Second Hand Waitress

Kira sat up slowly, startled as her head spun and her stomach churned in protest.

"Morning sickness? Yeah, right," she muttered. The name was misleading—it could hit at any time of the day. She took a few deep breaths, waiting for the dizziness to settle. When she felt steady enough, she got up and made her way to the door, peeking into the living room. Jake was sitting on the couch, kissing some guy Kira had never seen before.

They didn’t even notice her enter the room. Only when she cleared her throat did they finally pull apart.

"Hey, Kira," Jake said cheerfully. "This is the guy I told you about—Greg."

"Oh, Greg! Of course," she lied smoothly. "Jake talks about you all the time."

Greg—who looked about ten years younger than Jake—smiled sweetly. The way he gazed at Jake made Kira feel sorry for him.

She turned toward the kitchen and was relieved to see that Jake had actually cleaned up a bit. He must have done it before Greg arrived. He left Greg on the couch and followed her into the kitchen.

"Hope you don’t mind us hanging out here tonight," he said, not really sounding like he cared what she thought. "Greg still lives with his parents, so we can’t go there."

"He lives at home?" Kira frowned and glanced at Greg again, reassessing his age.

"He’s about nineteen, maybe twenty," Jake said with a shrug. "But isn’t he adorable?"

"Jake, he’s just a kid," Kira said, exasperated. She was growing tired of Jake’s constant flings. "When are you going to stop messing around with younger guys and find someone more mature?"

"Older guys aren’t as fun," he whispered smugly. "And Greg might be young, but he makes up for it in energy."

"Well, you and Greg will have to go somewhere else tonight. I’m expecting guests," she said firmly.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Guests?"

"Lexi and Becky are coming over," she explained.

Jake rolled his eyes. "They’re not guests. They won’t mind if Greg and I stay."

"I need to talk to Lexi about something important. I just need some privacy."

"Since when do you keep secrets from me?" he teased.

Kira lost her patience. "Since now, okay?"

Jake took a step back, his expression turning cold.

"You don’t have to snap at me," he said stiffly. "Keep your precious secrets." He turned toward Greg. "Come on, babe. We’re not wanted here."

His passive-aggressive tone annoyed her, but she sighed. "Jake, it’s just for a few hours. I’ll text you when they leave."

"Whatever." He grabbed his coat. "Come on, Greg. I’m sure we’ll find somewhere else to go."

Greg’s wide, confused eyes darted between them, but he nodded and followed Jake out. Kira shoved down the guilt. She didn’t have the energy to deal with Jake’s drama right now.

Later that evening, Kira sat at the kitchen counter, her hands curled around a cup of tea as she stared down at the untouched slice of cake in front of her. Becky had brought over some pastries, but Kira didn’t have much of an appetite.

Lexi had been quiet since she told him about the pregnancy. His usual warm and relaxed demeanor had vanished, replaced by something heavy and unreadable. Becky had tried to fill the silence with small talk about the weather and the broken oven at her bakery, but she kept glancing nervously at Lexi like he was about to explode.

When he finally spoke, his voice was ice-cold.

"Who’s the father?"

Kira’s hands clenched around her cup. "That doesn’t matter."

"You do know who he is, right?" His words hit her like a slap. She sucked in a sharp breath, her shoulders curling inward.

"Lexington Kira Samia!" Becky snapped, her usual gentle tone replaced with rare anger. "That was out of line."

Lexi sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I’m sorry, Kira. That wasn’t fair. I just—I hate seeing you in this situation, and the guy who got you pregnant isn’t even stepping up."

"It’s my choice, Lexi."

He gave a stiff nod, his jaw tight. But the look in his eyes still stung—it was disappointment, frustration, and worry all rolled into one.

"So, you’ve decided to have the baby but don’t know if you’re keeping it?" he asked after a long pause.

"Yeah."

"When do you think you’ll know for sure?"

"I don’t know," Kira admitted, her voice shaking. "I don’t feel anything about this baby—not happy, not excited, not even angry. Just... trapped. And scared. And so, so stupid."

Her eyes burned, and she blinked rapidly, willing the tears away.

Lexi let out a deep sigh. "Oh, Kiki," he murmured, using the childhood nickname he had given her long ago. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. That was all it took. The tears spilled over, and she buried her face in his shoulder, feeling like a little girl again.

"We’ll figure this out," he promised. "You’re not alone in this."