by Lucy Gage
“Did I pass out?” Liam asked, groggy.
“Yeah. You okay?”
He nodded as he sat, still feeling weird, but since he hadn’t eaten much all day, his blood sugar might be low.
“What happened to you?”
“Your head smacked me in the nose. It’s just a nosebleed.”
“Shit, I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry. You want to tell me why it is you passed out? We’ve been friends for almost fifteen years. I’ve never seen you black out without a case of beer in you.”
“Where’s everyone else?” He needed privacy for this.
“They all went inside. Decided to give you some air.”
“Nina?”
“In there with Meg. She was worried about you, but I told her you’d be okay. We gonna talk about it?”
“Not up here. Can we go to the beach?”
“You up for walking down those stairs at the moment?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
The two of them made their way to the small beach in front of the house. They sat on the rocks and for a couple minutes, Liam was quiet, processing things. Rob spoke first.
“Unless you have a health issue you’re hiding from me, I take it that was a reaction to seeing Jenna pregnant.” Liam nodded. “Is it your baby?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure about that?”
“Positive. The last night we were together, we had a condom break. She was on the pill, but that’s no guarantee. It’s one reason I’ve always insisted on condoms. I didn’t want surprises later.”
“So much for that.”
“I don’t think she did it on purpose, Rob. I had just told her that I loved her. She moved back to look at me and it broke.”
“You still have feelings for her?”
“I don’t fucking know how I feel.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I have to talk to Jenna, at least. She’s having my baby. If I’d known that, I would have been to see her before this.”
“I don’t think she wanted you to know.”
“What makes you say that? Did you know?”
“I’m her boss. She had to tell me at some point.”
“And you never told me? What the fuck! You’re supposed to be my best friend!”
“She didn’t say it was your baby. I thought she was seeing someone new because she used to ask about you daily and then she stopped. A month later, she told me she was pregnant, and she didn’t say to tell you, so I wasn’t sure it was my place to share it.”
Liam put his head in his hands. “Why wouldn’t she tell me?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her. Do you want some time alone? Or do you want to talk to her now?”
“No, I need to talk to her. This can’t really wait.”
Rob clapped him on the back. “Then let’s go. We can talk more later. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. If I’d known that the baby was yours, I’d have told you immediately. I figured it was a long shot,” he said as they walked up the stairs. “She was so in love with you, I thought if the baby was yours, she’d have told you. Especially when you said you loved her and promised that you were done seeing other women.”
“Yeah, she’ll believe that once she realizes I’ve been dating Nina.”
“Do you want her to believe it? Do you want her back?”
Liam stopped on the stairs and sat. “I don’t know! If you’d asked me that a month ago, there would’ve been no hesitation. I’d have instantly said yes. How fair is that to Nina, to say goodbye because a woman I once loved shows up pregnant with my baby?”
Rob sat next to him. “But you’re thinking about it.”
“Of course I’m thinking about it! I loved her, Rob! I had no idea how much I loved her until she wasn’t there.”
“Why the hell didn’t you call her?”
“We never had that kind of relationship! If I was gone, we didn’t talk until I was in L.A. or on my way there. Period. It’s not like she didn’t know what was happening with me. She knew what went down, which means she was aware you sent me after Em. I didn’t think I needed to call and update her because we didn’t have that sort of relationship in the past.”
Rob gave him a sad smile that said, That’s a pathetic excuse.
“When you said Jenna was seeing someone else, fuck, I thought she was done with me. I wanted to call her. I thought about her every single day before I met Nina. I still think about her all the time – those videos didn’t help me forget her, that’s for sure. Nina is fun, sexy, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and the sex is phenomenal, but there isn’t the passion there was with Jenna. Even the first time I kissed Jenna was more passionate than I’ve ever been with Nina. The connection between me and Jenna was electric. I didn’t even consider settling down before I met her. The longer we meant something to one another, the more I wanted to commit to her, but I told her that night I still wasn’t ready to get married, and I figured she met someone who was.”
“Do you love Nina?”
“I don’t know. I like her a lot and I care about her. I could see myself falling in love with her over time and that she’d make me happy in the long-term, but it’s only been a month.”
“What about Jenna? How quickly did you fall for her?”
“Hell, I was probably in love with her the moment I opened the door, but I knew I felt something for her when we went to sleep that first night. It scared the shit out of me. Everything about Jenna scared the shit out of me and made me nervous. I’ve never felt like that with Nina. Which one is the way it’s supposed to be?”
“Are you really asking? Because you know how I met Emily and how I was in love with her from the moment I met her. That I’ve always felt intense passion for her. So if you’re asking me to tell you how I think it’s supposed to be, then you already have your answer.”
Liam was quiet for a moment. “I don’t want to hurt Nina. And what if Jenna doesn’t want me? What if she really was done with me? Am I supposed to throw away everything I have with Nina?”
“Why don’t you talk to Jenna first? Then worry about how you’re going to handle everything.”
Liam nodded, stood, and slowly walked back to the house.
**********
After Liam had collapsed, Emily turned to Jenna and said, “Let’s go to my office and talk.” Jenna nodded her agreement and followed Emily into the house, past the kitchen where Nina, Meg, Chris and Reggie were sitting at the bar. Chris had already given Rob ice and a cloth for his nose.
Emily smiled sadly at Nina and Meg as she passed. Jenna could see the anger on Meg’s face as well as the despair on Nina’s. Reggie looked sheepishly at Emily. Though she’d never directly said so, the makeup artist’s expression indicated that she’d long suspected Liam was the baby’s father.
When she closed the office door behind her, Emily gestured Jenna toward a big, comfy chair and then sat at her desk. She put her chin on her hand and looked at Jenna with an expectant expression. “So, I bet if I did the math, I’d find that 34 weeks is the night you came to the Malibu house for dinner.”
Jenna nodded, tears in her eyes.
“He didn’t know,” Emily said.
“I haven’t spoken to him since before I left the next morning. He was supposed to call that night, but he never did.”
“He chased me across the country. Didn’t you know that?”
Jenna sighed. “Yes. I knew. I was upset at first. He’d told me he loved me and that he’d ended things with everyone but me. We were supposed to make things work between us. When he didn’t call, I thought he’d changed his mind and I was angry. Then I was sad, and then I peed on a stick and it told me I was pregnant. I had no idea how to tell him without saying it in person. You remember how I told you that we didn’t call or talk when we were apart? I thought, if he loves me, he’ll call, even if that’s not what we usually do. He never called and Rob never said that he’d a
sked about me. I thought he’d moved on. I guess he has.”
She started to cry.
“Oh, Jenna. I had no idea. I didn’t know he was in love with you before. I’d never have pushed them together if I’d known. You said you didn’t expect him to settle down with you.”
“I didn’t! Not when you and I talked that night. I’d suspected he loved me, but his signals were so mixed. Then he made love to me like I was the most treasured person on earth and he told me he loved me. I pulled away to look at him and the condom broke. He was worried, but I was on the pill and I said it would be fine.”
“Except it wasn’t. What happened?”
“The doctor told me that it was probably because I didn’t take my pill at the same time every day and for some women, it’s a crucial step. I guess for me it is.” How Rob had never gotten her pregnant in weeks of sex without condoms was a mystery.
“So, because Liam knew the condom broke, when he saw you, he knew the baby was his.”
She nodded. “I assume so, yes. He at least suspects. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how he’d react. Especially if he had a new girlfriend. Or two. Or three.”
“He’s not seeing anyone but her. He’s either with me or with Nina. She’s my sister’s best friend. They met at Charlie’s wedding. If I had known about the two of you, I’d never have encouraged him to date Nina.”
“Are they serious?” Jenna asked, tears in her voice.
“I can’t speak for them. I know I thought they were, but I saw the way he looked at you before he realized you were pregnant. I think he’s still in love with you. I haven’t seen him smile that wide since I last saw you two together in Malibu. He looked as happy to see you as he did when you walked in the door of the beach house, and I never would have guessed then that he was in love with you. Honestly, I thought he liked Reggie more than you.”
“I told Reggie that once, too. She said I was nuts, that Liam had always been in love with me. Even before she met me and we became friends, she knew it was me he really wanted. He wasn’t the same with her after he met me.”
“He met her first?” Jenna nodded. “How did he manage to form a lasting bond with you? He doesn’t seem to stay in one place long enough to develop relationships. In fact, he told me once he liked it that way.”
“I think he believed he did, that it was easier. We met when he was guarding Rob after what happened with Lola. That was about three years before I met you. We literally spent every single night together from the day we met until they had to leave L.A. for Rob to go on location. It was nearly four months. From the beginning, he was honest about the fact that he wasn’t only seeing me, but we were exclusive that whole time in L.A.”
“I would never have guessed. I thought he said that Nina was the first girl about whom he’d ever been serious, but maybe I just wanted to hear it.”
Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know how he feels about me now. You said he’s only seeing her?” Em nodded. “Well, then maybe she’s who he really wants and it was a mistake to come here. I’ll probably have my heart broken all over again.”
“Didn’t you want him to know he’s going to be a father? I can’t imagine keeping that from Rob.”
“Of course. I want him to have a relationship with his son, even if he doesn’t want me anymore.”
“You’re having a boy?”
She automatically grinned. “Yes. I was so happy to think that Liam would be thrilled to have a little boy to teach hockey. Then I remembered that he didn’t know, and I was so sad.”
She started to cry again. Emily handed her the tissue box, a morose look on her face.
“Jenna, regardless of what happens with you and Liam, Nina will be here for our wedding tomorrow.”
“You’re getting married, for real? Christopher said he was pretty sure, but Rob hadn’t said anything, so I wasn’t convinced.”
Yet another secret she’d kept for Rob – she and Chris both knew, as did Amy and Rick.
“Yes. I asked Rob to keep it quiet so we didn’t alert the paparazzi.”
“Why are you rushing it now? Don’t you want time to plan? You just got engaged…”
“For one, no amount of planning in the world will make up for the element of surprise. If we can do it on our terms, I’ll gladly sacrifice a church, a big, white dress and a party. For another, and more importantly, I’m pregnant.”
Fortunately, Jenna knew that, too. Otherwise, she’d show the shock to Emily instead of having shared it with Rob. When he had explained the whole thing to Jenna, about how unprotected sex with the men in his family always led to pregnancy, she nearly had a heart attack.
How did you not get me pregnant? she asked him.
I have no idea, he said, but you know I’d have married you if I had, right?
Good God. She still couldn’t wrap her brain around that. Never had she imagined marrying for the sake of a baby. At least in Rob’s case, she’d have been marrying her best friend. He told her that the reason he didn’t worry about Emily getting pregnant when they had their little oops was that he hadn’t impregnated Jenna before, even though she had gotten pregnant on the pill later. He figured he wasn’t quite as virile as his father and brother.
So much for that. They had managed to time things right or else she had been more vigilant about taking her pill every morning when she’d been with Rob.
“You are? Oh, that’s so great! It’ll be so cute for Liam and Rob to have kids the same age. I’m sure they’ll love that.” She began to cry again. Damn pregnancy hormones! “Of course, poor Liam didn’t get a chance to have a pregnant girlfriend, so he won’t be able to tell Rob stuff you can only really ask your best friend.”
Emily came around the desk to hug her, and though she was usually hesitant about things like that, Jenna let it happen.
“Hey, I’m sure he’ll be there as much as he can now that he knows. He’d probably have been there sooner if you’d told him. Why didn’t Rob say anything?”
“He didn’t know for sure the baby was Liam’s because I didn’t tell him. Rob didn’t know that I’ve only been with Liam the past 5 years,” Jenna lied.
And Rob. Did you know that before he met you, the best sex he’d ever had was with me? No, that’s our not-so-little secret.
“You still love Liam, don’t you?”
Jenna nodded, coming back from her turn as the green-eyed monster. She might be jealous of Emily’s connection to Rob, but she loved Liam with all her heart.
“So much. I know Nina is your friend, but if I have to watch him be happy with someone else, it might kill me. I want him to have a relationship with his son, and I’d be lying if I said I would be okay with him choosing to stay with her.”
Emily nodded her understanding.
The baby kicked. Jenna laughed and said, “I’m okay, honey,” as she rubbed her belly. This baby might be the only person in the world she loved more than Liam and Rob.
God, she hated the idea of sharing either of them.
**********
When Liam and Rob entered the kitchen from the deck, they saw Christopher, Meg, Reggie and Nina sitting at the bar counter. Nina gave Liam a sad smile.
She knows the baby is mine.
Meg scowled and spat, “They’re in Em’s office.”
As he approached the door to Emily’s office, he heard Jenna say, “He kicks me all night sometimes. Wait until you get to that point. It feels like someone is playing ninjas in your stomach.”
Shit. This was really happening. Jenna was having his baby, and it was a boy.
Em laughed and Liam knocked softly. Emily called Come in, and when he opened the door, she said, “Hi, Liam. You feeling okay?” He nodded. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” She kissed his cheek as she left and she quietly shut the door behind her.
Liam took a deep breath and Jenna said, “Sit, please.”
He had no idea what to say. They sat for a moment as the ticking of the desk clock filled the silence. There was so much to say and
he had no clue where to start, so he went with his gut.
That had always been the best thing to do with Jenna.
“I heard you tell Em that he kicks you a lot at night. So, we’re having a boy?”
Jenna’s reaction was instant. She held her breath and her eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Her face turned red as she tried to stifle the anguish, but she couldn’t hold it in and she started to sob uncontrollably.
Liam jumped up and knelt in front of her. The tears rolled down her cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumbs, cupping her face in his hands. He brushed the hair from her face, like he always did, and it felt like silk to his touch, thicker and more lustrous than ever. God, he loved her hair.
“Did you think I’d question whether the baby was mine?”
Jenna shrugged, still crying. Liam pulled her to him and hugged her. It was harder to get his arms around her with the belly in the way. As his stomach pressed into hers, he felt something hit him. He leaned back and she gave a little laugh.
“He’s saying hello, Daddy.”
Holy shit. He was really going to be a father. The shock must have registered, because she smiled at him like she always had when he’d amused her. She lifted his hand and placed it on her belly, and he felt the baby kick again.
“Wow. He does that to you all the time?”
“He does it more when he knows I’m really emotional. Which I have been a lot lately. I swear, Liam, I didn’t get pregnant on purpose.”
She started to cry again. He caressed her face.
“Jenna, shhh, baby, don’t cry. I was there, remember? I know it wasn’t on purpose. I’m assuming your birth control failed.”
She nodded and sniffed. “I forgot my pill that morning so I took it before I went over to Rob’s house. The doctor said that for some women, it’s actually really important to take it at exactly the same time every day. I guess I’m one of them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”
“You didn’t call me. I thought you’d blown me off, that you’d changed your mind or decided that you didn’t want to commit. After I knew what had happened with Emily, I thought I’d judged you too harshly. But you never called, and Rob never said you asked about me. And then I missed my period. I’ve never, ever missed one on the pill.”
