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“But what about your work at Age Gap Academy? You could get fired if they find out we’re dating. It could be even worse for you if I’m pregnant.”
“Avery, I like my teaching position, but you’re more important. If I had to choose between being with you and teaching rich people’s kids how to cook, I would pick you every time without hesitation,” I say earnestly.
“But you were some of the first teachers there.”
“Honestly, that’s why I think it’s unlikely we’d have to make the choice in the first place,” Phillip adds. “They practically begged us to join their staff when they were starting out. I don’t mean to be overly conceited, but we were and are some of the top people in our fields—at least in the Tri-State area.
“Besides, the students at AGA are mostly from high-profile families, so even if they did find out, firing us right at the end of a session would cause a scandal. That’s the last thing they’d want.
“At worst, they just don’t invite us back and review your portfolio with a little more scrutiny.”
“But won’t you miss it?” she asks.
“Not if I have you.”
“What about you, Jamie? You’re semi-retired. Won’t that cause you problems?”
“Not at all. I’ve got investments and I still hold the majority stock at Catalyst Consulting. I’ll be fine.”
Her brow furrows. “So why do you do the temp jobs, then?”
“They’re not exactly temp jobs, but it was the easiest way to explain it when our relationship was in the early stages. Now that things are more serious, I can give you the full picture.
“The jobs I work are at Catalyst or businesses that the company owns. I hop around from place to place to make sure the employees are being treated properly and that everything is functioning the way it’s supposed to. If there are problems, I call the CEO and he comes down and fixes them. That way, I can keep passing as just the temp.
“To be perfectly frank, I have enough money and lawyers on my side that I could just buy the academy outright or start my own if I wanted to keep teaching. Everything in my life is replaceable except for the family we’ve found with each other. Understand?”
Her lower lip is trembling, and there’s a tear or two sneaking down her face, but somehow, she’s also smiling.
I will never understand women.
Avery reaches out to Jamie and Phillip and pulls them in close until the four of us are an indistinguishable blob.
I don’t exactly enjoy being sandwiched between my two friends like this, but I don’t kick up a fuss because it’s what Avery needs right now to feel loved.
The alarm on her phone goes off, making us all jump. By virtue of her position on my lap, I can feel every inch of her body clench so tightly, I’m worried she’s going to snap in half.
“Deep breaths, Avery,” Phillip encourages. “That test isn’t magically going to make you pregnant if you’re not and unpregnant if you are. It’s just a result.”
“Unpregnant?”
She giggles, but it seems more from nerves than anything else.
“Hey, I’m just as nervous as anyone here,” he protests. “Cut me some slack.”
“Do you want us to go in with you and look?” I ask as she stands up.
“It’s all going to happen in my body, so I want to go grab it by myself, if that’s alright with you three.”
“Like you said, it’s your body. If anyone has the right to know first, it’s you,” I say.
Jamie and Phillip nod their agreement.
“You all take such good care of me. I love you so much.”
We all respond in kind. Maybe we’re a little more terse than we might have been otherwise, but that pregnancy test is hanging over us like the Sword of Damocles.
I find myself revisiting her behavior over the past few weeks.
