am speaking to myself or Kelly and right now, I have no time to figure out.

"Oh that's fine. Completely disregard my request. I love how we bond, Ms. Davis."

"I have no idea why I didn't think of this first." I mutter.

I hear her footsteps behind me as I find my purse. "Ma'am-"

She shuts her mouth and turns around as I slip the hospital dress off. Normally, I would have warned her, but right now I was too excited to remember. I quickly put my pantsuit on. I replace my heels with black flats I always kept with me.

I sling my purse over my shoulder and snatch my keys off of the table in front of the bed. "Thank you, Kelly." I say, striding past her and into the hospital hallway.

"Ma'am, he's at his game-"

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Within minutes, I am out of the hospital and on my way to August's game. A jittery feeling remains in my body as I drive. I had been planning on surprising him, anyway. It isn't long before I arrive, as the hospital wasn't very far.

When I step inside through the back door, I immediately make my way to the stands. To my disadvantage, nearly every chair is taken. All except for one. That seat sits in the front row. Celebrities, family members of the players rest up there. There was no way in hell security would allow me to take that seat. But I'm Robin Davis. When have I ever taken no for an answer?

I blow a breath and crack my knuckles. Praying like hell that I don't get tackled in the midst of this, I make a run for it. I run as fast as I can, ignoring the shouting and screaming for me to get out of the way. As soon as I reach the front row, a tall security guard stands in front of me.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you cannot sit here."

Lightweight.

"I am so sorry." I whisper.

"For—"

I grab his shoulder and knee his balls. He groans and falls to the ground, creating a space for me to walk by. I pick up the blow horn he was holding and rush to the empty seat. I notice they aren't playing at the moment, waiting for something I have no clue about.

I place the blow horn near my mouth. "August!" I shout, causing the people next to me to glance at me.

He doesn't hear me.

I clear my throat and try again. "August!"

He looks up from the court. When his eyes meet mine, I feel as if I am about to explode with excitement. He waves and smiles before turning away.

I roll my eyes. "August, I'm pregnant!"

The ball drops from his hands. He faces me, a smile slowly appearing. August tilts his head a bit. 'Are you fuckin' with me?' He mouths.

I smile and shake my head. His facial expression turns serious. He stares at me for a moment before he begins striding towards me. My eyes widen, not aware that he was going to abandon the game because of this. The people in the stands, his coach and teams, yell at him, but he only ignores them.

When he makes it halfway across the court, he starts to jog. Then finally, he reaches me. Before I have a chance to say anything further, August takes my face in his hands and crashes his lips against mine.

Him. He's all I see and hear at this moment. I push away the thoughts of having a child without being married, whether or not we're ready, and everything else. I only focus on this moment right here.

He smiles in between the kiss, causing me to do the same. He breaks away after a few more seconds. August laughs and shoves his hands in his pockets. "My fucking face hurts. I can't stop smiling."

I get out of his hold and glance at the court. His coach points at him, yelling a stream of curses at him. When August glances at him, the coach points to the court.

"Get your ass down here! You can talk to your girlfriend later, jackass!"

August turns to me as I laugh. "Go," I say. I smooth out his jersey. "I'll be right here when you're done."

He stares at me for a moment before pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You always are." He says and jogs away.

Two hours later, his team has won and we are on our way home. August drives as he lists off horrible names for the baby already.

"Foremina."

"No."

"Augustina."

"No." I smile. "You know, I'm going to get a lot meaner, bossier, mood changes are going to start happening, and so much more. It's going to be a lot, Foreman. Think you can handle it?"

He reaches his free hand over. August rubs his hand over my stomach softly. "I know I can handle it."