Chapter 76

I’d been home for nearly a month, and people were still talking about my ‘relationship’ with Arthur. It was really starting to drive me crazy. To the point where I knew I’d have to set the story straight if I ever wanted the rumors and speculation to stop.

The nursery was mostly finished now, and the rest of the rooms were looking better, too. I had my office set up with a desk and some of my filming equipment. I planned to use it mostly for behind-the-scenes stuff, but it would work if I needed to film a quick video like I did now.

I decided to just film a sit-down video. I’d been filming my vlogs at the gym in my building, and while that was going well, I’d avoided addressing everything with Arthur.

I knew people were still talking about it because the comments on my videos were mostly about our relationship. People wanted to know why we weren’t traveling together more. If we were going to get married. What we planned to name the babies.

Everyone seemed convinced that they were his, and while I didn’t want speculation about who the father was, I knew I couldn’t let this go on. I needed to set the story straight.

I unlocked my phone and checked my notifications. As suspected, the comments were all about Arthur. Very few of them were about my videos. No one seemed nearly as interested in hearing me talk about what I was doing to maintain an active pregnancy. They just wanted more relationship drama.

I set up my phone on my tripod and started recording.

“Hi guys,” I said, giving a little wave. “I just want to start by thanking everyone for the support of the travel segment I recently appeared in. I know a lot of you found me through that and I just wanted to welcome you and say thank you for tuning in. It means a lot to me that you guys watch my videos. It’s always been my goal to inspire women like me to be their best selves. Whenever you tag me in progress photos or workout videos, it warms my heart, and it inspires me to keep being active myself.”

I took a deep breath. “But today I’m here to address something else. I’ve seen a lot of the rumors and speculation online about Arthur and me, and I just wanted to come on here and set things straight. I stand by my opinion that a woman’s dating life is her business, but I know that being in the public eye comes with some scrutiny.”

I paused again. It was important to me that I got the words right. I didn’t want to say something that might upset Arthur or turn any scrutiny on him. He was still one of my best friends, and he meant a lot to me. This was about being truthful.

“I love Arthur so much and he’s one of my best friends in the world, but we’re not in a relationship. I know it came across the way on the show, but the truth is that these things can be skewed. While we have a close relationship, we are not together and never have been. He is not the father of my babies.”

“I left the show because of my pregnancy, not because of anything Arthur or anyone else did. I had an amazing time filming with everyone and I’m so grateful for the experience. The truth is that I’m going to be a mother of triplets soon, and I needed to get ready for that. I know this next adventure is going to be as difficult as it is fulfilling, and I couldn’t prepare for that on the road.”

I smiled. “As always, I’m super grateful for all your support. It means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to keep making vlogs for you guys. Staying active while pregnant isn’t always easy, but I know it’ll be the best thing for me and my babies in the long run. I also hope that you respect my privacy and don’t speculate about who the father is. That’s between me and him.”

“Love you guys,” I blew a kiss at the camera. “Keep up the hard work!”

I stopped the recording, then watched it back. Once I was sure it was alright, I uploaded it. Comments started rolling in right away, but I shut off my phone. I didn’t need to deal with the responses right away. I was getting better at separating the internet from my life.

I just hoped they respected my wishes and didn’t go searching for the father.

• * *

I guess I should have known better. The first thing people did was try to figure out who the father was. People were treating it like a game. As much as it bothered me, I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I also knew there was no way for anyone to find out that Barnett was the father. The only person who knew was Lily, and she’d never tell.

I woke up the next morning to a range of headlines.

FANS OF FITNESS INFLUENCER ANNA LEONARD GUESS WHO THE FATHER IS: BOB HAYES OR THE MYSTERY MAN?

A surprising number of people thought Bob was the father. I’d probably never escape him, but it still bothered me. If it were up to me, I’d forget about him completely. People didn’t seem to care that he cheated on me and that we were divorced.

Others speculated about the man helping me into the limo, but luckily, Barnett couldn’t be seen in any of the photos. If he could, they’d have their answer. That was the night it happened, after all. Strange to think that if I never got in the limo, I wouldn’t be pregnant. The thought made me a little sad, and I placed my hand on my stomach.

Even if it was a mess, I wouldn’t have taken it back for anything. I was thrilled to be a mother. Half the time it scared me, but mostly I was excited. It was something I wanted for so long, and now it was finally happening. I was going to have my own little family.

My phone rang, and I picked it up when I saw it was Lily.

“Hey,” she said the moment I answered. “I saw your vlog.”

“Yeah, I thought I needed to set the story straight.”

She was silent for a moment. “I thought you were really well spoken,” she said. “I’m proud of you.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Lily,” I said softly.

She was silent for a moment. “So, have you told him yet?”

I sighed. “No, not yet.”

“You know you have to, right? You can’t leave him in the dark forever.”

“What if he doesn’t want to hear it?” I mumbled. She heard me anyway.

“That doesn’t matter!” she said. “You have to let him decide for himself. How would you feel if he had your babies and never told you?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I’d be really upset,” I said finally.

“Exactly. Please don’t wait too long.”

I knew she was right, but I didn’t have to like it. “I won’t. I promise.”

“No more putting it off.”

“Okay.”

She was right. I had been putting it off. I’d even avoided going to Stand Up because I was too afraid to run into him there now that I knew he was back. What was I going to say to him? There were so many secrets and miscommunications still between us. I was almost afraid to hear the full truth.

“Do it now before you chicken out,” she said. “He’s going to be at his office all day.”

“Fine.” I knew that if I didn’t do it today, I never would. “I’ll go over now.”