Jennifer tossed and turned that night, unable to forgive herself for dropping the ball. She should have told Dax right away why she was so upset. She should’ve admitted to him she was pregnant.

Her secret was going to be the end of her.

How could she possibly do that when he was trying so hard to keep things together for the daughter he already had? She couldn’t ask him to sacrifice everything for their child! She could raise it herself. She didn’t need his help; she would just do her best and that would have to be good enough.

Maybe, after he got his promotion, she would be able to talk to him about the baby. They could do it in secret, once his position was secure, but until that happened, she would have to stay away from him, no matter how much it killed her.

She had seen a side to him that night that had melted her from the inside out. She knew he was strong and impressive already, but somehow it was those hidden valleys of kindness that stood out the most to her. He would be the perfect man to raise a child with. Whatever had happened to Marnie’s mother must have been tragic, because she couldn’t fathom why any woman might want to leave a man like Dax. He was everything she could have ever asked for in a man.

Yet she had left him in his car that night without a word, sullen and sulky as he stared ahead pensively, surely wondering what in the hell had gotten into her. She just hadn’t been able to help the surge of emotion she’d felt when he had begun to talk about what his bosses expected of him. There was no way he would be able to know his position made it virtually impossible for her to come clean about the one thing on her mind that was nearly driving her insane.

She was completely alone in this and had never felt more isolated than she did now. She had wanted to tell him the truth, for better or for worse, but now there was no way that she would ever be able to. The longer she kept it a secret from him, the less likely he would be to forgive her. She was stuck.

By the time she fell asleep she had already run through a hundred different scenarios. She could tell Dax about the baby and have him hate her for ruining his chance at the promotion, or maybe it wouldn’t actually ruin anything, and they would live happily ever after. But more likely than that, it would be a horrible surprise that would destroy whatever stability he had managed to make for himself, and the fragile relationship they’d begun to build would be ruined. It was better not to say anything to him, at least not until she was sure. There was no telling what might happen.

 

***

 

As the weeks went by, she had only seen Dax once and it wasn’t so he could visit with her. It was simply a coincidence as she was out one day and it’d been one that had been jarring and dramatic. She was passing through town and had seen him walking down the sidewalk with an unbelievably adorable child trotting along beside him, gripping tightly to his finger as she looked up at him, chattering happily. The look on his face was so kind and gentle it nearly made her cry right then and there. He loved that child, and it was uncanny how much she resembled her father. She was a beautiful little girl.

Jennifer had to turn the car around before Dax saw her. She drove aimlessly, her emotions getting the best of her until she had to pull over on a side road to cry. He was such a good father, and she was depriving him the potential joy of knowing about his second child.

Was the stress really something he could handle right now? She had made her decision for a reason. She had to stick to her guns.

Now she was sitting in the waiting room of her latest doctor’s appointment, waiting her turn. The bear-shifter babies grew strong and rapidly and even though it was still too early to tell for sure yet, Jennifer had a feeling it was going to be a boy. She had never loved anybody more than she loved her child and she hadn’t even met him yet.

“Jennifer, we’re ready for you now.”

She stood up, her stomach in knots. She was always excited to learn more about the progress of her child, and yet something about it felt wrong. Whether it was because she knew she still hadn’t told Dax about the baby yet, or because she was always concerned the baby’s health was at risk, she wasn’t sure. She was never quite certain what to expect, even though things had been progressing well.

When she got into the room the nurse took her vitals and frowned down at her.

“Have you been under a lot of stress or having sleep disturbances?”

“Yes, and yes,” Jennifer said.

The nurse nodded. “Well, that can be normal for anyone, especially if the pregnancy was unexpected. However, you’re going to have to try your best to decompress and deal with whatever’s bothering you. We don’t want it to affect your pregnancy.”

Jennifer nodded grimly. She had suspected all her worrying might be hard on the baby, but nobody had mentioned this to her until now. Something had to give here, but she just couldn’t see herself coming clean to Dax… at least not yet. She had to know she wasn’t ruining his career. He needed the promotion and was doing everything for his daughter. She had seen the way he had run himself ragged the week Marnie was sick and still managed to stop by the bar to make sure she knew he was thinking about her. How could she have ever doubted that man?

“You take care of yourself now,” the nurse said when Jennifer was ready to leave. “Try meditation every day. Studies show it really helps to reduce your stress level. It could be good for you and the baby both. Think on it, okay?”

Jennifer nodded. She would do whatever she had to do to make sure the baby was well taken care of.