One Night Baby - A Romance Compilation

by Tia Siren

  I wonder if she still felt that way.

  I went home that night and thought about how it would be if Hanna and I could openly date. Sure, the age gap was going to be a thing for people, but I hoped to God she knew it wasn’t a thing for me. It was just a comment I made to get Marcus off my back after she gave me an out in her argument…and I still had to thank her for that. She had single-handedly cleared us of all suspicion that night while talking her brother down off his crazy-talk ledge, and I needed to figure out how to pay her back and make that up to her.

  A part of me knew exactly how to do that.

  My phone rang and I saw it was Hanna. I picked it up with the broadest smile on my face, and the thought hit me to ask her to lunch.

  But she beat me to the punch.

  “Hey, Kason.”

  “Hey there, beautiful.” I smiled.

  “Up for some lunch?”

  “Of course. Name the time and place and I’ll drive.”

  “Good. I figured we could talk about the other night,” she said.

  “I think that’s a good idea. When would you like to have lunch?”

  “Now?” she asked.

  “I’ll see you at the car.”

  I met her outside, we hopped in, and I drove off down the street. I took her hand, but it seemed a bit limp in mine. I felt that this might not be as stimulating a conversation as I’d thought. I had figured I could take her somewhere nice, have a glass of wine, talk about a few things, and then head to a back road and break in the back seat of my car.

  But with the way she was staring out the window and keeping quiet the entire drive, I knew the conversation wasn’t going in the direction I had thought it would.

  “You all right, Hanna?” I asked.

  “Mhhm. Just enjoying the passing scenery.”

  “You sure you don’t want to start talking now?” I prodded.

  “Oh, yeah. It can wait.”

  We got to the restaurant, and she didn’t really start talking until after we got our drinks. The first phrase out of her mouth was not a good one.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea anymore.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “After the way Marcus freaked out the other night, I think we should probably stop what we’re doing.”

  There was this far-off look in her eyes, and I knew that wasn’t the only reason. I tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled both of them into her lap. When she leaned back and sighed, I just decided to say it.

  “That’s not all this is. You know we’ve got your internship papers we can pull out at any moment. I actually have a couple more things I need you to sign anyway.”

  I pulled her employee paperwork from my inside jacket pocket along with a few other things I’d had to retrieve from her school—releases both of us needed to sign along with the official agreement for the pay she would receive.

  “No, that’s not it. But I don’t want to talk about the other things. I just…wanted to end this with you in person.”

  “Hanna, even if we aren’t screwing around, you still mean a lot to me. We aren’t leaving until you talk to me about this.”

  “Kason, please. I want to thank you for the internship, but I don’t think I can take it,” she said with a biting edge in her voice.

  She moved to stand up, but I stood too and grabbed her arm. I pulled her close to me and brought her in for a fiery kiss, and for a split second, I felt her falter. My tongue swiped along her lips and she let me enter. I knew she felt and tasted exactly what I did. She felt emotion and passion. She felt beautiful and wanted. I knew she tasted how sweetly our scents melted together with one another’s. You didn’t find that shit with any person. You just didn’t.

  But then she abruptly pulled away.

  “See? That’s the issue with you and Marcus. You think you can just control me and tell me what you think is good for me, but you don’t fucking listen. Neither of you did when I told you why Marcus’s comment about mothers bothered me so much. Marcus just barreled over me, and you—you went right along with him! And after the out I gave you so you wouldn’t be in hot water with your best friend!”

  I released her arm and she stepped away from me, and that was when I realized what was actually bothering her. I thought back to the beautiful words she had said when she’d talked about motherhood, but what I couldn’t tell her was how they had made me feel. I couldn’t tell her that, in that very instance, she had actually convinced me to get her pregnant. I couldn't tell her that her beautiful words about motherhood had been unlike anything I’d ever heard and that any woman who could talk about having a child that way really did deserve to be a mother. I couldn’t tell her all of this and then turn around and tell her that I still wasn’t willing to give her a fucking child even if the outlook she had on motherhood was perfect.

  I knew little Hanna Rendon would be an amazing mom someday.

  Just not right this fucking second.

  “I’m sorry,” I said earnestly. “I should’ve stood up for you the way you stood up for me in that conversation, and I didn’t.”

  “You’re damn right you didn’t,” she said harshly.

  “Please, take the internship. I wouldn’t create a personal secretarial position on my floor unless I felt I really trusted the person. You’ll be rubbing elbows with a lot of important people on a daily basis, and if your medical journey falls through, knowing these people could really help you. Think of it as Plan B.”

  “We’d be together all the time,” she said.

  “And it’ll still give us a cover if we want to keep…well…you know.”

  She sat down, and something inside me deflated in relief. I sat down in front of her and our food was set down. We ate in silence for a while before I finally broke it.

  “If Marcus continues to suspect anything, or even finds us coming back from lunches like this, we’ll just show him the papers. That’s all we have to do. The internship is real, and it’s there whether this continues or not. But if this does continue, then that’s our cover for our lunches and dinners,” I said.

  “Okay,” she said lightly.

  All at once, this beautiful, flourishing woman I had coaxed out of her shell had buried herself as deep back into it as she could go, and it was all because I hadn’t stood up for her. I felt like a piece of shit for not railroading Marcus for what he did because the truth was, they’d probably done that to her throughout her entire life. They’d probably cast what she wanted to the side in favor of what they thought was good for her and didn’t give her opinions a second thought.

  I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.

  I slid over some papers from her school to make the internship-class link official, and I told her I’d get her copies of everything. She said to get her the originals so she could send them off to the school, and I told her I’d worry about it so she wouldn’t have to. For the first time at lunch that day, I saw her smile.

  “There she is,” I said gently.

  “So you’re actually going to give me this paid internship?” she asked.

  “Yes. But I’m going to keep the pay scale negotiating piece of paper for another day. You know, in case your brother happens.” I winked. “For now, signing these papers are the excuse for our lunch today.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She agreed with a nod.

  “I’m glad it’s going to be you,” I said earnestly.

  “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” she said. “Will that be too…distracting for you? You know, if we continue…”

  “I think it’s gonna be perfect.” I smirked. “Especially if we continue…”

  I winked at her and watched her blush. When she held her hand out to me, I was ecstatic. I felt the warmth revive her skin and life suddenly flooded back into her eyes. All at once, she was the young, vibrant woman I’d been spending my time with when back home again. We finished our lunch and got some drinks to go. Just like we thought would happen eventually, Marcus wa
s outside when we pulled up to her house. There was an inquisitive look on his face until he saw who was in the front seat with me, and then all at once anger poured into his features.

  I loved Marcus and all, but he needed to lighten the fuck up.

  “You think he’s checking up on us? I didn’t think he was supposed to be home today,” Hanna said quietly.

  “I honestly think he might be. He’s really getting paranoid.”

  “Well, for good reason.” She giggled.

  “If we get caught, Hanna, are you going to be all right?” I asked.

  I turned to face her just as Marcus pulled up behind us. I locked eyes with her while I dug the papers out of my jacket. A small smile formed on her face, and she put her hand on top of mine. For a split second, I thought this transaction was going to go in a very different direction.

  “I already told you how I felt the other night, Kason,” she said. “I’m a big girl. I can handle a little crush.”

  Marcus pounded on her window, and Hanna had no issues rolling it down. The questions running behind his eyes were stuck in his throat, his face filled with fiery hot anger. All I did was pass him the papers Hanna had signed earlier.

  “Internship stuff, dude. You’re not the only person in your family I’m helping.”

  He unfolded the papers and seemed satisfied with what was on them. We both watched as he took in a deep breath to relax himself. The red color that had risen to his face and neck slowly dissipated along with his intense emotions. He looked at Hanna hard before turning his attention to me.

  “What you’re doing for her is awesome. Thanks, man.”

  “Not a problem, Marcus. Just…friggin’ calm down, all right? You’re getting really paranoid, and it’s not a good look.”

  He nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Chapter 23

  Hanna

  “Thanks for the job!” I yelled back to Kason.

  “It’s an internship!” he yelled back.

  “Whatever!”

  I walked into the house and decided to give Stacey a call. I really wanted to see how she was doing and—if she was up for the talk—I wanted to tell her about these new developments. The last time I had tried to talk to her, Brad told me she needed some space and time to rest, so I was only getting updates through him. But I needed my best friend now more than ever. She would want to know all the sordid details about Kason and me. I figured I could stay away from all the baby stuff since Kason made himself really clear about where he stood on all that.

  “Hello?” Stacey asked.

  “Hey, Stace. It’s Hanna. How you feeling?” I asked.

  “Hey, Hanna. I’m doing all right, I guess. Slowly getting better. How are you?”

  “Doing good. Things have gotten…interesting…with Kason.” I smirked.

  “Fuck, Hanna,” Stacey said.

  “Don’t worry. We’re using protection,” I whispered.

  “Oh. Well, good!”

  “I was wondering if maybe you felt good enough to have some company?”

  “Will I get all the details about you and Kason?” she asked.

  “I’ll even bring cake over.”

  “Oh, yes. I’ll see you soon.”

  I went upstairs and changed quickly. Then I ran downstairs and hopped into my car. I drove through our favorite eatery and picked up two massive slices of chocolate cake and some coffee for both of us, and then I was on my way to Stacey’s. I had missed my best friend through all of this, and I really wanted to spill my guts and tell her everything. I wanted to tell her about the argument and Marcus’s blowup and how I felt about Kason and our talk about babies and how my mom still wanted me to be a young mom… But I knew that would be a really sore subject for her and I didn’t want her to think I was being insensitive. I had missed my best friend too much to be kicked out for my idiotic mouth.

  So, I decided to stick to Kason and me sleeping together and the internship.

  I pulled up to her and Brad’s and practically stumbled out of the car. I knocked on the door and Stacey ripped it open. I was tackled by a massive hug that lasted until I couldn’t breathe. God, I had missed my best friend. I couldn’t wait to fill her in.

  “Coffee,” I said, holding it out.

  “You’re a goddess.”

  “And chocolate cake for two.” I smiled.

  “Yeeeees,” she groaned.

  We went into her kitchen and sat down. I was glad Brad was at work. I really needed some alone time with Stacey, and I didn’t want to risk him making me leave early.

  “All right,” Stacey said. “So, Kason.”

  “Well, the small detail is this: my mentor at school informed me I needed an internship for both semesters of my senior year and not just one.”

  “Wait. What?” Stacey asked.

  “Yeah. Isn’t that shit? Anyway, Kason’s giving me an internship at his company.”

  “That’s awesome!”

  “Yeah. He’s also hired Marcus full time to do stuff with his website. I don’t really know much about it, except that it’s apparently up Marcus’ alley.” I shrugged.

  “Hanna, that’s really cool. What’ll your internship be?” she asked.

  “I’ll be his secretary.”

  “Oooooh, sounds sordid,” she whispered.

  “Yeah. We’re slowly signing the papers as we need to.”

  “Why ‘as you need to’?” Stacey asked.

  That was when the smirk crossed my face.

  “Do you really think Marcus would be happy about me hooking up with his best friend?”

  She squealed. “Oh my god, I knew it! Tell me everything. What’s he like? How big is he? How many times? God, Hanna, did he agree to your deal? Please tell me you weren’t lying about using protection.”

  I was honestly shocked that she’d brought that part of the story up. I stared at her for a second, and she caught my reaction before she reached out for my hand and took it within hers.

  “Did he agree?” she asked again.

  “No,” I said. “And at first I fought him on it. But…I really enjoyed being with him that first time, and I guess he just…eroded my walls?”

  “But you still want a child?” she asked.

  “Of course I do. But Kason isn’t wavering, and I…”

  “Enjoy being around him too much?” Stacey smiled.

  “Yeah,” I said, smiling.

  “Hanna’s got a crush. Hanna’s got a crush,” she chanted.

  “I mean, have you seen him? I’ve practically drooled over him since middle school!”

  “I know! Which is why I want all the details!”

  “Well, we’ve sort of been sneaking around and using the internship as a cover. I mean, the internship is happening, but we’ve slowly been signing papers over lunch dates just in case someone catches us coming or going from them. You know, so they don’t get suspicious.”

  “I’ve never known Hanna Rendon to be that concerned with what people think,” she said thoughtfully.

  “Well, my brother’s practically about to blow a gasket about it and our age gap is probably startling to some people.”

  “Eh. I didn’t really think about that. But still!”

  “Anyway, we’re sort of sneaking around. And god, Stace…he’s incredible in bed. No man has ever done to me the things he can.”

  “Uh huh.” She smirked. “And what exactly does he do?”

  “For one, he’s big. I mean massive. And god, it feels so good when he pounds me into the mattress.” I sighed. “And he’s commanding. He loves telling me what to do in bed, and he’s the only guy I’ve ever been with who can make me come multiple times.”

  “Oh god, those are the best sessions.” Stacey sighed.

  “Does Brad do that to you?” I asked.

  She smiled. “We found our way to it.”

  “Anyway, it’s awesome, being with him. I feel like I’m heard when I’m with him. Well, mostly.” I shrugged.

  “How do you
feel about all this?” she asked.

  “I mean, it’s really good sex. And the internship is something I need for school. And he obviously loves what we’re doing. So all in all, it’s good!”

  “I didn’t ask what you thought, Hanna. I asked how you felt.”

  “And again, it’s just good sex and an internship. It’s not like I’m in love or anything.” I giggled.

  Maybe? I didn’t really know. Stacey sat there and stared me down while she took a bite of her cake. For a split second, I thought maybe she could read my mind. I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about Kason, but when I’d told her I wasn’t in love or anything, there had been a pang of guilt. Sure, I had a bit of a crush because he could wield that thick piece of man meat in bed, and sure, it was fun to sneak around and feel like we were doing something scandalous. But that was it.

  Right?

  Stacey sighed. “Well, I’ve got some news of my own.”

  “Really? What’s going on?” I asked.

  Stacey took my hands and pulled them onto the table. Then she looked me straight in the eyes and told me the one thing I never thought I’d hear during this conversation.

  “The doctor has cleared me for sexual activity, so we’re going to start trying for another child in a few weeks.”

  “Stacey,” I said, “are…are you sure?”

  “I am. I’m positive. You know me, Hanna. I’ve always wanted to be a mom. And yeah, this last episode was devastating, but Brad and I had some tests run and neither of us are struggling hormonally or physically in any way. So, we’re going to try again.”

  Tears rose to my eyes. I was honestly worried for my best friend and yet simultaneously happy for her. I wanted her to have all her dreams come true. I wanted her to have the life she and Brad had always wanted and craved. I wanted her to fill this home with children I’d pull my hair out babysitting so they could go rekindle their love for one another in a hotel for the afternoon.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I whispered with tears in my eyes.

  “Hanna…” she soothed.

  “I’m just so worried for you, too,” I choked out.

  “I’m gonna be all right,” she reassured.