Forty Weeks (The Langley Brothers)

By Sara Hooper

Kayla and James are from two different worlds. She is a determined black college student from Oakland, California and he is a white party boy from the suburbs of Austin, Texas. From the moment they meet, it is magic. Though each one knows that they will go their separate ways soon enough, they are content to just be together in the time they have.

Things quickly change when an unplanned pregnancy shatters their plans and forces them to reconsider their relationship. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that threaten to tear them apart in order to raise their child together?

Length: 29,000 words
This is a black woman white man interracial romance novella.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sara Hooper
• Release date: Apr 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311818294

Book preview

Forty Weeks

Sara Hooper

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Sara Hooper

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

The Test

Decisions

The Truth Unravels

Acceptance

Bound

Epiphany

Fight or Flight

Change

The Storm

New Beginnings

About the Author

The Test

Kayla Simpson sat nervously on the edge of the bathtub and stared at the white plastic stick in her hand. In a matter of minutes, this little wand would reveal her fate. She purchased it several days ago, but just hadn’t been able to bring herself to put it to use though she was two weeks late and that was very unusual for her. This morning she awoke feeling a little nauseous and her breasts were tender. She held on to hope that her body chemistry was just off kilter due to the birth control pills. She had considered taking the test in the morning, but her boyfriend, James, was due any moment to take her out to breakfast.

Halfway through a quick breakfast at Jack in the Box, her stomach revolted and she had to excuse herself quickly, playing it off as having eaten something that didn’t agree with her. Kayla blamed the eggs on her plate and James believed her. After all, they were being careful. There was no reason to assume she was pregnant just because she had one episode of an upset stomach. Still, it had been difficult for Kayla not to appear as anxious as she felt when she returned from the ladies room. She had only been dating James for a couple of months.

After breakfast, they went to McKinney Falls State Park for a while, walking along the trails and enjoying the gorgeous day and light breeze that blew across them. They strolled hand in hand through the shaded groves that flanked large stretches of the walking path and led to the rocks overlooking the water. The fresh air seemed to help Kayla’s nausea and it had finally passed by the time they made it back to James’ car. After running a few errands, they made their way back to Kayla’s apartment where James went to work on her iPad to fix whatever was causing it to freeze up at inopportune moments.

Kayla was lucky to have a guy that was so tech savvy. She was in her senior year of college where she was studying to complete her business degree, but James had already finished college. He was twenty four, two years older than her, and had already landed a pretty great job for an IT company in downtown Austin. He was a genius with computers and on the fast track for promotion even though he had only been with the company for a couple of years.

Kayla went to work in the kitchen while he tinkered with her tablet. By the time he was done, she finished preparing a couple of sandwiches with a handful of chips on two plates, sitting them on the bar that ran between the kitchen and living room and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. It was a simple lunch, but they had eaten a big breakfast and her stomach still felt just a little unsettled and she didn’t want to overdo it.

They sat eating their food and chatting when Jennifer came home. Hey, guys. What are you doing? she asked.

Jennifer was Kayla’s roommate. Well, she was actually more like her landlord. Jennifer had been looking to rent a room out to help with expenses. Kayla answered her ad and they hit it off right from the start, though they were very different. Jennifer was a little older and of Hispanic descent and prone to outbursts in Spanish when she was upset or frustrated, but she was a complete sweetheart and the two women became very close while living together. It was through her that Kayla met James, the younger brother of Jennifer’s best friend, Roger.

Not much, Kayla responded. We went out for a while and James fixed my iPad. We were just grabbing a bite to eat and trying to decide what to do tonight.

Oh, you should go out with us. Roger and I are going to meet up and hang out with a bunch of folks at that new club opening up downtown. It’s supposed to be a real blow out. You should totally come with us, chica, Jennifer told her excitedly.

What do you think, James? You up for a little clubbing tonight, baby? she said, hoping he would say no but feeling like she had to ask.

Absolutely! I’m all in! he said with a broad smile. But I’m going to be exhausted by then. I got up way too early this morning. Can we maybe take a nap like old folks this afternoon?

Sounds good to me, Kayla responded with fake enthusiasm. She was sure she would need a nap too. They finished up their lunch and cleaned their dishes away while listening to Jennifer go on and on about some dress she had bought for the night and a million other things that popped into her head. As much as Kayla loved her, she could be a real Chatty Cathy sometimes.

Kayla fell asleep quickly after she and James lay down curled up against one another like spoons, but she awoke with a feeling of anxiety that she knew could only be put to rest one way. She quietly crept out of bed to the bathroom and pulled the pregnancy test from where she had hidden it behind the contents in the cabinet under the sink. Now, she sat with her head in her hands, waiting for the results.

It seemed like it was taking forever as she glanced nervously from her watch to the pregnancy test repeatedly. So far, there was nothing. She felt as if her heart was going to beat completely out of her chest as she continued to monitor the change, or lack thereof, in the little window that would tell her the good or bad news. She watched as the blank white portion of the pregnancy test slowly began to change, forming a positive sign where her unanswered question had previously been. She was pregnant. After only two months with James, she had somehow fouled up and gotten pregnant. She began to cry quietly into her hands as the test clattered to the floor.

Startled by a knock on the door, she heard James speaking to her from the other side. It sounded like his voice was a million miles away, coming across land and sea through the thick haze that surrounded her in a cloud of despair.

Honey, are you okay? I thought I heard you crying, he said.

She wiped at the tears on her face and tried to calm down a little. Yes..um, I’m fine. I think my allergies are acting up a little. You know...all this pollen. You probably heard me sniffling. Let me wash my face and I’ll be right out, she said quickly.

Okay, hurry...I have to pee like a race horse, babe, he said, oblivious to the gravity of the situation unfolding just on the other side of the bathroom door.

Kayla quickly grabbed the pregnancy test, stuffing it into the box with the instructions and putting it back under the cabinet. She splashed some water on her face and looked at herself for a moment in the mirror. Already she could see a change in her face and she had to wonder if it was her imagination or if others would begin to notice it soon too. Her sometimes splotchy brown complexion that she evened out with makeup seemed to be a bit creamier and there was already a slight rounding forming about her jawline, telltale signs of a pregnancy glow.

Patting her face dry with a towel, she opened the bathroom door and returned to the bedroom, letting James have the bathroom while she dressed to go out with friends. She admired her perfect figure in the mirror, knowing that it would soon change if she went through with this pregnancy. It was a big decision and she suddenly had a lot on her mind, but