Starr Destined (Starr Series) (33 page)

Clearblue pregnancy testing kit.  Over 99% accurate.

Then I retrieved the plastic test stick from the bin, and slowly turned it over. 

It showed a positive result. 

I sat back on the floor and stared at it, a jumble of thoughts tumbling around in my shocked brain.

Fucking hell.

A positive pregnancy test.

So that meant…

It could only mean one thing.

Seraphina was pregnant.

Up the duff.   Knocked up.  Bun in the oven.  Up the spout.  All came down to the same thing di
dn't it?  One of my boys had won the race, and I hadn't even known he was taking part.

A baby. 
A BABY
.  A fucking baby.

But…

Our baby.  It would be
OUR
fucking baby.

Pregnant.

Seraphina was
pregnant.

But how? 

She must have forgotten her pill.  Must have. Only explanation.

Pregnant with our baby. 
My
child.
Our
child.

I was going to be a father.

Fucking, fucking hell.

But this would be
our
baby.

This was different.

This was
OUR
baby. Our son or daughter.

So this explained why she’d been so defensive about being gooey-eyed with the baby today.  She’d thought she was pregnant but she was too scared to tell me, so she’d confided in Abbey instead.

I could hear the girls still talking quietly in the hallway, so I cracked the door open a little wider to try and catch what they were saying.

“Don’t worry, Sera, things can be sorted, so it’ll turn out fine,” Abbey was saying.

“I know you’re right, but still…”

“Nobody will be any the wiser once everything gets taken care of at the clinic tomorrow.”

“I suppose not.”

“And we’ve agreed it’s best you don’t tell him, haven’t we?” 

“Yes.  Although I hate keeping secrets, I know he’d definitely freak about a baby, so I guess it’s for the best this way.”

And then after a few more whisperings, I heard the door close as Abbey left.

Numb with shock, I pushed to my feet and made my way out to find Sera, still clutching the positive pregnancy test in my hand.  Why did she always do this?  Not telling me she was pregnant, dealing with it on her own, this was just another form of running away from me and not facing up to things, wasn’t it?  Well, I wasn't going to let her, not this time, not about something this important.  We were going to talk, and I wasn’t going to let her push me away.

I held the positive pregnancy test out to her.

“Don't you think you should be discussing this with me rather than Abbey?” 

“Oh…  Liam …I …um…” she stuttered, as I gently took her by the arms and made her look at me.

“Look, I know I probably gave the impression earlier today that I hate babies, but that’s not strictly true, they’re just unfamiliar territory to me.  I wouldn’t want you to rush into doing something hasty you’d regret afterwards, so let’s sit down and talk about this sensibly, before you go rushing off to an abortion clinic.  You probably think I'm going to be angry with you because you forgot to take your pill, but I’m not.  These things happen,” I said as calmly as I could.

“Liam…” 

“Whatever you decide is fine by me, and I’ll support you every step of the way, but I really think we should discuss this together, because the baby’s my responsibility too.  Have you thought through the long term implications of terminating this pregnancy?  I know how caring you are, and I think the guilt of getting rid of our child would be a heavy burden for you to carry for the rest of your life, just because you were too scared to tell me you were pregnant.  We should be working through this together, so I’m really sorry you haven’t felt able to confide in me, and I just want you to know I’d be more than happy for you to have this baby…”

“Liam!  Will you just shut up for a minute and listen to me?” she protested, but I needed her to know this wasn’t the end of the world as far as I was concerned.  It was much earlier than I would have planned, but at the back of my mind, I’d thought she’d want kids one day.  So Seraphina being pregnant wasn’t such a terrible disaster, especially as the thought of her carrying my baby made me feel stupidly proud - after all, it was the ultimate way of binding us together, wasn’t it?

“It’s okay, Sera.  You don't have to worry.  Although I don't deny this pregnancy has come as a bit of a shock, but…”

  “Liam, I’m
not
pregnant!” she yelled at me.

“What?  But this is a positive test.  It’s okay, you don't have to pretend…”

“Yes, it’s a positive test, but I'm
not
pretending.  I’m just trying to get through to you that
I'm
not the one who’s pregnant,” she insisted.

“But if you’re not then…  Oh…
 
Abbey
?”  The penny dropped.  And the weird thing was, I actually felt disappointed rather than relieved.

“Yes, Abbey’s the one who’s pregnant.  She was already virtually certain she was, but she didn't want to be alone when she did the test to finally confirm it, so she asked if she could come round here to do it.”

“I see.  I assume it’s Toby’s?”

“Well, it’s a bit tricky for me to discuss.  Abbey didn't want you to know, because she was worried that as her mentor, you’d think it was irresponsible of her to get pregnant, when you're spending time helping her set up her business.  But I can tell you that she was on the pill and didn't think she’d taken any risks.  At least it’s very early days, so abortion is an option.”

“But shouldn’t she discuss it with Toby before she makes up her mind?  Doesn't he have a right to know?  Don't forget it’s his child too.” 

Sera sighed.

“You know this much so I suppose I might as well tell you the whole story, but only if you promise not to be judgemental or say anything to Abbey.”

“Of course, if that’s what you want.”

Sera stared at me for a moment, then took a deep breath.

“It’s not Toby’s.”  

“Oh.  I see.  I’d just assumed…  So if Toby’s not the father, who the hell is?”

“Finny wanted to get a new tattoo to celebrate the band’s recording contract, and I suggested he talk
ed to Abbey, as she’s really into all that kind of thing - you know, tattoos and piercings,” she started to explain.

“Yeah, I'd kind of gathered that.  Hard not to.”  Abbey’s piercings and tattoos had been one of the first things that had struck me about her - that and her bright red hair.

“Well, apparently she took Finny to this place she recommended, and afterwards they went for a drink together, and then…you know…?” she raised her eyebrows, as she let the implications of what she was telling me sink in.

“You don't mean… you’re not telling me that
Finbarr
is the father?”  I groaned.

“She told me they started showing each other their tattoos and piercings, then one thing led to a
nother…”  Sera elaborated.

“But surely she would’ve been sensible enough to insist he use
d a condom?”  Christ alone knew what she could have potentially caught from him, as I couldn’t imagine he’d been particularly responsible about who he’d slept with previously.  

“She said he got all defensive when she brought it up and swore he was clean, and she decided to believe him I guess.”

“Yeah, right.  More like he just hates using a condom, especially as I expect she’d told him she was on the pill.”

“Whatever, Liam.  I didn't ask for too many of the finer details.  To be honest, I think they were both pretty wasted.  Truth of the matter?  For Abbey’s part, it was just a stupid drunk rebound thing to get over Toby, because she’s really missing him.  And she’s one hundred per cent certain that in no way is Finny ready to become a father, so she doesn’t want him involved, and neither has she any intention of going down the single mother route.  She’s always been a staunch pro-choice supporter, and at such an early stage, she says a termination is pretty straightforward, as she only has to take a pill.  So as far as she’s concerned, that’s the logical and sensible solution.  I’ve been trying to make sure she’s fully considered all her options before she goes ahead, but she’s adamant it’s the best choice for all concerned.”

“I guess I can see it’s hardly an ideal situation to have a child,” I agreed.  “But what a stupid fuck-up that could have been avoided.”

“She blames the dodgy Chinese takeaway they had at two o’clock in the morning.  She said she had a bit of an upset tummy the next day, which she didn't think anything of at the time, but must have been just enough
to cause her birth control to fail - she’s on a low dose mini pill.”

“Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help in any way,” I offered.

“That’s really nice of you, Liam.  And you were really sweet when you thought it was me who was pregnant.  I’d have assumed you’d have been horrified, and offering to take me to the nearest abortion clinic without delay,” Sera smiled.

“I admit I've never been keen on babies, probably because I’ve never had much to do with them.  But that’s other people’s kids - thinking you were pregnant with
our
child was completely different, and to be honest, my reaction was as much a surprise to me as it was to you,” I shrugged.

“Well, you can rest easy.  I am most certainly in no hurry whatsoever to have babies, and Abbey’s experience means I won’t be taking any risks should I get even the slightest tummy upset,” she a
ssured me, as she reached up to peck my cheek.

But now at least I knew that an unplanned pregnancy wouldn’t be the disaster I might have once thought, because as far as I was concerned, Sera and I were in it for the long haul, and having a baby together would just strengthen the bond between us.

Things settled back
down again after Abbey had been to the clinic and dealt with her unplanned pregnancy.  I was worried about the impact a termination would have on her, but she insisted she wasn't upset or worried, only relieved, and then refused to discuss it further as she threw herself wholeheartedly into launching her fashion label. 

At least the misunderstanding with Liam - when he’d thought I was pregnant - had proved that he would be my rock no matter what.  If I had somehow fallen pregnant, he’d have supported me whatever I decided.  Now he even seemed to like the idea of us having a baby, and so kept piling on the pressure for us to get married, but I just ignored him and switched off whenever he brought up the subject.  We were perfectly fine as we were, and I saw no need to change the status quo.

Then one day out of the blue, I got a letter at work.

Kline
Humphries Pond                                                    

Solicitors

9 Princess Road

London

NW1 8JR

T: 020 7483 4488

F: 020 7483 4499

Miss Seraphina Róisín Jones

C/O Starr Capital Ventures

Old Broad Street

London

EC2M 4QH
 
‎

18 November 2013

Dear Miss Jones

THE LATE HARRY WILLIAM JONES

We are writing to you in connection with the estate of the late Harry William Jones, as we believe you may be a relative of his, and as such, a beneficiary in his will.

I would very much
appreciate it if you would contact me as soon as possible to discuss this matter.

Yours sincerely

FELIX POND

ON BEHALF OF KLINE HUMPHRIES POND

I didn't know any Harry William Jones, and I had no idea what this could be about.  Unsure of what to do, I rang Liam to ask if he was free for me to come up to his office to get his opinion about this letter.

“Sure.  Come on up.  I’ve always got time for you,” he replied.

“There must be some mistake.  Jones is such a common surname.  I think they’ve got the wrong person,” I explained, as he read the letter through.

“Yes, but I can't imagine there are many
Seraphina Róisín Jones’.  The easiest thing is to give these solicitors a ring to find out what's what, and establish whether or not it’s a case of mistaken identity.”

“You don't think it’s some kind of a scam?”  I worried.  “Especially as it’s come to me here at work.”