Page 38 of Solid Ground

“Well, for future reference the coffee goes inside you, not on the floor.”

I slap his bicep. “Be quiet, you.”

Declan grins. “Living with you is going to be fun.”

“I’m not sure about that. Wait until I’m bloated and angry at the world.”

He chuckles. “You’ll still be adorable.”

How can I argue with that?

I drawin a deep breath as I approach the boardroom.

I’m in the office less and less as my contract comes to a close, but I don’t want to presume that Jason and Chrissie will be okay with the amount of time off that I’ll need—even if my pregnancy goes okay.

They’re waiting for me when I enter the room and slip into a chair next to Chrissie.

Her brows are knit—I haven’t told them what this is aboutand she’s probably concerned as I’ve not called them together for a meeting since the sale was done and dusted. I haven’t had to. This integration has gone so well, we’ve only really had our scheduled project meetings and haven’t had to get together over anything else.

“I’m sure you two are wondering why I wanted to meet with you.” I hold up my palms. “It’s nothing bad, but in the interests of the open and honest working relationship I have with you, I wanted you to know I’m pregnant.”

Chrissie’s mouth falls open. “I didn’t think that was what was about to come out of your mouth. Are you … happy?”

I sigh. “Well, it’s taken a bit of getting used to because I didn’t plan on it happening. I’d like to say it won’t affect my work until the baby’s born, but I think we all know that’s not true. For now, things are good, but I’m not really sure what the future holds.”

“Can I just say something?” Jason leans on the table, knitting his fingers together.

I nod.

“It’s okay, Zoe. Most of the handover is done, and we knew there wouldn’t be three years’ worth of full-time work.” He smiles.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. I lucked out with the deal I took. It wasn’t the most money, but it was with a company that seemed ethically aligned with my own beliefs, and the reason why I created the app in the first place.

“Besides, you’ve done far more than we’d ever thought.” Chrissie picks up the conversation. “Instead of just consulting, you’ve played an active role in integrating your app into our servers, and honestly, you can just put your feet up andcoast the rest of the year. Not that I’d imagine you’ll get to do much of that, being pregnant.”

I sniff. “You’re so good to me.”

“You’ve increased the value of our company by so much more than we ever imagined. The site is doing well, and our reputation out there for client safety is second to none. We’ll keep you on the project emails, and if you want to, you can dial into the meetings, but no stress.” Chrissie grasps my arm. “I’ve got two of my own, so I know how demanding pregnancy can be.”

“Thank you. I didn’t know how well this would go down, and …”

“It happens. We knew we were a good match when we did the deal, and you could have not said anything, but I’m glad you did.”

I leave the office with a spring in my step. It’s like everything is falling into place.

My pregnancy might have been unplanned, but it seems to have come at a good time in my life. Whatever happens with Declan, I’ll be there for my child no matter what, and I can provide for them.

My mouth waters as I step into my apartment, and the aroma of tomato floats through the air. I’m not sure what he’s cooking, but Declan stands at the stovetop, stirring something in a pan.

“Honey, I’m home.” I laugh at my own joke before shaking my head.

He turns, his eyes glistening with amusement. “Good day?”

I draw in a deep breath while walking toward thebreakfast bar. “Yeah, it was. I’m just going to ride through the rest of my contract. If they need me, they’ll let me know.”

He grins. “Great. I’m making my world-famous spaghetti bolognaise.”

I laugh. “World famous?”

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