The Ex Factor

Chapter 20

Raven's Pov

I spent the entire ride home trying to wrap my mind around this news. Not only did my doctor confirm that I'm pregnant, but she also let me know that I'm 7 weeks, which means Michael or Aubrey could be the father. That was right around the time we went to Vegas. The only reason I can't say that Aubrey is for sure the father is because I had sex with Michael right before I left. Deep down everything in me is praying that this baby is Aubrey's. We're finally back on good terms in our relationship, I was even open to this idea of us having another child, and now this. It's like every time we take a step forward, the universe knocks us back three. I don't know how I'm going to tell either of them especially, Michael. We ended in such a bad space, now this is only going to make a messy breakup even messier. Knowing that he still has feelings for me, it's going to be like pouring salt on an open wound.

I sat, parked in my car about a block away from Aubrey's, contemplating my next words. He's been calling for the past hour and quite frankly, I don't know what to say to him. I'm always preaching about honesty and not keeping secrets, I'd be a hypocrite if I did the same. Although it's not like I can keep this one a secret for long,

"Just go in there, sit Aubrey down and tell him." I coached myself while staring into the rearview mirror.

After a minute or so, I started the car up and drove the rest of the way to Aubrey's. The gate opened, and I entered; here goes nothing. As I entered the house, I mentally prepared myself for every reaction possible. The place was surprisingly empty, which was a good thing, but I didn't see or hear Cam either. What I did hear was Aubrey on the phone, engaging in what seemed to be a heated argument with someone. Great, just what I needed. I fully entered the kitchen, finding Aubrey standing by the island counter with a drink in his hand. Not wanting to eavesdrop, I cleared my throat to make my presence known. Aubrey's eyes lifted from his intense conversation and found mine.

"Look, I gotta go, but I meant what I said. We'll talk about it later." He hung up the phone, not even saying goodbye and took a long drink, finishing the brown contents of his glass.

"Long day?" I asked, as I approached him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind.

"You have no idea," Aubrey replied with uneasiness in his voice. He turned around in my arms and leaned down, giving me a kiss on the lips. "What took you so long today, I thought you were just grabbing lunch with Tiana?" He asked. This was my chance to tell him everything.

I let go of Aubrey, taking a step back to lean against the countertop. "Aubrey, we need to talk." I simply spoke, knowing that what we were about to get into was far from simple.

"Yes, we do. I actually sent Cam to hang out with Chubbs so we could have a moment alone." He responded, to my surprise.

"Okay, you go first." Aubrey took a deep breath, running his hand down his face. I don't know why but those mere actions made a lump form in my throat. Why was he so nervous?

"Well... you know that I love you and Cam more than anything," said Aubrey as he reached out, taking my hand in his. I nodded my head, letting him continue. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, especially since we're starting over. Therapy has taught us to be open, even if that means you stop talking to me, or want nothing to do with me... I just can't lie to you and hurt you again." His brown eyes bore into mine and I could see a genuine fear there; a fear of losing me which confused me.

"Aubrey, you're scaring me. What is it?" I asked, waiting for him to blurt out whatever it was. We've only been back together for a little over a month, I know he didn't cheat on me.

Once again, another deep breath left his lips. His hold on my hand loosened as his mouth opened to speak. "Ava's pregnant, and it's mine." He blurted out, looking me dead in the eyes. I paused for a second; the next thing I knew, I was laughing. I know the Universe couldn't possibly be that cruel to me. "Baby, I'm not joking, she's pregnant," Aubrey responded in a very serious tone. I stopped laughing long enough to get a good look at the serious expression on his face. Just like that, I was speechless. "Your silence is killing me right now, please say something."