Bound By Her Bump novel Chapter 10

Eric got to the restaurant at exactly 7 pm. He had discarded his suit and was now putting on a dark fitted shirt and pants with a black jacket. His hair was styled in his favourite way and he hoped Annie likes the way he styled it.

Since the restaurant was a five-star restaurant, he booked a VIP spot for them.

Twenty-five minutes passed without any sign of Annie and Eric became kind of sad with the thought of her not showing up.

Soon enough, he sighted her beside a waiter who was directing her to where he was seated.

Eric's heart started beating twice faster as soon as he saw her. She was also in a casual outfit, almost as if they were matching. He watched as she walked towards him and that was when he concluded that she was more beautiful in person.

Few more steps for Annie to get to where their table was, Eric rose to his feet, ready to welcome her.

"Hi." He said nervously as soon as she approached him.

"Good evening." She replied with a smile.

He pulled out a chair for her, she muttered a small thank you and sat down.

"I'm sorry for showing up late. I was busy with one of my customers." She apologized sincerely, hoping he wasn't angry for keeping him waiting.

"It's fine." He replied with a smile which showed his left dimple.

"So how are you?" He asked, looking at her intently.

"Fine, you?" She was literally freaking out on the inside but tried to be on her best behaviour on the outside.

"I'm good as far as you are fine and our baby is fine too." He replied with a smile.

"Thanks for making time to see me today." Annie nodded.

Eric contemplated for a while but he decided to do it anyway. He took Annie's warm hand in his. He could tell she wasn't herself around him. She seemed kind of uncomfortable. Hopefully, She would warm up to him when he said all that was in his mind.

Eric couldn't help but notice how her hand fitted perfectly into his.

Annie, on the other hand, swallowed painfully as soon as his skin came in contact with hers. She felt a shiver run down her spine which made her wonder what was happening.

Eric looked into her beautiful eyes. "Don't be scared Annie, I promise not to hurt you or our baby. I know this wasn't what we planned but I want us to work, not only for the sake of the baby but for our sake. I want us to know and be there for each other. Please, will you give us a chance?"

She stared at him for a while, thinking about what he said. She eventually responded with a nod, deciding to give him a chance not only in her baby's life but in her life also.

"Thank you!" He replied with a smile, then freed their hands. Annie had no idea why she felt cold when he removed his hands from hers. She wondered what it would be like to have Eric's arms wrapped around her.

"How is work?" He asked, trying to make a conversation as a female waiter served them food and drinks.

"Work is fine and I try not to stress myself." She said, accessing the food, the waitress served.

Eric nodded, thankful that she was mindful of her health.

"How did you know these are my favourite?" She asked referring to the food on the table.

Eric grinned. "Let's just say I did my homework well. Eat up, You don't want our baby to starve. Do you?" He winked at her.

"Or should I feed you?" He offered, earning a blush from Annie.

"No thanks. I'll manage." She replied then dug into her delicious food.

They were halfway through with their meal when Eric decided to make small conversations.

"I waited till 11 pm yesterday hoping you would upload a new video." He said after which he took a sip of his red wine. Then folded his arms and waited for Annie's reply.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused as she placed a napkin on the table.

"I was waiting for a video update but you didn't put up one." That was when it hit Annie.

Her heart skipped a bit. "You watch my YouTube videos?"

Eric smiled "I do."

Annie couldn't believe it. She was sure as hell that Eric was a very busy person who she believes has more important things to do than to sit and watch all her videos.

"Are you serious?" She asked unbelievably and he nodded in affirmation. A smile still plastered on his face.

"Did you??? Oh my God!" She groaned and hid her face in her palm as she remembered talking about him on a few occasions on her channel. No wonder he knew the address of her workplace and her favourite food.

"Did I do what???" He smirked, knowing what she was talking about.

Annie blushed in embarrassment.

"So I guess you've always wanted to meet me and I'm glad destiny brought us together," he said with a warm smile. Annie knew her face was as red as a tomato which was why she avoided looking him in the eye.

"I love all the content you put up on your channel. I'm one of your diehard fans." He commended.

"Thank you." She whispered, not knowing what else to say. Her cheeks were still red from blushing.

"So how have you been?" He asked, his voice showing concern. "Any morning sickness?" He was worried about her. He had witnessed his mom being pregnant with three children so he knew how much mothers had to endure.

"Fine and so is the baby. So far I haven't experienced any morning sickness."

"I don't know how you'll feel about this Annie but I wanted to talk to you about it first."

Annie nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"No one except my best friend knows about you and the baby. I want to tell my parents and siblings about you and our baby. I wanted to know if you are okay with me telling them."

Annie's eyes were glued to him as he spoke. She could not help but admire the handsome man seated in front of her. She was happy he cared about her opinion.

"It's fine Eric. You can tell them. I think they have a right to know."

"They will want to meet you." He added.

"It's fine. I'll show up when they do." She replied with a small smile. The thought of facing Eric's family scared her but she had no choice but to give in when the time came. If she was in their shoes, she would also want to meet who was carrying Eric's child.

He placed his beautifully manicured hand over her right hand that was on the table. "Now that I have you and our baby, the media will surely be around you. They'll want to know what's going on between us." He said and Annie went mute as she looked down at his hand which was shielding hers.

She had not thought about the fact that the press would be running after her and who knows, She and Eric's picture might be all over the newspapers and magazine tomorrow morning.

"I promise you, no pictures of us tonight will be in front of any magazine whatsoever." He assured and she felt relieved.

Annie has not updated her mom and stepdad about the insemination being successful. Neither has she told her siblings who the father of her baby was. Only Ella knows everything for now.

"You need not worry about the media harassing you. I'll take care of that. But I want you to know that we'll eventually have to talk to the media about us and our baby. But that will be when you're ready and we'll only give them minimal information." She nodded slowly, knowing she had no choice. This is what happens when you're attached to someone like Eric.

Annie took a sip of her juice to calm her nerves after which she changed the subject.

"My first doctor's appointment is on Tuesday. Will you be able to come with me?" She asked hopefully. She thought she could do it alone. But thinking about it now, some support from Eric wouldn't be a bad idea.

"It's okay if you can't make it. I'll understand. Since he or she is still very young, we might not be able to know much. It will just be a general check-up to see how the baby and I are fairing." She added, not wanting it to seem like she was imposing anything on him.

"I'll be there. What time? "He asked with a smile. His voice filled with promise and eagerness.

She answered. "9:45, in the morning."

"I will pick you up and we'll go together."