by Sandi Lynn
One Week Later
Jenna
I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my naked, expanding body. Now, it was more than obvious I was pregnant. It amazed me how fast the baby grew in the past two weeks. I had four months left to figure out what I was going to do and where I was going to go once the baby was born. I still hadn’t heard a word from Lucas, and I didn’t know when he was coming back. My visit with my parents went a little better than I expected. It was neither delightful nor disastrous. It was just fine, but it would take a lot of time if we were ever going to have a normal family relationship.
I was sitting at my desk working on an important project when I heard a light knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said as I stared at my computer.
“Hello, Jenna.”
Looking towards the door, I saw Lucas standing there.
“Hey. You’re back.”
“I am.” He stepped inside and closed the door. Damn, did he look sexy.
Getting up from my desk, he noticed my belly and a look of shock splayed across his face.
“Wow. You really got bigger over the past couple of weeks.”
“Yeah. It’s real now.” I grinned as I placed my hand on my belly. “How was your trip?”
“It was good, and very relaxing. I’m hoping you’ll have dinner with me tonight. We need to talk.”
“Sure. How about you come over, and I’ll cook. That way we’ll have more privacy,” I said.
“You don’t have to cook. I can bring something over. Is there anything you have a taste for?”
I stood there and thought about it for a moment.
“Mediterranean sounds good.”
“Sounds good to me too.” A light smile crossed his lips. “I’ll stop at the place on the corner from our building, and I’ll be over around seven. I have a lot of work to catch up on. Just text me what you want.”
“I will.”
He opened the door and stopped when I called his name.
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?” He looked at me.
“It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.” He gave me a wink as he walked out of my office.
He seemed different. Calmer and relaxed. The pressures of life didn’t show in his face like they had. I pulled up the online menu to the Mediterranean place and everything sounded so good. I finally narrowed it down and sent Lucas a text message with my order.
“Really? Are you going to eat all that?”
“Yes. Have you forgotten I’m eating for two?”
“Point taken.”
Chapter 22
Lucas
After I left the office, I stopped and picked up the food and went up to the penthouse to change before heading down to Jenna’s. The moment I knocked on the door and she opened it, she grabbed the bag of food from me.
“It’s about time. I’m starving!”
I let out a chuckle as I stepped inside and shut the door.
“Can you do me a favor and take the food out of the bag? I have to pee,” she asked.
“Sure.”
“If you want scotch, the bottle is in the corner by the sink.”
I grabbed the containers of food from the bag and when I went to pull out a couple plates from the cabinet, I noticed a picture hanging on the refrigerator. I took it off and held it in my hand as I stared at it.
“Did you—” She stopped when she saw the picture in my hand. “I was going to ask if you wanted to see it.”
“When did you have this done?”
“A week after you left. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Yeah. It is.” I placed the picture back on the refrigerator.
“The doctor said she looks perfect and she’s growing right on schedule.”
“She?” I looked at her.
“Yeah. It’s a girl.”
“Wow.” I turned and took the plates to the table. “A girl.”
“Can I pour you that scotch?” she asked.
“Please do and make it a double.”
She set the glass of scotch down in front of me and took her seat.
“The reason I suggested dinner tonight was because I had a lot of time to think while I was away.”
“Okay,” she said. “But first tell me where you went.” A smile crossed her lips.
“I rented a private lake house about an hour from Portland, Maine. It was beautiful and incredibly peaceful.”
“Sounds very relaxing. What did you do besides a lot of thinking?”
“I did a lot of fishing.”
She tried so hard to hold back the laughter but couldn’t.
“I’m sorry.” She laughed. “I just never figured you for a fishing guy.”
“I never was, and I’ve only fished once in my life with Danny. But there’s something to be said about being in the middle of a peaceful lake on a boat.”
“I guess so.” She pressed her lips together to avoid any further laughter.
“Okay. Okay.” I smiled. “You had your fun. While I was on that boat everyday fishing, I did a lot of thinking about my father and about our situation. I think I’m ready to be a father.”
“You think?” Her brow arched.
“I can’t make any promises, Jenna. It’s going to take a lot to undo the damage inflicted upon me by my father. I can’t change overnight. But I will try to do my best. That’s all I can give you right now. But I will promise I’ll always be here for you. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”
“I appreciate it, Lucas. But I’m fine on my own.”
“I know you are, and that’s what I admire the most about you. But you’re my friend, and I’m here for you.” The corners of my mouth curved upward. “I won’t let you go through this alone. That’s not the man I choose to be anymore.”
“It sounds to me like you found yourself,” she said.
“Like I said, I had a lot of time to think.”
“I’m happy for you, Lucas. I truly am. Have you told your father any of this?”
“No. It’s none of his damn business. Whatever decisions I make, are mine. I will no longer let him influence me.”
“I’m proud of you.” She smiled as she reached over and placed her hand on mine.
“Enough talk about me. Tell me what you’ve been up to the past couple weeks besides working.”
“Actually.” She picked up her glass of water. “I went and saw my mom and dad last weekend.”
“Seriously?” I looked at her in shock. “How did it go?”
“They’re excited about the baby. We did a lot of talking and there were a lot of tears. But for the sake of my daughter, I needed to make amends with them. I can’t have any conflict in my life when she’s born.”
“I’m proud of you.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I have a confession to make, and I just want to get it out of the way.”
“Okay. Lay it on me.” She grinned.
“I don’t know the first thing about babies.”
“Really?” She laughed. “That’s your confession?”
“Yes. Why do you think that’s so funny?”
“Because I already knew that. In fact, I’m pretty sure anyone who knows you knows that.” She continued to laugh. “Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I don’t have a clue about babies either.”
“Are you scared?” I asked her.
“You bet your ass I am. I’ve never been so scared about anything in my life.”
I picked up my glass and held it up.
“To us. Two scared friends who are having a baby and have no clue what they’re doing.”
Jenna picked up her glass and tapped it against mine. “And may we not screw up her life too much.” She smirked.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“I’m feeling good.”
“I’m happy to hear that. And your hormones? Are they—”
“If you
’re asking if I’m horny, the answer is totally, definitely, and oh my God, yes!”
The corners of my mouth curved upward as I stood up from my seat and held out my hand to her. That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
“As your friend, I feel it’s my obligation to help you out with that, if you don’t mind. Remember, I’m here for you.”
“I appreciate your kindness.” She placed her hand in mine as I helped her up and led her to the bedroom. “My body appreciates it as well.”
“It’s my pleasure to help a friend in need.” I gave her a wink as my lips brushed against hers.
Chapter 23
Jenna
Lucas and I drove to the office together. He’d finally realized that since we both lived in the same building and were going to the same office, I should ride with him. He even gave me access to Thaddeus when and if I needed him. I was grateful for the new man Lucas had become, but I couldn’t help but wonder how long it was going to last.
As I was in the breakroom pouring a cup of coffee, Lindsey walked in.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you!”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I cannot believe you lied to me.”
“About what?” I asked in confusion.
“Who the baby’s father is. You said it was some guy and things didn’t work out. But come to find out, Mr. Thorne is the father. How could you keep that a secret?”
“I—I. How did you find out?” I cocked my head.
“He sent an email to the staff. You haven’t seen it?”
“He what?!” My eyes widened.
“He sent an email telling us he’s the baby’s father and he just wanted to put it out there to clear up any confusion.”
“It’s complicated, Lindsey. You know him. He wasn’t happy about it when I told him. But now he accepted it, and I guess he thought everyone should know.”
“I didn’t know the two of you were seeing each other. Nobody did.”
“We aren’t. It resulted from a one-night stand and we’re just friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Just friends.” I gave her a small smile. “Am I forgiven?”
“Of course.” She reached over and gave me a hug. “The whole office is buzzing. I just thought you should know.”
“Oh well. Once the shock wears off, the buzzing will stop. I hope.”
I walked down to Lucas’s office and opened the door without knocking.
“Can I help you?” He smiled.
“What’s with the email, Lucas? And who does that? Who sends an office memo to their staff telling them he’s the father of one of his employee’s baby?”
“Relax, Jenna. I just wanted to get it out in the open.”
“You could have warned me first. The entire office is buzzing.”
“They’ll get over it soon enough.”
Suddenly, I felt something in my belly that startled me.
“Oh my God.” I placed my hand on my belly.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas jumped up from his chair.
“I’m not sure. Oh my God.” I felt it again.
“I’m taking you to the hospital,” Lucas said.
“No, you’re not. I’m not having pains. I think the baby kicked.”
“Is that the first time you’ve felt that?” he asked as he walked over to me.
“Yeah. It is.” I grinned as I took his hand and placed it on my belly.
We both waited patiently but nothing happened.
“Oh well. I guess she went back to sleep.” I sighed. “I need to get back to work. I’ll run down here if she starts kicking again.”
“Good idea. Forget about the email and forget about the buzzing. Come tomorrow, it’ll be old news.” He kissed my forehead, and I narrowed my eye at him. “Don’t give me that look.”
“Then don’t do things that make me give you that look.” I arched my brow at him. As I turned and walked out of his office, I heard him chuckle.
One Month Later
Lucas and I were the true definition of having a friends with benefits relationship. I did my thing, and he did his. We lived separately but had sex whenever we wanted. The only string that was attached to us was our daughter. Everything was perfect, or so I thought until one day I was out shopping. Pregnant couples appeared everywhere. Holding hands, kissing, and giving each other that look. The look of love, joy, and happiness. I felt like a pregnant fraud. Alone, unworthy and scared. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe it was the fact that I wanted more in my life now. Or maybe it was because I’d fallen in love with Lucas, and I knew he couldn’t return the favor. I couldn’t tell him how I felt because I wouldn’t risk damaging our friendship. I hadn’t heard from Bri since that day we talked on the street. Obviously, she was still in the grips of her controlling douchebag boyfriend. If I tried to reach out to her, it would be the same old shit. I couldn’t talk to my parents because they would tell me it was my fault for getting pregnant in the first place without being in a committed relationship. As much as I felt alone in this situation, I knew I wasn’t the only single pregnant woman out there dealing with this.
After I left the baby boutique and five hundred dollars later on a few sleepers, I stopped by the electronics store to pick up a new laptop charger. As I was there, I overheard a woman tell her friend when they walked past me that she needed to get a better microphone for her podcast. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head and a smile crossed my face. I could express my feelings to the world, and nobody would have to know it was me. I was high tech, and I knew exactly how to get a podcast up and running. After I purchased everything I needed, I went back to my apartment to set up my podcast which I called Baby Drama. I went by J. Elle, instead of using my first name because I needed to be careful. Being open and raw was how I was going to record, and I wasn’t going to edit a single thing. What I said was exactly what people would hear. If anyone even listened to it. I didn’t even care if anyone listened or not because talking about how I felt and what I was going through helped me. When I finished recording and speaking from my heart, I uploaded the content, shut my laptop down and went to bed.
The next morning, I slid into the back of the car and said good morning to Thaddeus. Lucas hadn’t come down yet, and I was surprised. He was never late. A few moments later, the door opened, and Lucas climbed in next to me.
“Late night?” I arched my brow at him.
“Pretty much.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if he was with someone last night. He said he was going to JAMS to hang with Danny. A place where temptation was uncontrollable.
“I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. Would you like to come with me?” I asked.
“I can’t, Jenna.” He glanced over at me. “I have a very busy day.”
Disappointment shot through me because he’d never been to any of my appointments.
“Sure. I understand.” I gave him a small smile.
“Maybe next time,” he said. “How was your day yesterday?”
“It was good. I did some shopping and picked up some adorable sleepers from this cute little baby boutique over on Lexington.”
“And what did you do last night?”
“Oh, not much. I just pretty much laid around and watched TV.” I lied.
“It sounds like you had a nice and relaxing evening.” His lips gave way to a sexy smile.
“It definitely was.” I bit down on my bottom lip as I looked out the window.
I was sitting at my desk when I decided to take a small break from working and check my podcast stats. My eyes literally popped out of my head when I saw I’d already had over six hundred downloads and loads of comments in less than twenty-four hours. Listeners seemed to love what I had to say and they wanted more.
It was time to head out for my doctor’s appointment, so I grabbed my purse and left. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I looked around at the four other women who were sitting there with their partners, and t
hat feeling began to creep up inside me again.
Chapter 24
Lucas
“Mr. Thorne, your father is on line one for you,” my secretary spoke through the intercom.
Rolling my eyes, I thanked her and picked up the phone.
“Dad, how are you?”
“I’m well, son. I wanted to let you know I’m flying back to New York in a couple days, and I’ve decided to stay.”
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.
“For how long?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“What about the Paris offices?”
“I put Jarod in charge. He’s more than capable of keeping things in order here while I’m gone.”
“Is there a reason why you’re coming back?”
“Do I need a reason to come back to my goddamn company?” he snapped.
“No. You don’t. I was just wondering—”
“You can stop wondering. I’ll see you in a couple days.” He ended the call.
Just what I fucking needed.
“Laurel, tell Jenna I need to see her.”
“Of course, Mr. Thorne.
A few moments later, Laurel came over the intercom.
“She’s not in her office, and I can’t seem to find her.”
“All right. Thank you.”
