At fourteen weeks, the morning sickness finally eased.
I woke up one morning, waited for the usual wave of nausea, and nothing. Just normal hunger.
"Adrian," I shook him awake. "I'm hungry."
He cracked one eye open. "That's nice, babe. Go back to sleep."
"No, you don't understand. I'm HUNGRY. Like, actually want food. Not crackers. Real food."
Both eyes opened. "Really?"
"Really. I want pancakes. And bacon. And eggs. And.."
He was already out of bed, pulling on clothes. "I'll tell Margaret. Pancakes, coming right up."
Twenty minutes later, I demolished a plate of food that would have fed three people. Adrian watched with undisguised amusement.
"Feel better?"
"So much better." I leaned back, satisfied. "I think the second trimester is going to be good."
"Good enough to go back to work full-time?"
I'd been working from home mostly, too exhausted and nauseous for the office. But now.
"Yes. I'm ready."
"You sure? There's no rush.."
"Adrian, I've been home for six weeks. I'm going stir-crazy. I need to work. Need to feel useful."
"You're growing a human. That's useful."
"You know what I mean." I took his hand. "I miss the office. Miss doing more than just conference calls from the couch."
He studied me, then nodded. "Okay. But if you get tired,."
"I'll rest. I promise." I kissed him. "Stop worrying. I'm pregnant, not dying."
"Can't help it. Worrying about you is my full-time job now."
"You have other jobs. Like, actual CEO responsibilities."
"Those are part-time compared to this."
Returning to Blackwood Empire felt like coming home.
My office was exactly as I'd left it, except someone Margaret, probably had left fresh flowers on my desk.
"Welcome back!" My assistant Claire appeared with coffee decaf, she'd remembered and a huge smile. "We missed you."
"Missed you too. What did I miss?"
"Three new client pitches, the Harrison account is finally moving forward, and.." she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "..congratulations. Everyone's talking about the baby."
I groaned. "Already?"
"Adrian might have mentioned it. Repeatedly. To everyone." Claire grinned. "He's very excited."
"He's impossible."
"He's in love. It's sweet."
I couldn't argue with that.
The morning passed in a blur of catching up. Emails, reports, meetings I'd missed. It felt good to use my brain for something other than pregnancy symptoms.
At lunch, Lucas stuck his head in.
"Boss wants you in the conference room. Client meeting in ten."
"Which client?"
"Grayson Industries. Big potential contract."
I grabbed my files and headed to the conference room. Adrian was already there with three people I didn't recognize two men and one woman, all in expensive suits.
"Sophia." Adrian stood, pulled out the chair next to him. "This is Richard Grayson, CEO of Grayson Industries. His VP of operations, Tom Chen. And their legal counsel, Patricia Moore."
I shook hands with each of them, noting how Grayson's gaze flicked to my small but visible baby bump.
"Mrs. Blackwood. Pleasure to meet you." Grayson's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Congratulations on the pregnancy."
"Thank you."
"How far along?"
"Fourteen weeks."
"Wonderful. My wife went through four pregnancies. I know how demanding it can be. Probably the last thing you need is a stressful contract negotiation."
There it was. The subtle dismissal. The assumption that pregnancy made me weak.
I smiled pleasantly. "Actually, Mr. Grayson, pregnancy has made me sharper. Something about growing a human makes you very efficient with your time. Now, shall we discuss this contract?"
Adrian's lips twitched with suppressed amusement.
We spent the next hour discussing terms. Grayson tried several times to direct questions to Adrian instead of me, despite this being my project.
"Mrs. Blackwood handles all marketing partnerships," Adrian said the third time. "You'll need to convince her, not me."
"Of course, but surely."
"Mr. Grayson," I interrupted smoothly. "Let me be direct. Your company wants access to Blackwood's distribution network. We're willing to provide that for the right price and terms. Now, you've offered fifteen percent revenue share. We want twenty-five."
"Twenty-five is excessive."
"Is it? You'll be using our infrastructure, our reputation, our client relationships. Twenty-five percent is more than fair." I slid a document across the table. "These are comparable deals in the industry. As you can see, twenty-five is actually below market rate for what we're offering."
Grayson studied the document, his expression souring.
"Perhaps we could compromise at twenty percent."
"Twenty-three, and we provide marketing support for the first six months. That's my final offer."
"Mrs. Blackwood, with all due respect, I think we should take some time to consider."
"Take all the time you need. But this offer expires at five PM today. After that, we're moving forward with Grayson's competitor, Chen Corporation." I stood, gathering my files. "They've been very interested in a partnership."
That got his attention. Chen Corporation was Grayson's biggest rival.
"Wait. Let's not be hasty." Grayson glanced at his team. "Twenty-three percent with marketing support for six months?"
"And a three-year commitment minimum. We're not interested in short-term partnerships."
More glances. Tom Chen whispered something to Grayson.
"Fine. We accept your terms."
"Excellent." I extended my hand. "Patricia, have your legal team draw up the contracts. We can sign by end of week."
After they left, Adrian burst out laughing.
"That was brutal."
"They were trying to lowball us."
"I know. And you destroyed them. While pregnant." He pulled me close. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen."
"Really? Negotiations turn you on?"
"You turn me on. Especially when you're being ruthless in business meetings." He kissed me, then rested his hand on my bump. "Our kid is going to be a shark."
"With you as a father? Definitely."
The afternoon brought another challenge.
I was in a meeting with the board when one of the older members Gerald Foster, who'd been skeptical of my position from day one cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Blackwood, given your condition, have you considered taking maternity leave early? We wouldn't want the stress to affect the baby."
The room went silent.
"My 'condition,'" I said carefully, "is called pregnancy. And no, I haven't considered early leave. I'm perfectly capable of doing my job."
"Of course, of course. But surely you'd want to focus on preparing for motherhood—"
"I can do both. Women have been working while pregnant for generations, Gerald."
"I'm just thinking of what's best for the company."
"What's best for the company," Adrian cut in, his voice sharp, "is having our best marketing director continue doing her job. Sophia's pregnancy doesn't affect her competence. Unless you're suggesting it does?"
Gerald backpedaled quickly. "No, no. I just meant."
"Then let's move on to the next agenda item." Adrian's tone left no room for argument.
After the meeting, I found Adrian in his office.
"Thank you for backing me up in there."
"Always. Though you didn't need it. You were handling Foster just fine."
"Still. It helps to have backup." I sat on the edge of his desk. "Is this going to be a thing? People doubting my ability because I'm pregnant?"
"Probably. Some people are idiots." He swiveled his chair to face me. "But Sophia, you don't have to prove anything. Not to them, not to anyone."
"I know. But I want to. Want to show them that being pregnant doesn't make me weak or incompetent or any less capable."
"You've already shown them that. Today with Grayson, just now with Foster. You're proving it every single day." He stood, wrapped his arms around me carefully. "But if it gets to be too much, if you need to slow down."
"I'll tell you. Promise." I leaned into him. "Right now, I feel good. Better than I have in weeks. Let me ride this wave while I can."
"Okay. But the second you get tired."
"I know. Rest, hydrate, elevate my feet. You've read every pregnancy book ever written."
"Just want you both safe."
"We are safe. We're perfect."
That evening, Elena and I met for dinner while Adrian and Lucas had a guys' night.
Elena was sixteen weeks now, her bump noticeably bigger than mine.
"You look amazing," I said, envious of her glow.
"I feel amazing. Second trimester is incredible. All the energy, none of the nausea." She patted her stomach. "Though this little one is already a troublemaker. Feel this."
She grabbed my hand, pressed it to her bump. I felt a flutter movement.
"Oh my God. Is that."
"The baby kicking. Started yesterday. Lucas cried."
"Adrian's going to lose his mind when ours starts moving."
"How's work going?" Elena asked. "Lucas mentioned you went back full-time."
"Good. Exhausting, but good. Had to deal with some sexist comments today, but handled it."
"Let me guess men assuming pregnancy makes you stupid?"
"Basically."
"I got that too. Had a client actually ask if I was still capable of designing his website or if I needed to hand it off to someone else." Elena's eyes flashed. "Told him I could design better while pregnant than he could think with his entire brain."
I snorted. "You didn't."
"I did. Then I fired him as a client. Life's too short to work with assholes."
"I wish I could fire clients."
"Perks of owning your own business." She sipped her water. "But seriously, how are you feeling? Beyond the work stuff."
"Honestly? Overwhelmed. Happy, excited, terrified. All of it at once."
"Same. I keep thinking about how our lives are about to change completely. No more spontaneous trips, no more sleeping in, no more."
"Freedom?"
"Yeah. But also.." Elena's hand went to her bump, "..I can't wait. Can't wait to meet this little person. To see Lucas as a dad. To have this family we're building."
"Me too." My hand found my own small bump. "It's crazy how much you can love someone you've never met."
"Right? Like, I'd die for this baby. And I don't even know what it looks like yet."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both lost in thought.
"Our kids are going to be best friends," Elena said finally.
"Definitely. They won't have a choice."
"Forced friendship through parental manipulation. I love it."
"We're going to be those moms, aren't we? The ones who plan playdates and dress our kids in matching outfits."
"Absolutely. And I have zero shame about it."
At home that night, I found Adrian in what would become the nursery.
He'd measured the room, made sketches, researched furniture. Now he stood in the center, looking overwhelmed.
"Hey," I wrapped my arms around him from behind. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I just.." He turned to face me. "I want this room to be perfect. Want everything to be perfect. And I don't know where to start."
"Start with the basics. Crib, changing table, somewhere to sit."
"But what color? What theme? There are so many options and.."
"Adrian." I took his face in my hands. "Breathe. We have five months. We'll figure it out."
"What if we don't? What if the baby comes and nothing's ready and I've failed before I even started."
"Stop. You're spiraling." I kissed him softly. "You're going to be an amazing father. And this room will be beautiful because we'll make it together. Okay?"
He exhaled slowly. "Okay. Together."
"Always together."
"I looked at cribs today," he admitted. "There are like fifty different safety standards and I don't understand any of them."
"We'll ask James. He raised you, he must know about baby furniture."
"Good idea." He relaxed slightly. "I'm being crazy, aren't I?"
"You're being a first-time dad. It's allowed."
"You're not freaking out about nursery furniture."
"I'm freaking out about other things. Like whether I'll be a good mom. Whether I can balance work and baby. Whether.."
"You'll be incredible. At all of it." His hands settled on my hips. "We're both going to mess up sometimes. Make mistakes. But we'll figure it out together."
"Together," I agreed.
He kissed me, slow and sweet, then pulled back with a smile.
"Want to paint the room tomorrow? Just to get started?"
"What color?"
"I'm thinking soft gray. Gender neutral, goes with everything."
"Soft gray sounds perfect."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Let's do it."
That night, curled in bed, Adrian's hand resting on my bump as always, I reflected on how much had changed.
Three months ago, I was fighting for my life at a gala.
Two months ago, I was on my honeymoon, not knowing I was already pregnant.
Now I was planning nurseries and negotiating contracts with a baby growing inside me.
Life was strange. But it was ours. The life we'd fought for, survived for, built from nothing.
"Sophia?" Adrian's voice was drowsy.
"Mm?"
"I love you. Both of you."
"We love you too."
"Can't wait to meet this baby."
"Me neither."
"Sophia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For choosing me. For giving me this family. For making me happier than I ever thought possible."
Tears stung my eyes. "You've given me the same thing. A family. A home. A future I actually want to live."
"Best deal I ever made."
"Best decision I ever made."
He laughed softly. "We really need new lines."
"Never. Those are ours."
"Forever ours," he agreed.
And as I drifted off to sleep, safe and loved and growing a life inside me, I sent a silent thank you to whatever force had given me this second chance.
I'd used it well.
Built a life worth living.
Found a love worth keeping.
And now, we were creating a future worth fighting for.
One day at a time.
Together.
Always together.
END OF CHAPTER 16