I guess he took the news pretty well. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't anything like this. Never would I have thought he'd clear his schedule.

But how is this supposed to work out? It's not like Storm is a part of my life. He won't really be there for the pregnancy. He won't be there when I give birth or when the baby is allowed to go home with me.

He'll only ever see the baby every once in a while. And I'm not sure I should trust this man with a child all by himself. I'd fear he'd burn the house down on accident or something like that.

I guess these are things we still have to discuss. But not today. I really need to get away from him and this talk. At least for one day.

I need to think about all of this in peace. Need to clear my head and find out what would be the best for this child.

"Can I take the day off, please? I really need some time to think."

Storm's expression still gives nothing away. Nothing at all. This whole time he's been looking at me with the same frown. The same grumpy frown he always has going on.

There was a split moment when I thought he was a bit surprised, but that faded right a second later. So I'm not quite sure it was even there.

But there is one thing I can tell for sure. He is hesitant. Like he doesn't know how to respond to my questions. That would be a new one. Storm always has something to say. Something rude, of course.

His eyes bore into my soul. It's hurting. He doesn't move one bit, and his eyes stay connected with mine as he thinks. I've never been met with a stare more intense than his.

"I'll probably go to Target and look for baby stuff. That's quite convenient, right? A bit early maybe but still useful, I guess." Why do I feel the need to tell him this? Storm doesn't care.

"How recently did you find out you're pregnant?" he asks, completely dismissing my question to take the day off.

"As recently as it could get. Like 3 minutes before I stormed right into your office, sir."

He take a deep breath and slowly nods his head a couple of times. "So you haven't been to a doctor to get a confirmation."

I shake my head no. I haven't. God, I probably should have done that before I let my boss know I'm pregnant with his child.

Cause what if I'm not really?

"You'll take the rest of the week off. Get your pregnancy confirmed and let me know, will you?"

I nod, but then shake my head. "I can't afford staying home for a whole week."

He sighs deeply. "Sierra, you can afford that," he tells me like he knows my expenses. I sure can't afford that. "You'll still get paid for these days off. I wouldn't tell you to stay home for a week and not pay you."

Oh.

He slides a hand down his face like he's regretting his whole life choices. Or maybe just the choices he made that include me.

I'm sure telling the press he's knocked up an employee won't bring any good headlines. I mean, as good as I might be at my job, not even I could turn it into anything good.

The only way to make it sound beneficial for him would be to say him and I were dating way before I started working for him. And even then it would sound wrong.

What kind of CEO provides a job for his girlfriend? (Not that Storm and I are in a relationship of any kind) I suppose if one wanted to work together with the love of their life, it still sounds better than "I've knocked up my PR worker without ever having had one talk with her before."

Well, at least the lie I told Ted earlier might come in handy.

"Beau won't write the report," I tell Storm. It's not what we've been talking about right now, but before I forget, I might as well inform him. "He's more likely to mess up information. He's good at his job, but Beau usually writes about the more positive things happening in your company than the negative."

"I know," Storm answers, leaning back in his chair. I've never seen him sit like he's an actual human. Laid-back and... sort of at ease? No. This man is stiff and proper at all times. "I'll think of something. I'd assume finding a lie to come up with won't be too difficult."

I guess not. But lying and making up a good lie are two different things. Especially if this lie is supposed to fool millions of people.

"I'll have a good explanation by Friday. Until then, you cannot say a word to anyone," he speaks in that bossy tone of his.

Great. That means hiding from my best friend. Not that Athena would give me a chance to make up a lie about why I marched in here like I'm dying if not.

-♡-

An hour later, I'm at the nearest Target, walking up and down the baby clothing aisle. These tiny clothes are the cutest things I've ever seen. If I had some more money, I'm sure I would buy the entire aisle.

But neither can I afford that, nor do I have the space for that many clothes in my apartment. The same apartment I'll for sure have to move out of thanks to space problems.

I certainly can't raise a child in a one-bedroom apartment.

I mean, I suppose it is possible. But my child deserves better than this. Especially with a father that could probably afford to buy a country.

"Sierra?" someone speaks from behind me.

Turning around, I'm a bit startled to find my brother and nephew standing there, staring at me. Hunter looks happier than his father to see me. Though I think Cody is happy, just a bit taken aback... and confused.

"Hey," I say and kneel down, holding my arms open to take Hunter into a big fat teddy bear hug. He giggles and immediately runs into my arms.

"What are you doing here?" Cody asks, furrowing his eyebrows at me. "In the baby section, I mean. Not Target."

I got that much. "Looking around, you know." I hate lying to Cody. Lying to Athena, I can deal with it. She'll understand eventually. But lying to Cody is like lying to a doctor about allergies. Useless and dumb.

He narrows his eyes. "Why'd you do that?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I'm bored, so I figured I could look around."

With one look at my shopping cart, my lie is completely busted. Of course this would happen today. Today of all days, it's only going to get worse.

Thankfully, Cody doesn't comment on the baby clothes in my cart. He only nods dismissively.

I let go of Hunter to stand back up to face my brother.

"Shouldn't you be at work?"

"She has the week off," someone replies for me before I get the chance to.

What the hell is he doing here? Is he stalking me or something? Storm has better things to do than hang in the baby aisle at Target.

Cody's eyes flick to the men behind me. Something dangerous glistens in his eyes. "And you are?" my brother asks, pretending not to know my boss. At the same time, Hunter starts to giggle, taking a step towards Storm before Cody pulls him back.

Of course Cody knows him. I think everyone in this state does. And people from other states, possibly from other countries even.

And even if Storm wasn't publicly known, Cody knows him from me, and most definitely from Athena. Because I've been talking about Storm's moody ass and his grumpiness every day for the first month of me working for him. I'm sure so has Athena.

"That's Mr. Storm, my boss," I say, narrowing my eyes at my brother. Cody is a bit nosy. Especially when he suddenly sees me with a guy. Though, I wasn't exactly expecting to be seen with one, and definitely not with my boss.

"Aha." Cody holds his finger over his lips like he's expecting some more information. "Is baby clothes shopping with the boss a part of your job now, Sierella?"

I sigh. It's all I can do before I would lose the ability to keep my mouth shut. And when I look up to see Storm's face, I can tell he's kind of waiting on me to tell him who Cody is. At least I think that's what he is waiting for?

I'm not sure. I can't quite figure that man out. Nor his expressions. The ones that always look the same.

Guess I'll just have to pray he wants an introduction. "Mr. Storm, this is Cody," I say, choosing not to answer Cody. "My brother."

Storm is standing so close behind me, I can feel his heat radiate over to my body. I hate this. I don't even like this man and the fact that for some reasons I feel his presence in my stomach... that's not good at all.

Literally in my stomach. A piece of his DNA is kind of in me, forming life with mine. God. That's a really bizarre and weird thought.

"I see," Storm speaks quietly, laying a hand down onto my hip. He leans down until his mouth is close to my ear as he whispers, "You shouldn't lie to your family."

Technically I wasn't lying. Not yet. I didn't say I wasn't pregnant, and neither did I say I was. Introducing Storm as my boss wasn't a lie either. He is my boss.

"Your sister is pregnant."

What the hell happened to "don't tell anyone"?!

Cody's eyes flicker between Storm and me. When I thought he had something dangerous in his eyes before, it only intensifies with every new look he takes of Storm.

Something passes between them, but I'm not sure I even want to know what it is.

Cody doesn't seem too surprised. I mean, he does look like he's seen a ghost, but it's not like he's surprised. I think he's come to that conclusion after taking a look into my shopping cart.

"Dad, please can I get a new toy?" Hunter asks, pulling at Cody's jeans, desperately wanting to get going. Cody nods. I know my brother, and his incapability to say no to his son when it comes to toys.

I wonder if some day, Storm would be just like that. Not being able to say no when his kid wants a new toy.

Probably not. He'll most likely grunt a no and flee the room.

"You better call me when you're home, Sierra," he says strictly. I know that tone well enough. It's the tone that says he's worried and mad at the same time.

But the worst part... I can't blame him. He's had to be worried about me for years. He watched me become one with the walls behind me, hiding in the shadows.

Cody knows what happened to me. And he's well aware of my strict no-men rule.

And now I'm pregnant.

Just great.

As he begins to walk away, I grab a hold of his wrist, causing him to turn back around. In a soft voice I say, "Cody. It's nothing like..." I can't even say his name without fearing tears to swell over. "He's nothing like Nico. I promise."

The second his name leaves my mouth, Cody tenses. He tenses so much, I can feel it under my touch.

Then I notice how Cody's eyes wander over my shoulder, looking at Storm. The anger burning in his gaze is one I've never seen before.

"Are you sure?" I nod a confirmation. "Sierra, take the smallest red flag and leave." He speaks without taking his eyes off Storm. "The moment he gives you a reason to, trust your intuition, please."

"I will." My voice is small. So quiet, even I can barely hear it.

I'm unsure where Cody's sudden overprotectiveness comes from, but at the same time it's not unexpected. He's always been protective of me, kept me away from his male-friends because he knew they'd scare the crap out of me. He double-checked anyone I let close to me, always. But then there was this one time he didn't... and that guy turned out to be anything but nice. Ever since then Cody kept a closer eye on me, or tried to.

But even so, his coldness is off-putting. It's not him. The Cody I know would interrogate anyone by my side, even with Hunter around.

After pulling me into a tight hug, Cody releases me, takes Hunter by his hand and they're leaving. With them gone, I'm left alone with Mr. Storm.

I'm kind of afraid to turn to face him, knowing he had heard Cody's plea for me to leave when I have to.

"Why did you come here?" I ask, not yet turning around. I think I might need a second to gather myself before I have the strength to do so.

But before I even know, Storm walks around me, lifting my face with his index finger. "I don't think we were done talking."

But I thought we were?

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering my question, Storm slides a hand into his pocket, taking out a credit card. He takes my hand, placing his American Express Black Card in it.

I have to blink a few times before I can even really wrap my mind around the credit card that I'm holding.

"You're not spending even just one dollar of your own money on this child. I'd assume you need a bit more space for the two of you to live, that means more money spent on rent. You'll need to buy groceries to be able to keep you both fed. Groceries are expensive. I don't want our child to be missing anything, so whatever you might have to buy, you'll use this card."

He can't be serious, can he? This is totally crazy. Especially for him.

The man that doesn't so much to look at anyone for five seconds, just handed me his credit card. Not just some credit card, no, his American Express Black Card. Followed by the PIN-number.

"Mr. Storm, I can't do that. This is as much my child as it is yours. I can't let you pay for everything."

Storm looks around the aisle, seeing if someone is around. "Can we please go somewhere else and discuss this? Somewhere more private?"

"I think it would be odd if we went back to your office an hour after I left."

"I believe so. Which is why we won't go to my office."