Chapter 1
Sidney walked into the apartment with two bags of groceries in her arms. She nearly jumped when she saw Wes sitting on the couch. His hands were clasped before him as he watched her.
"How about a little help here?" She said when he just sat there staring at her. He seemed to visibly shake himself and jumped up quickly, taking one of the bags from her arms.
"What are you doing home so early?" she asked, a bit distracted. Her plan to make a meatloaf dinner was now blown, as Wes had no patience for elaborate meal preparations. Since he had beaten her home, she now needed to whip up something quick. Wesley was a turkey sandwich-on-the-go type of guy and didn't care about her attempts to be creative in the kitchen. But now that they were engaged, Sidney wanted to show him that she knew how to take care of her man in more places than just the bedroom.
He was a doctor, after all. And his schedule was jam-packed. She still got a thrill in the pit of her stomach that her man—no, her FIANCE was a doctor.
Sidney smiled to herself as she thought about her blessings.
This time last year she had been the new receptionist in Wesley's cosmetics surgery office, and today she was living with the man of her dreams and about to get married.
It all had moved so quickly, like a whirlwind—and maybe to some it was an unlikely relationship. She wasn't the swanky light skinned girl with hazel eyes that appeared in the interracial movies. She was nearly as dark as a struck match with a shapely plus size, while Wes was tall, fit and trim with skin and hair so light that it was nearly white. But oddly, as a couple they fit perfectly, both garnering attention for their individual beauty and their complete contrast to the other.
Sidney was smiling to herself. She was so busy reviewing her blessings that she had not realized that Wes had not spoken and was standing in the kitchen doorway still holding the bag of groceries.
Hamburgers? No! Wes went to the gym three times a week and even though he didn't mind the fact that she was big and shapely, he certainly took precautions to stay fit and slim. Wait, why was he home so early?
Sidney looked at him and finally noted the strange expression on a face that had lost its vibrancy and was as white as she'd ever seen him.
"Wes? Honey, what's wrong?" A head of lettuce was in one of her hands, the other was poised to open the refrigerator.
His lips parted and he inhaled a deep breath. "Sid. I-I…"
Her forehead creased and she put the lettuce on the breakfast bar and walked to him. Instead of prompting him to continue, she took the grocery bag out of his arms and placed it on the breakfast bar.
"What's wrong?" her voice was firm and had taken on the no-nonsense tone that always seemed to turn him on.
"Tenesha's pregnant."
Her brow dipped slightly. Why would she care if his ex-girlfriend was…OH MY GOD…
Sidney stared at the man that had made her feel as if all of her dreams had finally come true.
"I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "I love you-"
The sound that came from her mouth was a mixture between a muffled wail and that of a wounded animal.
Wesley reached out for her, but she jerked away as if his hand was molten lava.
"Oh my God…Oh my God..." She stared at him in disbelief. She was in complete shock. She had not seen this coming. How? How was this happening? Not from Wes.
From the moment that they'd started seeing each other she had captivated him. He never stopped saying how beautiful she was, how smart, how talented, how lucky he was to have his dream lover. He wanted her to move in with him within mere months because he said he wanted her to be the last thing he saw each night and the first thing he saw each morning.
Their relationship had moved quickly, but it was powerful, the s*x explosive.
So, how could this be happening?
Wesley closed his eyes and shook his head. In that moment that he looked so forlorn she wanted to hit him, smack him across his face, knee him in his balls. But she was shaking entirely too much.
He was a cheater. He was having a baby. He'd been sleeping with other people. They were supposed to get married in less than a year. All of these thoughts swirled through her head until she felt like collapsing.
"How long? How many months…pregnant is she?" Her voice cracked beyond her control and she hated how weak it made her seem.
Wesley moved closer, his blue eyes locked onto her brown ones. But she kept backing up until she was rounding the breakfast bar.
"Don't you f*****g touch me!" She screeched. Her voice sounded strange to her ears. She'd never heard herself sound so raw.
He held up his hand. "I won't touch you. What happened with Tenesha was a mistake, Sid. You're the one I love. You're the one I want-"
"How many months is she?" Sidney glared at him, fighting for the strength that she could only gain by keeping her control intact. Now that the breakfast bar was between them she braced herself against it.
"Three. She just told me today. I'm sorry, babe. I'm so sorry…"
Her stomach dropped. "You slept with her after we got engaged?"
He looked at her with eyes filled with pain and regret. "Please, Sidney. I know that I don't deserve your understanding but Tenesha and I go back so many years. When she found out about our engagement she was so torn up and…then one thing led to another…"
Sidney groaned in misery. Oh my God. This fool actually said that she was torn up. What about me? She wanted to wail. What about me?
