Amara's POV:

I paced around in the bathroom. Since it was small, I did way too many laps as I waited for the minutes to pass. By the time I heard my timer go off, I was little dizzy, shaky and most definitely nervous. I took a deep breath, staring at myself in the mirror as I picked up the stick.

Two lines...No, no, no. How could I have let this happen? I picked up the second stick, hoping the result would contradict the first one — only it didn't. They both had two dark lines each, telling me that I was indeed pregnant.

I couldn't be pregnant, not now. I was only 21, and I had just barely finished my two—year course at culinary school. Not to mention, the father was a one–night stand. I had to tell my mother. I unlocked the door after disposing of the tests and walked out to the living room where I saw her last. It wasn't like I could keep it a secret. I still lived with her and paid my share of the bills.

"Ma, I have to tell you something." I walked up to her and stood near the couch, arms crossed as I looked at her.

"Hmm?" she hummed, looking up from her phone.

"I'm pregnant", I annoyed calmly.

"What?? That's wonderful! You'll take Micah back at last, then!" She practically jumped up, her phone long forgotten as she reached out to hug me. I would never get why she liked Micah so much.

"No, it's not his child. I don't want that cheating piece of—"

"What do you mean it's not his?!" She unwrapped her arms from around me and glared at me. She placed her hands on her hips aggressively.

"I had sex with someone else," I mumbled slightly ashamed *I didn't know the man.

"I don't care; tell him it's his. His parents will make him marry you," Mother said with a devious smirk as if I'd follow through with her plans. Again, I didn't get her Micah obsession. Surely, money couldn't make someone that crazy.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you see I don't want to be with him?" I asked, frowning and shaking my head, already walking to my room, knowing where this would lead. The last time a conversation like this happened, she kicked me out for a few days.

"I will not have you here as some sort of slut. You're ruining my reputation!" She yelled at me pushing my door open hard. The doorknob hit the mirror behind it, cracking it. I had already pulled out my bags and started filling them up. The good thing was I had a trip already planned, so some things were packed. The bad news was I might have to cancel that trip for financial reasons.

"Your reputation is already ruined. Aren't you the army wife who slept around while Daddy was doing his tours?" I said without thinking, throwing clothes into the huge suitcase.

"That's it! You dare disrespect me in my house? I want you out!" She screamed at me, storming out and slamming the door behind her.

"You kick me out ,now, and i'll never come back," I warned as I stepped out of my room. I knew thus was a possibility, but I had hoped she'd handle things differently. "Sorry for what I said."

"I don't care. Like I said, I don't want to be seen with girl who opens her legs for anyone," she shouted, still stomping away on the tiled floor. I already paid more than half of the bills; I might as well move away. But I couldn't afford a place all by myself. I let out a frustrated sigh and picked up my phone to call Nicole.

"Hey girl," she answered, luckily for me.

"Nic, hey."

"Everything okay?" she asked worridly.

"I, uh, got kicked out," I told her, still packing up my things.

"Say no more. You can come over, or I should come get you?"

"It's fine. I'm packing up the coming to you," I answered, letting out a soft sigh.

"I'll be waiting. Hey I love you," Nicole replied, making me smile a little. God, I loved that girl. She was the best of friends. Always had my back no matter what.

"I love you too. Thank you so much," I said hastily and ended the call.

I finished packing up and left the house. I couldn't see Mom anywhere. Not that I wanted to say goodbye, so maybe this was for the best. At least now, I wouldn’t have to hear about how great Micah was daily.

"*Wait, what? You're pregnant, and she kicked you out again?" Nicole exclaimed, her dark brows furrowed. "Give me the full story, man*!"

"*Okay, okay so I announced pregnancy, and she got excited, saying now I'd take Micah back, but I told her no. This child isn't his, and I and don't even want him back, not after what happened." I sat down on the cheap couch, the cushion barely sinking as I sat down*.

"*Oh, honey, no." She shook her head. Obviously she didn't like Micah*.

*I don't see why wants me to be with him so badly. All he does is lie and cheat — constantly." I sighed, leaning back. I grabbed a fiery red pillow and played with it*.

"*I'm sorry for Dana's behavior. I'm," she apologized for her sister's behavior*.

"*It's okay, Nic*."

"*You know, I just got a raise, and from what I've heard, you pay your mother for rent. We could rent an apartment together," Nicole suggested, taking me by surprise. I thought I'd be on her couch for a week until I found a place for myself*.

"Really? I mean, you'd want to live with a child?" I asked to make sure she was really up for this.

"Do I get to be the godmother?" she asked with the cheeky smile.

"I can make that happen." I chuckled, glad this part of my life was figured out. I just hoped we could be good roommates.

"One question," she mumbled, to which I nodded, indicating for her to ask.

"Are you sure it's nor Micha's?" Nicole asked, biting down on her lip.

"God, yes. We were on a break," I explained, knowing more explanation would be needed.

"How did all of this happen then?"

"Let's go back seven weeks." I smiled.

***

I got a call from Mrs. Serra saying she had a job for me. I was still working as a server, but I was sure I was working up to becoming more at the company. Either way, these people were hired for rich parties, so we all made good money. Mrs. Serra texted to let me know the dress code was silver and black. Right after I finished applying crimson nail polish, I went to take a shower and started getting ready. I picked out my little black dress along with some silver heels. I loved heels, but only for short period of time. Unfortunately, this job required me to wear them for hours, so I had no say there. After applying some leave–in conditioner to my hair, I put up in a high ponytail and let a few of my dark curls frame my face perfectly.

It was almost a normal workday until midway through the night when I received a snapchat. I had one last drink to bring over, a Blue lagoon, so I figured I could open it up. The moment I opened it, I saw Dana's video of her and Micah. I knew he had cheated before, and lied too, but he promised he'd changed, and being the fool I was I believed him. I should've seen this coming, yet I found myself wanting to rush to the bathroom and let it all out.

I hastily turned around, unaware there was a man behind me, and I ended up spilling the drink on him.

"Sir..I'm so, so sorry. I...let me help you clean this up." I started to panic as I put the glass on the table close by. "The bathroom's right here. Do you mind?"

He just shrugged and followed me. I was surprised he wasn't screaming his head off. This was an Armani suit. Working for these people, you learn the brands lot faster than you'd think. He closed the bathroom door. The drink has fallen near his abdomen. Micah and Dana were long forgotten by now. I was busy trying to save my job. One complaint and I could kiss these events goodbye.

"You should watch where you're going," he spoke up while I took a cloth and wet it. I dabbed at his shirt, hoping to remove the slightly blue color from his white, overpriced dress shirt.

"I was unaware of my surroundings, sir." I looked up into his emerald eyes. I let go of the cloth, and I unconsciously ran my hand over the damp spot and felt his muscles under my fingertips. "I'll make sure to look out better next time, sir." I cleared my throat and stepped away to search for the hairdryer and plugged it in.

"Quit calling me sir," he said after I finished using the hairdryer.

"What's your name, then?" I asked as I stepped away to put the dryer back. I turned back to the man and looked up at him, watching as he took a step closer to me. My eyes were focused on the man, looking at every detail of his face: how chiseled his jawline was with a perfect 5 o'clock shadow, his dark curls gelded to the back, and, not to mention, his dark eyes that stared straight into my soul.

"Zavi will do. Do you prefer being called beautiful, or do you have another name?" he answered, moving his large hand over my smaller one that was still on his abdomen.

"As much as I like being praised, Amy's the name," I answered without thinking. I was hypnotized by his beauty and eloquence but smart enough not to give him my real name.

"You like being praised?" he asked in a slightly teasing tone. I snapped out of whatever trance I was in and pulled my hand away.

"I-uh. Well, I have to go now. I'm sure I'm needed at other tables. Sorry for this again," I spoke awkwardly, realizing what I was doing.

"We're not finished yet, darling." He gently took my hand in his and pulled me back. He looked down at me, staring deep into my eyes. "Answer the question, Amy," he said, his finger smoothly tracing over my jawline.

"1-I...yes," I answered, getting lost in his eyes. Man, he was beautiful and so smooth-unlike Micah. "Everything okay?" I asked when he kept staring at me.

"Just admiring the beauty in front of me." He winked, his finger now tracing down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I knew where this could lead, and deep down, I needed and wanted this. Part of me wanted to do this to get back at Micah. It was wrong, but I had to.

"Yeah? Is staring all you're planning on doing?" I moved my own hands up his chest, settling them on his shoulders.

"With your permission, I'll be doing more." He chuckled, lifting me effortlessly and placing me on the counter. Zavi stood between my legs, arms on my waist as he looked at me, leaning close to my neck, but he made no contact as he waited for my answer.

"Permission granted," I answered, and without a second wasted, I felt his lips on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I knew where this could lead, and deep down, I needed and wanted this. Part of me wanted to do this to get back at Micah. It was wrong, but I had to.

"Yeah? Is staring all you're planning on doing?" I moved my own hands up his chest, settling them on his shoulders.

"With your permission, I'll be doing more." He chuckled, lifting me effortlessly and placing me on the counter. Zavi stood between my legs, arms on my waist as he looked at me, leaning close to my neck, but he made no contact as he waited for my answer.

"Permission granted," I answered, and without a second wasted, I felt his lips on my neck, pressing soft kisses as he trailed his way to my lips. His large hands now spread warmth across my thighs as he slid his hands up. I moved my hands to the buttons of his shirt and started undoing them as we continued to kiss. He pulled me closer to him, making me moan as the kiss deepened.

"*That's the night I hooked up with some guy named Zavi and got pregnant. Protection slipped my mind, honestly," I mumbled, looking down at my nails as I picked at them*.

"*Man, was it good at least? You having a one-night stand? Never thought I'd see it!" she said, wiggling her eyebrow a little too much, which made me throw a pillow at her*.

"*I won't lie. He is the best I've had, and I know he's only the third person, but he made me feel things my boyfriend of two years couldn't make me feel. As for me doing it, I know it isn't me, but I wanted revenge so bad-or I just wanted to forget about Micah, and I did. Hell, I haven't even called or texted him since that night," I answered truthfully*.

"*If it makes you feel any better, Dana and I don't talk." She patted my shoulder*.

"*It's fine. The only worry I have is this little thing in me." I sighed*.

"*Don't you want to find the father? Maybe the Serras can give you the list of people so you can find that Zavi." Nicole suggested, but I just shook my head*.

"*Oh no, sweetie, the last thing I need is them firing me for sleeping with their clients, and Zavi didn't sign up for this*."

*Amara's POV*:

*Three years later*...

*My baby was now a little over two years old. I ended up having a boy, Sebastian Silas Reid. I chose my father's name for his middle name. I always wanted to name my child after him. Raising Sebastian wasn't easy, but Nicole helped me out a little. And my sister, Amelia, ended up helping tons. Somewhere around six months, she contacted me, and we started talking again. It turned out she and her husband had bad luck trying to have their own child, so they decided to hold back and save up some money before looking into adoption. In the meantime, Amelia gladly babysat her nephew*.

*Nicole and I ended up finding a good apartment with two rooms and one small office that we converted into the baby's room. Her job was going well. As for me, I was head chef at a restaurant named Helene's; however, two weeks ago, the FBI busted the owner. It turned out that it was a front for his drug smuggling. I had enough money to last me a good five months, but you never know what could happen, so I'd been looking for a new inh and was getting ready for an interview*.

*This position would be slightly different: a personal chef for a person with a busy life. That was how it was described, and it did sound a little fishy, but I decided to still call in. A woman answered. I packed up my knives and picked up my bag and the little dinosaur bag that belonged to Sebastian too*.

"*Ready to go to Aunt Amy's, baby?" I asked as I watched Sebastian trying to adjust the Velcro on his shoes. It was his favorite thing to do. Every time he put on his shoes, it was like he rediscovered the Velcro*.

"*Yeah, Mommy," he mumbled, his olive eyes still focused on the straps of his shoe. I gave him a nod, held out my hand to him, and led the way out to the car*.

*After dropping him off at Amelia's, I drove straight to the address given by the woman on the phone. It was a penthouse. A fancy place meant good pay. Hopefully, these people weren't involved with any cartel members. Once I arrived, a woman led me to an office, and as I stepped in, I immediately noticed the room's theme. It was modern, black with a touch of silver. The woman introduced herself as Tessa Collins. When she sat down behind the desk, she went through a pile of folders and picked one out*.

"*Mrs. Reid, mother of one and 24 years old. Am I correct?" she asked, looking up from the folder. It made me nervous now that I saw how many options she had*.

"*Ms. Reid, and for the rest, yes," I confirmed with her*.

"*Your CV seems good, but you know I will be doing a taste test, yes*?"

"*Of course. I brought my knives," I replied, patting my bag*.

"*Before I show you to the kitchen, I was just wondering about your son. Will it be a problem for you to be working here?" She got up and put the folder to the side*.

"*Not at all. The hours will be discussed before signing the contract, right?" I asked, getting up too. Of course, Sebastian would always be my priority, but I needed this job to make sure he could be given the best life*.

"*Yes, of course, along with your payment and any other rules there may be," Ms. Collins replied*.

"*Okay." I nodded. With that, I was led to the kitchen and given a list of things to make. I made all six dishes along with three desserts. It took a long time, but once I was finished, I set all the plates down in a row for Ms. Collins to taste*.