Sean

After a night of no sleep, I found myself headed to Patrick’s house the next morning. Declan would be his usual, insular self, and Michael was busy celebrating his marriage. Even if he’d been available, I couldn’t begin to imagine the relish with which he would break my balls. So I went to Patrick. He was as close to a father as I’d ever had, and he wouldn’t steer me wrong.

To my surprise, I saw Declan’s and Michael’s cars in front of Patrick’s house when I arrived. When I entered and went to Patrick’s office, I found all three of them waiting.

“Took you long enough, asshole,” Michael said, though I couldn’t tell if he was actually grumpy or just giving me a hard time.

“I didn’t know I was expected,” I said, walking in and taking the seat next to Patrick. “What are you all doing here?”

“Where else would we be after last night?” Declan asked.

What he’d said meant more to me than I could convey, so I stayed quiet and looked at Patrick.

“You couldn’t be outdone, huh?” he asked, a laugh in his voice.

“What? You think that being the oldest means you get to have a kid first?” I said, a smile on my face, though this was no time for mirth. This situation was serious, but even in the grimmest of times, I could be counted on for a laugh.

“That had been my thought,” he said. “But maybe you beat me to it.”

I heard the question Patrick was asking, one that I had been tossing around in my head for hours.

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like,” I whispered.

“You think the kid is yours?” Michael asked.

“He reminds me of myself,” I said.

“That’s not good enough. You need to get a test,” Michael said.

“I’m on it,” I responded.

I’d made arrangements to have the test done as soon as I could, but I still hadn’t told Misty or Jess about it. I knew that was a formality, though. The test would get taken, but until then, I was stuck in that awful place of not knowing.

I fucking hated that place.

Patrick shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Sean, I know you like to have fun. But you can’t just fuck anybody, especially without protection,” he said.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” I responded.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” he said. Then he continued. “So precautions were taken and failed?”

“Yeah. Guess I hit the jackpot,” I said.

“And that blonde who dropped the kid off. That’s his mother?” Patrick asked.

“Yes. And honestly, I barely remember her,” I said, for some reason embarrassed to admit that out loud.

“The kid looks well-cared-for,” Declan said, sounding surprised.

“That’s not his mother’s doing,” I said.

“What? He lives with grandparents or something?” Michael asked.

“No. Misty grew up in a group home. She lives with one of her foster sisters. Jess.”

“Jess,” Michael said.

I nodded. “She checks out. No record. She’s just an average person,” I said.

That was true, at least on paper, but my experience of Jess had been anything but average. She was so much more than the information I’d found out about her might have suggested. And though I knew nothing about her, questioned everything about her since she seemed so close to Misty, I felt some measure of trust.

She’d been anxious to get away from me and when I’d looked at her, I hadn’t seen dollar signs in her eyes. It was clear she cared about the boy and wanted the best for him, and it was clear that he loved her.

That she was more than a little cute was immaterial.

“So,” Michael said, “assuming the test says what you seem to think it will, when are you getting the kid?”

“Getting him? That’s a little hasty, don’t you think?”

“No. If he’s your kid, he needs to be with you and not God knows where with some bar rat with poor enough judgment to fuck you,” he said.

“You’re such an ass, Michael,” I said, more out of habit than anger. “But anyway, if the kid is mine, I’m not going to upset his life more than I have to.”

“But you’re going to do the right thing,” he said.

“Is that a question?” I asked, glaring at Michael.

“I’m sure he will,” Patrick interjected.

“Thanks, Pat,” I said.

Of course I planned to do the right thing, but I needed to figure out what that was first. And figure out how to navigate whatever trap Misty and Jess had set up.

“What do you need from us?” Declan said.

“I’m on top of everything for now,” I replied.

“Good,” Patrick said, nodding. “And Sean?”

“What?” I asked.

“Congratulations.”

* * *

Jess

“I asked for a ham and cheese omelet, not pancakes.”

The older gentleman glared at me as I smiled regretfully and hastily grabbed the piping-hot stack of pancakes that he apparently hadn’t ordered.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I said. “I’ll get that omelet right out. And it’s on me!”

He still scowled but then nodded grudgingly.

I hastily ordered the omelet on the fly and then went to service my three other tables. I’d been shit today, completely useless. There was no question as to why.

I’d barely slept last night. Once I got Jake home and settled, I had spent a couple of hours in his room, just breathing my relief at having him back where he belonged.

Then I’d spent a few others thinking of Misty, wondering what the hell had come over her.

And, it wouldn’t be fair of me to disregard the time I’d spent thinking about Sean Murphy.

That entire interlude was burned into my brain.

For the rest of my life, I would remember those emotions. How terrified I’d been when I hadn’t known where Jake was. How relieved I’d been when he had hugged me.

How, underneath that terror and relief, I had been intrigued by Sean.

Now, though I had only the smallest of distance, I was better able to acknowledge and accept how handsome I found him. I had admitted as much the night before, but thinking of it now, not fully in the grips of those panicky emotions, it was even more obvious and undeniable.

And then there was the way he’d reacted.

He’d been suspicious. I couldn’t blame him for that, and would’ve been even more suspicious myself if he hadn’t been. But, when I stopped to think about it, he’d also been kind.

He could have easily sent Jake and me on our way without another thought. It said a lot about him that he’d even bothered to see us home in that sports car I never wanted to see again.

Were this any other situation, I would have been happy about that. It had been nice of him to go out of his way.

But, this wasn’t any other situation. Misty had told Sean that he was Jake’s father, and given what I had seen of him before, I knew he wouldn’t let that lie.

So, despite the sleep deprivation and the emotional come down from yesterday, I knew that I had another matter to consider.

I would have to contend with Sean, and I needed to make sure I was up to the challenge.

I took the omelet to the disgruntled guest, taking extra care to top off his coffee and ensure that he enjoyed the rest of his meal. Then, I worked to finish the rest of my shift, finally feeling like I could breathe when the breakfast crowd began to lighten.

I would work another double shift today, something that couldn’t be avoided, not after all of the money I had spent yesterday.

But there was no way I would leave Jake with Misty.

I’d arranged for one of the mothers at his preschool to drop him off here at the restaurant, and I’d just have to find a way to entertain him until my shift was done.

So, as exhausted as I was, I knew my long day had only just begun.

I didn’t pay much attention to the restaurant door when it opened, but when the shadow that I caught from the corner of my eye slid into a booth in my section, I turned, plastered on my welcoming smile, and walked toward the table. Even though I was going through the motions, I was busy trying to figure out how I would manage to squeeze in lunch, and what I would do to keep Jake entertained this evening.

I was so preoccupied that I launched into my spiel before I really looked at the person.

“Good morning. I’m Jessica and I’ll be your server—”

When I finally looked at the person in the booth, I almost dropped my pen.

“What are you…?” I trailed off, my voice dying in a whimper.

“Good morning, Jessica,” Sean said brightly.

His blond hair looked damp, and as it had been the night before, was pushed off his forehead. He’d shaved, so his jaw was smooth, better showcasing his masculine, chiseled face. His glasses hid his eyes from me.

Unlike the fine slacks and linen shirt he had worn the day before, today he was dressed in a tight black T-shirt that was covered by a leather jacket.

I dropped my gaze long enough to take in his dark wash jeans and leather boots. My first thought was that my hunch the day before had been correct. As nice as he’d looked in his fine clothes and handmade Italian loafers, I knew the person I saw now was more of a reflection of who he actually was.

And the look fit.

But as good as he looked, and he looked really, really good, him being here couldn’t be anything but bad.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

I was speaking in an urgent whisper, both because I didn’t want my coworkers to think anything was wrong, and because I wasn’t sure I had the strength to speak louder.

“We have things to discuss,” he said.

“We don’t,” I replied.

He smiled patiently and then said, “I’ll have a coffee. Looks like the morning rush is about to end. We’ll talk after you’re done.”

He closed the menu that had been on the table and then slid it toward me.

I stayed frozen for a moment, unable to move, but then snapped out of it. The longer I stood here, the more suspicious it would be. And, the sooner I left, the sooner I’d be able to figure out a way out of this.

So I brought Sean his coffee and continued the rest of the morning rush, feeling like a sword was hanging over my head. When the restaurant had cleared enough that there was no longer an excuse for me not to approach him, I admitted defeat. Even though I’d had some time, I hadn’t come up with a way around this. And when I looked at Sean, who flashed me a cocky grin as he took a sip of coffee, I knew the answer would not be forthcoming.

Sean would be there for however long it took.

I had absolutely no doubt about that. There was nothing in particular about his body that told me that. If anything, he looked incredibly relaxed, completely unperturbed. But despite his outside appearance, I knew he would not yield until I spoke to him.

I asked a coworker to cover the tables that lingered and then made my way to Sean.

“Can we go outside?” I asked.

He took the last sip of his coffee and then stood and walked to the door.

“After you,” he said, lifting his arm dramatically.

I tried to ignore the fact that every one of my coworkers at this new job I so desperately needed had seen Sean and were no doubt wondering what was up. But given all the things I had on my plate, being the source of gossip wasn’t one I could worry about.

So we exited the restaurant, and when we were a suitable distance away from the door, I turned. “What do you want?” I asked.

“How’s Jake?” he countered.

I paused for a moment, thrown off by his question. I’d been expecting a battle, so his warm inquiry had me back on my heels. Then, I finally answered. “He’s fine. He couldn’t stop talking about you this morning.”

And that was true. He had gone on and on about his new friend Sean and how he couldn’t wait to tell him about the field trip. I’d kept my mouth shut, though in my heart, I hoped he’d never have the chance. That thought shamed me, but I’d had it nonetheless.

Sean stayed quiet, and I studied his expression, trying to understand what it meant. I could see his eyes through his glasses in the bright light, but I had no insight into what he was thinking. Still, though I couldn’t quite understand the expression, there was a softness in it that took some of my edge off.

But then Sean blinked, and in an instant the playful yet somewhat distant look was back in his eyes. He studied me for a moment and then spoke.

“What are we going to do about this, Jess?” he asked.

“Do about what?” I asked, even though there was no way to pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about. But I would try, and hoped that in doing so I would buy myself some time.

Something Sean seemed to understand. He didn’t get angry at my attempted deflection. Instead he said, “This.”

Something about him repeating the word so reasonably made it hard for me to pretend I didn’t understand.

I sighed. “We don’t even know that you’re Jake’s father,” I said.

“I know. So that’s the first thing we have to figure out,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied, to which Sean nodded.

This was moving fast, so fast that I couldn’t really get my head around it, but it seemed the test was unavoidable, and at least if it happened, that would give me some time to come up with a game plan.

“I agree, so I’ve set one up for tomorrow,” he said.

I was floored. “Tomorrow?” I asked, agape.

He nodded again, looking authoritative and attractive in a way that would have been nearly irresistible in different circumstances.

“Tomorrow. I don’t want this to linger,” he said.

How could I respond? There was nothing to do but nod.

“Eleven thirty tomorrow. I’ll pick you up,” he said.

I shook my head. “No. No,” I repeated, this time calmer, though I was certain Sean had heard the frantic lift in my voice. “That’s not necessary.”

Sean studied me for a long moment, and I worried he would push. I didn’t know if I’d be able to push back. I’d done a shit job of it so far. But, giving me one small glimmer of relief, he nodded quickly.

“Here’s the address,” he said.

He handed me a card and was gone before I could blink.

I stared down at the card, gripped it tight in my hand, knowing that everything in my world had changed.