He sits across the big conference table from me. His eyes plead with me to just understand the conflicts inside is own head. My own heart aches inside from the pain that overtakes me every time she puts her hand on top of his. The overwhelming urge to lunge at her from across the table eats at me every moment that the clock ticks. I hate the predicament that she’s put all of us in, because I was happy with him, I wasn’t settling, and with her in the picture, I have to settle for nothing and it kills me slowly every moment. 

The only person happy in the room is Lauren, which isn’t different from most other days. Justin’s miserable, I’m heartbroken, Trace is mad as hell and even though he won’t get involved in personal affairs, Nick Evans knows deep down what’s going on in this conference room. The desperation oozes out of Lauren’s mouth with every word she speaks and my pen slowly cracks every time I smack it against the table. 

“We’re pregnant, so we definitely want the land,” she states. At this point, I’ve had about enough and I know deep down that something about this situation isn’t right, it just doesn’t add up. 

“Forgive me for being intrusive Mr. Evans, but don’t you think a paternity test is in order to determine whose child it actually is?” Nick’s face drops along with Lauren’s in protest. 

“Frankly, Miss Hall, I highly doubt that has anything to do with my clients’ decision to pursue the land. What would such a test prove anyways?”

My eyes match with Justin’s for a moment, and I beg deep down for him to understand what I’m trying to get at here. There’s a distinct chance that Lauren could be pregnant with a child that isn’t his. I know this, so does he, but the question is if he’s man enough to ask. 

“Frankly, Mr. Evans, with Miss Winter already having a child, I believe such an effort is a necessary action and precaution and it’s in the best interest of our clients.” Her face falls, and immediately her eyes bore through me, as if me knowing her secret makes this all more difficult for her.

“That’s none of her fucking business,” she seethes, she grabs Justin’s hand but he removes it from her lap, unable to deal with the situation.

“I’m sorry, J. I was waiting for the right time to tell you, but she had to be her normal fucking self and get into our business.” She turns to me, “You have no right to deal with this, you’re fucking digging for shit because you don’t want him with me. Fucking sideline whore.” 

Justin plays into the whole situation, acting shocked at the time, “Well, Lauren, don’t you think a paternity test is fitting, considering you failed to tell me you already have a child.”

“J, I’m sorry! I was waiting for the right moment, it just wasn’t right now,” She pleads with him. 

“Get the fucking test, Lauren.”

“Justin,” Nick interrupts seeing the hurt in Lauren’s face and a little bit of defeat, “That’s absolutely preposterous and unnecessary to do such a thing.” 

“Nick, am I paying you?” Justin questions, his face contorting, glaring at Nick.

“Yes, of course, sir.” Nick says, defeated.

“Then shut the fuck up.” 

Lauren stands from the chair, ready to walk out of the room, “Justin, I really don’t want to do it. I mean, we know it’s yours, of course it is, whose else could it be? It’s obviously yours.”

Trace moves around his chair, fumbling with the papers in front of him, mumbling, “Mother fucking tramp, bet you it’s not even hers.” 

I want nothing more then to end the meeting, not being able to stand looking at her face anymore. “I believe that’s all for today, Nick. Is there anything else we need to cover?” I question, Nick shakes his head and the meeting is adjourned. 

Trace looks up to me and we hang around in the room, waiting for everyone to filter out of the room. Trace sits up on the table, feet on the chair. He shakes his head as he replays the past couple of days over in his mind. 

“Liz, you fucking rock. No joke, that was the best shit I’ve ever seen. Homegirl was straight shocked. She had no fucking clue what to do...” he looks up at me noticing the pain over my face, “Liz, you know it’s not his, I know it’s not his,” he states, “because if it were, he wouldn’t doubt it at all. He’d never, ever, ask for a paternity test. If there’s even a shadow of doubt, he’s going to ask for one, which tells me that it can’t be his, it just can’t be.” 

I look up at him as I arrange the papers into the folder, “But what if it is, Trace? Even if the first kid isn’t his, if this one is then he’ll never leave her. And you know she’ll never leave him and where does that leave all of us? It leaves you without a best friend and me without the love of my life.”

Trace plays the scenarios over in his head again,“Something about Nick Evans is involved in this picture, too, Liz. I get a weird feeling about all of it. Somehow, someway, he plays into this mess too.” 

“Trace, you’re reading too much into it. What if Justin fucked her, and now they’re going to have a kid,” the tears start flowing from my eyes.

I hear the conference door open and Trace looks up at the figure standing in the doorway, “Dude, aren’t you afraid of the bitch coming to find you? You know you’re on enemy territory.”

Justin glances at me quickly, running his hand through his curls. “What the fucks it matter? She forgot to tell me about a child, I think I’m allowed to do whatever the fuck I please.”

He moves to stand next to me, his warmth overcoming my body as he puts his arms around me, “It’s not mine... it can’t be. The nights just don’t add up. She’s apparently sixteen weeks pregnant, and sixteen weeks would be around four months and four months ago, according to her around the 15th of September...” he rambles and my mind travels back to that night as he continues to talk about the incident. “if anyone were to be pregnant with my child,”

“It would be me,” I interrupt, the tears still flowing and my mind is flooded with memories from that night. Every move, every word, it all seems like so long ago, like a distant memory that I’ll never get back. I completely disregard it, not wanting to get my hopes up in the least. 

I move out of his grasp, trying not to become too involved, I’m angry and hurt, “Justin this is fucking complicated! Don’t you get it? If it’s yours you’re going to stay with her.  And even if it’s not, you, like Trace, are reading too much into this. What if it is yours? I will not get my hopes up for something that may or may not be true. I’m only betting on the reality of life now, not the fantasy.”

He turns to look at me, his face reflecting the hurt that radiates throughout his body, “Liz, this isn’t fucking fair. Stop and give me some time to figure all of this shit out. If it’s not mine, then she and I are over, we’re fucking finished. I love you, you know this, you’re my best friend and possibly more. But you can’t fucking wait for me to figure this out.”

Trace gets up, knowing that the conversation is becoming a private one and grabs his coat off of the chair, “If you need me,” he says while leaning in to give me a hug, “You know exactly where to find me.”

He moves to shake Justin’s hand and tells him he’ll talk to him later and again I’m left in a room with the man responsible for breaking my heart to pieces. He looks up to me, his blue eyes pleading once again.

“You remember that night, I know you do. Although I was piss drunk, I remember most of it, too. We were perfect together, every second of it was perfection. So, no, I don’t think it’s mine, not at all... but I want to wait for the test to confirm my suspicions.” He sits on the table and pulls me in between his legs and I move to look around his shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact. The walls are all covered by curtains, the door is shut and I feel like once again I have nowhere else to turn. 

He moves my face to make eye contact with him, “If you give me time, this will be okay. We’ll be okay.”

“I can’t keep on giving you time, Justin. I keep giving and giving and every time I do that bitch finds a way to bring you back and you do, every fucking time. And it kills me, it hurts me more than you know. I can’t keep being walked on and being used for sex, I can’t do it.”

He shakes his head, his eyes piercing through me, “You know I’m not using you for sex. You know that has nothing to do with it. Making love? Yes. Sex? No. You know that every time I see you that it kills me inside to know it’s not your hand I’m holding, it’s not you that’s pregnant with my child. It kills me every moment of everyday. But you don’t know, because I was so stupid that I believed that you purposefully put her and I together a long time ago because you didn’t want to be a part of this.”

“Didn’t want to be a part of what, Justin? What didn’t I want to be a part of?” I’m confused at this statement, unable to understand what he is saying. 

“You know, the celebrity aspect of it. You hate the red carpet, you can’t stand the fans. She eats it up, she’s a paparazzi’s dream because she makes a fucking show out of everything.”

I shake my head, “You know that I don’t believe in the external aspect of your fame, you’ve always known that. I hate the fact that people make you out to be something or somebody that you’re not. To me, you’re just my Justin, my best friend. To me, you don’t have any money, you aren’t a celebrity and that’s me being me, not somebody who just wants your money.”

He pulls me closer to his face, “So where do we go from here?” 

I move backwards, not wanting to be tempted by something that isn’t mine, “I go back to my office, and you take Lauren for a paternity test.”

He grabs my hand as I try and walk away, “We’re going to be okay, Liz. I promise you.”

I shake my head, picking up the folder on the table, “Stop promising me the world and then giving me hell. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then it’s just not meant to be.”