The bed was the most comfortable thing I had slept on in weeks. The soft Egyptian cotton sheets wrapped around my naked body and the warmth of the down comfortable were so inviting, I couldn’t even start to think about moving from my position. The daylight seeped in through the blinds, but I didn’t move a muscle, thinking about the night before and everything that was ahead of me. Waking up was so hard to do when you were exactly where you wanted to be. Though, with my eyes now open, I realized Jason was no longer asleep in the bed next to me. I groaned, reaching my arm out and stretching my body, not concerned at all at where he was. I knew he was close. I could hear his footsteps outside of the room. As he approached, I rolled over and looked at the doorway, smiling as he walked inside carrying a tray. I pushed myself up onto the bed as he set the tray down on the fluffy surface and leaned in to kiss my lips. I had thought I heard someone at the guest door. It must have been room service.
I scooted myself up in the bed, the sheet wrapped around me, and looked down at the large tray. There were two plates on the tray, one for me and one for Jason, but they were both empty. I looked at Jason with confusion and he smiled, walking back out of the room and wheeling in a large tray with all kinds of food on it. There were pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, syrup, butter, and pretty much everything else you would ever want for breakfast. I laughed as he stood with a towel draped over his arm, ready to serve me breakfast in bed. I was so glad Mr. Banks had given everyone the day off since he knew between the hangovers and the fact that it was Friday, no one was going to get anything productive done. Jason piled food high on both plates and handed me mine, setting a hot cup of coffee on the night stand. He walked around the bed and plopped down next to me, smiling as he shoved a pile of eggs in his mouth. He looked like a child that had found the secret stash of candy.
We sat quietly scarfing down our breakfast. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the smell of bacon hit my nose. I was absolutely starving, which made sense, since I’d been too nervous the day before to eat anything. When our plates were cleared, Jason took mine and stacked it with the rest of the dishes back on the tray, wheeling it out into the living room so it was out of the way. I stretched and looked around the room, not wanting to put my dress back on, but I hadn’t thought ahead to bring a change of clothes.
“I thought you might want some fresh clothes,” Jason said, as if he were reading my mind. “So, I took the liberty of having some sent from the shop across the street.”
I smiled and hopped out of the bed, still wrapped in the sheet, and took the fresh change of clothes from him. I reached up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek before turning and taking off the garter and stockings I had fallen asleep in. I put on the white satin panties and bra and pulled on the jeans and sweater. I looked adorable as I stood in front of the mirror pulling my hair back in a ponytail. On the dresser was a new pair of Chuck Taylors, and I smiled remembering how much I loved wearing them in college.
“The first time we all went out to the bar, you were wearing something similar.” Jason sat on the bed behind me, watching me do my hair. “I thought it was the most beautiful you had ever looked.”
“You are so sweet,” I said with a wide grin. “Thank you.”
“There is something we need to talk about,” Jason said pulling out his phone. “I woke up to a text from Jordan this morning.”
“What did it say?”
“It said, ‘I know who she is,’” he said, looking up at me.
I reached down and grabbed my phone off the dresser, pushing the button to open the home screen. I winced when I saw that I had one new text, and prayed quietly that it was Mona checking in and not Jordan. My stomach dropped when I saw his name and read the message.
“’I know who he is,’” I read out loud. “What do we do now?”
Jason opened his mouth to say something but stopped, hearing a loud knock on the guest entrance to the suite. He looked up at me and shook his head, taking in a deep breath and pulling himself from the bed. I followed closely behind him but stopped in the middle of the living room, nervous that if it were Jordan, it would be a fight and not a civil conversation. Jason opened the door and stood back as Jordan barrelled through the door and into the living room. His fists were clenched and his shoulders tight as he stared back and forth at the two of us. I didn’t know what to do, I was frozen like a kid caught sneaking out of their parent’s house.
“I knew it,” he shouted. “You two think you are smarter than everyone else. I saw you kissing at the top of the stairs last night. I acted like I didn’t notice you getting into the elevators because I was with my date, but I knew it. You lied to me, both of you.”
“I never lied to you,” I said calmly.
“Hell, you didn’t,” he said walking toward me, pointing his finger. “I bet you made up the whole damn story about not being able to have a baby just so you could leave me for him.”
“First of all, Jordan, you are the one who left me for something I couldn’t control,” I shouted. “Secondly, nothing between Jason and I started until after our divorce was final. It wasn’t planned nor held a secret. It was a surprise. How dare you march in here after abandoning me because of a medical condition?”
“You know there was more to it than that,” he said, dropping his hand. “You don’t have to sit there and make me sound like a complete asshole.”
I stood looking at him, feeling my anger fade away, and guilt for calling him out start to rise in my chest. I dropped my hand and shook my head, letting out a deep sigh. I walked forward and looked up into his eyes. His expression softened and smiled slightly.
“You were right to divorce me,” I said quietly. “You know as well as I do that we were never meant to be together. I didn’t realize it until afterward, but you know in your heart it really wasn’t that hard to make the decision. You knew it before I did. I’m sorry for being an asshole, and I’m sorry you had to find out about Jason and I like this.”
“Yeah,” he said sighing. “I won’t lie that this kind of sucks. But you’re right, we were never meant to be. I think I saved both of us from quite a bit of hell.”
I looked at Jordan kindly and watched as he turned and walked toward the door. He stared at Jason for several minutes with an angry but calm look. Jason looked down at the floor, and Jordan shook his head, walking back out and slamming the door behind him. I stood staring at the closed door, hoping that I had done the right thing. Hoping that I hadn’t just become the enemy. Jason walked over and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest and hugging me hard.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Not really how I wanted to break the news, but at least it's out there now. We can stop walking on eggshells.”
“Very true,” Jason replied. “You want to come over for Sunday family dinner and break the news to my parents?”
“Sounds good,” I said taking in a deep breath. “I mean, how bad could they possibly react?”
“Well, if my brother reacted like that, I’m pretty sure my parents are just going to be happy,” he said kissing me on the cheek. “Come on, let’s grab our stuff and get out of here. We can go to my place and relax on the terrace.”
“Sounds perfect.” I watched him walk over to start collecting his things.
I grabbed my dress, undergarments, and shoes and stuffed them in one of the plastic laundry bags folded on the counter. My purse was too small to fit them, and the last thing I wanted was to drop my underwear in the hotel lobby as I walked across. I had felt enough shock and embarrassment for the day, and I didn’t need anymore. I walked back out into the living room, and Jason pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. He held one finger up to me and I smiled, meandering over to the breakfast cart and pulling fruit from the tray. As I snacked, I turned and watched Jason talking. He seemed to be excited, and whatever he was talking about, he kept referring to a “she” in the conversation. Either it had something to do with me or something to do with work. Either way, he had definitely sparked my attention.
“Okay, great. Thanks so much.” He hung up the phone and looked down at the blank screen.
“You okay?” I said around a mouthful of melons.
“Yes.” He smiled and turned toward me. “That was one of the best medical offices in the country. They have an entire sector dedicated to research and treatment of PCOS. They want to see you. They think they can help you. There is an appointment set for Monday morning, if you want to go.”
“Are you serious?” I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Oh, my God, that is so awesome. I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me. Thank you.”
“It was no trouble,” he whispered into my neck. “I did a bunch of research on your condition, and I came across the facility. I couldn’t not call and talk to them. I didn’t have all your details, so they couldn’t tell me anything definitive over the phone, but with your age range and your health, they really want to see if they can help you.”
“Thank you so much,” I replied, tears welling up in my eyes. “No one has ever taken the time to do anything like this for me before. You are truly the sweetest man I have ever met.”
“I just want to know you’re taken care of,” he said pulling back and looking into my eyes. “I want to know, whether we’re together or not, that you’re safe and happy. I know this is something that can be really devastating to you mentally, and I want to do everything I can to help you.”
I pulled him back close into my arms and hugged him tightly. I never knew that I could feel so intensely for another human being, but I was blown away by how I felt for Jason. He not only took me into his arms at a time no other man would have dreamed of, but he reached out and did everything he could to help me with a condition I didn’t even realize yet weighed heavily on my mind. If these people could help me, I would be forever grateful to this man, a man I could no longer imagine not having in my life.
Chapter 19
Jason
Nervous didn’t even cover what I was feeling about revealing Tiffany to my parents. They knew I was bringing this mystery girl to dinner, but they had no idea that it was Tiffany. I had dressed in a polo and jeans to lighten the mood of the event and stood staring at myself in the mirror. Tiffany was everything I had ever wanted in a woman and more, and I wasn’t about to let her walk into a bad situation. I knew if my parents didn’t approve, they would at least be somewhat diplomatic about it since they really did love Tiffany. I hoped for the best but was completely prepared for the worst, something I wasn’t sure whether Tiffany had prepared herself for. She had been through so much heartbreak over the last several months that the last thing she needed was for the only family she ever really knew to turn their backs on her for good. The fact of the matter was, you couldn’t pick who you fell in love with, and I had loved Tiffany a lot longer than I really realized. She had infatuated me ever since I met her, but she had been with Jordan, so I put it out of my mind and went on with my life. When Jordan broke it off with her, I didn’t even understand it then. Instead, I was just furious and protective over her, wanting to fix her broken heart. It wasn’t until that first date at the restaurant that I realized there was more to my feelings than protection.
I took in a deep breath and reached down to grab my toothbrush. The house was quiet, and after spending almost the whole weekend in my place with Tiffany, I kind of hated the silence of it all. My house was comfortable but eclectic, just like you would imagine a SoHo loft to be. But with Tiffany standing barefoot in my kitchen and swimming in the heated pool on the roof, it made everything feel like home for the first time since I bought the place. The smell of dinner cooking on the stove, the sound of her laughter echoing through the halls was intoxicating, and I almost hated being here by myself now. I had taken her home early in the morning so she could get ready for dinner tonight. She seemed calm and collected, but I could tell there were quite a bit of nerves floating around in her chest. She had kissed me on the cheek and bounced off down the walk into her house. I couldn’t bring myself to drive away until I’d watch her blond hair flowing behind her as she headed down the walkway, smiled, and waved before closing the front door.
I tossed my toothbrush back in the holder and walked out, grabbing my jacket and checking the street for the car. As usual, it was sitting out front but this time, I would be taking a detour to the Greek District to pick up Tiffany before we went over to the house. I didn’t want to give the address beforehand because I didn’t want my parents to recognize who the address belonged to. We drove through the city, watching as tourists flocked the streets, and the city workers got ready to decorate the city for the holidays. It was my favorite time of year, and there was a bit of relief knowing I would get to spend them with Tiffany.
When we pulled up, Tiffany came out front, her hair pulled back halfway, wearing a pair of wide legged, flowy white pants and tucked in button up silk top. She walked carefully in her heels and pulled the hair out of her dangling diamond earrings. She looked at me and smiled as she climbed into the car, pulling her peacoat closed and kissing me on the cheek with her cherry stained lips. She looked amazing, like the woman I had seen so many times walking around the office with confidence and allure. I didn’t know if it were me or just the way time healed all wounds, but for the first time since everything started, she looked like her old self again. Her cheeks glowed in the evening light, and she had even painted her fingernails a light pink. She clutched a bottle of wine she had bought my parents and her clutch that I recognized from the party. She was absolutely stunning in a way I had never thought of a woman before.
“You think they will freak?” She looked at me, slightly worried.
“No,” I laughed. “Freaked would be if I brought home a goth girl or someone from the Bronx. Surprised, probably, but no matter what, I want you to know how absolutely beautiful I think you are.”
She smiled and turned to watch the passing scenery out the window. I wanted to protect everything about this girl, and as far as I knew, my parents were still unaware of who my mystery girl really was. I assumed there was a possibility that Jordan had told them, but I didn’t think he would have. However, I did duly note to myself that there weren’t very many things I could actually trust when it came to my brother anymore. For all I knew, he ran right over to their room after Saturday morning’s explosion and told them what happened. At the same time, he didn’t want them to know why he had divorced Tiffany, so he was probably keeping as much to himself as he could for as long as he could. He knew my parents would chastise him for it. I was almost glad he did what he did, not that Tiffany had gotten hurt but because it gave me the opportunity to be with her, show her what love was really supposed to be like and have her show me the same.
When we pulled up, my parents were standing on the front steps, holding each other’s hands. They couldn’t see through the tinted windows of the car, and I looked over at Tiffany, grasping her hand, reassuring her that no matter what, everything would be okay. She smiled through the nerves that we were both feeling and grabbed onto her bottle as I stepped from the car and greeted my parents. My mother hugged me and my father shook my hand before turning to the darkened area of the open door.
“I’d like you to meet my date,” I said as Tiffany emerged smiling at them. “I think you know Tiffany.”
There was a brief moment of silence where everyone stood stunned.
“Oh, my God,” my mother said excitedly as she ran forward and hugged Tiffany tightly. “You are the mystery girl! This is beyond amazing. I just love you so much.”
Relief flew through me, and I let out a deep breath as I read the happiness growing on my father’s face. He walked forward with his arms out, laughing and shaking his head. He embraced her and hugged her tightly.
“This is just the best surprise,” he said quietly. “Seriously, we missed you so much.”
My father turned to me as my mother talked and laughed with Tiffany. He shook my hand and slapped me on the shoulder. We both turned and looked at Tiffany and my mother.
“Does he know?” My father asked the question I’m sure was plaguing his mind since the moment Tiffany stepped from the car.
“Yeah.” I sighed, and we exchanged a meaningful look. “We never meant to hurt him. It was a hard discovery for him.”
“Well,” my father said, putting his arm around my shoulder. “Maybe he should have held on tighter and not made rash, unfair decisions about Tiffany. Everyone deserves to be happy. He’ll get over it. Besides, he brought that redhead from the party the other night. She is sitting uncomfortably in the living room. I had forgotten to take that last wedding photo down, and she saw it. It's in the drawer now.”
My father chuckled as we turned and walked toward the house, my mother and Tiffany trailing behind us. As we entered, I could see the girl stand up and reach for Jordan’s hand. Jordan walked into the light and looked over at me, a stern look on his face. As I approached, he reached out and shook my hand, nodding at Tiffany kindly.
“Jason,” he said. “This is Rosalie. I don’t think you had a chance to meet before.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand. “This is my date, Tiffany.”
Tiffany smiled kindly and nodded her head at Rosalie who crinkled her forehead, confused. She looked up at Jordan and back at Tiffany, not understanding at all why his ex-wife was standing in front of her. Tiffany took in a deep breath and winked at Jordan, walking forward and taking Rosalie’s hands in hers.
“I know it’s strange,” she whispered. “But don’t feel uncomfortable. Jordan and I were never meant to be together. And yes, I’m dating his brother. Just let it all out. You’ll feel better about the situation once you accept it.”
I watched as Tiffany tried to console Jordan’s date and thought about how adorable it was. It was just another example of how amazing of a woman she really was, always looking out for other people’s feelings. She sat down next to Rosalie and poured her a shot of whiskey, handing it to her and watching as she took it back. When Rosalie had swallowed, she looked at Tiffany and burst out in laughter. I had to admit, if I were here, I’d probably have reacted the same exact way. Jordan rolled his eyes and shook his head, walking over to the mantle and looking at the pictures of us as kids that lined the shelves. I turned toward the dining area as my mother cleared her throat. It really was impressive, the amazing amount of food she had spent all day cooking.
I sat down next to Tiffany, and we stared across the table at Jordan and Rosalie. There was a slightly awkward moment, but just like Tiffany always did, she poured some wine and broke into the conversation, trying to make Rosalie feel comfortable. If anyone knew how nerve-racking it could be there for the first time, it was Tiffany. She hadn’t come from an affluent background so just sitting at the huge mahogany table in the grand dining room of my parent's mansion could be extremely overwhelming, not to mention that the situation wasn’t quite normal these days. My mother smiled and winked at me as she passed the potatoes, knowing I was happy for the first time in a very long time.
I gazed over at Tiffany as she laughed loudly and talked about life with the other people at the table. Her fair skin and rosy cheeks sparkled in the dim lights of the chandelier, and I couldn’t help but notice just how amazing she looked. She turned and caught me staring at her as I sat back from the table to listen to everyone. She winked at me and squeezed my hand before turning back to Jordan and Rosalie who were telling the story of how they met. We hadn’t realized that the night in the bar when he’d left with her wasn’t the first time they had met. Either way, I didn’t care, I was mesmerized by the beautiful woman sitting next to me, laughing loudly as Rosalie talked about my brother’s clumsiness. She really could make anyone feel comfortable in any situation. She was the light that lit up every room she walked into. I squeezed her hand as they continued to talk through the evening, so glad that everything had turned out the way that I wanted.
There was no shaking it, I was falling in love with this girl. Head over heels in love.
Chapter 20
Tiffany
I always hated doctor’s offices, and especially with the rash of news that completely turned my life upside down recently. I knew that turning my life on end was a good thing since I had realized I shouldn’t have ever been with Jordan, but the baby things were still really numb in my chest. I had spent so much time over the last month dealing with the end of my marriage and the beginning of whatever it was Jason and I had, that I had put the fact that I couldn’t have children in the back of my mind. However, sitting here in this paper gown with my feet dangling over the edge of the paper-covered doctor’s chair, brought a striking feeling to my heart. I always thought by now, I would be pregnant, getting ready to start a family with my husband, but instead, I was divorced and I didn’t even know if I’d ever have my own child. I looked around the room at all the pictures on the walls, staring at the happy mothers, staring at the happy fathers, and looking past them to the baby that always seemed so perfect. In reality, those women were the lucky ones, the ones who got to enjoy their time with their families, enjoy getting pregnant, prancing in and out of doctor’s appointments, in awe at the life dancing across the sonogram screen.
I was jealous, there was no two ways about it. These women had everything they ever wanted, and I was struggling to even think about having a child at all. I hopped down from the chair and walked around the room, the tiled floor cold underneath my bare feet. I looked at the different pictures on the walls depicting a woman’s uterus. I ran my finger down to the ovaries and thought about the disease that plagued mine. I had been healthy my whole life. Nothing even as much as a strong cold ever kept me down. My mother hadn’t become a junkie until after I was born, so I’d managed to skirt any complications from her drug use, except for the occasional emotional issue that I had being left without a family. It was times like these, I wish I had a mother to run to, to talk to, and to feel comforted by. Sure, Lily would be more than happy to be there for me, but until I knew Jason and I were going to be long-term, I didn’t want to get close with her again. I knew if I had no real ties to the family, eventually, they would lose interest in me, and I didn’t want to feel that heartbreak all over again. I sat back down on the chair and looked up as the doctor walked back in.
“Okay, Tiffany,” he said with a kind smile. “I got all your tests entered in, and now, we wait. It should only take a day or two to get the results, and then we can go from there. You are free to go, and we will call you as soon as we get the results.”
“Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “So, what does that mean? Do you think there’s a chance I will have options?”
“I think that if your blood work comes back clean,” he said, shrugging, “we will have a ton of options to discuss. I've seen cases much worse than yours end up happy in the end. Just relax, breathe deeply, and let’s wait for the results. Once I have those in my hands, I’ll be able to really give you a definitive answer.”
“Okay,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days.” He left the room, shutting the door behind him to give me privacy.
I wanted to get dressed, but I couldn’t seem to force myself to move from the spot where I was. There were so many things to think about, and my mind was all over the place. What if I could have children? What would Jason say? What would Jordan say? I knew I didn’t want him back. I had already decided we weren’t right for each other, but I still couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had taken the time to look up doctors, do research, and wait for this amazing second opinion. Just the thought of it made me realize even more that Jordan wasn’t right for me. He gave up before there was any definitive proof of anything. He ran without a thought in his mind, and honestly, it might have been the best thing in the entire world for me. But now that I had options but no husband, it was kind of a moot point. I mean, I could have a child on my own, but I didn’t want to. I wanted a family with someone I loved. I guess having the knowledge that I could even have children when I was ready was enough peace of mind to fully move on from all of this and look forward toward the future. That’s exactly what Jason wanted for me, and that was what I was going to take from all of this.
I got dressed quickly, not wanting to spend any more time in the doctor’s office than I had to. I texted Jason that I was done, and he asked to meet me at the café by work for lunch. I smiled at the thought of drinking a hot coffee, snuggled up in a booth next to him. I pulled on my jacket and left the office, grabbing a cab and heading toward the café. The entire time in the cab, I thought about the tests. Would this doctor tell me the same things everyone else had? My biggest fear was that all of this was for nothing, and I would have gotten my hopes up just to have them shot down. I guess knowing was better than going the rest of my life wondering, but I wasn’t sure if I could take another blow, especially for something I hadn’t really come to terms with yet. I took in a deep breath and pushed the thought from my mind, deciding that I needed to be positive. And for God’s sake, I had taken a long enough break from life. It was time to jump back in and move forward instead of just standing still.
When I arrived, Jason was waiting and he opened the cab door for, taking my hand and helping me up onto the curb. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, taking in a deep breath of his cologne, which calmed my nerves. He pulled back and smiled, kissing me on the forehead and looking deep in my eyes for some kind of answers. I smiled softly at him, letting him know I was okay. He took my hand, and we walked into the café, grabbed a table at the back, and waited for our lunch to be ready.
“So,” he said smiling. “How did it go?”
“He seems to think that as long as my tests come back the same as before, there are options for me to get pregnant when I’m ready,” I said excitedly. “I mean I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself, but this is just such amazing news.”
“That is amazing news,” Jason said, clinking his coffee cup against mine.
“I just don’t want to be let down,” I said with a sigh. “So, I am trying to keep my mind busy. I decided that I am coming back to work. I want to start back tomorrow and hit the ground running. I’ve had too much time off, and I’m ready.”
“Well, I will be more than happy to have you back,” he said, kissing my cheek. “I just want to know that you’re doing everything at your own pace.”
“I am.” I smiled. “You are always looking out for what’s best. You are so good to me.”
“You deserve it.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself and took a sip of his coffee instead.
We spent his lunch hour talking about me coming back to work, what that meant for me, and what that meant for the company. He was genuinely excited to have me back at the office, and to be honest, I was just as excited to be back. I still needed to call John and let him know, but there was no way he would argue with it, especially with the piles of files that seemed to be increasing every time I walked into the office. Not only would this get everything off my mind, but I would also get to see Jason every day, which was a really awesome bonus to all of this. He had been my rock, and I hadn’t even expected it. Each time he looked at me, touched me, or was even in the same room as me, I immediately felt better. A crazy calm would roll over me like a wave, and I loved every second of it. He reached over and touched my hand, sending chills down my back, and I smiled, feeling safe and secure. When he looked down at his watch, signaling he was running out of time, my stomach almost dropped, but I told myself it was okay. I just needed to make it through the night, and I would be back in action, lots of things to keep my mind busy.
“I have to get back,” Jason said with disappointment in his voice. “We have meetings today, and now that you aren’t the mystery girl anymore, they aren’t really cutting me any slack.”
“Aw.” I stuck out my bottom lip. “I understand. Text me later if you aren’t busy.”
“Of course.” He stood and leaned over to kiss my forehead. “Do you want me to get you a cab?”
“No,” I said, looking down at my coffee. “I’m going to hang out here for a little bit and enjoy my last afternoon of freedom before it’s back to the grind. I have to call your father anyway and tell him.”
“I can tell him for you,” he said, smiling.
“No, I better be the one to make that call,” I said. “We have to at least give the illusion that we’re going to try to be professional at work.”
“Pfft,” Jason laughed. “No problem.”
He kissed me again and walked out of the door. Once he was no longer in sight, I picked up my phone and dialed Mona, wanting to let her know how the doctor’s appointment went. I knew she was waiting for my phone call, almost as excited as I was to know that I had options.
“Hey,” I said when she answered.
“So,” she said impatiently. “How did it go?”
“It looks like there is a good chance I might still be able to have a baby,” I said excitedly. “The doc is going to call me as soon as the test results come back.”
“Oh, Tiff, that is so amazing,” she said with a deep breath releasing from her lungs. “Are you happy?”
“Yeah.” I sighed, part relief and part exhaustion. “It’s a lot to process.”
“Do you think you will get back with Jordan if babies are possible?”
“What? No.” I laughed. “I realized very quickly that Jordan and I weren’t meant to be in any shape or form. If I can have children, they will not be his. He lost that shot when he walked away before he even tried to see if anything could be done.”
“I understand,” she said.
“To be honest,” I said with a pause. “I am pretty positive that I’ve fallen in love with Jason.”
Chapter 21
Jason
I got to work extra early, setting up Tiffany’s desk and putting a dozen white roses on her desk. I made sure the dust had been removed, the trash can was empty, and her pictures of Jordan in them were replaced with pictures of cute dogs and cats. I knew the last thing she needed when she came to work was to stare down at her past and feel like it was haunting her everywhere she went. I went back to my office and sat at my desk, looking up anytime anyone walked past in the hallway. Her office sat diagonally from mine, and I could see right into her desk. I was looking forward to having her distract me all day long and flirting across interoffice messaging. I felt like I was back in school passing notes back and forth and trying not to get caught by the teacher, who would be either my father or my brother in this circumstance. I was more scared of my dad than my brother, though the former was more like a hall monitor than a teacher.
At a quarter to eight, the normal time Tiffany usually showed up at the office, I watched her walk past my door, her tight, calf-length pencil skirt hugging every curve. Her white silk blouse was tucked in and the first three buttons were undone, giving me just a hint of cleavage. Her five-inch black heels made her look long and tall, and I immediately developed a chub in my pants. She was talking to the temp as she walked around the corner into her office. I peeked up as she looked at the note I left in the flowers. She smiled, glancing up at my office and nodding to me. She finished her conversation with the temp and went back to her desk, sitting down and looking at the pictures I had replaced in their frames. She threw her head back and laughed, looking over at me and blowing a kiss. I was glad I had started her day on a positive note.
For the next several hours, I tried to concentrate, but every time I thought I was on the ball, I would look up and catch her eye. She was so damn sexy with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her black-rimmed glasses scooting down her nose. She twirled a pencil in her fingers and landed it between her lips, making me immediately think back to when my cock was between those lips. I pulled up the messenger and sent her a winking face. She smiled and glanced up at me, pulling at her bottom lip with the pen. She sent me back a message that read, “Lunch?” I looked at the clock and knew I had an hour left. I thought about my answer for several seconds before typing back.
Noon. Seventh floor?
A smile curled at her lips as she read the message, but she quickly sobered as my father walked into her office. I stifled a laugh as she tried to get herself together and answer some questions for him on a file. When he walked away, I looked down at the screen and saw that she was typing back. I waited impatiently for her answer and then blushed when I received it.
You’re on. I’m thinking you bend me over the rafters this time.
I looked up at her and smiled, nodding my head. I wasn’t sure how much of the messaging could be read by the company, so I decided we would need to start coming up with code words to type to each other. We could text, but that would be too obvious. This way, at least we could look like we were working while we sluffed off our responsibilities and took the entire morning to flirt back and forth across the hall. When the clock hit noon, I stood up from my desk and walked across to her office, watching her finish shoving a file in the filing cabinet and turn toward me, her white lace bra peeking out from under her silk shirt. We walked quietly down toward the elevators and climbed in, standing feel apart until the seven was pressed and the doors had shut.
Immediately, we were on each other, our mouths pushing over each other, our bodies writhing up and down against each other. She was so fucking sexy, and I looked up at the numbers as she kissed my neck. At this rate, would I even last until we got to the seventh floor? I stepped back away from her as the doors opened to the construction, just in case there were still workers on the floor. We peered around the open space, and once realizing it was all clear, we were right back on each other. I pushed Tiffany up against the wooden planks on the wall, running my hands over her waist and pulling her skirt up over her hips. She was wearing sexy thigh highs again, and I growled at how sensual she was. I looked around again, just in case. Did anyone ever work on the seventh floor? Shoving the thought aside, I spun Tiffany around and pulled her skirt up over her ass. I stepped back and grabbed her cheeks, massaging them in my hands. Her black thong was the only thing standing in the way of me and that beautiful wet pussy, but I needed to be gentle since we had to go back to work afterward.
Tiffany reached her arms up in the air and grabbed onto the poles above her, sticking her ass out toward me. I slapped her cheek and unbuckled my pants, knowing we didn’t have a ton of time. I reached down into my boxers and pulled my rock-hard cock out, running the tip over her ass. She shook her hips, making her firm round cheeks bounce up and down. I chuckled as she looked back and smiled at me mischievously. I pushed down on her back and she spread her legs wide, her juicy mound coming into view. I pulled her panties to the side and stepped forward, running my cock through her folds before pushing deep and slowly inside of her. God, she felt so damn good.
I reached one hand up and braced myself against the wall, using my other hand to hold her waist and thrust inside of her. She covered her mouth, not wanting to make too much noise. Her muffled moans sent shivers down my back, and immediately, I started pushing harder and faster. She reached down and pulled her panties all the way to the side, rubbing her clit with two fingers as she pushed her hips back to meet my thrust. I spread my feet wider and grabbed onto her tightly with two hands, pushing and pulling her up and down my cock. Her juices glistened on my shaft as I watched her pussy swallow me whole. Our skin began to slap loudly together and the wood beneath us creaked in protest.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “Fuck, that feels amazing.”
Her voice was high pitched and needy and just the sound of it made my hips move faster and deeper. Suddenly, she stepped forward, pulling me out of her and turning around. She took her leg and put it up on a stack of tiles next to us and wrapped her hands around my neck, guiding my cock back inside of her. I pulled her close and lifted her into the air, pushing her back against the wall and thrusting upward inside of her. She moaned loudly, no longer caring who could hear, and I groaned as my cock got harder and harder. My movements began to get short and deep, and I looked into her eyes, seeing the intense passion. She dug her fingers into my neck as my body moved up and down hers, massaging her clit with just the motion of my hips. She threw her head back and bounced up and down, giving it to me faster and harder than I was going. I could feel her go from needy to frantic as her body opened up and took every inch of my cock. I could feel her body tensing against me, and then she arched her back, covering her mouth as she screamed out in ecstasy. Pleasure flowed over her face, and I could feel the explosion of her warm juices all down my shaft. The feeling was almost too much to take.
I grabbed her waist and bounced her up and down on my cock as fast as I possibly could. My cock was throbbing, and I just wanted to feel the release of an orgasm. As her screams matched the motion of her body, I thrust harder and deeper until I could no longer hold on. I stepped forward and slammed my cock inside, holding her down on it as I erupted in ecstasy. She watched my face as my cock pulsated inside her, coming hard, and forcing my body to shake and twitch. Slowly, I lowered her until her face was near mine. I pressed my lips hard against hers, trying to catch my breath. She opened her eyes and looked at me, smiling, before she kissed my nose and put her feet down on the ground. I held myself up against the wall, still gripping the base of my cock as I recovered as fast as I could.
I tucked my dick back into my boxers and pulled my pants up, shifting it around since it was still hard as a rock. I tucked my shirt in and fixed my tie before turning to her and smiling as she tucked her blouse back in, zipped up her skirt, and pulled her thigh-highs back up. She laughed and wiped her lip gloss from my face, grabbing my tie and pulling me in for a kiss. I shook my head at her as I looked deep into her eyes, wondering how I got so damn lucky. Not only did I get to claim this woman as my girlfriend, I got to see her every day and fuck her on my lunch break. Normally things like that happened when someone like Jordan was fucking the secretary, but this came with strings attached and that made me more than happy.
As we walked back to the elevator, ready to take our actual lunch break, she took my hand and leaned up kissing me on the cheek. She smiled as I pressed the button to the bottom floor, my heart still racing in my chest. As the doors closed, she started laughing.
“We totally could have gotten caught,” she said. “That was their lunch break.”
“Wow,” I said chuckling. “You might have told me that.”
“Whoops.” She laughed even harder.
“So,” I said, looking down at her. “Do you like being back at work?”
“Hell, yeah,” she said. “I get to do this every day? And get paid for it? Count me in.”
“Yeah, until the seventh floor is finished,” I replied.
“Then,” she said, walking backward out of the elevator and smiling at me, “we’ll just have to find a new place.”
“Maybe I’ll convince my father to renovate the eleventh floor.” I wasn’t entirely joking, either.
“Wasn't that done like a year ago?”
“You gotta stay with the times,” I said. “I mean, he probably doesn’t even remember it was renovated.”
We laughed as we walked out of the building and down the street to grab a sandwich at the deli. Tiffany wrapped her arms around her and shivered, having forgotten her jacket in the mad dash to the seventh floor. I pulled my coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was so gorgeous, and I was in absolute heaven. I didn’t want anything to change, not one single thing.
Chapter 22
Tiffany
Though we had missed our chance to have our seventh-floor romance since our lunches didn’t coincide, I still couldn’t get Jason off my mind. Maybe it was bad that my boyfriend’s office was right across the hall, but in all reality, I almost worked better knowing if I got everything done, I could send him messages and harass him throughout the day. I watched as he got up from his desk and began filing a bunch of paperwork that his secretary normally did. The flu was going around the office, and though I didn’t often catch stuff, my stomach wasn’t feeling too hot. I shook it off and went to grab a cup of coffee, exhaustion seeming to be taking over more in the last couple of days than normal. It was probably all the time I had taken off. It had made me lazy. I poured the coffee in my cup and put sugar in it before walking back to my desk. As I entered through the doors, my phone rang. I set the coffee down and hurried around, pressing line two and answering.
“Hello, this is Miss Wells.”
“Tiffany, it’s Doctor Hartford,” he said seriously. “I wanted to call and see if you could come back in this afternoon. I want to take another blood test from you.”
“Is everything okay?” I sat down in my chair, slightly alarmed.
“Well, all your results came back, and they were correct. It doesn’t come as a surprise that you do have PCOS,” he said. “But we took a blood test because you indicated you’d had intercourse since your last period, and the results are a little confusing.”
“How so?”
“Well, we gave you a pregnancy test with that blood sample,” he replied. “And it came back positive.”
“Wait, what?”
“I know,” he chuckled. “It was a bit of a surprise for all of us.”
“I mean, that can’t be right,” I said shaking my head. “My last doctor told me it was impossible for me to get pregnant. Like, he literally said I had a better chance at winning the lottery.”
He chuckled. “Well, I’d like you to come by and give me another blood sample. Can you come in this afternoon?”
“Sure,” I said, glancing up at Jason who was staring down at his screen. “I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
I hung up the phone and sat in complete amazement for several minutes. Jason scrunched his brow in concern when he looked over across the office. There was no way I could be pregnant. We had just started sleeping together not that long ago, and my chances were slim to none. Specifically, none, at least according to my previous doctor. If I’d thought there was a possibility, we would have used condoms.
I felt like I was in a dream, and everything around me was moving in slow motion. The doctor had to have made some kind of mistake. All I needed to do was to go down and give them a blood sample, and they would see they had made a mistake. I stood up from my desk and walked out of the office, so much in a trance that I didn’t even see Jason standing in his doorway. I knocked on John’s door and entered as he signalled for me to come in, finishing his phone call. I stood there in a daze until he hung up and looked over at me.
“How can I help you, Tiffany?” He said looking at me concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah,” I replied. “Just not feeling too hot. Would you mind if I left a little early? I just had my doctor call, and he needs me to come in and give another blood sample. I am not sure how long it will take, but if I can make it back in time before the day’s over, I will.”
“Sure,” he said, smiling. “Should we be worried about anything?”
“No,” I scoffed. “It’s just some routine stuff.”
“Okay, good,” he replied.
I walked out of his office and back to mine, my eyes still fixated off in the distance as if I could see everything changing in front of me. I pulled on my jacket and grabbed my purse, walking out and to the elevators before Jason even realized I was gone. I wanted to make one hundred percent sure the doctor was right before dropping that kind of information on him like that. I stared up at the numbers on the elevator as they dinged by until I had reached the lobby. I walked out of the building and grabbed a cab, giving them the address after sitting down and closing the door. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t even get my thoughts together before we reached the doctor’s office. I was walking around like I was some sort of zombie. What if I was pregnant? What would Jason do? What would he say?
I paid the cab driver and walked into the building, unbuttoning my jacket as I approached the front desk. I told them who I was, and they took me straight back to an exam room. The nurse came in and took my vitals, and then the doctor came in to talk to me. I had so many questions, but I didn’t even know where to start. He smiled at me, flopping my file on the desk and leaning back against the sink.
“So, does all of this mean I’m actually pregnant?”
“As far as it looks right now,” the doctor replied. “Yes, you are pregnant. We are going to take another blood sample and double check that the HCG levels are going up, and then, I can officially stamp it that you are indeed pregnant. You scared that sperm so bad that they made a baby before I could even recommend a treatment for you.”
“Ha,” I laughed. “This is crazy.”
I sat silently as the doctor took down some notes. He stood up and walked over to me, grasping my shoulder. I was quiet, and my face must have shown how stunned I was at the news. The doctor was smiling, though.
“Relax, and take a deep breath,” he said. “Remember, this is what you wanted. Congratulations. I’m going to send in the nurse to take that blood sample. We should have the results back in a day or two. As soon as we have confirmation, we’ll get you over to your regular doctor and start preparing you for this amazing journey.”
I nodded my head, words unable to make it out of my mouth. I sat there with my feet dangling from that same chair I had wanted to get out of so quickly just a couple days before. I looked up at the pictures on the walls, and they had a completely different feel to them. I could picture my face on the woman’s, Jason’s face on the man’s, and a beautiful little baby looking back at us. Immediately, fear followed, flooding my chest with dread. I was going to have to tell Jason we were going to have a baby. We had just started dating and hadn’t even told each other how we really felt about each other. Now, I was going to be telling him I was pregnant before I even told him I loved him. I knew this was what I wanted at the beginning, but my life had changed. I wasn’t in the circumstances I’d planned for a pregnancy. It just wasn’t time yet. This was so unexpected, and my mind was whirling around me. I ran my hands over my face and took in a deep breath, trying to get control of my emotions.
I looked up as the nurse walked in, carrying a syringe and a couple of tubes to put my blood in. I rolled up my sleeve and stuck out my arm, staring blankly at the picture on the wall as she tied the rubber band around my arm. I flexed my fist, trying to make enough pressure for her to get a good sample. She released the band after pushing the needle into my arm. Usually, I winced, but it was like my mind wouldn’t even let me react to the needle she stuck in my arm. I looked down as she filled the vials with blood and then removed the needle, putting a bandage in its place. She walked over and wrote down some things on my chart and stuck stickers to the vials. She turned back toward me, but I was too lost in my thoughts to even notice until I felt her warm hand against my skin.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking myself back into reality. “I’m okay.”
“These tests shouldn’t take too long,” she explained. “If you need anything between now and then, just give us a call. If it is after hours call your physician, and as always, if it is an emergency, just head into the hospital.”
“Okay.” I shook my head and smiled.
I pulled my sleeve back down and hopped off the examination table. I pulled my coat around me and walked out into the hallway, moving to the side as a very pregnant woman passed me. I looked down at my own stomach, quickly pulling my jacket closed and heading out to the street. I took in a deep breath of the cold air and looked down the street to where there was a small café. I walked over, knowing there was no way I could go back to work, and ordered a hot chocolate. I took the cup to a back booth and slid in, pulling my coat collar up to block the breeze from the opening and closing door. I held the hot chocolate in my hands and let the warmth move over me. I couldn’t even start to believe that I was going to be a mother.
I sat in the café for a couple of hours, ordering a second hot chocolate, more for the warmth than the actual drink. I watched as people walked in and out of the café, most in scrubs belonging to the hospital adjacent to the coffee shop. I thought about everything from the news in front of me to my future as a mother. I wondered what Jason was going to say about everything, thinking it funny that he was the one who had set me up for the appointment in the first place. I was relieved to know I could have children, but I never thought I would find out this way. I ran my hand down over my belly and closed my eyes, searching for any answer as to why life had worked out this way. Immediately Jason’s face popped up in my thoughts. I needed to at least call him.
I pulled out my phone and read the missed messages from him. I had bolted from the office without even a word, and I felt guilty for not saying something to him before I left. He seemed to be nervous and worried about me. I dialed his number, my hands shaking, and put the phone to my ear, waiting for him to answer.
“Hey,” I said when he answered.
“Hey, I’ve been worried sick about you,” he said. “My father said you had some kind of doctor’s appointment to get to.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It’s a long story, but we have to talk.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’m leaving here in the next twenty minutes. You want to meet me at my place?”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, softening my tone so that he wouldn’t worry too much.
We hung up, and I stayed sitting in the booth for just a few more minutes, thinking about how I was going to break the news to Jason. Something inside me told me not to be worried about telling him this, but I couldn’t help my nervousness. At the very least, this could end my relationship with Jason, and as I stood and walked toward the door of the café, I braced myself. This news was about to change Jason’s life forever.
Chapter 23
Jason
I finished up everything at work and rushed to get out of the office. Tiffany was strongly on my mind, and I really hoped the doctor hadn’t given her the bad news. She didn’t need any more stress or sadness in her life. She had endured enough over the last few months. I hopped in one of the company cars and had him stop for flowers on the way. Whatever it was she had to tell me, I wanted to be ready to catch her, be there for her, and make her feel better the best I knew how. When I got home, she wasn’t there yet, so I went inside and changed my clothes. I pulled on a pair of jeans and sweater, stopping at the thermostat to turn on the heat. It had gotten freezing cold outside lately, and I wanted everything to be comfortable for Tiffany when she arrived. I had no idea what she was on her way to tell me, and my nerves bubbled in my stomach. What if she’d found out there was nothing they could do? What if she’d discovered it wasn’t PCOS but something else instead? Whatever it was, I would be there for her, and we would take the next step together, whatever it may be.
I walked through the house, pacing as I checked out the window for a cab every five seconds. I was assuming she was coming from the doctor’s office, which was across town, so she probably got stuck in traffic. I went into the kitchen and started the coffee maker, wanting something warm to heat up my hands while the heat in the house caught up enough to take the chill out of the air. At the same time, I didn’t know whether it was the house or my nerves causing me to be so cold and shaky. Everything had been going so well between us, and I was determined to help her get to a place with this condition where she felt comfortable, satisfied with her results, and resolute to move forward. The last thing I wanted was for her to be all alone, receiving some bad news from a doctor, and then have to repeat it all over again when she got to me. It wasn’t my place to go with her to the visits, but at that moment, I wished I had forced the issue.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and put the cream and sugar in, just how I liked. I wrapped my hands around the mug and carried it over to the window, leaning against the wall as I watched different cars pass back and forth down my road. Finally, a yellow cab pulled up out front, and I quickly made my way to the front door where I greeted Tiffany with open arms. I wrapped myself around her and squeezed her tightly, trying to gauge the look on her face. She didn’t look like there was anything seriously wrong, but it was more like her mind was on another planet. I took her hand and led her inside, closing the door behind us and following her into the living room. She took off her jacket and sat down on the couch, leaning her head back against the seat.
“Can I get you anything? I just made coffee,” I said, pointing to the kitchen.
“No.” She sent me a shaky smile. “Just come sit down.”
“Okay,” I said, taking a seat across from her. “I’m really nervous.”
“It's not completely confirmed yet,” she said, clenching her hands together. “But it looks like I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I blinked at her trying to wrap my head around those words. It was like she was talking in a different language. “You’re pregnant?”
“That’s what the blood tests said,” she replied. “I got a call earlier today from my doctor who said that my blood test, which they did since I had sex between periods, came back positive during the pregnancy test. They said I do have PCOS, but it seems that my body was willing to give this a chance without me having to jump through hoops. The blood test is going to make sure my HCG levels are rising like they are supposed to. Once they have that confirmed, then I go back to my regular doctor and go through this pregnancy like any normal person, with just a tad bit more attention because of the PCOS.”
“Wow,” I said standing up and walking around the room. I started laughing. “Wow, that is just absolutely amazing. This is beyond anything I could have imagined. I am more than thrilled.”
“Really?” She acted as if she expected a different reaction. “We only just started dating.”
“I know.” I sat next to her and took her hands in mine. “I don’t care how long we’ve been dating. I’m really excited to have a child with you. I want you to be happy, no matter what that means. I’ve always wanted children, and I have some very serious feelings for you. I mean nothing ever truly happens when we want it to, right? This baby is a miracle and a gift, and I couldn’t imagine sharing that with anyone else.”
She smiled wide, and I reached over, pulling her head toward mine, and pressed my lips against hers. She kissed me passionately before pulling away to rest her forehead against mine and look deep into my eyes. Tears pooled at the edges of hers, and I reached up and brushed my hand over her cheek. She was so beautiful and full of life, and with just those words of support, I could see her letting go of the fears and starting to allow herself to get excited over the news.
“So,” I said, leaning back and turning toward her. “Life is going to change so much. It's really exciting.”
“Gosh,” she scoffed. “More change, just what I need.”
“Yeah, but this is a good change,” I said excitedly. “I mean, we are really going to have a baby. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl. I wonder if it will laugh like me or smile like you? I hope whatever gender it is, it has your wonderful, beautiful heart.”
She laughed, throwing her head back and sniffling. I leaned my head against my hand and smiled at her, loving the way she was starting to open up about everything. She relaxed a bit and pulled the throw on the edge of the couch around her shoulders. She looked deep into my eyes, her thoughts dancing across her face.
“When I was a little girl,” she began, “and my parents were all drugged up in the living room, I would lock myself in my room and dream about being a wife and mother. I imagined myself being the best mother ever. I knew I had to give my child lots of hugs, lots of kisses, and lots of love, more love than my parents had ever given me. I imagined my husband to be kind and sweet but strong and protective. He would take care of us, hold us, and be the kind of father I always wished I’d had. When the doctor told me I would never have children, it was almost as if I saw that memory shatter into a million pieces right in front of me. But now, now everything has changed again.”
“When I was a child,” I said, rubbing her arms, “I always knew I wanted to be a father one day. I knew I wanted to be a father to my child like my dad was with me. He was caring and soft but. at the same time, pushed me to be the best man I could be. He made us remember that having pride in ourselves, always being truthful and valiant, and being able to love would open so many doors in our life, not just romantically. I always wondered what he would have been like if one of us had been a girl. I had seen his soft side on a daily basis with the way he handled my mother. He has always been so gentle and kind with her, making sure she never wanted for anything, making sure she was completely taken care of. His family always came before the business, and part of me believes that was why he did so well.”
“Your dad is a wonderful father, and he is going to be an amazing grandfather.” She shook her head. “Part of me really wished my father was responsible enough to be a grandparent, but since I know that will never happen, I couldn’t be happier to have your father there as the solo grandpa.”
“My mom and dad are going to freak.” I laughed at the thought of telling them. “In a good way, of course. They have been waiting forever to become grandparents.”
“Jordan might be another story.” She cringed and shook her head. “He still thinks I can’t have children at all. It’s going to be interesting breaking the news to him.”
“Just shows he gave up too soon, but I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I replied, standing up and reaching down to pull Tiffany to her feet. “Come on, let’s go get comfy and watch movies in my bed. We can just relax for tonight and enjoy this news between the two of us.”
“That sounds perfect.” She followed me back to the room with a satisfied smile replacing the lost expression she’d arrived with.
It was almost shocking how easy that went and even more shocking that there wasn’t an ounce of fear inside of me when she’d told me I was going to be a father. So many men would have taken that very poorly, especially having only dated someone for not even a full month. But with Tiffany, it was different, we were different, and I had never felt closer to her than I did then. She was so beautiful and so complete that I couldn’t imagine having a child with anyone else.
We threw on some warm comfortable clothes and pulled the covers up over us. At first, she laid her head on my chest, watching the old black and white movies that were playing, but she quickly sat up and continued talking about her childhood. I turned the sound down on my television and listened to her intently, wanting to hear every single story she had. I knew her childhood hadn’t been easy, but I was so glad that she and I could provide a life for our child that was comfortable, loving, and protected. My mind was whirling around like crazy at the thought of a baby growing inside of Tiffany’s stomach.
We sat up and talked almost all night long, turning off the movies after about an hour, recognizing we were more interested in discussing all of this and getting to know each other more than we already did. Luckily, she knew my parents and what kind of upbringing I’d had, so she felt comfortable talking about hers. A little after two in the morning, I got up to get a glass of water, but by the time I had come back, Tiffany was sound asleep in the bed. I turned on her alarm so she would have time to go home and change, and then curled up under the covers next to her. She was so warm and calm, and I couldn’t stop watching her sleep. With each breath, I knew that she was growing a child inside of her body, and not just any child but my child. I loved this woman more than anything, and I couldn’t wait to become a father with her by my side.
Chapter 24
Tiffany
I opened my eyes, unsure of where I was for a second. As my eyes adjusted, I remembered I was in Jason’s bed, warm and snug under the covers. I pulled my phone quietly off the desk and looked at the time. I had woken up about an hour before my alarm was scheduled to go off. I opened the settings to check and saw that Jason had set the alarm for me. I must have fallen asleep when he went to get water in the middle of the night. I hadn’t meant to sleep over, but we were having a fantastic conversation, and I guess the excitement of the day and the news just got the best of me. His bed was so comfortable, I could literally stretch out in it for the rest of the week and not get up. I put the phone back on the nightstand and slid back down, pulling the covers over my shoulders and snuggling into the pillow. My body was tired, but mind was wide awake, something I wasn’t used to. It was usually the other way around, where my body was ready to go but my mind was so tired, I could barely think straight.
As I relaxed in the bed, my mind replayed the day before, especially the news the doctor had given me. I pressed a hand lightly to my belly. It was still so unbelievable to me that there was a baby growing inside of me. I had dreamt about it forever, but after the last news, I’d never thought it would actually happen. Both fear and excitement ran through me, and I was pretty positive I was not going back to sleep anytime soon. Jason rolled over on his side, scooting in close to me and wrapping his arms around me. The smell of his cologne hit my nostrils, and my memory pushed me back to the night in the hotel after the cocktail party. The sex was so hot that night that I could almost feel him inside of me right then. Immediately, heat pooled between my legs, and I was so horny, I could barely wrap my brain around it. My hormones must already be going crazy, and it didn’t help that I could feel Jason's hot skin against my back and his morning wood poking into my ass. I wiggled my body against him, and he pulled me closer, pushing his hips forward into me. I knew he was asleep, but even in his dreams, he reacted to my body.
I tried to push the feeling to the back of my mind, switching my thoughts to the day ahead, but it was no use, I was already ready to go. I knew if I rolled over, it would be a challenge waking him up because he was a hard sleeper. But if I could sneak under the covers and wrap my mouth around his cock, he just might wake up a little bit quicker. I contemplated it for several minutes before deciding it had to happen. There was no way I could get through a day staring at him across the hall without jumping him in the break room if I didn’t do something about the lust bubbling over in my chest. Slowly, I lifted his arms and put them on his side, his body rolling over on his back out of reflex. I turned over and inched down under the covers, moving over between his legs. I ran my fingers down his sides, pulling a slight groan from his throat before reaching down inside of his boxers and pulling his cock out. Just with the touch of my hands, he was immediately rock-solid, and I smiled as I dipped my head down and took his cock into my throat.
He moved slightly underneath me, growling as his hands dipped under the covers and ran across the top of my head. I knew he was awake from the way his hips thrust upward toward my face. I took my tongue and licked from the base of his shaft, all the way up to the tip of his head, my other hand caressing his balls. His fingers went through my hair and grasped down, as he moaned loudly on the other side of the covers.
“Mmm, good morning.” He chuckled.
I smiled before diving my head back down his cock, taking it deep and fast. He pushed his pelvis forward as my lips touched the base of his shaft, bouncing back upward. I swirled my tongue around his dick and bobbed my head up and down, the covers still over my head. I reached up to run my hand down his chest, scratching my nails into his stomach while I deep throated his cock. He growled and groaned above me, moving his hand up and down with my head as I sucked his long, hard dick. It grew harder and harder in my throat as his mind became more awake. He flipped the covers down, revealing my head, and smiled as I gazed up at him, my mouth full of his manhood. My eyes watered as I moved faster, wanting him inside of me. I reached down and ran my fingers over my wet mound, letting out a slight whimper as I licked the head of his cock.
“Yes.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
My mouth opened wider as I went down, sucking hard on the way back up. He pushed his hand against my head wanting more as I pulled my hand up his shaft and back down before putting my lips back on it. My heart was beating fast as I sucked harder, hoping that he would soon flip me over and fuck me with everything he had. Finally, he reached down and grabbed my face, pulling me up his body. He kissed my lips and leaned into my ear.
“Ride me,” he whispered.
I pulled my legs from between his and straddled him, pulling my panties to the side and reaching back to grab his cock. Slowly I pushed downward, feeling every inch of his shaft gliding through my juices. He reached up and pulled my shirt off and grabbed onto my bouncing tits. I could feel his fingers moving over my nipples, which seemed even more sensitive than normal. I moaned loudly as he flicked the tips of my tits, bringing electric waves through my body. If he kept going, that alone could make me come. I sat down hard on his cock, feeling it pressing against my limits before moving my hips and grinding against him. He reached down and opened me up, running his thumb over my clit as I ground down harder. I put my hands down on his chest and lifted my hips, feeling him slowly sliding out of me before I pushed back down and let him fill me up again.
By that point, my hips were moving so fast I could barely control it and he grabbed my waist, holding me still as he thrust his hips up and down, slamming his body against my pussy. I screamed out, pulling my hands up to my head and yearning for release. As his body slapped against my clit, I could feel myself lose all self-control. The orgasm simmering in my belly released, sending waves of pleasure through me. I arched my back and gritted my teeth, taking in a deep breath and feeling every single ounce of energy running through my veins. Jason sat up and pushed me over onto my back, climbing up and wasting no time in pulling my legs over his shoulders. His cock pushed deep inside of me, sliding in and out. I could feel my juices trickling from me and covering his rock-hard dick. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, the feeling of morning sex invigorating and arousing. His fingers dug into my thighs as he thrust in and out repeatedly, bringing himself closer to orgasm.
Moans escaped my lips, and I reached down to rub my clit while his body slammed against mine. He moved my legs off his shoulders and leaned down over me, staring me deep in my eyes. His hips moved in and out quickly, his teeth clenching and muscles tightening, signs he was close. He thrust several more times before pushing in deep and hard and stopping, his cock pulsing inside of me. He exploded, his body shivering over top of me as pleasure shook his body. His hips thrust forward trying to get deeper as his body released his seed inside of me. I watched his face begin to relax, running my fingers over his shoulders and down his arms. As his eyes opened, the alarm went off, and we both began to laugh.
“Perfect timing, as always,” I said.
He leaned down and kissed my lips before pulling his body away from mine and out of the bed. He stood stretching, his cock still hard and sticking straight out in front of him. I smiled as I reached up and switched off the alarm, grabbing the pair of shorts from the floor that he’d let me wear and pulling a sweatshirt over my head. I had to go home to change my clothes, but he was going with me, so I waited while he hurriedly got dressed. He was so handsome in his suits, but I’d take him naked any day. That was probably one of the reasons why I was pregnant. I smiled to myself as I thought about the change in our life, and how Jason was now a permanent part of me.
When he was ready to go, we went down to the street and jumped into one of the company cars. I shivered considerably, having left the house in a pair of shorts. There was frost over everything, and it was getting very close to winter. We pulled up in front of my house, and I got dressed while Jason made us a couple cups of coffee for the road. I pulled out something comfortable to wear, not feeling like fighting the tightness of most of my business attire. When I was done pulling my hair back and brushing my teeth he handed me a mug of coffee and kissed my lips as we made our way back out to the car. This time, I remembered my coat and felt a lot more awake with the coffee already coursing through my veins.
We made it to the office in record time, and I leaned into Jason as we moved up the elevator to our floor. My cheeks blushed slightly as several workers got off the elevator on the seventh floor and as soon as the doors shut, Jason and I both burst into laughter. We were still laughing when the elevator doors opened, and I didn’t even notice the stares and whispers until I was almost all the way down the hall and to my office. I had never even stopped to think about the fact that our relationship was going to seem weird to anyone who didn’t know us or our situation. However, working in a professional environment, I didn’t think I was going to have to deal with the kind of childish behavior that the other employees were exhibiting. At first, it made me angry, so angry in fact, I thought about going out there and defending myself. But, after taking a deep breath and laughing at a picture Jason sent me through text, I decided the best course of action would be to ignore them. Well, at least as long as I possibly could. My coming baby bump wasn’t going to make that situation any easier at all.
Chapter 25
Jason
Waking up was not nearly as exciting as the day before when my alarm clock had been replaced by Tiffany’s luscious lips around my cock. What a way to start a day, and in fact, I even considered having her stay the night so I could wake up again to some blazingly hot sex. I was currently sitting in a marketing meeting thinking about my most-likely pregnant girlfriend’s wet pussy, something I knew my father would frown on if he could read my mind. Anybody in my position would feel the same way with an amazing woman like Tiffany. Not only was she now my girlfriend, and future mother of my child, she was going out of her way to make our love life as spicy as it possibly could be. I didn’t know much about pregnancy, but she had clearly become more hands on in recent days, something I was not going to complain about, not even for a second. I could barely keep my hands off her as it was, but now, she was going to make it way more difficult for me.
When the meeting ended, I stood up, stretching my arms over my head. My father looked over at me and raised an eyebrow, obviously noticing my severe disconnection from the things going on around me. I smiled wide at him and flipped my binder shut, knowing that if he were in a similar position, he would be just as distracted from work. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, trying to hide a smile as he collected his things and walked out of the meeting room. I grabbed my mug and discovered I was out of coffee, which was no big deal since the office kept a pot constantly brewing. I picked up my pen and notebook and headed out of the office toward the break room. I smiled at my father’s secretary as she walked past me, carrying my father’s usual coffee with light cream and no sugar. He used to load it up with sugar, but my mother put a stop to that really fast, calling Shirley and letting her know how he needed to have his coffee made each morning.
After Shirley passed by, I walked into the breakroom and smiled, seeing Tiffany standing at the back corner talking on the phone. She was wearing flowing black dress pants with a black and white polka dotted silk button-up shirt tucked into the high waist. Her black pointy-toed heels poked out from beneath the hem of the pants, and her hair was pulled back into a curly ponytail. She was still wearing her reading glasses and looked kind of like one of those secretaries in cliché porn movies. I didn’t know who she was talking to, but she seemed like she was whispering. I walked over, trying not to intrude and poured my coffee, fixing it with cream and sugar before turning back around and waiting for her to finish her call. She looked over at me and smiled as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. I smiled back and leaned up against the counter, fixing my tie so it wouldn’t land in my coffee mug like it had done so many times before. Maybe all those tie clips I had gotten for Christmas weren’t useless after all.
Tiffany finally pulled the phone from her ear and hung it up, slowly looking up at me with flushed cheeks. She walked forward, looking around to make sure no one else was in the room. I already knew she was going to give me news from her doctor, and I could feel the nerves in my stomach doing flip flops.
“What is it?” I smiled and reached my hand out for hers. She walked in close and looked down at her phone.
“Well, I’m definitely pregnant,” she said happily. “And they said the time of conception was about three weeks and a day ago.”
“Wow,” I said thinking back. “Wait. Holy Shit. That was like our first time.”
“Yeah,” she giggled.
“Well, if that’s not fate, then I don’t know what is,” I said, absolutely floored. “Congratulations, momma.”
“Congratulations, daddy,” she said happily. “We really know how to throw a party.”
I couldn’t believe it, not only had it been confirmed that she was indeed pregnant, we had managed to knock it out of the park before we even knew we loved each other. Talk about a twist of fate walking into a hot and sexy lovemaking session. Most other men might be upset, but I was extremely excited and almost felt like I had hit the jackpot. I set my coffee mug on the counter and reached forward, grabbing Tiffany around the waist and pulling her in close. She smiled as her lips moved to mine, kissing me gently before pulling up and kissing my forehead, too. Her touch was gentle and sweet, and it made me love her even more than I already did. Her belly was pressed against mine, and I couldn’t help but think about the baby growing inside. I glanced up as Jordan walked into the break room, stopping for a moment to roll his eyes and shake his head at our public display of affection.
“Talk about weird fucking timing,” he mumbled. “Get a room, preferably in another city.”
I looked up at Tiffany and smiled, ignoring his ignorant ass statements. I was not going to let him take this moment from us. He had ruined so many things for Tiffany, and I could tell by her face that she was not going to let his petty words ruin this one, too. I kissed her nose and took in a deep breath, letting the news wash over me.
“Would you come to dinner with me on Sunday at my parent’s house?”
“Of course,” she said, smiling wide.
She backed up and stuck her phone in her pocket, her face beaming with excitement. I wanted to talk about everything, be super excited with her, but we weren’t ready to tell anyone yet. It had to stay a secret, and I wanted to make sure there was nothing stressful about any part of it for her. I knew with the PCOS, pregnancy could be tricky, and I wanted her to get through everything with as little stress as possible. She was carrying my child now, and I was feeling ten times more protective than I had been at the beginning. Part of me wished I could stick her in a bubble and keep her safe until the baby arrived. She shivered, goose bumps rolling up her arms, and I reached forward, rubbing my hands down her arms and warming her up. She looked like she was on another planet, but instead of worry like the other night, she looked completely infatuated by the whole realization that she and I were going to have a baby.
“So, since your coming to dinner on Sunday,” Jordan said, walking over to us. “Just want you to know Rosalie won’t be there for you to bond with. We broke up. Things were just getting too serious too fast, and I needed to stretch out and weigh my options. It would be dumb of me to end my marriage and shack up with the first broad I found. Besides, she was weirded out, kind of like everyone else, with this whole my-brother-dating-my-ex-wife thing.”
“Mmhm,” Tiffany said, not hearing anything Jordan had to say.
“Sorry to hear that, man,” I replied, refusing to acknowledge his weak attempt to sound like he was playing the field. In all reality, the poor girl probably knew exactly what was up, how much of a D-bag Jordan could be, and ran for the hills, just like Tiffany should have done. But then again, if she had never married my brother, it was unlikely I would have ever gotten to know her the way that I did, and we wouldn’t be standing here daydreaming about the child we were about to welcome into the world.
“What is up with you two?” Jordan wrinkled his nose and stared at our blank expressions.
Neither one of us answered, still standing there staring off into space. It seriously felt like I was part of another world there for a second. It wasn’t that I didn’t hear my brother talking. It was that he wasn’t important enough to interrupt the amazing thoughts I had going on in my head. The baby, Tiffany, and dinner at my parents had filled every crevasse of my mind. My brother’s voice ended up just being background noise for me. It was the kind of noise you know is there, but you train your body to ignore so it doesn’t drive you absolutely mad. My brother had a way of doing that. To be fair, the fire alarm could have gone off, a space ship could have crash-landed on the roof, and I could have been surrounded by little green men and still wouldn’t have paid any attention to what was going on. It was like we were both stuck in a trance, not giving two shits about coming out of it. All I wanted to do at that point was run away, so I didn’t have to hide anything in our lives anymore.
“Hey, earth to asshole,” my brother said, tapping on my head. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” I said, pulling myself from my happy place and taking in a deep breath. “I heard you.”
“So, what’s going on?”
I looked at Jordan for a moment and turned back to Tiffany who pulled herself out of the clouds as well. I picked up my coffee and took a sip, trying to decide whether to tell him or not. I knew Tiffany didn’t want to tell anyone anything yet, at least not until the dinner. I looked back at Tiffany who had just completed processing what Jordan was asking. She shook her head no to me and winked. I understood why we needed to keep the information to ourselves, but I just loved watching my brother completely deflate when he was in a mood like the one he was currently in. His cockiness had reached an entirely new level, and news like this would deflate him in about two seconds flat. But I let out a deep breath as she shook her head, knowing I had to respect her decisions on this one.
“Sunday,” she said staring into my eyes.
“Gotcha,” I replied. “Sunday.”
I looked over at my brother and shrugged my shoulders. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, pouring more black coffee in his cup and walking out of the room. I was glad he left us alone again, but I had to tear myself away from Tiffany in order to get any work done. It was bad enough that I was going to be sitting there processing the news, but on top of that, I wanted to hold Tiffany and care for her. I knew if I was nervous about all of this, she was, too. And I knew if I was happy about all of it, she would be, too. So, I mustered up my strength of focus and leaned in, kissing her on the chin before heading back to my office. From my chair, I watched her walk down the hall and turn into her room. She looked kind of like a sleepwalker, her eyes glazed over and her steps not as graceful as usual.
I guess I couldn’t blame her. She was pregnant, and we were about to unleash that information on everyone we loved the most, including my brother Jordan. It was his response that I feared more than anything. Hopefully, he could keep his cool.
Chapter 26
Tiffany
I’m pregnant. I’m freaking pregnant. I just kept telling myself that repeatedly all day long. It didn’t matter what I was doing, from brushing my teeth to putting gas in my car, the feeling of knowing I was growing a person in my body was completely blowing my mind. I had never gotten a piece of news that affected me in the way this was affecting me. I just couldn’t believe after all of that, one lunchtime sex session after days of sexting, led to me being pregnant. Jason was really impressed that we knocked it out after just the first time. I was impressed that after being told that I had a higher chance of hitting the lottery than getting pregnant, I knocked it out of the park. Either I needed a new doctor, or I needed to start playing the lottery because the reality was, I was pregnant. Until now, I’d never really understood what a woman felt like when they found out they were expecting. I was in shock and awed at how amazing all of it really was.
I was sitting at the table at John and Lily’s, chewing the steak that Lily had prepared. Was the baby supposed to even have steak? I suppose I’d have to learn all this now. I knew very little about pregnancy, having never been around any pregnant women or small children for that matter. I knew that my doctor would fill me in on everything I was and wasn’t allowed to have, but the thoughts kept popping into my mind. I didn’t mind it, though, since it kept my mind off the fact that we were about to reveal our big secret to everyone, including Jordan who was sitting across the table scowling at me as I ate. I didn’t know what his problem was, but if he thought he was pissed at me now, just wait until he finds out the news. I was almost nervous about letting him know. I shouldn’t have been because he was no one to me anymore other than my baby’s uncle. Still, the idea of letting everyone in on our secret was more than a little terrifying.
“So,” Jason said putting down his fork. “Tiffany and I have something we’d like to tell you.”
“Sure, honey,” Lily said, giving him her attention. “What is it?”
“Well,” he said, taking in a deep breath. “It wasn’t planned, and we had no idea it could even happen. This took us completely by surprise, but we found out recently that we’re having a baby.”
Lily put her hands to her face and smiled big, letting out a gasp. John shook his head and laughed, reaching over and taking Lily’s hand. There it was. We had told everyone the big news. I smiled at Lily, who seemed more than excited to be becoming a grandmother. Jason reached over and took my hand, pulling it into his lap and looking over at me in awe. All that stress and worry and in two seconds, the news was out. We apparently didn’t like to do anything in our relationship without having a bit of shock value to add to it. I looked down in my lap and then up at Jordan who looked like he was still processing what was just said. I was nervous for his reaction and sat there squeezing Jason’s hand as the table quieted and Jordan responded.
“What the hell?” he yelled.
“Jordan,” Jason said, putting up his hand.
“No, fuck you,” Jordan interrupted, very angry. “You are just a crazy whore trying to ruin everyone’s life. I wasn’t good enough to watch ruin, so you latched onto my brother.”
“Hey,” Jason yelled standing up. “Shut your damn mouth about Tiffany. You’re the one who left her when you thought she couldn’t have kids. You just dropped her on her ass because she didn’t fit into this crazy mold you have in your head on how you think a woman should be.”
“How do you even know she’s telling the truth? She could be lying about the whole damn thing,” Jordan screeched, standing up and pushing back his chair. “You are a disgrace.”
“Hey,” John said loudly, hushing the crowd. “Jordan, that is enough from you. Don’t think you can sit here and ruin something so beautiful. If she was told she couldn’t have children and she got pregnant, it is something to celebrate, not belittle her because it didn’t happen the way you wanted it to. This is not your life. It is Tiffany and Jason’s. You either get past it or keep your mouth shut. I won’t have you disrespecting anyone at my dinner table.”
Jordan pushed his chair backward so hard that it fell over. He turned from the table and stomped out of the dining room. I could hear his feet slamming against the floors as he made his way toward the door. I flinched as he slammed the front doors behind him. I looked over at Jason, who was shaking his head and rubbing his face.
“I’ll take care of it,” Jason said, leaning down and kissing my head before he walked out of the room and to the front where Jordan would be.
My mind raced with thoughts and emotions. On the one hand, I was upset about the fact that Jordan took our news so personally. On the other hand, I could not help if they told me I couldn’t have children and then, poof, I ended up pregnant. Jordan had never given us a chance. It was not the ideal situation, but I loved Jason, and I loved this baby. I wasn’t going to sit there letting him talk to us that way and ruin our happy moment. I was glad Jason was there to handle it, knowing Jordan would make me angrier than what was safe for me. I watched as Lily stood up and walked around the table, reaching over and wrapping her arms around me. The look on her face was pure excitement, and immediately, I started to feel better about what just happened.
“This is such amazing news,” she whispered as she hugged me. “We have to celebrate. Put Jordan out of your mind. He will come around, eventually. Right now, we should be thankful for the abundance of gifts and celebrate the coming arrival of our very first grandchild.”
“I’m so glad you feel that way,” I said, hugging her back. “Jason and I are absolutely thrilled with the news. It is a miracle I ever got pregnant in the first place.”
I looked up as Jason walked back in the room, hugging his father and smiling at me. John looked excited beyond himself, and I saw Jason let go of his irritation from Jordan and allow himself to enjoy the celebration his parents were trying to put forth. John walked over as I stood and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. I could feel the fatherly love emanating from him, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to feel it for the first time in my life.
We moved into the living room where the service staff brought out a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling cider for me. Jason opened both bottles and poured the bubbling liquid into the glasses, handing me the sparkling cider. He raised his glass in the air, and we all followed suit.
“To a life of happiness and love,” Jason said.
“To our new beautiful grandchild,” Lily said.
“To many days and many nights chasing little bare feet through the house,” John said.
“To miracles moving us beyond celebration and into a time of healing,” I said, looking over at Jason.
I was so excited that everyone wanted to celebrate, and I smiled and laughed right along with them, but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but feel bad. I knew that I had a right to feel however I wanted and so did Jordan, but I couldn’t fully put myself into the celebration, knowing how upset Jordan was and how badly Jason and I had hurt him. I sat there quietly, listening to Jason and his parents talking excitedly about the new baby, trying to shake the feeling of guilt I had.
Sure, Jordan had treated me terribly, and for all intents and purposes, I didn’t owe him any explanation for my choices, but that didn’t mean it was right of me to completely bash his heart. I didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Jordan anymore, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a human being, capable of understanding when certain news should be delivered in a different way to different people. I should have sat down with Jordan and explained things better. I should have told him about the doctors I was going to and how they were already under the impression that my last doctor wasn’t completely correct in my diagnosis. With as angry as I wanted to get at him, I knew that he had cared for me at one point and wasn’t as ruthless as I told myself when deciding to divorce me. It was difficult information to handle, thinking you would never have your own children. He probably felt especially cheated now that Jason and I were expecting.
We stayed for another hour or two, talking and celebrating before my constant yawning caught Jason’s attention. He took me home, so I could get some good rest in my own bed, and though I would miss being by his side, it felt really good to be home. I went to the fridge and grabbed a big glass of juice and some fruit and sat down in the living room. I picked up my phone, realizing I had missed one incredibly important person in the announcement process. Mona.
“Hey, slut,” she answered, making me laugh.
“Hey,” I said. “I have news.”
“I like news,” she said. “Unless it's bad, then I don’t like it.”
“Guess who is pregnant,” I said.
“Hmm, Angelina Jolie? I knew that slut had a lover on the side. Poor Brad,” she said, laughing. “No? Is it someone I know?”
“Yep,” I said cheerfully.
“Dude, I have no idea,” she replied. “I could—wait. Is it you?”
“Ding, ding, ding.” I laughed.
“What? You’re pregnant?” The tone of Mona’s voice was more excited than any other time I had ever talked to her. “I can’t believe this! Are you happy? Is Jason happy?”
“We are both really happy,” I said, pleased with her enthusiasm.
We talked for over an hour after that as Mona went on and on about how excited she was. I could hear her on the other line typing on the computer as she talked about planning the baby shower, picking out furniture, and all the other exciting things I hadn’t yet had a chance to really think about. She had some crazy ideas for a gender reveal party, and I just sat back and let her get even crazier talking about everything. It was nice to have someone to talk to who didn’t make me think about all the stressful aspects of this pregnancy. Still, in the back of mind, hiding in the shadows was that guilt about how Jordan had found out. I couldn’t help but think that everyone should have stepped back for a second and given him a little extra room to understand what happened. I was worried he would never come around, and Jason would be left with a rift in his relationship. Our child wouldn’t have an uncle to grow up with. For all of Jordan’s faults, in the end, he was not a bad person, and I really needed to start thinking of a way to repair the damage everything had done to our relationship. If not for me, then for the father of my child.
Chapter 27
Jason
I walked into the office with a new pep in my step, greeting everyone with a good morning, and making my way to my desk. It was the first time I was this excited about being at work. There was something invigorating about becoming a father, and it filtered down into everything around me. I had a brand new purpose in life, a meaning to everything I was working for, and it no longer just affected me. Though the pressure was a lot to handle, I took it and turned it into a positive, almost a challenge to myself to be the best man I could possibly be so that I could set a good example for our child. I wanted to show my child that hard work paid off, that treating others with fairness and respect was something that should be done on a daily basis, and I wanted to provide a life for my new family that was more than ideal. I wanted to never need for anything and only want for something out of choice, not out of necessity. But still, sitting down in my office chair and staring over at Tiffany, I couldn’t help but notice she had been acting weird since the night before at my parent’s house.
Jordan had been an extremely important part of Tiffany’s life, and she was revealing to him that she had acquired a dream with someone else, the dream that happened to be what split them apart in the first place. I understood why Tiffany felt we should have sat down with Jordan and really explained things, instead of including him in with the celebrations, understanding that it may not feel like an exciting thing to him. He wanted children of his own. He had the understanding of pride and accomplishment that went along with having your own family, and he had made a decision, not based on love but based on those wants, that had left him alone. He had to stand on the outside and watch his ex-wife become pregnant by another man, the thing that kept him from staying with her in the first place. I couldn’t even imagine how hurtful and angering that must be for him. However, having given him that due respect, there was still no reason for him to act and behave the way he did toward her at my parent’s house. He had said some horrible things to Tiffany, and everyone noticed that it really did affect her. I tried to talk to him, but by the time I got out there, he was racing off in his sports car, waving his hand at me as he passed.
I looked over at Tiffany as she sat at her desk, going through files and typing on her computer. She had been very quiet during the celebrations and had insisted on sleeping at her own house the night before. I wanted to keep her close, but I also understood I needed to give her space when she was feeling overwhelmed and understand that I couldn’t fix every single issue she had. Still, I couldn’t help but be worried at how withdrawn she had gotten after Jordan’s outburst. I could tell there was more going on in her head than what she was saying. What I didn’t know was whether she was just hurt or if she really felt bad for getting pregnant with me and not him. I was trying to be as understanding as I possibly could. This had to be a bit confusing for her on that front. However, as I sat there watching her sullen face, I started to worry that I was going to lose her. I had this perfect picture of our lives, with her as the wonderful and amazing mother and me as the doting father, but those were my dreams. I really wished she would talk to me so I could head off whatever might be coming from the thoughts going on in her head. I loved her more than anything and the thought of losing her and the baby was so crushing, it almost made it hard to breathe.
After about an hour, I got up from my desk and went looking for Tiffany. She had left her office earlier and had yet to come back. I didn’t want to smother her, but seeing as she was in a bit of a fragile position, I couldn’t help worrying about her. On top of all of that, I knew there was something going on in her head, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it, for her peace of mind and mine. I needed her to know that whatever she was feeling, she could talk to me about, even if it hurt me, and even if I had to open my mind to a broader perspective. I felt like she was pushing me away at every single turn. I walked into the break room and smiled, watching her standing in front of the coffee machine, her cute little dress blowing back and forth as she moved. She reached up for a cup and poured some coffee into it.
“Are you allowed to have coffee?” I asked the question in the nicest tone possible, truly unsure of what was allowed.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “My doctor said I could have up to 100 mg of caffeine per day, so one cup of coffee isn't going to hurt. Especially since we stock the office with the crappiest coffee we can find.”
“I always thought it was punishment.” I laughed, walking over next to her. She smiled at me and looked back at her cup, stirring it slowly.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hand on hers. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting strange ever since last night.”
She sighed and looked up at me, tears tugging at the corners of her eyes. I turned her toward me and pulled her in close, rubbing her back with my hands. Whatever it was, I needed her to get it off her chest and let it out, even if it was something I couldn’t fix.
“I feel terrible,” she said, pulling away. “To be completely honest, the way Jordan reacted last night made me feel absolutely horrible. It wasn’t what he said as much as how much pain I could see in his eyes as he looked at us. I wish we had pulled him aside and really explained what happened. I think we were reckless just including him in the announcement. How could we possibly think he would be happy for us? No, he didn’t act on the best choice possible, but it’s Jordan we’re talking about here. We all know he lashes out when he’s hurt by something. I feel awful for being so negligent with his feelings. I really felt like it made us no better than him. It was almost like we did it on purpose to make him feel terrible. If you look at it from his perspective, you have everything he was trying to create and with the woman he tried to create it with.”
“Baby,” I said kissing her on the forehead. “I know you feel guilty, and I would be lying if I said part of me didn’t completely agree with you, but you have to remember what happened. He left you, without giving anything a second opinion, a second look, or really understanding anything about what was going on. He didn’t want to stick around when things got even the tiniest bit rough, so to me, his pain is brought on by his own regret. I agree, maybe we should have handled it a better way, but are we going to have to tiptoe through the rest of our lives so that Jordan doesn’t get his feelings hurt? Where does it end? Do we not invite him to our baby’s first birthday party? Do we continue to hide our feelings for each other for the rest of our lives? You cannot put this on yourself.”
“I know,” she sighed. “You are right. I just really started to feel terrible when he ran off like that. I know that when Jordan is really hurting, he runs. It's that fight or flight reflex, and he always chooses flight. Thank you for listening to me and talking me through all of this. It has been a crazy ride so far, and I’m looking forward to the days when everything starts to calm down. I just want to make sure there are no rifts between you and your brother.”
“If there is a rift,” I whispered, “it is one he creates on his own.”
She hugged me tightly and pressed her face into my neck. I could feel her tired body in my arms, and all I wanted to do was carry her out of here and take her home. She needed to rest, but instead, she was here, working her ass off like she always did and shouldering guilt for Jordan like she always did. She pulled back and kissed my cheek, grabbing her cup of coffee and heading back to her office. I stood there for several moments thinking about what she said and how she felt. I understood her feelings because I’d had them, too, but in the end, we gave our happy news to the entire family, not just Jordan. Our intention was never to rub it in his face or hurt him. We had handled this entire situation with as much care and fragility as we possibly could, and all so that Jordan could ease into the thought of Tiffany and I being together, as a family. The pregnancy thing was as much of a surprise to us as it was to him, the difference being we were happy about it and he was jealous and remorseful. I still couldn’t get past the things that he said to Tiffany in anger. I wanted him to feel comfortable, but I refused to spend my life sneaking around him to spare his feelings. I sighed and picked up my mug, making my way back to my desk.
I sat down in my chair and stared down at the files peppering my work space. I had a ton of work to do, but my mind was plagued with what Tiffany had just told me. It really bothered me that she was so upset by Jordan and his reaction to the pregnancy. I couldn’t help but feel that there was something off about everything, and it made me more nervous than fatherhood alone made me. I hoped that everything Tiffany said was everything she was feeling, but part of me worried she had more feelings for Jordan than she was letting on. I tried to push the thoughts from my mind so I could work, but every time I looked up, I could see the pain in Tiffany’s eyes. She sat there, staring off into space, her thoughts a million miles from this office, and even though she said I had made her feel better, I knew with one look of her, that wasn’t true in the least.
My brother had been a thorn in this relationship since the beginning, and he would continue to be that, until I felt comfortable Tiffany wasn’t still in love with him. I was terrified I was going to lose Tiffany. I couldn’t sit around and watch her go back to Jordan, especially with the child in her belly being mine. I didn’t want to lose her, but I was starting to feel that it might actually be something I need to worry about. I loved that woman, and I would do anything I could to bring her back to where she used to be.
Chapter 28
Tiffany
Everything that happened was exactly what I knew or thought or suspected would happen in the situation that I was in. I never thought Jordan would come running over and congratulate us for getting pregnant just a month after he divorced me. I never thought that Jordan would be excited that his brother and I fell in love with each other. Nothing about the way I saw things working out was cloaked in naivety or a fairy tale expectation, but still, I was sitting here thinking of how bad I felt. Jason was right that I should not be so bothered by what happened or how Jordan reacted, but there was something inside of me that just couldn’t push it to the side. I felt terrible, point blank. I knew that most of that feeling was because I had spent my life making sure I was genuinely a nice person. I opened myself to empathy but in a way that allowed me to feel what other people were feeling. This way, I could better relate to them. This situation, however, I wished I wasn’t so empathetic about. I was completely missing out on the excitement of becoming pregnant because I felt bad for my ex-husband. It sounded ridiculous and twisted, even to me, but I knew until everything was worked out, I would continue to feel this way.
Around the midafternoon, I finished up the new quarter folders for all the employees. I put them all neatly together in a stack and got up from my chair. There was going to be a meeting in the conference room in about a half an hour, so I figured that would be a good place to distribute them. I picked up the stack from my desk and walked into the conference room, stopping dead in my tracks as I walked around the corner and saw Jordan already there. It was the first time I had seen him since dinner at his parents, and from the angry glare on his face, I knew that he hadn’t gotten over it. At first, I wanted to turn around, his arrogant stare pissing me off, but then I turned back, knowing if I never faced this head on, I would spend the rest of my life feeling guilty for something that I shouldn’t feel guilty about. I set down the stack of papers and put my hands on my hips, stepping in the way of the exit.
“You can’t continue to treat me this way,” I said assertively. “I didn’t do anything wrong, and you are acting like everyone is against you. It isn’t fair to me that you have chosen to take your anger out in this manner.”
I stared him down, waiting for a reaction. He looked down at his watch before setting his briefcase on the table and looking back at me. His face was pure anger, and it made me slightly nervous, so I took a step back.
“You lied to me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“No,” I said sternly. “I never lied to you. You just refused to see things as more than just black and white. I told you exactly what my doctor told me. I do have PCOS, and it was confirmed with my specialist. You only heard what you wanted to hear. The doctor told me there was a slim chance of me getting pregnant, which didn’t mean that it was a hundred percent no chance of me ever getting pregnant. Do you know how much time it took for me to figure that out? It took one extra doctor’s visit, Jordan. One. You didn’t care enough to stick around and even find me a second opinion. You didn’t care enough to push forward and see what could be done to correct the situation.”
“You pretty much told me you were never going to be able to have children,” he argued back. “I don’t remember you ever saying anything about slim or maybe.”
“Because you only heard what you wanted to hear,” I said angrily.
I watched as his face changed from contemplative back to angry. One thing about Jordan that made arguing difficult was the fact that he never wanted to admit that he could be wrong for even a second. He would argue his point beyond all sense, rationality, or reason. It was very frustrating.
“I never said there was a hundred percent chance that I would never get pregnant. I never said never,” I argued quietly. “Do you think that finding out that I couldn’t have children was easy for me? Did you think that maybe when I came home to talk to you, I was feeling confused, angry, and upset? You didn’t even try to be there for me. You didn’t even try to listen to what I had to say, a lot like right now. You are so damn stubborn that you won’t open your ears and really listen. I never, not once, said there was no chance at all. You heard what you wanted to hear, and you took that information and left me all alone. You broke my spirit, Jordan. You sent me packing without any explanation or caring, and after all the years we had been together. I didn’t just lose a husband that day. I lost the possibility of having children, I lost my best friend, my relationship, and the only family I ever knew. What you did was so wrong on so many levels. I can’t even begin to tell you what you put me through. While you were out there picking up chicks at the bar, reveling in your freedom, I was at home picking the pieces of myself off the floor, all while keeping the secret as to why you chose to end the relationship so people wouldn’t look poorly at you.”
I didn’t know why, but at that moment, my emotions kicked into high gear. Maybe it was the hormones from the pregnancy, maybe it was the pent-up anger I had for Jordan, but either way, I was on a roll, and I didn’t see myself stopping. I slammed the folders on the desk, drawing the attention of the people in the surrounding areas. Tears began to run down my cheeks as anger simmered in my belly, beginning to bubble over. I pointed my finger at Jordan and walked forward, my voice raising three levels as I continued.
“If you thought for one second that I would come running back to you after what you put me through, you were dead wrong. You keep telling everyone that I left you, but that is complete and total bullshit, and you know it. The day I told you about my condition, you bolted, leaving me alone to grieve it. Well, you know what happened? I never did. I was so wrapped up in the fact that my new husband of three months had left me. Abandoned me when I was in pain. I actually started to think up ways to make myself better so you would come back. I actually thought I wasn’t good enough for you. In the end, though, the truth was, you weren’t good enough for me.”
I turned around, wiping the tears from my cheek and looking at the crowd that had gathered. People were already talking about me behind my back, and now, they had all seen me completely lose it on Jordan. Great, even more for people to whisper about behind my back now. Just what I needed. I paused for a moment and gathered myself before pushing through the onlookers and making my way to John’s office. I just didn’t see how I was going to be able to continue to come to work every day and be ridiculed by the staff over a situation they knew nothing about.
I knocked on John’s door and entered, closing the door behind me. I sat down in the chair across from his desk and took a deep breath, feeling my emotions getting the best of me. John looked up at me and alarm shot across his face once he saw my bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.
“I wanted to know if there was a way that I could work remotely,” I asked.
“Is everything okay with the baby?” He sat up in his chair with concern.
“Yes,” I said, shaking my head. “Everything is fine with the baby. It’s just that coming to this office is starting to become more stressful than I think I could handle. There are rumors flying everywhere, and though I know that I am responsible for those rumors with my break up with Jordan and my relationship with Jason, it isn’t fair, and it is making for a hostile work environment for myself and for Jason. I don’t speak on his behalf at all, but the whispers and stares are really hard to withstand day in and day out.”
“I understand where you are coming from, but I need you in an office, not at home,” he said kindly. “I could transfer you to our San Diego office and have you fly home on the weekends if that would help.”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “That’s an eight-hour flight both ways. Can I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course,” he said with a kind smile. “Take all the time you need. But know that it isn’t a permanent solution to your problem, and with the pregnancy, I don’t know how healthy it would be to take that option. You should take a deep breath and think about. Talk to Jason, he’s a level-headed person who can give you some really good insight.”
“I will.” I smiled at him, though it felt rather forced. “Thank you, John.”
“Anytime,” he said as I walked toward the door. “And remember my door is always open.”
I nodded and walked out of the office feeling completely torn about what to do. On one hand, going to San Diego would keep the stress of this whole thing off my shoulders, but it would only be temporary. I was in a relationship with Jason, and I loved him. We were getting ready to start a family together and jetting off to San Diego to run away from my problems would just make things worse. But this situation seemed ridiculous and hopeless, and the people in the office were ruthless. As I turned the corner, I could see several of the women huddled together staring over at me. I rushed past and into my office, shutting the door and leaning back against it. I was so damn confused, and I knew I could talk to Jason, but without a doubt, he would never go for me flying back and forth between here and San Diego.
I sat down at my desk and put my head in my hands. I felt completely helpless and lost with no clue of what I should do. There was no way I was going to be able to continue to fight with Jordan. I refused to spend my life making all my decisions based on whether Jordan would be happy or upset. I was no longer his wife and shouldn’t have to deal with his attitude and disregard for the truth. He was Jason’s brother, which meant I couldn’t completely cut him out, but something had to happen and it had to happen fast. I did not want to be the reason that he and his brother didn’t have a relationship. I refused to be the piece of the puzzle that broke the entire thing. I shook my head, thinking about my life three months ago, wondering how everything had gotten turned so upside down. I wanted to talk to Jason about it, but at the same time, I knew he was fearful that I was going to leave him for Jordan.
I was completely at a loss of what to do.
Chapter 29
Jason
I sat back in my chair, rubbing my eyes and thankful that the work day was finally over. I had spent all day worried about Tiffany, and though she wasn’t coming back to my place that night, I just was glad she was going home to rest and take a deep breath. By the end of the day, she had seemed almost worse than when I saw her in the breakroom. I hugged her and caressed her before walking her out to her car. Something serious was plaguing her, and it most likely had something to do with the argument with Jordan in the conference room. I hated the gossip in my office with a passion, but it did allow me to know what was going on without trying to force it from Tiffany. The women in the back near the conference area told me what Jordan said. They also told me how upset Tiffany had gotten and how she was crying and yelling before slamming down her folders and marching off to my father’s office. I tried to ask my dad about it, but he told me it was something I was going to have to take up with Tiffany. I decided to give her the evening to recover, and I would bring it up to her later. At that current moment, though, I gathered my things quickly and took off toward the garage, hurrying to catch my brother. I wanted to confront him about the things he said, but I didn’t want to start the day off on the wrong foot. I waited until work was over.
There was a lot to be said between the two of us, but first, I needed him to come to the realization that he was no longer in charge of Tiffany. He had to start understanding that he couldn’t destroy every single good thing we had every time he felt left out, lonely, or jealous. He had ended his life with Tiffany, and I had begun one, no matter how unusual or taboo it seemed. There was something special between Tiffany and I, and I had never felt the way I did about her toward anyone else. I had a beautiful girlfriend, a baby on the way, and so many things to be happy about, but instead, I was sitting here chasing down my brother so I could tell him exactly how it was. I should be at home with Tiffany, planning a nursery, talking about the baby, and basking in that feeling of excitement that I had been forced to hide away for my brother’s sake. Well, it was going to stop, and it was going to stop right then. I did not want to go through another day where I had to worry about my relationship and how my brother was guilt tripping my girlfriend because he had made a choice to divorce her over something she couldn’t control. Enough was enough.
“Hey,” I yelled out jogging toward my brother’s car. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
“What?” He was irritated, and I could tell I was the last person he wanted to be talking to.
“I want you to leave Tiffany alone,” I said sternly. “You have put her through enough, and I’m tired of you taking every special happy moment she has and turning it into a battle. You aren't the victim that you are trying to play. All you’re doing is making life really hard for her, and it is starting to piss me off.”
“Look,” he said sternly. “I’m not in the mood to have a conversation with you. In fact, I’m not in the mood to look at your face at all. You stole Tiffany from me, and I’m tired of bowing down to your perfect little life.”
I gritted my teeth and stared at him angrily. How dare he turn this around on me. First, he makes Tiffany into the villain, and now that he has run out of steam on that one, he’s trying to make me out to be the villain. It pissed me off so bad that he could never take responsibility for his own actions. It pissed me off that he used these twisting tactics so that he didn’t have to feel guilty for his actions. He was becoming a severe scab on my life, and it was about time it ended.
“You seem to have forgotten how all this played out,” I said, stepping forward. “You divorced Tiffany, not the other way around. I know you like to play the victim here, but you are the one who started this whole mess to begin with. I never stole your girl. I met a woman who you tossed out in the trash as if she was nothing to you and helped her build herself up to become a strong, independent person again. It took me twenty minutes to find the clinic that she went to, twenty freaking minutes. Something you could have easily done, but instead, you walked around like you were all high and mighty. Now you have the nerve to act like you didn’t do anything wrong, and I stole her from you? Fuck, dude, you have some serious issues going on upstairs. It is very obvious that you never loved that girl in the first place.”
“You need to seriously start to curb the way you talk to me,” Jordan said angrily.
I looked at him with rage, taken back by how he thought he could tell me what to do. He truly felt like I was supposed to respect him when he hadn’t even started to earn that trust in the slightest. He was such a jerkoff and somebody really needed to give him a taste of his own medicine and bring him down a peg or two. In fact, someone needed to take his smart ass and give him the ass beating he deserved from the beginning.
“What are you going to do about it? You can’t even keep a marriage together,” I said, taunting him.
“Yeah? Well I may not be any good at marriage but I can sure as hell beat your ass,” he responded with a furrowed brow.
He stepped forward and swung hard as I leaned back. I could feel the air from his fist blow my hair up in the air. I lunged forward and punched him in the stomach, pushing him back against his car. I breathed heavily, stepping back and waiting for him to come at me again. He smiled, rubbing his gut before clocking me right in the face. I went down on one knee and held my cheek, feeling blood trickling down from my lip. I smiled and stood back on my feet, running forward and tackling Jordan to the ground. We rolled around on the ground, taking turns punching each other in the face. I could hear running footsteps behind me, but I didn’t care. Jordan’s cocky ass smirk kept me locked in on this fight. I rolled over on top of him and reared back, punching him across the face. We were both bleeding at that point, but my adrenaline was running so high, I didn’t feel an ounce of pain.
“That’s all you got,” he chuckled, wiping the blood from his lip. “Come on, little brother, I taught you better than that.”
His voice made me so angry, I could see red, but before I could get another shot off I felt someone grab me under the arms and pull me off the top of Jordan. It was my father and the look on his face was a mix of anger and concern. He stood between us with his arms out as Jordan pulled himself to his feet. Jordan looked over at me as he spit blood onto the concrete. My father shook his head and put down his arms while I bent over to catch my breath, the pain starting to make an appearance.
“What the hell is wrong with you two?” There was a crowd gathering behind us. “This has gotten completely out of hand.”
He was right. It had gotten completely out of hand, but I didn’t feel bad in the slightest for throwing down with him. He deserved every punch he got, and I was so sick of Jordan playing the poor little victim, making Tiffany and everything she did look like the worst thing in the world. He was the one to blame for all of her heartache and stress, and I wasn’t about to let that go. My father shook his head and stepped back, gathering his thoughts.
“You two need to get your shit together,” he said, straightening his tie and wiping at the blood on his sleeve. “You need to work this out, or I’m going to be forced to fire one of you. I can’t continue to have this kind of disruption in my office. This is a business, not a school yard.”
“You know what? Fuck this shit, I quit,” Jordan said throwing his hands up in the air. “You and Tiffany can go live your happy existence without me in it. I’m tired of all the bullshit.”
“There wouldn’t be bullshit if you hadn’t brought it to the table,” I shouted.
“You think you are so perfect,” he laughed. “You think Tiffany is so perfect, too. Well, both of you can kiss my ass. I’m tired of trying to get out of your perfect little shadows, watching you walk around gloating that you have the life that I was trying to make. Yeah, I divorced her, but that didn’t mean she was there for you to go scoop up and save the day. I don’t have to play the victim. You make me look like it all on your own. If you don’t want to be the villain, then stop thinking with your dick and act like a real man.”
“Yes,” I said laughing. “Because you know so well how to act like a real man. Give me a break. There you go telling your bullshit sob story like we planned any of this. Like we worked so hard to deceive you. Open your eyes, Jordan. You did all of this on your own, and now you're angry because Tiffany is finally happy in life, and you're stuck looking for your next dumb broad at the bar down the street. You could have had the happy ending, but you picked the hard road.”
“Go fuck yourself,” he said, getting in his car.
We backed up and watched as he drove his car out of the parking garage, only stopping for a moment at the exit before speeding off into the city. He never could take an argument, and he was so damn stubborn that he was willing to give up his entire career just to prove a point. This time, though, I wasn’t going to go running after him, begging him not to go. This was his choice, and the repercussions were completely on him. I looked over at my father who was still breathing heavily.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said, watching everyone disperse back to the building. “I didn’t mean for him to quit like that. I didn’t come down here for a fight, either. It just kind of happened.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said patting me on the shoulder. “Your brother has always been a little asshole, ever since he was a little boy. He will either come around and come back, or he won’t. That choice is completely up to him. I just hope that you guys don’t stay mad at each other forever. The family is important.”
He was right, family was important, and while I was here beating up my brother, Tiffany was at home, contemplating her new family. A family that I was part of. Well, at least I had been an hour ago. I knew how she felt about Jordan and me, and I also knew she was going to lose it when she found out we got into a fight.
Chapter 30
Tiffany
Jason’s door was open, so I walked around the corner and stopped in his doorway, looking over at him sitting at his desk. He looked angry, and he had several cuts and bruises on his face. I knew I should ask what the hell happened to him, but I already had a feeling that I knew. Everyone had been talking about a fight the night before in the parking garage, but I didn’t listen long enough to find out who it was between. Now, looking at Jason’s battered face and not being able to find Jordan made me think I missed out on more than after-work drinks when I had gone home after work. I cleared my throat, grabbing Jason’s attention.
“Where is Jordan?”
“He quit,” Jason said, looking back down at his file. “Why?”
I took two steps into the office and closed the door, lingering there for a second before turning back around. I walked over, squinting my eyes at Jason, wondering when he was going to look up at me. Whatever happened when I wasn’t here had put him in a foul mood, and to be frank, I was just completely fed up with everything going on. Right or wrong, I needed to work through these issues with Jordan if I ever wanted to have a chance at a happy relationship with Jason.
“Things will never be okay between Jordan and me if he and I can’t figure out our own shit,” I said sitting down on the edge of the chair.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I want to be on okay terms with Jordan. Not for me, not for the baby, but for you. If you and your brother continue like this, you’re going to end up hating each other. And then one day, you are going to end up resenting me for driving a wedge between the two of you,” I explained. “I don’t want to be responsible for that.”
“That’s just not true,” he said angrily.
“It is,” I replied. “Whether you can see it or not.”
I stood up and walked out of the office, shutting the door behind me. I grabbed a cup of coffee from the lounge and went to my desk, leaning back in my chair and closing my eyes. The last thing I wanted was for Jordan to quit. He loved this job with every fiber of his being, and I did not want to be the reason he walked away from it. I knew that Jason was worried that I wanted to get back together with Jordan, but that just wasn’t the case. I still wanted Jason just as much as I did at the beginning of all of this, I only wanted him and Jordan to be okay in their relationship. I would never be fully comfortable moving forward if I knew that I had been the root cause of them never talking again. It would change the entire dynamic of the family and cause tension in our relationship.
I went through the rest of the day trying to focus on my work. Jason didn’t come back out of the office after our talk, and I was almost sure that was a good thing. Everyone needed to cool off and take a breather. Even John had stayed locked in his office all day, and after what I heard went down in the parking garage the day before, I was surprised I wasn’t hearing it from him. I knew that it was me driving a wedge in their family, but I didn’t know what to do about it. When work was over, I grabbed my things and headed outside, hopping in a cab and heading over to Jordan’s penthouse. As I stepped out onto the curb, I looked up at the tall building, remembering just three months ago spending my first few days as a married woman tucked away in the rooms on the top floor. It was a strange feeling walking back in and having to ask the front desk guy to let me up the guest elevator. When I got to his floor, I walked over and knocked loudly on his door, assuming he would be there since he didn’t have a job anymore. When Jordan opened the door, he looked down at me with a stern face, a face I had only seen one other time, and that was when he had left me.
“Can I come in?”
He nodded his head and stepped to the side.
I looked around the penthouse, realizing that he hadn’t even moved one thing. Pictures from our wedding still peppered the fireplace, and I wondered if he had ever had Rosalie over to his place. It was a strange feeling standing in the living room of the apartment I used to feel at home in.
“Sit down,” he said gently, pointing to the chair across from the couch he was sitting on.
“I just want to talk,” I said sitting down. “When you left me, and I was all alone, I had zero plans to ever start dating anyone again. I saw your brother in a club that Mona dragged me out to, trying to pull me out of my depression. I had literally built a straw for my wine glass so I could lay down and drink.”
He smiled and chuckled, making me feel more comfortable.
“The next day I asked Jason out to lunch,” I continued. “We had a great time, and it was very unexpected. One thing led to another, and I found myself seeing him almost every day. He found this specialist for me to see. I gave them all my samples, but when the results came back, they told me yes, I had PCOS, but I was also pregnant. It caught me so off guard you could barely talk to me for days. Then it all settled in, and Jason was so wonderful about everything.”
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I said after thinking for a few moments. “I do love him, very much.”
“Look,” he said leaning forward and taking my hand. “I know you didn’t do any of this on purpose. You don’t have that kind of anger or revenge in your body. I knew from the first moment I found out that it was literally one of those fluke things that happen that catch you off guard. But I couldn’t help but feel completely enraged by it. It felt like a betrayal on both of your parts, and it was hard to come to terms with the fact that you loved each other. I felt like I had been cheated, but I knew it was because I had walked away. After sitting here today, just staring off into the distance, I realized that you and I were never meant to be. We had a hell of a time together, but we weren’t meant to grow old with each other.”
“I completely agree,” I said, smiling and squeezing his hand. “It was really hard for me to realize that in the beginning, but when I moved past you that day at the lobby of the office, I knew the pain had all gone away. I still cared for you very much. I want what is best for you, and I don’t like to see you hurting. I want you in my life and the baby’s life.”
“And I want to be in the baby’s life.” He smiled. “It just might take me a little bit of time to get used to everything.”
“Well, you have eight months until it’s here, so I think that is plenty of time.” I laughed. “You know, if I had known that I could get pregnant, and it would only take a couple of months, I would have pushed you to try harder. Despite whether we were right for each other, I loved you very much, and I considered you my best friend. I had planned our family out in my head for so many years that I can still see the child I imagined we would have. I know it’s weird, but I’m a girl, so what can I say?”
“You aren’t the only one.” He chuckled. “I thought about what our family would be like and what our children would be like. I imagined a little girl who had your blond hair and pretty green eyes and a little boy with dark hair and dimples like me. I think, though, in the end, it was harder letting go of those dreams than it was letting go of each other. We were living our lives based on dreams of the future not based on our love for each other. It was bound to end at some point.”
“Well, I can admit that I didn’t try to convince you to stay,” I said. “I let you go without a fight and just slunk down in my depression, not even sure what I was depressed over. I didn’t fight for you to stay, and though it wasn’t on purpose, I know it was something in the back of my mind. I think I knew it wouldn’t work no matter how hard I fought, so I didn’t.”
“I know,” he said sitting back. “I noticed that right away. I realized that on about day three that you weren’t going to try to fight for me. I wasn’t playing games, but I guess when you’re in a relationship and you suddenly break it off, you wonder how much they will really fight to keep you. It made me bitter that you had given up just as easily as I had, but I was made out to be the terrible person. People on the outside, especially the ones who have never been married or in a serious relationship don’t understand how marriage is a two-way street. Why would you fight for someone who didn’t even show a tiny amount of sadness when they no longer had you in their life? I knew then, our relationship had never been as strong as we liked to try to make it out to be.”
“I agree with you,” I said. “For me, I just didn’t have anything else in me at that moment. My heart was completely broken, and I didn’t know where to go next, so I just gave up.”
“Well,” Jordan said, standing up and reaching down for my hand. “We had some really good times together, and I want to keep our friendship alive. I want to be an uncle for that baby, too, but you just have to give me some time to adjust.”
“I can do that,” I said, leaning in as he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed, kissing me on the top of my head.
Jordan walked me to the door and smiled as I walked out feeling so much better about everything. I was finally able to sit down and have a conversation with him that didn’t include yelling, screaming, or name calling. In the end, I realized that neither one of us thought we were meant to be, but in the end, we both did things that really hurt the other person. I felt bad about that fact and realized that I truly did give up on Jordan as soon as the waters got rough. I took the elevator downstairs and hopped in a cab, giving them Jason’s address. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, listening to it ring and ring until the answering service picked up the call. I hung up feeling frustrated at the fact that he wasn’t answering my calls. Where was he? I could feel my emotions start to simmer up in my chest, and immediately, I was worried that after all of that, he was going to be the one to give up on me. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
Chapter 31
Jason
My brain was completely wired, and all I could do when I walked in the house was drop my bag on the floor and plop down on the couch. I sat there drinking a beer and flipping through the channels, not actually focusing on anything. Instead, I was letting my mind simmer, forcing my unconscious to do the work my conscious mind was too tired to take on. After a few hours, I yawned and flipped off the television. I tossed my bottle into the trash and grabbed another out of the fridge. As the door shut, I heard a knock at the door. I groaned. Who the hell would be showing up at the house at night without letting me know first? I opened the door, and my gaze fell on Tiffany. She was shivering from the cold, and tears were running down her cheeks. I immediately pulled her inside and wrapped my arms around her, the look on her face shocking me back to reality. I pulled back and looked into her weepy eyes.
“What happened?”
She shook her head and walked into the house, taking her coat off and rubbing her arms up and down. She looked around and then turned back to me, still crying. I was completely at a loss and had no idea what could be wrong with her. We had just left work a few hours before.
“Why are you so upset with me?” She was almost sobbing at that point, and I had no idea what she was talking about. I walked over and hugged her again, not even knowing what to say. “I called you several times.”
I looked around the room searching for my phone, but I didn’t see it on any of the surfaces. I patted my pockets trying to find it until my eyes rested on my bag by the door. I hadn’t even thought about my phone when I got home, instead, I had walked in and dropped my bag, leaving everything from the day barely inside the house. I shook my head and chuckled at the ridiculous of the situation, quickly straightening my face as she looked up at me angry.
“I came home and was so tapped, I just dropped my bag by the door,” I explained. “I went over and sat on the couch and channel surfed. My phone was inside my bag, and I didn’t hear it ring. It’s probably still on silent from work.”
She turned and looked at the bag on the floor and then back at me, sniffling as she let the information process. She let out a deep breath and walked into the living room, plopped down on the couch, and pulled the throw around her shoulders. She was freezing cold, and I wondered why she was out so late. She should be tucked warmly in her bed by now, not knocking on my door in tears.
“I just came from Jordan’s house,” she said. The words shot right into my chest, and I was almost afraid to ask why. There was plenty of time for her to go talk to Jordan. Why did she feel the need to go over there right after we had an argument about it? I could feel my jealousy start to bubble up in my chest, and I tried to push it down so I could hear her out.
“Why?”
“I needed to hash all of this crap out with him,” she explained. “For you and for the baby. I don’t want to bring this child into a family that can’t even be in the same room during holidays. I needed to explain to him what really happened. We never had that conversation after he left, and it's important. It kind of helps break that tie that is there when you’re married to someone.”
“I understand all of that,” I said, sighing. “What I don’t understand is why it was so important that you had to rush over there tonight to do it. Jordan wasn’t going anywhere, regardless of whether he quit or not. I just don’t understand why he is so important to you.”
She sat there for a minute, looking at me like I was crazy. I thought that was a pretty straightforward question, but apparently, it was the wrong one. I took in a deep breath and braced myself for her answer.
“Because I wanted this shit figured out right now, not tomorrow, not six months from now, right now,” she said angrily.
“I understand,” I said. “But it still bothers me.”
“Look,” she said standing up and pulling on her jacket. “I don’t know what the hell you want. Would you rather sit around and let this go on and on forever? You know that isn’t going to work, and it's only going to continue to push us further apart.”
“Tiffany, I only mean—”
“I know what you mean,” she said interrupting me. “Think long and hard about us, your life, our family, and this baby. You need to understand what you want before you go getting angry at me for trying to fix this giant mess.”
She stomped across the apartment, buttoning up her coat. She walked down the steps and out the front door, slamming it behind her. I walked over to the window and watched as she hailed a cab, climbing inside and taking off down the street. She was so angry, but I didn’t understand why. Everything was going to work itself out in the end. I knew it, but I didn’t need to picture the woman carrying my baby rushing over to her ex-husband's house to make things right with him when she left me sitting in the office reeling after she and I got into it. I felt like I was being chosen last for the game, and I didn’t like it at all.
I walked over and sat down on the couch, left alone again, but stunned at what just happened. My mind was going crazy thinking about what she said before she left. I knew what I wanted. I had always known what I wanted, and it was her. I had spent years pining over Tiffany, even when I didn’t consciously realize I was doing it. Then, after all that time, I had finally gotten her in my arms and to make matters even more exciting, we were expecting a baby together. She was the girl of my dreams and always had been. I had just gotten her, and now I was sitting alone in my house terrified that I was about to lose her, and I really didn’t understand why. I knew it was important to her to hash all of this out, but it had only been a day since my brother and I had duked it out in the parking garage at work. Now, I was faced with the idea that I could lose her and my brother at the same time. This was not at all what I thought of when I pictured myself taking time to really let my mind rest tonight. I should be curled up in bed with Tiffany, not watching her run from my house, wondering if I’ll ever see her again. Either way, I loved that woman, and I wanted to be with her and my child, and I was not going to let anyone take that away.
I walked over and pulled my phone from my bag, looking at the calls I had missed. They were all from Tiffany and all while she was probably on her way over to my house. I flipped through my phone and pressed call. I needed to talk to Jordan, really work this out if it were at all possible. I completely expected to get the voicemail, but was really surprised when he picked up after the first ring. The first few seconds of the conversation was awkward, so I cut through the bullshit and just started talking.
“Look, man,” I said with a sigh. “I love you. You are my brother. I never meant to hurt you with this whole Tiffany business. I never planned to fall in love with her. I never planned to start a family with her. In the beginning, I was simply checking up on her because I knew what she was going through was probably fucking hard and painful, and we were the only family she knew. I didn’t even see it coming.”
“Jason,” he said cutting in. “I know. Take a deep breath. Look, I’m not saying this is always going to be easy for me, especially at the beginning, but I don’t want to lose you or Tiffany in my life. Both of you are extremely important to me. I am not trying to get Tiffany back. I realized that we were definitely not meant to be. It was extremely obvious when neither one of us fought even in the slightest to save our marriage.”
“Will you come back to work?”
“Yeah,” he said chuckling. “I already called Dad. One day off was enough for me. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I went through the apartment and started taking pictures down. I only got halfway through before giving in and calling Dad. I told him that we would be okay. To be honest, I didn’t really know if we would be, but now that we’ve talked, I’m looking forward to coming back and working with you. I just ask that when you guys want to go announcing huge life events, maybe you could pull me aside and tell me in private first, that way the shock value is lessened.”
“That’s fair,” I replied. “And I just ask you try to refrain from cussing Tiffany out.”
“I promise,” he chuckled. “Thanks for taking the step and calling brother.”
“Absolutely,” I responded.
“Oh, and Jason?”
“Yeah?”
“You hit like a girl.”
I laughed loudly as we hung up the phone, sitting back on the couch and closing my eyes. I felt better knowing my brother and I didn’t have to be at odds anymore, at least over all this crap. Tiffany was right. It needed to be handled, and the longer we waited, the worse it got. I also was relieved knowing that this would help patch things up between Tiffany and me. I really hoped that she could see just how important she was to me. I felt a lot better thinking about the next course of action between us, and I was pretty sure that now I could feel comfortable knowing I wasn’t going to completely lose her. I needed to stop being so stubborn though because I was only hurting myself.
I thought about texting Tiffany and asking her to come back or showing up at her place, but after the state she was in when she had left, I thought maybe it would be better to leave her alone with her thoughts. If I knew her like I thought I did, as soon as she got home, she probably passed out in her bed, exhausted from the day she had gone through. Her hormones were all crazy from the pregnancy, she was going through some seriously crazy stuff, and she had been all over the city in one day trying to fix everything in her life. I had to hand it to her, she knew how to solve a problem, and it wasn’t by sitting back and letting it take its own course. I was pretty sure if she hadn’t done that, it would have been a nightmare to work with Jordan when he came back, and I knew my father was not going to put up with any more bullshit like the other night. It was important to him that we work things out, but he was going to let us do that. Tiffany was the light that had brought us together.
I may not be calling her tonight, but I was anxious to see her face in the morning, hoping that she had calmed down.
Chapter 32
Tiffany
Sitting at my desk tapping my foot and waiting to understand what was going on was not going to cut it for the rest of the day. I could see Jason sitting at his desk across the hall, but we hadn’t even greeted each other yet. I watched him pass by Jordan when I first came in, tapping him on the shoulder and smiling. It looked like they had finally worked things out, which made me feel a lot better. Still, we hadn’t hashed anything out yet, and it left an empty feeling in my chest. What if he had decided that family was more important? What if I was sitting here like an idiot thinking we would work everything out between us, and he was sitting there completely done with us? I was overthinking things as usual, and my hormones were playing some serious games with my emotions. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but every time I looked across the hall at Jason, my nerves hit me all over again. I knew the best thing for me to do would be to focus on getting these files out, and then I could decide what my next course of action was. Maybe by then, he would look more interested in having a conversation with me.
I opened the files and began to work, forcing myself to not look up, even when it felt like he was looking over at me. I stared relentlessly at the messenger and then down at my phone, wondering why he wasn’t even trying to start the conversation. I shook my head, trying to force myself to focus, wanting nothing more than to hear his voice in my doorway. When I was done with the files, I walked them down the hall to John’s office and placed them in the box on his secretary’s desk. I really didn’t want to face John today, knowing he knew what all the trouble was over, and I had been at the center of it. I could feel the eyes of the other people in the office burrowing into my neck as I walked. Instead of music playing from the speakers, I could hear the low whispers of my peers as I moved quickly back toward my office. I hated the fact that people were still talking about me like my life was some television show. I didn’t give a damn what they thought about me personally, but it was really starting to take a toll on me, constantly having people give me pity smiles or nasty looks. I felt like pulling up a chair and just screaming the story to everyone in the office so the stupid rumors could stop. I had heard everything from me having a secret lover and the child not being Jason’s or Jordan’s to the reason I got divorced was that I had always been secretly in love with his brother. It was insane that these people didn’t have anything better to do with their time.
I looked across the hall, but Jason wasn’t in his office. I sat down in my chair wanting to wait for him to come back. I assumed he had some kind of meeting this morning, but I wasn’t sure of the schedule at that point. I grabbed my coffee mug and rounded the corner, needing my one cup of coffee allowance already. As I turned the corner, I faltered, seeing Jason standing next to the coffee pot. He looked just as charming as ever, and he looked up at me and smiled kindly as I approached. The other people standing around talking whispered as they passed me, and I put my head down and headed straight for the coffee. I poured a cup and faced the wall, waiting for the rumor mill to leave. Once they did, I let out a deep breath and turned toward Jason. He hadn’t moved an inch, and I found him standing and staring at me as I fixed my morning brew. My cheeks blushed a bit when I figured out he had been watching me the whole time. I still didn’t understand how he went through every day ignoring everyone’s stares. I guess when you aren’t being labeled the office whore, it didn’t really affect you that bad.
I stared up at Jason, the butterflies in my stomach getting stronger. He tilted his head as he gazed into my eyes and reached up, pushing a piece of hair from my face. The feeling of his warm hands against my skin sent electricity barreling through me. He was so calm and sure of himself, and it felt oddly arousing. I opened my mouth to speak, but he pressed his finger against my lips and shook his head. I tilted my head confused as he took my coffee from my hand, set it on the counter, and grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward the door. Everything about him moved in a smooth fluid motion, and I couldn’t help but just follow him out of the lounge and toward the elevator. We stood waiting for the elevator to arrive, and it seemed to take forever. He stared down at me, and I nervously fidgeted with my hands, pulling my shirt down lower over my pants. I looked over as several people walked by, watching us and whispering. I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply, happy to hear the elevator doors finally slide open.
We stepped inside and stood on opposite ends as he pushed a button. I looked up and watched as the mirrored doors of the elevator slid shut and the room shimmied before lowering us down. I turned toward Jason and watched as he took two large steps toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He looked deep in my eyes and pressed his lips hard against mine. Immediately, passion flew through my body, and I reached up to grab the front of his shirt and kiss him wildly. Our hands moved quickly over each other’s bodies, and I glanced over with a grin, seeing that he had pressed the seventh-floor key. As the elevator slowed down, we separated ourselves and watched the doors slide open. Several men in hard hats walked past and nodded, and I looked over at Jason.
“Roof?” I thought it was a dumb idea, but it was the only one I had.
“Perfect,” he said calmly, pulling out his key and putting it into the roof slot. Only the owners of the companies in the building got to have roof access. I wrapped my arms around myself as I prepared to step out onto the roof, knowing the wind would be hard and cold. Jason stepped close again and reached down, grabbing me around the waist and picking me up. His lips grazed over my neck, and I moaned softly in his ear. As the elevator reached the roof, the doors slid open, and he carried me out onto the dark surface. My hair whipped wildly around me but between the black surface and the heat in my arousal, I didn’t feel cold at all. We walked to the left corner and he sat me down, turning me toward him with force, and quickly unbuttoning my top. He didn’t waste any time pulling up my skirt and running his fingers through my pulsing wet mound. I reached forward and groped at his hard shaft, sticking out from his pants.
He pulled his jacket off and laid it down on the ground, pulling me down on top of it. He dropped down on his knees and pushed my skirt all the way up to my hips, pulling my panties down and putting them in his pocket. He reached down and grabbed my thighs, lifting my ass in the air and pushing his lips into my pussy. He moved them in circles through my wetness, pushing me to moan loudly. My hormones weren’t just affecting my mood, they affected my arousal, too, and I could already feel myself getting ready to come. He lifted his head up and looked me in the eyes as he plunged two fingers inside of me. I leaned my head back and let out a whimper, feeling him deep inside.
“You like that?”
“Mmhmm,” I whined.
“You going to come for me?”
“Yes,” I groaned loudly, feeling the heat in my stomach increase.
I looked up and met his gaze as he pushed his fingers in and out of me fast and with force. He steadily watched my face as I writhed and wriggled in his hands. He turned his hand over and rubbed my clit with his thumb as he fingered me deeply. My whole body tensed and began to shake as my first orgasm blew through my body without warning. I reached up and grabbed onto the ledge feeling the waves of pleasure coursed through me. He smiled slyly as he slowed down with his hands and reached over, undoing his pants and pulling out his hard cock. I licked my lips, wanting to feel him inside of me so bad. It was like my body was refusing to recover from the first orgasm before starting to build another one. He pulled his pants down to his ankles and slipped the head of his cock inside of me while I wrapped my legs around his waist.
I arched my back when he pushed hard and deep inside of me, and I was so sensitized, I swore I could feel every single wrinkle and fold on his cock. His body slammed against mine, and my moans were carried away by the winds whipping across the roof. I reached up and ground my fingertips into his shoulders as his body rubbed against mine. My clit tingled as his skin touched down on it, his hips moving in circles as he plunged inside of me. I reached up to squeeze my nipples, feeling the race to the orgasm begin. I flicked my fingers over their sensitive bulge as he fucked me hard. My fingers moved in the same motion as his hips until finally arched my back high in the air, and I whined, another orgasm taking over and flooding my body with ecstasy. At that point, I would have thought my body would be exhausted, but it only wanted more.
I pushed him off me, and he sat with his back against the ledge. I lowered myself down onto his long, hard shaft and wrapped my legs around his waist. I moved my hips and leaned back against his thighs as he bounced me up and down on his cock. I hear his low growls as his fingers dug into my thighs. My juices were running down his shaft, and with every lift and lower of my body, the cold air hit the wet skin, sending goosebumps up my neck. I tilted my hips slightly and let my clit rub up and down his stomach as he began to push and pull at a fevered rate. I could tell he was getting close, and I wanted to feel him come inside of me so bad. I leaned my head back and rubbed my tits through my open shirt as he picked me up and slammed me down on his cock. His arm muscles bulged underneath his white button-up dress shirt, and he bit down on his lip and groaned. He lifted me up one last time and pushed down deep, holding me and thrusting his hips upward. Just from the feeling of his cock swelling inside of me, I exploded, my pussy pulsating around his shaft and my warm juices mixing with his. We both screamed out into the wind before I collapsed on top of him, exhausted but completely satisfied. I let out a sigh and kissed his neck.
I guess things weren’t as bad as I thought they would be.
Chapter 33
Jason
We got dressed and moved over to the center, sitting down behind a large wall that helped block the wind. I leaned my head back and wrapped my arms around Tiffany, glad to finally have her back in my life. I knew this was how I wanted to show her that I knew what I wanted, but it had been more than hard getting through the first part of the day without letting on that all I could do was think about her. I could sense her look over at me from across the hall, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at how anxious she seemed, trying not to let me notice she was staring over at me. I felt kind of bad for putting her through that, but the look on her face when I pressed my fingers against her lips and led her toward the elevator was absolutely priceless. She didn’t know what to do with herself. I looked over at her and smiled, still recovering from some of the hottest sex I had ever had. Her body was like a board of buttons and with these pregnancy hormones surging through her, every button was a winner. I decided that, later on, I might find out how many times I could make her orgasm. She was so beautiful with her rosy cheeks and wide eyes looking out over the city.
“I’m sorry,” I said, whispering in her ear. “I got too caught up in holding a grudge and being stubborn to see that I was hurting you and our family. I want you to know I love you so much, probably more than any woman I have ever been with before. I love everything about you from your beautiful smile to your enchanting and amazing heart.”
She looked up at me with a wide smile, her eyes twinkling. I leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, taking in the heavenly scent of her perfume. I reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling it to my lips. She bumped me with her elbow and smiled widely.
“I love you, too,” she said. “You have shown me what it’s like to be genuinely in love with someone. I’ve never felt this way about a man, and I’ve never had someone love me enough to admit when they were wrong. I promise that as we go through life, I’ll try to do the same for you.”
I moved the hair out of her face and kissed her once more, feeling the electricity of love pulsing through my chest. She really loved me. It had to be the best feeling I had ever felt, like I was on cloud nine and I never had to look back. I had waited a long time to find a woman like Tiffany, never realizing my true love would one day be her. I held her hand tightly and looked out over the cityscape, thinking about family.
“I called Jordan last night,” I said. “We talked, and it was actually a good conversation, probably the most productive we’ve ever had. I promised to be more sensitive when it came to us and him. He promised to not fly off the handle and call you names. I realized you were right, that it was important to made amends. We have a baby coming and family is so important in that entire process. I want our child growing up in a place where everyone shows their love and support for each other. It feels really good knowing I have Jordan back on my side.”
“I’m so glad,” she said with a sigh. “You guys love each other very much, and I just couldn’t keep going forward so quickly with our relationship without knowing that your family relationships stayed intact. I knew one day you would really wish you had made amends, and by then, it might be too late. I know firsthand how hard it is to be without your family. Having them right there at your fingertips but not being able to call on them. I wish all the time that there was something I could do to help my parents, so I could show them they are going to be grandparents. I know it's just wishful thinking, though. This was so much simpler. All you both had to do was open your hearts and remember that you are brothers. It's easy to forgive someone you really love.”
I ran my hand down her arm and across her stomach, watching her face light up as I bent down and lifted the edge of her shirt. I pressed my lips to her belly and turned to lay my head down. She ran her fingers through my hair, and I listened to her heart beating. My child was in there, right underneath me, growing and striving. I couldn’t wait until I had the chance to meet him or her. This woman and this child had become my life before I even had a chance to think about it. I loved her, and I loved the baby I hadn’t even met yet. There was no way, after everything we had just gone through, that I would ever let her go again. I wanted to protect her in every way I knew how, and I could feel how much she loved me as she cradled my head in her arms. I moved up and pressed my lips against hers, feeling her smile fade as I pulled back. I looked at her with curiosity.
“I want to talk to you about something,” she said. “I might end up transferring to San Diego.”
“What? Why?”
“I just can’t deal with all the rumors, all the whispering, and all the snide comments,” she sighed. “It really bothers me that I have been branded the office whore. No one truly understands what has been going on, but they have been quick to judge me. You guys don’t feel it as much because you are the owner’s sons, or maybe it’s because you’re men and don’t get as much of it, but it’s constant. I don’t even want to leave my office anymore.”
I sat there for several minutes mulling her words over in my head. I knew there would be talk in the office when all of this happened, but I hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad. In fact, the thought of these people having nothing better to do than sitting around and talking shit infuriated me to no end. How dare they put pressure on Tiffany to the point to where she was considering flying halfway across the country to get away from it? Damn bullies. I pulled myself to my feet and reached down, helping her up. She looked up at me with curiosity.
“Come with me,” I said pulling her back toward the elevator.
We walked into the elevator, and I pulled her close as the doors shut. She turned toward me and gazed into my eyes as the elevator moved down toward our floor. I kissed her lips and brushed the hair from her face, looking deeply into her eyes. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and my job of protecting my new family was going to start right now. There was no way I was going to sit by and lose the love of my life because these no-good idiots in my office wanted to be fools. If they wanted to stay working for the company, they had better get their shit together and start sucking up to Tiffany like they did me and my brother.
When the doors opened, Tiffany tried to pull her hand away, but I grasped on to it, pulling her toward the bank of desks near the back. I grabbed a chair from one of the side tables and hoisted myself up onto it. I cleared my throat and looked down at Tiffany, winking briefly to try to calm the nerves I knew she had at that moment.
“Alright, everyone, listen up,” I shouted, causing the entirety of the office staff to turn toward me. “Unless you are ready to hand over your letter of resignation today, I would suggest each and every one of you learn to shut your mouths. If you have time to sit around and make up stories about a woman who is not only your supervisor but a hell of a business woman, then we don’t have time for you to work here. This woman is pregnant and who knows what she might do to you if you continue to fuck with her. I know a lot of you on this floor, and I can promise you that most of you have zero room to be talking shit about anyone else. From this day on, there is a zero tolerance for your petty asses. If you are wondering who gave me the right to say this, well I’ll just come out and say it, my family owning this company did, and I can promise you my father will back me up in firing any one of you for stupid high school drama.”
“That’s right,” my father said from behind me. “This is a professional company. We have zero time to deal with things like this. Tiffany is the most important employee I have, and I will not think twice about putting you out on your ass if I continue to hear that you can’t keep your noses out of other people’s business. So, to reiterate, I will fire anyone who continues to harass my future daughter-in-law as well as help her sue your ass. Trust me, if you get fired from here for harassment, there is not another company in this city that will touch you. You can kiss your pension and your salary goodbye. I hope that makes this perfectly clear for everyone.”
I looked back at my father and shook my head, glad to see that he was behind us on this. I glanced over at Jordan who was standing to the side with his arms crossed in front of him. He looked at me and nodded, giving me the thumbs up. Everyone was on the same page with this, and I was putting my foot down. I was pretty sure every single person in that office knew that when we made a statement like that, we were not playing around. Business was business and in this case, it was affecting the flow of our work. Not to mention the fact that it was upsetting my beautiful girlfriend who was carrying our precious little baby. I didn’t care if I had to fire my own secretary, I would do it. Hopefully, though, since everyone knew how serious we were, we would have no other problems with this issue. I stepped down off the stool and turned to Tiffany who was covering her face and shaking her head. She looked at me and smiled, leaning in and kissing me softly.
“You are my hero,” she laughed, holding onto my jacket. “Now I just have to make sure none of them kill me in my sleep.”
“I think you will be safe.” I laughed. “And don’t ever hold something like that back again. You had to know there was no way I would ever let you go all the way to San Diego.”
“I hope that changed your mind about California,” John said when he leaned over.
“Yes.” She laughed. “Thank you so much, John. It really means a lot to have everyone’s support.”
“Alright.” he clapped his hands. “Let’s get through this hump day misery and get back to our homes so we can relax. I’m ready for some relaxation and a nice warm fire.”
“Hump day,” she whispered, raising her eyebrows. “We got it right.”
“We sure as hell did,” I said, laughing and tickling her waist.
The rest of the day went by quickly, with Tiffany back to messaging and texting erotically with me. I even got a sexy titty picture from her when she excused herself to the restroom. Everything seemed to be back in working order. All there was left to do was start looking toward the future.
Chapter 34
Tiffany
My phone rang and I picked it up, saying hello instead of my normal greeting because the call was coming from inside of the office. I was surprised to hear John’s voice on the other end asking me to come to his office. I hung up the phone and walked out of my room, winking at Jason as I passed. When I got to the door, I knocked, smiling as I leaned around the corner. He motioned for me to come in and I did, closing the door behind me. I walked over and sat down in the chairs opposite his desk, placing my hands on my knees and raising my eyebrows. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but he had a pretty serious expression on his face.
“I wanted to see if you had any more problems with the staff since Wednesday when we made our announcement,” he said, smiling.
“Ha.” I rolled my eyes and relaxed. “No, quite the opposite actually. People are going out of their way to be nice to me. I think they think I am keeping points or have some secret roster. It’s almost hilarious watching the worst offenders scrambling around when I walk into the office. Sometimes, they even chime good morning in tune with each other. Half the time, I don’t even know what to say, so I just smile awkwardly.”
“I’m not sure which is worse.” He grimaced. “I was never a fan of that one person who was damn sunshine all the time. That’s probably why my office is filled with condescending assholes. I won’t hire the sunshine and daisies employee because I know I’ll kill them on one bad Monday morning.”
“Well, I’d rather deal with sunshine because the fake ‘hello’ is so much easier to handle than people constantly talking trash about me behind my back,” I said. “It really hurt my feelings because I thought I’d tried really hard to be a good person, and still, no one wanted to give me the time of day. It was almost depressing at some points. But I don’t have to tell you that. I was the one ready to jump on a plane and fly across the country to get away from it. I really do appreciate everything you guys have done. You have treated me like family, no matter how awkward the situation got. I never what having a family was like until I came here to work and met everyone. You stuck by me even when I wasn’t technically family anymore. My own family can’t even stick by me, and we share the same DNA. Sometimes, I think the world is absolutely hopeless, and then, I come to work and remember it's not hopelessness, it’s sarcasm and it originates from my office.”
We both laughed loudly as people scurried past the windows, realizing I was in with the boss. They really had been almost nauseating with how nice they were being to me. I had never seen a group of people react like that to their bosses. I had never seen any of the guys ever come down hard on anyone, so I wasn’t sure where the fear came from, but I was definitely thankful I didn’t have to deal with the crap anymore.
“Well,” John said leaning back in his chair. “I don’t want thanks. You just make sure you take care of yourself and provide me a grandson or a kick ass granddaughter to be the heir of the company. God knows I’m not sure either of my boys will quite get the hang of it.”
We glanced out the window and watched as Jason and Jordan play fought as they walked by the window. Freezing halfway past and looking over at us slowly before running off. John shook his head and threw his hands up in the air while I laughed hysterically at how ridiculous those boys could be, and that was perfect timing for the conversation we were having.
“I’ll do my best, but I’m pretty sure with Banks blood coursing through its blood, this baby will come out crunching numbers and putting up marketing schemes,” I said, chuckling. “Or we’ll get a dud, and they will do cartwheels out, and we’ll have a new generation of Banks circus performers.”
“I got enough of those already,” John grumbled with a smile.
We talked another few minutes about nothing important, and I excused myself from his office. Slowly, I meandered through the hall until I reached the break room where I went over and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Jordan turned from the coffee maker and smiled at me. It had been the first time we had been alone since I had gone to talk to him at his apartment. It was nice seeing him and being able to have a comfortable conversation without the fear that we were going to break out in a screaming match. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, feeling his muscles tense at first but then relax into it. I pulled back and stepped backward, looking up at his blushed cheeks. I had never known Jordan to get embarrassed, but it looked like my hug sent him right over the top. I laughed to myself trying not to embarrass him further and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the table. I was starting to feel like all I did was eat, even though it was only tiny portions at a time. My pants still fit the same, and I didn’t really notice anything different when I looked at myself in the mirror, but I knew it would be coming soon enough. In just a few months I would be carrying a basketball around in front of me, something I was oddly excited about.
“How are you?” He seemed genuinely interested for the first time in a very long time.
“Honestly?” I looked at him and smiled. “I’m doing amazing. I feel so much better now that you guys have worked things out. Everyone has stopped treating me like the woman with the red letter on her chest, and I’m really super happy with Jason. I really thought there for a second that my best course of action was to go to San Diego and have this baby on my own. I was scared, but everything worked out just like I wanted. And I am so happy you and I can talk like this.”
“I’m really glad that you found someone like my brother,” he said smiling. “Or exactly my brother to be specific.”
“Why?”
“I have known both of you for a really long time, and I can’t think of anyone more perfect for you than Jason,” he said, nodding his head. “Even me.”
“Thank you,” I said with a bright smile. I leaned in and hugged him again, relieved that he had moved past the hurt and the anger. It had only been a few days, but I knew if he could come this far in that short amount of time, we were all going to have an amazing relationship. This was the family I had always wanted and never thought I would have. Sure, I missed my brother, but we talked on a regular basis, and he was extremely supportive of my life. This, though, this was even better, having everyone I needed right there.
“Thanks, man,” Jason said walking around the corner. “That was probably the nicest thing you’ve said about me your whole life.”
“He heard me,” Jordan whispered. I laughed and pulled away watching as the two brothers embraced. I loved the fact that they had been able to move past all of this, and they even seemed to be closer than they were when I had first came into the picture. Even Jordan had seemed to change, and I just couldn’t get over how down to earth they acted toward each other.
“You still hit like a girl,” Jordan whispered as Jason pulled back.
“I don’t know, man,” he said, walking over to me. “That’s a pretty tough girl. I distinctly remember blood spilling from your mouth and nose.”
“I bleed easily,” Jordan replied. “Besides, I was smiling the whole time, so it couldn’t have hurt that bad.”
“Didn’t you end up getting like two stitches?” I had to throw in my two cents.
“Where did you hear that? Damn office drama. I’m going to fire someone.” He laughed.
“They can’t pick on me anymore, so they chose a new target,” I replied. “Better you than me, any day. Instead, I get the hoard of creepy smiling zombies every day. I am waiting for them to start leaving gifts on my desk, so I don’t have to buy my own snacks every day.”
We all laughed, and I looked at Jason as he slid his hands gently around my waist. He pulled me in close, his eyes sparkling, and pressed his lips deeply against mine. I let out a deep breath as his lips glided sweetly across mine. He kissed the corners of my mouth, my cheeks, and both of my eyes before pulling back and looking deep into my eyes. I loved this man so much, it was insane. It hadn’t been very long, but we had decided to take our relationship into turbo mode, sex, baby, and love all in the span of a month. If it had been anyone else, I would have been freaking out, but Jason had stolen my heart a long time ago, and I hadn’t realized it until our first kiss. He was the man I was meant to be with. I had just taken the long route to get there.
Jason pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me tightly, his face pushed into my neck. I could feel him taking deep breaths of my perfume as I stood there holding tightly to him. I looked up at Jordan who was looking at us adoringly. He smiled and took a deep breath, diverting his eyes to the drink in his hands.
“So,” he said, stretching. “When are you two fools going to get married?”
Jason lifted his head and leaned back, kissing me on the nose before letting go. He turned toward Jordan and smiled, looking back at me as he stuck his hand in his pocket. I watched him pull a small box wrapped in a red bow from his pants, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“Speaking of,” he said turning toward me and walking over to the door. “Can I have everyone’s attention? Everyone, please come to the break room immediately.”
He walked back over to me and watched as everyone funneled into the break room. Once the place was full, he turned back toward me and smiled. Slowly he bent down on one knee and opened the ring box. I put my hands over my mouth and gasped as he cleared his throat.
“Tiffany, you are the most amazing, the bravest, the strongest, and the sweetest woman I have ever met. You are carrying the only other thing in this world that could match the importance of you. I could not go another day without knowing you were going to be with me for the rest of my days,” he said, gazing up at me. “Will you do the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”
I threw my head back and laughed, completely and utterly surprised by the whole thing. I nodded my head, answering yes, and walked forward as he stood up and took the giant stone from the box. He slid the ring across my finger and pulled me in close, pressing his lips firmly against mine. It was the perfect day. I had pulled my family back together, and now, I was going to get to spend my life with the man I loved. Everything had worked out just as I thought it would. Absolutely perfect.
Epilogue
Jason
“Jason,” Tiffany said, slapping me in the chest and raising me from a dead sleep. I jumped up on the bed and looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. My breathing calmed, and Tiffany switched on the light. She was standing on the floor, bent over holding her very large belly.
She was officially three days past her due date and that baby had seemed like it was perfectly content with just hanging out inside of her. We’d moved into my SoHo apartment, not wanting to share the same house that she’d had with Jordan, but had ended up going to the Greek District to avoid the stairs at my place. I was terrified she was going to fall down the stairs while I was at work, and though she fought me on it, being stubborn as hell, we moved over to her old place and had Mona staying in the spare room while I was at work. My father had said she wasn’t allowed to work when she reached 38 weeks, so she had been sulking and waddling around the house, trying to keep herself busy. She was probably the most adorable pregnant woman I had ever seen.
“Baby,” she said in a panic.
“Yes, sweetie, what do you need?”
“No! Baby. I got up to get something to eat and my water broke.” She pointed at her soaking wet clothes.
“Oh.” I ran over and grabbed her bag. “Let’s get you changed really fast.”
She nodded her head, and I helped her pull on some dry clothes before making our way out to the car. She breathed deeply, the contractions hitting her hard. I reached over and grasped her hand, laughing as she forced a kind of terrifying smile. I whipped through the streets and pulled in front of the hospital. As soon as I got out, I helped her out of the car, grabbing a wheelchair and pushing her into the front. The nurses sent us directly upstairs to the maternity ward, and before we knew it, she was lying on the bed in a hospital gown and with a monitor strapped across her big, round belly. I could see the baby kicking, pushing on her skin like something from a horror movie.
The doctor came in and checked her, looking surprised and then running from the room. I watched the monitor and grasped her hand as another wave of contractions moved over her. She breathed in and out just like the class she went to taught her, groaning as the contraction hit its peak. She was in so much pain, but she held tightly to her beliefs, refusing the epidural they offered her. When the doctor came back, he was dressed in a coat and was wearing gloves, the nurses scurrying along behind him.
“It looks like this baby is ready to get moving,” he said with a laugh.
They lowered the bed, and she scooted forward, sweat beading on her forehead. I held her hand while the doctor told her to keep breathing and not to push just yet. The nurse watched the monitor as the spikes began to rise, looking over at the doctor and nodding. He moved forward on his stool and reached his hands below her gown.
“Okay, when I say so, I want you to bear down and push,” he instructed.
Tiffany shook her head and breathed deeply, feeling her belly begin to contract. As the waves moved up on the screen, the nurse nodded again and the doctor took his position. I leaned down and pressed my head against her forehead and whispered “I love you” into her ear.
“Now,” the doctor said.
Tiffany grabbed tightly to my hand and held her breath as she pushed down hard. She screamed out as the doctor put his hand back in the air to signal her to stop.
“Okay,” he said. “The shoulders are out, one more good push, and you will be a new mother.”
She looked at me with tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. I kissed her lips and nodded my head, waiting for the doctor’s orders. As soon as he said push, she began, and after a few short seconds, he lifted a beautiful baby boy into the air. The baby began to cry immediately, and they rested him on her chest, cleaning out his airways and cutting his cord. Tears filled my eyes as we huddled together, just the three of us.
“I love you,” I said, crying.
“I love you, too,” she replied through laughter and tears. “I am thinking Justin is a perfect name.”
“I love it.” I watched the nurses take him and start doing their weighing and blood work.
They cleaned up the baby, wrapped him in a warm blanket, and handed him to me as they finished up with Tiffany. I walked out of the delivery room and down the hall where my mother, father, and Jordan were all waiting nervously. They looked up as I rounded the corner, and my mother burst into tears, looking down at the sweet blond-haired boy in my arms. He looked just like Tiffany, and even Jordan joked about making sure I was the father. My family took turns holding him before I could take him back to the room. It was late at night, so they kissed us both and went home, promising to come back the next day to give Tiffany love and see Justin again.
By the time I got back, they had moved Tiffany to her room where she was patiently waiting for me to return. I put Justin in her arms and stood back, completely in awe of the two of them. The nurse had her feed the baby before she could finally rest, leaving him to fall asleep in my arms. I looked down at his little cheeks and back up Tiffany, who had fallen asleep right away. I leaned back in the chair in the room and soaked it up, knowing that life wouldn’t be this simple again for a very long time. Justin cooed and smacked his lips, looking up at me as I held him close. The nurse turned the lights down low, and I rocked Justin slowly until his eyes closed and he slept quietly in my arms. At that moment, I couldn’t help thinking about how lucky I was. I was sitting here with a healthy baby, a healthy wife, and the best life I could have ever dreamed. Justin was even more beautiful than I could have imagined, and I couldn’t believe how much you could love someone. My heart was bursting, looking down at his absolutely perfect little body. He had been made with love and brought into the world to two parents who couldn’t have been more excited to have him join the family. Even his Uncle Jordan teared up while holding him, which is something you didn’t see often. Life was perfect. The silence of the hospital was peaceful, but holding him like this, I didn’t want to fall asleep and miss a thing. Instead, I hummed a nursery rhyme to him and waited for his mom to wake up again. She had been through hell, so I wanted to make sure she got enough rest.
Suddenly Tiffany gasped, sitting straight up in the bed and looking around frantically. Carefully, I stood up and walked to her side, taking my free hand and stroking her head. She focused in on me and looked down at Justin in my arms. Her face went relaxed, and she put her hand to her heart, letting out a deep breath.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “I woke up thinking I fell asleep with Justin in my arms. I just about had a heart attack.”
“Say, no, Mommy, I’ve been sleeping in Daddy’s arms.” I walked back over to sit down with him.
“It is so amazing watching you bond with our little boy,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better father for him. He is going to be so spoiled.”
“Haha.” I laughed. “Maybe not by us, but definitely by his grandma and grandpa.”
“And probably Uncle Jordan, too,” she added.
“Oh, yeah.” I shook my head. “They probably already have a car full of goodies and a lifetime membership to the candy company.”
“Oh, Lord,” she sighed. “Can we make a rule that if you feed him candy, you have to keep him for the night?”
“Sounds legit to me,” I said, looking over at her and laughing. “You give him a sugar high, you pay the price.”
“Done.” She laughed again. “Gosh, what a day. That definitely happened a lot faster than I expected.”
“You were amazing,” I said. “Seriously, I love you so much and you were a freaking rock star.”
“I thought I was going to break your hand there for a second.”
“Me, too,” I scoffed. “But all is well. I love you, Tiffany, so very much. I’m so proud of you. You did such an amazing job.”
“Meh.” She waved a hand. “It was easy being a human incubator—said no one ever.”
“You’d do it again.” I winked at her, knowing I was right.
“Maybe once I can walk straight again.”
I stood up from the chair and walked over to her, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. I gently placed Justin in her arms and stood back watching as she fed him, humming the same tune I was humming earlier but with much better vocals. I stared at the two miracles in the room with me and just couldn’t believe how lucky of a man I really was. I had the most beautiful wife and child I had ever seen. My life had been so empty before they came around, even though I didn’t realize it until now. Before Tiffany, I didn’t really live. I had simply gotten up every day, went to work, drank, and went home. I’d had nothing substantial to look forward to. When Tiffany came barreling through my world, it was like she shined her light into every dark corner of my life. Even the days I wanted to sit and mope, she was there to lift me up and bring her amazing smile to my world. In the ten months we had been together, my entire life had turned completely upside down and in such a good way.
I pulled the chair over to the bedside, and Tiffany and I talked as she nursed the baby and rocked him to sleep. We talked about life changing, we talked about what we wanted to show and teach our son, we talked about his future and our future, and we sat there bonding until the sun came up the next morning. She looked over at me and smiled as I poured her a cup of decaf and unwrapped the sandwiches I had grabbed from the cafeteria. Her eyes were light and hopeful, and she giggled as the baby grasped onto her finger.
“I love you more than anything little man,” she whispered to Justin. “And I love your father that much, too. I can’t wait to get you home and all comfy in your new pajamas.”
Looking at these two, I felt like the luckiest man in history. I couldn’t wait to get them home as well and all settled into their new life. Tiffany, Justin, and I were a family now, and I would never let anything come between us. It was the best gift I had ever been given, and I couldn’t imagine life getting any better than it was right then. No matter what sleepless nights, temper tantrums, or fits came our way, I had the most perfect family in the whole world.