"Athena, could you let Ms. Bloom know that I'm still waiting for an answer? Or could you tell her I'd like to speak to her? So whenever she's got a minute, I'm expecting her in my office," I speak through the phone, tapping my fingers onto my desk.

"I could schedule a meeting?" Athena suggests. I would have her do it, but scheduling a meeting for a two-minutes talk is unnecessary.

Sierra is about 12 weeks pregnant now, and she's still refusing to move in. It's really fucking annoying.

She also tries her hardest to avoid me. The only times Sierra so much to speaks to me is when I stop her from going home and make her give me some information about her pregnancy.

As far as I know, she still hasn't informed Athena. Which honestly surprises me. But it surprises me more that Cody hasn't. Especially after he called to yell at me for touching his sister good six weeks ago.

"I didn't even know she is your sister until she introduced us to one another," I told him, but Cody didn't care. He wouldn't want to see that I never meant to fuck his sister, let alone get her pregnant.

Well, I meant to fuck Sierra, I really did. But had I known she's my best friend's sister, I sure wouldn't have.

Okay, let's be honest, I still would have. But I would have tried everything necessary not to get her pregnant right away.

"A meeting won't be necessary. Just get her into my office, preferably now," I snap.

"Atlas," Athena speaks just as harsh as I'm speaking to her, "Sierra is busy with work. If you want to speak to her, just show up in her office."

I thought about that. But Sierra shares an office with Cromwell. Talking to her there would be more than a mistake. Plus, it's an open floor. Anyone could walk in.

Perhaps she could use a new, less public office. And I have just the idea where that will be.

"Why do you keep asking about her every other day anyway? What's happening?"

I don't answer. Instead, I hang up the phone completely and march right out of my office. Athena tries to speak to me, but I'm not having it. I need to get out of here.

If I spend one more minute running after a tiny blonde woman, I might as well chop off my balls and had them over to her. Frankly, she has me in a chokehold already, so it doesn't make much of a difference.

I don't fucking lose my head over anyone.

It's Friday, almost to evening. That makes a good time to leave early and forget Sierra for one night.

I don't quite understand how she dares to ignore me. Probably every other person knowing me wouldn't disobey me. They would never even disagree with me. And yet Sierra doesn't seem to be afraid of me at all.

It is fucking annoying. And still it's... humbling. Sierra is occupying my head three-fourth of the day, and I have no idea why.

As I walk down the street towards the nearest bar, I send Cody a quick text, telling him where to meet me. No matter how mad he is at me still, I know he'll show up.

We haven't been through 15 years of friendship for him to ghost me because his sister is pregnant.

Perhaps after six weeks, I could really use some advice from the guy that knows how to handle an accidental pregnancy. And, I sure hope he can help me with his goddamn sister. He should know her better than I do.

I suppose I could call my sister, but she wouldn't exactly help me out. She'd be more trying to convince me to keep Sierra in my life for the sake of the baby. Like that's not exactly what I'm trying to do.

As I sit in the booth and wait, I spot Sierra walking past the bar. For a moment I want to walk out there and force her to speak to me, but I'm not that pathetic.

Only five minutes later, Cody walks into the bar, making his way right over to me.

"What's up, Dicky?" Cody sits down across from me, nodding his head as a greeting. "Whatever you called me here for, you'll be paying."

I grunt disapprovingly, but of course I know I'd be paying for everything. Not that it would hurt me to do so.

"Okay, one whiskey for sir grumpy and whatever I want, right?"

I nod, glad to find out he still knows our order, even though it's been years since we've gone to a bar together. With me being a busy CEO and him having a family to care for, it's quite impossible to find time. That's also why I'm a bit surprised he managed to show up so last minute.

When Cody comes back from the bar with our drinks, he sits back down and looks at me with anticipation. He knows he's not here to get drunk. I hate that he knows it, that he knows me a little too well.

And when I don't speak, even avoid to look at him, he clears his throat. "Spit it out, Dicky. Why was I supposed to meet you here?"

"Just for some drinks," I lie. Asking for advice is pretty damn difficult. I can't just ask straight forwardly.

"Aha, drinks," he repeats to me. "I think you're finally breaking."

"Breaking?" I blurt out, furrowing my eyebrows. What the hell is that even supposed to mean?

"Atlas, you're half a year away from becoming a father. And the woman carrying your child isn't talking to you. You sure as hell are breaking."

"Thanks for reminding me." Now I regret inviting him. There seriously was no need reminding me that Sierra avoids me.

She doesn't have to like me. I'm not even taking that badly. I know I'm not really likeable, but c'mon, she could at least have a normal conversation with me. Not only because I keep her from leaving otherwise.

"You're very welcome." Cody takes a good sip from his beer. "I'm still hella mad at you for getting my sister pregnant," he begins, then looks around to make sure no one's listening. "But if you really want to coparent with her, you'll need a lot of patience."

I figured that much.

"How so?"

Cody shrugs. "It's not my story to tell, but she's a bit afraid of men. Okay, a bit might be an understatement. She'd have panic attacks when one just looked at her in public a few years ago."

I don't let my surprise show. "Are you mad at me for getting Sierra pregnant, or mad at her for letting a man close to her?" I happen to think it's a good question. Cody knows very well these accidents happen. And he certainly can't be mad at me for sleeping with his sister when I had no idea he even has a sister.

He sighs deeply. "Honestly, both. Though, Sierra always wanted kids. But she kind of—I shouldn't tell you that. I'm kind of glad it's yours and not some asshole's."

Raising my eyebrows, I patiently wait for Cody to correct himself.

"Not some asshole that isn't you. You're like the boss asshole. The one who's responsible for the existence of this word. But at least you know when to stop and not to push any further. You're respectful, mean and fucking intimidating, but respectful."

"I'm not mean," I veto. "I just like people keeping their distance."

"Keeping your distance to Sierra will be both, good and bad. It's not easy getting her to trust you. But you also won't see her, or the baby much if you don't try. She'll be happy alone. And she sure will manage to live without your help."

Can he stop? Like, why does he have to make me feel bad about everything that is connected to Sierra?

What the hell am I even supposed to do? If she has some man-phobia, forcing me into her life is only going to do bad things to her. But if I don't, Cody is right, I most definitely won't see much of my own child.

"Does Athena know Sierra is expecting?" I ask, hoping to turn the topic away from how awful I am.

He shakes his head. "You haven't made it public yet. She would talk, you know her." That I do. Not too good, but I know enough to be sure Athena is a talker. She loves gossip and can't keep her mouth shut about it. "I'm in no position to tell her, and Sierra hasn't otherwise Athena would have come running to me to tell me."

"Well, your sister isn't exactly talking to me, so I can't really make it public yet." Something else interests me. So I have to ask, now that I have the chance for it. "How come Sierra isn't afraid of you?"

He chuckles. Maybe it's a stupid question, but I'm interested to get an answer anyway. "She had no one else to confide in to. Sure, Athena was there, but Athena is Sierra's age. She needed someone that had a bit more experience in life."

Maybe it would make more sense if I'd know what the hell happened to her.

"Your mother?"

Cody shakes his head again, dismissively. "You know she died when I was fifteen. Sierra was forced to grow up with my father. And he's not hers. I'm pretty sure he made her feel that. Not sure my father likes Sierra very much."

"Why did you never mention her?" I mean, I've known Cody since we were fourteen. That's fifteen years of friendship and I never even knew he had a sister.

"She was homeschooled. Never really left our room because she was too scared to do so. I honestly didn't think you'd ever meet her. And then she got a job and it just felt wrong admitting to it now."

Has she been afraid of men all her life?

"Also, I wanted to keep her away from you specifically. Even then you were kind of intimidating. I didn't want her to be scared with you around. And I guess I figured if you ever were to meet, I wanted her to meet you on her own terms and not force her to like you, you know?"

I do, in fact, not know. "Not sure I know what you mean. Why would you want her to like me?"

Cody takes another sip from his beer, holding eye contact as he does. "Because"—he sets down his beer—"You're my best friend, Atlas. You're kind of part of my family, now more than you've ever been. I know you hate me saying this stuff, but I love you, man."

"Great, but that still doesn't answer my question."

He sighs deeply, like me not understanding is almost equal to murder. "Sierra is my actual sister. If she hated you, or you scared her too much... I would have stopped talking to you. I'd do anything for her, even go to jail and shit, and that doesn't exclude dropping my best friend like a wet paper towel out of nowhere."

-♡-

It's only 8 p.m., and yet I could picture Sierra being asleep already. She's young, but that doesn't mean she's the type to go out on a Friday evening and party.

Judging from what Cody told me earlier, I'd go as far as to say she doesn't really go out to party. Perhaps she's the type to drink champagne while watching a movie with a friend. Clearly not anymore.

I meant to go straight home after the bar, and yet I find myself right in front of Sierra's apartment door. I'm not the kind to back out of something I wanted to do at one point, so I knock.

It takes her a little while to open the door, and I'm not sure if that's because she doesn't want to open it for me, or because it's 8 p.m. and she wasn't expecting any visitors anymore.

"Mr. Storm?" She looks a bit startled, but I can't blame her for it.

I catch her looking me up and down, and I do the same with her. She's wearing dark blue Disney shorts with a fitting tank-top. As far as I can tell, she doesn't wear any makeup, and her hair is put up into a ponytail, showing her neck. The same neck I remember kissing, slightly biting.

She's also not wearing a bra, showcasing her perky boobs just perfectly through the shirt. And when the cold from the stairwell hits her, I can see her nipples slowly begin to harden.

The sight brings me right back to naked Sierra, kneeled down in front of me, with her pretty mouth wrapped around my cock.

Or Sierra under me, her boobs swaying as I thrust in and out of her, listening to the sounds she makes.

I really shouldn't be thinking of that night right now. It's causing a reaction in my pants, an erection I shouldn't be getting right now.

"Can I come in?" I ask. Sierra nods and takes a step back as she allows me to enter. As I've been here before, I know where to find her living room.

"Is there a reason you came to see me this late?" Sierra stands on the other side of the room, crossing her arms in front of her chest. I, on the contrary, seat myself on her sofa.

"Indeed, there is." I look towards the TV. She was watching a movie before I came. And as far as I can tell, she must have gotten a new TV. The last time I've been here, there were a few punch holes in the screen. Been wondering how they got there ever since. "Are you afraid of me, Sierra?"

"No," she answers immediately, but it's a bit too fast for my liking. A bit too enthusiastic. Like she's trying to convince herself of it.

I rise my eyebrows at her, calling her out on her bullshit without having to use words.

"Why are you here, sir? I doubt you go around and visit all your employees. And as my boss, it's really inappropriate for you to just show up here."

"Cut the boss shit, Sierra," I snap, having had it with that excuse. "I'm done with this. I've told you over a month ago that I want to be a part of all this, your pregnancy, everything. I need to make sure you're okay, and not force that information out of Athena when she doesn't even know the whole truth."

"You're the one not wanting me to talk to anyone about it, remember?"

"Yeah. Which is why it'll change now. You don't want to move in with me, so I'm moving in with you."