WIDOWer

CHAPTER 7

Once they arrive at 981, Bria walks into Warren’s office, and is instantly drawn to his wall of chaos. An entire wall sectioned off, each section representing a different 981 location and the schedule for each one. Gainesville and Jacksonville locations are overrun with things needing to be done.

Warren walks around his desk, but before sitting down, he looks over at Bria admiring his handy work.

“Make yourself comfortable, and let me know if I can get you anything” he states

Then turning to look at him, she asks

“What is all this?”

“That is my failed attempt at trying to keep my branches organized” he responds then laughs

“I am desperately in need of a competent assistant. You know any good candidates?”

“Maybe you?” he suggests

“I’m pretty attached to my current salary, sorry!” she replies turning back to the wall

“Is that all you’re attached to?”

“Cause, I’m willing to negotiate!” he adds

Bria ignores him and after studying the wall a few more minutes, she sits down on the chair across from him.

When Warren’s phone rings, Bria sits listening to his one-sided conversation

“Hello”

“Yeah, I told you I’d do it and Marcus should be here at three”

“No, I’m here, in the office”

A few minutes later, there is a knock on the door

“Come in!” Warren states

Bruce, the guy from the bar comes walking in with a small stack of papers.

“Bruce, I don’t think you’ve formally met my girlfriend, Bria.” Warren states

“Bria, this is Bruce, one of the managers here!” he continues

“Nice, to meet you” Bruce states

“You as well!” Bria states shaking his extended hand

Bruce and Warren talk for a little while and finally board out of her mind, Bria stands up and walks out of the office. When Warren sees her, he follows behind her and says

“Bria”

“Huh” she replies

“Where’re you going?” he asks walking up to her

“Nowhere, I’m gonna go explore, maybe play a game or two.” She replies

“Here, use this” he states giving her his game card

“I’ll come find you in like twenty minutes” he adds giving her a quick kiss

On their way over to pick Julie up from school, Bria says

“My parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary next month and...” she looks over at Warren pauses, then continues

“And thanks to Sue, my mother was pretty adamant about me inviting you.”

Smiling, Warren says

“Remind me to thank Sue for that!”

“So, your mother’s wishes aside. Is this you inviting me?” he asks

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to go with anyone else, but considering the circumstances. I’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”

“Are you kidding. Forty years of marriage, to the same person, that is something to celebrate!”

“And being they’re your parents, I’d be honored.”

“What circumstances?” he asks glancing over at her

“Nothing, never mind.”

“I’ll text you the dates, you can check your calendar and let me know. FYI, it’s a two-day event. Friday night dinner and a Saturday extravaganza.”

“I’ll mark my calendar” Warren replies

“Speaking of trips, that reminds me. We play you guys in Texas; I think it’s like the first weekend in December. If you’re interested, let me know. A friend of mine has a private suite that his family owns.”

“That sounds like fun and considering I may be unemployed soon; my schedule is pretty much open.” Bria states staring out the window

Julie gets in the car and the first thing she says is

“Hey Aunt Renee!”

“Hi Julie! How was your day?” Bria asks

“It was awesome! Everyone loved my paintings at the fair!”

“I’m glad you’re here, where are we going?” she asks finally looking at Warren

“Hey Jewels!” he states

“Hey Dad, sorry”

“I’m taking you home, Miss. Greta will stay with you until I get back.”

“Why, I don’t wanna go home. Why can’t I just go with you and Aunt Renee?”

Warren just looks at her in the rear-view mirror and seeing his face, she pouts, sits back in the seat, then folds her arms

They pull up to the house a few minutes later and when Julie gets out and storms in the house, Bria grabs Warren’s hand before he can get out and asks

“Hey, where are we about to go?”

“I’m going back to work.”

Shaking her head, in protest Bria says

“I am not going back to 981. Are you going to drop me off at home?”

“After the morning you had, I figured you didn’t want to be alone.” He responds

“I’m a big girl Warren and for the record, you didn’t ask!” she snaps

“I understand that. And…” he begins then she cuts him off

“Ok, are you comfortable with me staying here to keep Julie company?” she asks

“Of course, if that’s what you want to do?” Warren replies a little surprised

“No, I want to be at home in my bed. But you dragged me out the house.”

“But all jokes aside, I think It’d make her happy!”

“At least one of us should be” she mutters under her breath

“If you’d rather stay here than go with me, that’s fine and dragged is an exaggeration” Warren replies

When they finally walk inside the house, they see an older lady in her mid to late fifties with an arm full of folded laundry.

“Hey Warren!” she says when she sees them

“Hey Miss Greta. This is my girlfriend, Bria.”

“Bria, this is Miss Greta, Marcus’s mom” Warren states

“It’s nice to meet you Bria” Greta responds

“You too!” Bria states

And with that Miss Greta leaves the room

“Make yourself at home, I’m gonna check on Jewels then take-off” after giving her a long slow kiss, he looks into her eyes and whispers

“I’ll see you later!”

A few minutes later Warren walks back out of Julie’s room and on his way to the door, he says

“Call or text me if you need anything!”

“Bye Warren!” she says sarcastically

Julie comes running out of her room when her dad leaves

“Aunt Renee, you’re staying!” she asks

“I sure am. I mean if that’s ok with you.”

“Of course, it is! What do you want to do?”

Bria looks around and then says

“Well, I don’t want to get in trouble with your dad, so when you finish whatever, you usually do. We can do whatever you want!”

Julie’s excitement disappears and she says

“Ugh, you mean I have to do my homework first?”

“Honestly, I had a really bad day at work today. So, I could use a few minutes. But I promise when you finish your homework, I’m all yours”

“Ok, I’m gonna be done really fast!” she says getting up from the couch

“I’m sorry you had a bad day!” she adds giving Bria a quick hug

“Aww, thank you! You are too sweet”

“Now go, so we can have some fun before dad gets back!”

Julie races to her room and Bria lays down on the couch. Laying there, she closes her eyes and enjoys the first moments of peace and quiet she’s had since walking into Scope that morning.

When her mind starts to replay the thoughts of Dillon storming into her office. She quickly refocuses her attention to Warren’s reaction when she disclosed her possible pregnancy. Slightly amazed, she realizes that he didn’t have much of a reaction, just wondered why she hadn’t told him.

Awaken by her ringing phone Bria is a little groggy, not even looking at the Id, she answers the phone

“Hello!”

“Hey Renee! How are you?”

“Hey Sue. I’m fine.”

“Where are you? I see your car is still here. Jen told me Warren came and you probably left with him.”

“Yeah, I’m at Warren’s house.”

“I’m so sorry about what’s going on at Scope and with Dillon. I just wanted to call and check on you.”

“Thank you so much!”

“You sound like you were sleep. Let me know when you get home and I’ll swing by”

“Ok, I will” Bria replies

Getting up from the couch, Bria goes into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water.

Then going into Julie’s room to check her progress, Bria peeps her head in and whisper’s

“Hey, how’s it going?”

Turning around Julie says

“Good, I’m on my last math question, then all I have to do is read for thirty minutes, but I can do that later.”

“Ok”

Julie finally gets up from her desk and says

“I’m done, but I’m hungry. Can I eat a snack before we paint?”

“Of course!”

Bria and Julie go into the kitchen, when Julie gets a bag of pretzels and an apple sauce, they sit down at the table.

“So, what do you like most about school this year?” Bria asks

“Well, mostly my friends and the fact that August and I are in the same class.”

“Ok, August is Jodi’s sister, right?” Bria asks

“No, they’re cousins but they live together. Jodi’s dad is in jail, so August’s mom is taking care of her.”

“Oh, okay. That’s nice of her.”

“I asked my dad if you were going to move in with us, but he said no.” Julie states

Bria laughs then says

“You remember the night you wanted to talk, and I said that just because your dad has a girlfriend, that doesn’t mean, that’s who he’ll marry.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say you’d be his girlfriend!” Julie responds

“You’re right, I didn’t. I wanted your dad to decide when to tell you, and I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. I don’t get it. If you like my dad and he likes you. Why wouldn’t you guys get married?”

Glancing around Bria takes a deep breath then mutters

“Why do you have to be such an intuitive child?”

“So, your dad and I have only known each other for a little while. And although we care about each other, we would never want to do anything to hurt you. When I met him, I didn’t know he was your dad, and he had no idea that I knew you.”

“Yeah, he told me that.”

“So, when we saw each other at your birthday party, we were really surprised.”

“But it turned out to be a good thing, right?” Julie asks expectantly

Bria just sits there for a moment, then says

“Honestly, we’re still figuring that out”

A little sadness breaks through the slight smile on Julie’s face and Bria asks

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just really like the thought of you being my stepmom” she mutters

“Hey!” Bria states taking her hand

“Come here” she adds pulling her towards her

When Julie stands in front of her, she gives her a hug and says

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I promise I’ll always be here for you!”

“No matter what!” she adds

“You promise!” Julie asks with a slight smile

“I pinky promise!” Bria replies holding out her pinky

Back to her normal chipper self, Julie says

“I have a great idea. We should cook dinner instead of painting!”

“I…” Bria begins trying to think of an excuse

“Come on, please! It’ll be fun!”

“And plus…” Julie begins

“I said we can do whatever you want!” Bria states cutting her off

“Yes!” Julie shouts

After cleaning up her trash, Julie goes to the fridge and asks

“What should we make?”

Bria is still sitting at the table, just watching her as she searches the fridge

“Something quick and easy!” she states

“Like chicken, we always have chicken!” Julie replies taking a pack of chicken out of the fridge

Then, putting it in the sink, she goes into the pantry. Realizing she is in full on chef mode, Bria finally gets up and helps her find some sides. Soon after deciding on simple mashed potatoes and broccoli, they begin on the chicken.

A little over an hour later, Warren calls and says he’s on his way and shortly after, he arrives home.

Walking into the kitchen with a bouquet of pink roses, Warren is surprised to find Julie and Bria both cleaning up. Searching for the source of the savory aroma that has filled the house, Warren glances around the kitchen.

Walking up to Bria, he gives her a quick kiss and hands her the roses

“What are you guys doing?” he asks

“We made dinner!” Julie states smiling at them

“What?”

“Yeah, Julie made dinner. I just watched” Bria states

“Thank you for these!” she adds with a sad smile, remembering the sound the vase made, when Dillon pushed her flowers on the floor

“You didn’t have to do this.” Warren replies

“I really did!” she whispers winking at him

The three of them sit down to eat dinner a little while after Warren arrives and he says

“This is delicious! You ladies did a phenomenal job!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, Julie did all the work, I just watched mostly!” Bria smiles

“Yeah right! Aunt Renee is a really good cook!” she states

“Aunt Renee, huh” Warren says glancing at Bria

“Is it possible we could maybe drop the aunt part of that” he asks

Smiling, Bria looks at Julie and says

“Since your dad and I are dating, it’d probably be better if you just called me Renee or Bria”

“Ok, sure!” she replies sweetly

When Bria smiles at Warren, he mouths ‘thank you!’

“How was work today, Daddy?” Julie asks

“It was good. I just need to find an assistant!” he states glancing at Bria

Rolling her eyes, Bria gets up from the table and puts her plate in the dish washer. Not long after Julie gets up too and when Warren follows them, he asks

“Jewels, did you finish your homework?”

“I did, except I have to read for thirty minutes.”

“Ok, go read so you can get ready for bed.” He states

“Ok!” she replies

Walking over to Bria she gives her a hug and says

“Thank you for cooking with me today!”

“You are very welcome honey!” she replies

When she finally leaves the room, Warren wraps his arms around Bria with his hands on her belly and whispers in her ear

“Thank you so much!”

Turning to face him, she says

“You are very welcome!”

Then putting her arms around his neck, she says

“We should probably talk!”

“Or we can wait until you go to the doctor” he whispers in her ear

“You seem to be taking this rather well!” she says in a low voice

“I’m pretty familiar with how babies are made!” he breathes

Stepping back looking into his eyes, she says

“I have an appointment Thursday, smart-*ss!”

Warren laughs and before he can reply Bria gets an alert on her phone. When she reads the email, her demeanor changes instantly.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Warren asks

“I just got a termination letter.” She mutters

Shaking her head, she reads through the email as she walks over and sits down on the couch.

Due to the recent unforeseen mass loss of accounts….

Scope Marketing has been forced to…

Effective immediately…

Over the next several days….

Severance packages and…

Sincerely,

Sherly Rutledge CEO

Bria closes out of the email and orders a car home. Looking up at Warren she says

“I’m gonna head home” when he doesn’t respond right away, she adds

“I know you have to get Julie to bed. I just ordered a car.”

Taking her hand, he says

“You are more than welcome to stay here”

“No, I really should get home…” she pauses lost in her thoughts

“Julie is here, and I don’t want…”

“Bria, you’ve had a long day and I’m worried about you. You can stay in one of the guest rooms. No pressure.” Warren says seeing how devastated she is after everything that’s going on

“Just think about it for a few minutes and if you want to go home, I don’t mind taking you” then standing up, he goes to check on Julie.

When Bria gets an alert that her car has arrived, she goes to find Warren. As she walks down the hall, he’s walking out of Julie’s room.

“Hey, is she in bed? I was just coming to say good night.” she states

“She just asked if you would tuck her in” he replies stepping aside

Taking a deep breath, Bria puts on a fake smile in an attempt to control her impending melt down. After saying a quick good night to Julie, she grabs her things and heads towards the door. Seeing her Warren says

“I guess you’re not staying!”

Not really turning to look at him, she exhales and shakes her head. Warren walks over and gives her a hug, then kissing her on the forehead, he says

“I love you and I’m here if you need anything. Good night!”

Gently touching the side of his face, she reaches up and gives him a quick kiss then whispers

“Good night!”

Warren watches as Bria gets in the car parked outside and when they drive off, he closes the door, checks on Julie, and goes into his office to call Doug.

Later that night two men watch as Dillon stumbles out of a lounge downtown just before closing. As he approaches his car, they jump out snatch their ski masks down over their faces and ambush him. One of them smashes his head into the roof of the car, breaking his nose. The other breaks his leg with a baseball bat from behind the knee and once he’s on the ground, they alternate, kicking him everywhere from his head to his already broken tibia.

Leaning down over Dillon one of the men says

“Go near her again or even think her name again and we’ll kill you!” After one final kick, that breaks several of his ribs and punctures his lung, they jump back into their car and speed away. Leaving Dillon gasping for air and fighting for each breath. He is passed out on the ground beaten to a bloody pulp, by the time help finally arrives.

Bria spends most of Thursday morning at her doctor’s office. Following several test, exams, and blood work, she is informed that she’s almost eight weeks pregnant. Once she finishes her appointment, Bria sits in the parking lot for a while unable to move, closing her eyes she sits listening to her heart beating. Overwhelmed by not only the pregnancy but her recent job loss, the fiasco with Dillon, and the tension her relationship with Julie is causing when it comes to her growing affection for Warren.

Later that afternoon, when Bria gets home, she lays down on the couch. Not long after she finally doses off to sleep, her phone rings.

Seeing that it’s Warren, she answers

“Hello”

“Hey Honey, how are you?” he asks

“I’m ok, how are you?” she replies

“I miss you!” he states

“I miss you too!”

“So, does that mean I’m going to see you later?” he asks

After sitting there quiet for a moment, Bria says

“Probably not”

“Why not?” he asks

“I’m just not really…” she begins then pauses unable to think of a quick enough response

“I’m outside!” Warren states

“Babe” she replies when the doorbell rings.

Warren hangs up the phone and after a minute, Bria comes and opens the door. When she sees him, she turns and walks back inside. Following her to the couch, he sits down next to her and asks

“How was your doctor’s appointment?”

Getting back up, she gets the ultrasound pictures out of her purse and hands them to him. Taking it, he says

“Ok, how far along are you?”

“Seven weeks and five days.” She mutters

“Is there a reason you’ve been avoiding me?” he asks

“I’m unemployed and pregnant Warren!” she states glaring at him emotionally drained

“I’m sorry and I know you’re dealing with a lot. But stressing isn’t good for you or the baby.

“I offered you a job Monday, so unemployment is an option at this point.”

“Why are you here seriously?” Bria asks

Surprised and confused by her question, Warren asks

“Would you rather I leave?”

“No, that was a serious question. What do you want from me? What are we doing?” she asks

Warren just sits there watching her, studying her face and after a beat, she starts to speak again

“When we met, I was lonely. I was so angry at Jaylen when he was killed. I said that I’d never, ever give someone the opportunity to hurt me like that again. The night we met, you seemed like a nice enough guy, but the goal was honestly just sex.”

“When you showed interest even after that didn’t happen, I was intrigued. That’s mainly why I didn’t tell anyone about us, I hadn’t planned on it going anywhere. You were busy working and with your daughter, but you still found time for me.” She states staring blankly into the dark tv screen

“It was the little things you did that made me start to fall in love with you. Like the night I worked late, and you brought me dinner. Sending me flowers at work just to make me smile. The stopping what you’re doing to come see me, when you’re not getting a straight answer on the phone. And the time you took off to spend my birthday weekend with me” She states as tears pool in her eyes

“I love you, but I just don’t think I’m ready for this!” She mutters shaking her head finally turning to look at him

Warren smiles and taking her hand he says

“I was lonely and broken hearted after Mia died. We were young and in love, and in the blink of an eye, that love was shattered and not by any fault of our own. When that happens, who do you blame? In your case, it was easy, Jaylen was in an avoidable situation. For the longest time, I struggled with not wanting to love again, because if you don’t love, you can’t lose it. I tried the just sex thing, but it just wasn’t for me.” Warren laughs remembering the thought

“At first, I tried to ignore my feelings for you. But then, I’d find myself ordering you flowers, or texting to say hi, because I just wanted to see how you were. I couldn’t get you out of my head, and the more I fought it, the more I wanted to spend time with you.”

“Then, I figured, I’d introduce you to Jewels and maybe that would make it easier for you to end things. But that just made me fall even more in love with you.”

“I said all that to say, I wasn’t ready for this either.” Standing up, Warren grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet and studying her eyes for a minute, he says

“So, we’re at an impasse. Just two people who coincidentally love one another! Where do we go from here?”

Bria wraps her arms around Warren, then laying her head against his chest, she’s once again soothed by the fragrance of his cologne, transcended in that very instant, above every insecurity, every hesitation, and trepidation.

The serenity being in his arms created was all that mattered and just one more thing for Bria to add to her lengthy list of reasons for loving him.

The two of them stand that way for a while until the doorbell rings, ruining their moment of bliss. Stepping back just enough to lock eyes with him, Bria puckers her lips and leaning down Warren meets her halfway, but when he goes to pull back, she deepens their kiss, not wanting the moment to end.

Once Bria’s phone rings, she finally releases Warren.

Answering the door, she finds Jennifer and Susan standing there. When they glance past her and spot Warren, Susan whispers

“Oops!”

“So sorry. But we need to talk to you, and you wouldn’t return our calls or texts!” Jennifer states walking in

“Well, come in and make yourself at home!” Bria states as they barge in

“Hey Junior!”

“Who is Junior, I thought his name was Warren!” Jennifer whispers

“Hey Warren!” she adds

“Hello ladies!” he replies walking to the door

Walking out with Warren, Bria says

“I’m so sorry!”

Standing not far from her front door, Warren turns and says

“It’s ok, they’re just worried about you! We all are!”

“I have to go get Jewels anyway.”

“Call me later!” she states

“I certainly will!” he replies sweetly

Leaning in, he gives her a quick kiss then whispers

“Do you want these back?” pulling the ultrasound pictures from his pocket

“No!” she says quickly shaking her head

“You can hang on to them!”

With a big smile he says

“I love you and I’ll see you two later!”

“I love you, bye!” she replies turning and heading back inside

Jennifer tells Bria about Dillon’s attack, and they make plans to visit the following day.

Susan invites Bria to come partner with her at the nail shops again for the millionth time, telling her that Scope closing is a sign. After turning her down again, Bria says that Warren’s offer to come work with him is seriously starting to look more appealing.

The ladies also remind Bria of Lauren’s birthday party at the lounge tomorrow night and that her attendance is absolutely mandatory.

Later that night Warren calls Bria and after discussing District 981, he asks her to spend the weekend with him and after agreeing to meet at the lounge, they say their good nights.

Shortly after noon, Jennifer and Bria arrive at the hospital to visit Dillon. After they get checked in, they head up to his floor, passing two of their former colleagues on the way out, Jennifer says

“I guess it’s Scope visiting day!”

“Yeah, I still don’t know if this is a good idea” Bria states when their on the elevator

“He was just upset Monday. Dillon will be happy to see you, trust me!” Jen replies

When they walk into Dillon’s room, he is all bandaged up and the nurse is taking his blood pressure.

“Hey Dillon!” Jennifer says causing him to turn towards them

When Dillon turns and spots Bria, he freaks out!

“NO! NO! NO!” he shouts pulling the sheet up over his face

“GET HER OUT! GET HER OUT, NOW!” he screams

Shocked by his outburst, Jennifer, and Bria both leave the room. Confused, they stand and wait in the hall. A moment later the nurse comes out and closes the door behind her.

“I’m sorry ladies, Mr. Randell is asking that you not be allowed to visit” she states seeming slightly confused as well

Bria just turns and starts to walk down the hall

“Ok, did he say why?” Jennifer asks

“No ma’am. He was pretty adamant though!”

“He wants me to call security!” she whispers

“I’m sorry!” she adds

“No, that’s fine, we’ll leave” Jennifer states

Then turning to leave, she meets Bria at the elevator

“What the h*ll did you do to Dillon?” she asks

“Absolutely nothing!” Bria responds

Jennifer laughs and says

“He acted like you attacked him and put him in here!”

Seeing Bria isn’t laughing Jen asks

“Wait, you didn’t attack him, did you?”

“No, shut up Jen!” she replies

Once they get in the car, Jennifer says

“I need to call Doug and see if he’s gonna be at his lounge tonight”

“His lounge?”

“What do you mean his lounge?” Bria asks

“Doug owns like six lounges between here and Atlanta. How do you think I know him?”

“I don’t know, you know a lot of people, especially guys!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Jennifer replies

“Down the street from one of Doug’s lounges is where Dillon was attacked the other night” she adds

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s not the one we’re going tonight though. We’ll be at the one we went to before, where you met Bae!” she smiles

It’s almost ten o’clock when the ladies arrive at the lounge. As they’re gathered around the table, the server comes over with a tray full of drinks and before she leaves Bria asks

“Can I please get a virgin margarita?”

“No, no virgin drinks allowed!” Jennifer states interrupting her

“Please and thank you!” Bria nods at the server and she leaves

“Why are you doing this? It’s Lauren’s birthday!” she says

“We’re celebrating!” she replies as Lauren and another friend of hers walks up

“Happy birthday Lauren!” everyone says raising their glass to her

The server returns with Bria’s drink and Lauren asks

“What is that?”

“It’s a margarita!” Bria laughs

“A virgin margarita!” Susan states

“Still a margarita!”

“You not drinking Bria?” Lauren asks

“No, but whatever, tonight is about you!” she states deflecting

“I know, come on. Let’s dance!” Lauren replies pulling everyone up to the dance floor when the DJ starts playing ‘sorry, not sorry’.

They dance to ‘Bottoms Up’, and Bria notices Doug as he slides up and starts dancing with Jennifer. The DJ breaks the music to do a special birthday shout-out to Lauren, then plays a clip of ‘It’s Your Birthday’!

Now exhausted, Bria attempts to leave the dance floor when ‘Rude Boy’ come on. But Susan takes her hand and says

“No, just one more song!”

Rolling her eyes, Bria says

“Ok, one!”

After a minute of dancing with Susan, Bria feels someone slide up behind her and she quickly spins around. Pleasantly surprised when she sees Warren smiling back at her, she wraps her arms around him, and he whispers

“Hey sexy?”

“Hey!” she replies

They dance to the rest of the song and Bria says goodnight to the other ladies before leaving with Warren

“Where are we going?” Bria asks when Warren leads her towards the back of the lounge instead of the front door

“I parked in the back” he replies opening the door for her

“Why didn’t you tell me Doug owned a lounge? Or lounges?”

“I didn’t know you cared” he replies opening her door

When they get in the car, Warren asks

“How do you know he owns the lounge?”

Bria exhales remembering the reaction Dillon had at the hospital earlier in the day

“Jennifer mentioned it earlier.” She replies

“Oh, yeah. He has a few” Warren states then asks

“Do you wanna grab something to eat?”

“No, I’m not hungry. I’m just ready for a hot bath and a bed. Where are you going?” she asks realizing they’re not heading in the direction of her house

“Um, home.” He replies

“I thought we were going to my house. You know I didn’t bring anything with me” Bria replies

“Well, I doubt you’ll need anything!” he says smiling

“I do plan to brush my teeth, shower and…” she stops looking at him

“I have things that I need” she says finally

“Okay” he replies turning around

Twelve minutes later, they arrive at Bria’s house. When Warren turns the car off and gets out, Bria says

“You don’t need to get out, I’ll only be a minute”

Walking up to her and taking her hand, he explains

“We can just stay here tonight if that’s ok. I know you’re tired”

Once they walk inside Bria puts her bag on the counter and turning to Warren, she takes his hand and pulls him into a hug.

“I’m sorry.” She breathes

“Don’t be, you were right”

Pulling him down into a long slow, pleading kiss then leading him to the room, Bria says

“I’m tired, let’s go to bed!”

The early morning sunlight beams through the opening in the bedroom curtain, shining directly onto Bria’s face as Warren lays gazing at her. When she rolls away from the light, he wraps his arm around her. Not long after enjoying the comfort of his arms, Bria gets up to use the bathroom.

When she comes out, Warren is looking up at her.

“Baby on your bladder?” he smirks

“Not even remotely funny!” she replies climbing back into bed

“You’ve been rather poised since I handed you that ultrasound picture.” Bria states

“How did you expect me to react?” he asks

“I mean, I’m kinda losing my mind!” she confesses

“Why?”

“Weren’t you listening when I told you that I don’t know if I want to have a kid!”

“Do you still feel that way?” Warren asks

“I don’t know, I guess I’m still wrapping my head around it”

“For what it’s worth. I’m a little less anxious with you by my side.” She adds then smiles

Warren smirks at her then rolls her on her back

“This is how we got into this in the first place!” she smirks

Kissing first her neck, then nibbling on her ear he whispers

“I’m not sorry!”

Bria gasps then says

“I can see that!”

After they finish eating breakfast, Bria packs a bag, and they head to Warren’s house.

“Have you thought anymore about my job offer?” Warren asks as they settle down on the couch

“I have actually and…” she begins

“And yes, you accept!” Warren says when she pauses and just looks at him

“And I need more information” she states laying her head down on his lap

“Side note, I’d rather we keep this baby thing to ourselves for a while, if that’s ok.” Bria states looking up at him

Warren lays his hand on her belly and says

“Of course!”

“Just make sure your new boss doesn’t stress you out too much!” he whispers

Bria just shakes her head then pulls him down into a kiss.