Unexpected Love

Chapter 16

John clapped his hands together loudly. "How about we go out to celebrate? Drinks on me." He suggests as he stands up. 

"Sounds good to me." Richard says this as he stands up too. "You coming, Stella?"

Stella glanced at her ring. "I appreciate the invite, but I'm going to have to say no, and..." She trailed off for a moment. "I just want you guys to know how much I appreciate the offer and the recognition it means a lot to me. I have wanted this job since the first week I started in the mail room."

"That's right, you started in the mail room; within two months, you were moved to the first-floor personal assistant, and then you just took off from there." Richard says as he remembers. "You climbed that ladder faster than anyone else has ever done, including me, becoming one of the most successful business women."

"The only successful business woman in all seven buildings."

Stella was surprised by that. "Really?"

"Yes, we have lots of women working for the company, most in the mail room, or personal assistants, and so on, but no other woman has ever taken the initiative to climb the ladder like you did. You are an inspiration to us all; I'm blessed to have you as part of my team, and I look forward to seeing you in action as president and spending more time with you."

"Wow! I had no idea." She smiled as she thought about all her accomplishments.

"It's why we picked you, Stella; you are going to rock at this."

"You guys have no idea what it means to me to hear and to know how much you guys believe in me. Like I said, the first week in the mail room, I told my best friend I was going to run this company one day; that was the goal, and now that I have the goal... " She trailed off.

John and Richard gave her a concerned look.

"I'm afraid I have to turn it down; it's not that I want to; it's just that my goals have changed. I still want my career, but I also want a family."

John sat down, looking disappointed. "Stella, you can still do the job and have a family in the future when you find someone if you choose that road."

"I know that I could do the job, be a wife, and be a mom; that's not a concern to me, but I'm not traveling like that; traveling in my condition is not a good idea. And I already found someone."

"I didn't know you were married," John says.

"Me either." Richard added. 

"I'm not yet, but I'm getting married the first week of December; I'm engaged." She says this as she holds up her hand, showing her engagement ring to them. Both men just looked at her. "And I just found out that I'm pregnant."

"Oh!" John said. "I didn't think you were the type to believe in marriage and kids."

"Why?"

"Nothing personal; it's just that I've heard you don't date and you are always working, and you did say something at a holiday party a few years ago about never getting married—that marriage isn't for everyone." John reminded her.

She nods. "Life is very unexpected sometimes, and trust me, falling in love with Kelly was definitely unexpected." She looks at the picture of the two of them on her desk. "It was the best unexpected thing to ever happen to me, and so is this baby. I love what I do; I love my job, but I love Kelly more. I'm not giving up my career. I love it here, but I'm not the person for the president's spot. Even though I know that I could handle it all and that I would have the support of my soon-to-be husband, I don't want to travel. I'm really sorry. "

"So am I." John said as he stood up. "You would have been a great president, but it's just like a woman choosing a man over her career. I thought you were different. I guess I was wrong." He then walks out of her office.