Her routine had changed ever so slowly. Her nightly visits to the gym were now shared by Joanna, and the time spent on weekends studying the latest in possible takeovers now waited until Monday. More than once she had forgotten her briefcase and more than twice she hadn’t cared, but as she looked away from the lamp to the shelves filled with books and to the laptop sitting closed on her desk, Addison felt lost.

Hearing a light rapping on the door, she looked up just as Joanna walked into the room.

“Hi there,” Joanna said.

“Hi.”

“I know you said you need some time, so I guess I’m breaking my promise, but I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“You,” Joanna said, taking a seat. “Addison, what’s wrong? I thought you wanted this.”

“I do.”

“You haven’t even smiled, and I know you went through the process, too, but I thought at the very least I’d get a congratulations or a well done or...or something.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking. Why are you so quiet? What’s on your mind?”

Addison fell back in her chair. “It’s just...it’s just my life has changed so much since I met you. I mean, sometimes I look in the mirror, and I’m not sure it’s me anymore. I used to be so...so focused on work and doing what I do best, but now it seems that’s slipping away, and I’m not sure I want it to.”

Joanna leaned back, her lips drawing into a straight line as she looked at Addison. “What’s that mean? Are you telling me you don’t want this child because it’s a little late for that?”

“No. No, that’s not what I mean,” Addison said, running her fingers through her hair. “I-I-I don’t think that’s what I mean.”

“You don’t think it’s what you mean?”

“It’s not,” Addison said, raising her voice. “Joanna, I wouldn’t have gone through what we’ve gone through these past few months if I didn’t want a child. It’s just...it’s just now that it’s happening, it’s...well, it’s a shock. Okay? It’s a shock, and it’s going to further change my life and...and I just need to sort that out in my head.”

Joanna opened her mouth, but she uttered not a sound. They had spent endless hours talking about a having a baby and had spent countless afternoons visiting clinics and doctors. Weekends had been devoted to poring over sperm donor reports trying to find just the right bloke to help them out, and through it all, Joanna had never once doubted Addison’s sincerity. There had never been a reason to, but now there was.