Under the Influence

Chapter 89

Before we even knew it, we had made it to fifteen weeks. These might have been the hardest fifteen weeks of my life, but I made it. The fatigue was still hitting rather hard, but the sickness was subsiding and the cravings were in full effect. I often craved pickles. So often in fact that I keep a jar with my name on it at work.

And yes, that is a dead giveaway.

I hadn't told anyone yet about my pregnancy two weeks ago, but the moment I put that jar in the communal fridge, everyone had their suspicions. I found people offering me alcohol (as a test, I suppose), decaf coffees, and extra snacks in general.

They knew, despite the fact that I didn't tell anyone.

And last week, Mr. Reynolds finally caught on. With my bump growing every week, I had continued to wear loose fitting tops or dresses, different than my usual wardrobe. But I also often had hard candies to curb my nausea and would snack much harder during meetings. I used to take it extremely serious and would never eat any of the food sometimes offered in the meetings, but I couldn't help it anymore. I was often hungry after throwing up, or just because that was what pregnancy was doing to me. He didn't say anything for awhile, but I'm sure he noticed, that and the weight gain, which to me, was the most obvious.

"Mia, I know this might be a sensitive topic, but is there something you might need to tell me?"

He asked after we finished closing a business deal, and you guessed it, I was finishing off the snack plate.

"I guess it's safe to tell you now."

"Really? You really are?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant!"

And we excitedly shared a hug.

"I somehow keep telling you before most others!" I said, smiling brightly. He was so happy for me that I was even more grateful for him and this job.

"I'm so happy to hear it, you two deserve it more than anyone else."

"Thank you so much. I would've told you sooner, I know you would eventually need to know, but I was just being extra cautious."

"I completely understand, Mia. Don't worry about it. How far along are you?"

"14 weeks."

"Well, you're absolutely glowing, I truly mean it."

And I knew he did. I even felt like I was glowing.

"Thank you."

I still hadn't officially told everyone else at work, but everyone knew. There was no more hiding the bump.

I wore my usual, now tighter fitting clothing while I still could and I received so many congratulatory messages the first time I did, finally confirming everyone's thoughts.

Aside from the work family, no one else knew yet.

We hadn't seen our family in a few weeks, so they still didn't know yet, but Kyle and I were planning a baby reveal—which would also reveal the gender.

Kyle and I were getting more and more excited, and each day, it continued to get easier. Everything. My mood was brighter than ever, my health was perfectly fine and we were all so happy to be welcoming this baby into the world in a few months.

Amalia was also super excited. She nearly let the secret out a few times, but she couldn't help it. She wanted her baby brother or sister to be here as soon as possible.

And sooner rather than later we would be finding out if the baby is a boy or a girl. A large part of me still wanted to wait and be surprised at the end of my pregnancy, but the other huger part of  me couldn't wait to do the things I didn't get to do before like setting up a nursery and buying clothes.