Chapter Nineteen
The paper sheet crinkled beneath her as she eased back and focused on the poster of ducklings tacked to the ceiling. Lily smeared cool jelly on her belly and pulled out something that looked like a microphone attached to a walkie-talkie. She pressed the microphone onto the blob of jelly and slid it around her abdomen. At first, there was amplified friction, but then came the most magical sound in the world.
A fast pattern of waves swished like a propeller. Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh, shoosh…
She drew in a deep breath and smiled. Her baby’s heartbeat.
Kat squeezed her hand and her eyes prickled. It sounded so strong for something so small. Jade grinned at Lily. “It’s amazing.”
Her friend nodded. “It sure is.”
Jade scheduled her next appointment and stilled when the receptionist said, “And Mrs. Adams, don’t forget your prenatal booklet. Your first appointment’s scheduled for next Wednesday at four.”
“I knew it!” Jade shrieked and laughed, snatching Kat into a hug and dancing around the waiting room. “How long have you known? When are you due?”
“I took a test a few days ago and I’m not exactly sure of my due date yet, but I think it’s a June baby.”
“Oh my God! A little June bug. They’ll be best friends! Does Tyson know?”
This news was so welcome, Jade could hardly contain her excitement. Everything was suddenly different. She’d have a pregnancy buddy, someone to order random take-out with when the cravings hit. Their children would have each other, just like she and Kat had one another. Jade was certain, for the first time in a long time, she’d been given a gift. No matter what brought her to this point, the fact that her best friend arrived at basically the same spot in life at the same time seemed like kismet. She was meant to have this baby.
“Ty knows, but Mia doesn’t. We don’t want to tell her until I’m farther along and showing. So don’t give it away, blabbermouth.”
“Oh. My. God. This is fabulous! We’re going to be like two fat Weeble Wobbles. We can paint each other’s toenails!”
There had been so many questions she assumed would never be answered. But knowing Kat was pregnant answered a huge one. Had Jade aborted the pregnancy only to watch Kat go through one… It would have been the biggest mistake of her life. This was right. She’d done something right and it felt incredible to have that certainty back in her life, repairing so much broken confidence.
Her euphoria held the entire way back to the house until she spotted the Jeep in the driveway. She hesitated at the car door.
“Do you want me to send him away?”
“I don’t know what I want.”
Kat gave a sympathetic grin. “I know it’s hard to see him, but maybe it would help to talk to him. He’s a good guy, Jade. After today, I’m sure he understands a lot more about what you’ve been going through.”
Jade nodded and they entered the house. Kat called for Tyson, but he didn’t answer. Out back, Mia played with Trixie by the edge of the property. Jeremy and Tyson sat on two patio chairs angled toward the covered fire pit.
Jeremy’s head hung between his drooping shoulders, his elbows braced on spread knees. As Kat slid the glass door open Ty looked up and scowled. Jeremy glanced at Jade and his expression was … regretful.
Tyson walked to Kat, kissed her, and then spoke in a seething but controlled tone. “Do you mind explaining what in the world would make you attack Nathan Lithe on a sidewalk? In your condition?”
Nathan Lithe. That was his name.
Not wanting to eavesdrop on their quarrel, having decided to leave the past where it belonged, Jade walked over to Jeremy who’d returned his gaze to the ground.
“Hey.” She nudged his knee with her own.
He eyed her solemnly. “Hey.”
“I’m sorry you had to be there for that today.”
“I understand a little more about why you didn’t want to talk about what was going on.”
Her stomach pinched. “Did Tyson tell you?”
“Some.”
There was such sadness in his eyes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d somehow betrayed him. “Jeremy, I’m so sorry. I—”
“You’re pregnant.”
She wasn’t sure if he was saying it to himself or her. She dropped her weight into a vacant chair.
“You were…” His hand closed in a fist as he stumbled over the explanation of her condition. “And now you’re pregnant and you’re keeping the baby.”
Her protective touch drifted reflexively to her abdomen. “This baby is as much mine as anyone else’s. I’d never expect everyone to understand that, but it’s how I feel.”
His eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t expect me to understand?” He laughed without humor. “You don’t expect much of anything from me, do you, Jade? As a matter of fact, you set the bar so low I can’t seem to slip under it and convince you otherwise.”
“It’s not that I think you couldn’t understand, but why should you have to, Jeremy? This entire situation is fucked up.”
He shook his head. “I’m too selfish to accept your condition, is that it? I’m too judgmental to understand, too superficial and cynical to see past it?” He scoffed and rolled his eyes as if he was giving up. “You don’t know me at all.”
“I don’t think you’re any of those things, Jeremy. I just didn’t want you to be burdened by any of this. You deserve better.”
“And you don’t deserve better?” He forked his fingers through his hair. “Jesus, Jade, none of this would’ve ever happened to you if I saw you home that night. If I just—”
“Don’t. Nothing good comes out of the what if game. Believe me, it doesn’t change the facts.”
“And the fact that I still care about you, does that change anything? I still want you and you won’t even accept my calls. You took something that should have been my choice and decided for me. These last few weeks have been hell and I’ve been in the dark the whole time trying to figure out what I did wrong. And the things I said… ”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think…” She swallowed hard. “Why would you want me, Jeremy? I’m damaged.”
“You’re no more damaged than I am.”
Tears burned her eyes and she quickly swiped them away. “Fucking hormones.”
His hands closed over hers. “I miss you, Jade. I miss your presence in my life. I miss your optimism, your silly work anecdotes, your laughter. I miss touching you and kissing you and waking up next to you.”
His words washed over her, emotionally unhinging her resolve. “But we were only together for two days.”
“Bullshit. This thing between us has been going on for over a year. I’m done with the secrets. I want everything on the table.”
Her heart shifted and she couldn’t catch her breath. He was actually admitting to wanting her all that time. “I… I don’t want to rehash things from that night. I can’t.”
“At first, I was angry you wouldn’t confide in me. I couldn’t understand why. I get it now. No more avoiding me, Jade. I understand if you don’t want a relationship right now, but I want my friend back.”
His thumb made a slow drag over her fingers and she lost the battle against her tears. Sucking in a jagged breath, she let him pull her to his lap. His long arms enveloped her and she breathed in his familiar scent.
She pressed her face into the curve of his neck and he held her close. “I’ll always be here for you, Jade. Do you hear me? I don’t want to be in the background of your life. I want to be close enough to catch you if you fall.”
Brushing the hair away from her eyes, he kissed her temple, her teary cheeks, her nose, and finally, her mouth. Like the sweetest kind of homecoming, the pain in her chest eased. Their lips pressed with gentle force. She closed her eyes and tilted into—
“Daddy, why are you kissing Kiki?”
Annnnd, moment’s over.
Jade blotted her eyes and caught her breath. Stifling a snicker, she pushed off his lap. Her legs tangled with his and he reached to steady her.
Cheeks flush, he ran a nervous hand across the back of his neck. “Uh… Kiki was just … telling me a secret.”
Mia squinted at her father, tipping up her scrunched nose. She turned her suspicious gaze on Jade and grinned. “I like secrets.”
Jade’s mouth slowly opened. “Well … the secret is…” Her mind blanked. “Your dad makes really bad coffee.”
Mia frowned, not impressed. “When did you have Daddy’s coffee?”
Jade stilled. “Um…” Time to bail. She cupped a hand to her ear. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I think your mom’s calling me. I’ll be right there!” She bolted. She had her own problems to solve. Let Jeremy handle that one.
The new living situation over here on happy street was really starting to piss him off. Yes, Jade was back to work, but her activities outside of that had dwindled to inside that house. Someone was always there, preventing him from getting in. If it wasn’t the enormous black guy, it was her friend or the kid. And now, the guy with the blonde hair was back after weeks of not lingering for more than a few minutes. When was she going to go back to her apartment?
The dog barked at the fence where the little girl played. His eyes narrowed. While no one else noticed him parked under the oak tree at the edge of the street, that yapping little pain in the ass had spotted his car.
The kid’s head turned as the blond guy approached the fence. His hand patted the beagle’s head in a calming motion. The dog stopped its barking. As they turned toward the house, the guy glanced back, looking over his shoulder in his direction.
He held his breath. “Do you see me?” his voice whispered in the silence of his still car, his glare holding the other man’s searching eyes. “No, you don’t see me. But I see you. And if you touch her one more time I’m going to take her someplace you’ll never reach her.”