One Night Stand: A Secret Baby Romance (Love Me Again Book 3)

by Ted Evans

  “I can see why you’re excited over this speaker,” Mom said after a while, eyes widened in surprise. “Now I do wish I could join you. I’m sure your dad wouldn’t mind tagging along either.”

  Dad had a fledgling company of his own. He used to work at a firm, but for medical reasons that needed him to take it a little easier on the day to day, he quit to start his own business. We’d had some really bad luck. Dad had quit around the time I was mistakenly diagnosed with cancer, and while that ended up false in the end, the past couple years had put a lot of strain on the family financially, but everything had stabilized already.

  He would probably still be interested in hearing a story like Mr. Black’s.

  Maybe the speech would be recorded so I could let them hear it after. Or, I could record a bit on my phone.

  I wouldn’t know the rules until tomorrow since the school hadn't revealed much besides that the man himself would be showing up.

  “You should let him know about it, anyway,” Mom said. “He’s going to be so jealous of you! If only you could invite people in…”

  I nodded along with Mom’s words, distracted by thoughts of what tomorrow would be like. My heart skipped a beat. Just listening to someone talk about their own success story might not amount to much, but I couldn’t help thinking tomorrow would bring many changes in my life.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jake

  Two days flew by quickly. I’d taken Dad’s advice to heart and gone around sightseeing my first two days in New York, but the talk day arrived quickly.

  Dad wanted me to be with him when he went to the school. I found myself wondering if it was for moral support or something. I’d always stayed in Cali, or when I strayed, at least stuck close, even when it came to school. I didn’t see much reason in me showing up at the school when I wasn’t an alumnus, but maybe it was hard for him going there? Especially since we’d all been there for my brother’s graduation, and Dad even gave a speech on that day.

  As far as I knew, it was the last time he’d been by.

  I figured I’d feel out of place, but under the impression that it would help Dad bear it easier, I decided I wouldn’t fight him on this.

  Ever since I lost my brother, I’d become more understanding toward my parents. Thinking of things from their point of view instead of staying a selfish brat that wouldn’t even listen to his parents’ words.

  I got a text when I woke up to let me know he wanted to meet for breakfast in the hotel’s café downstairs before we left. I wondered if he’d time exactly when I woke up to send the message. He didn’t like to be kept waiting, so I hurried through my morning routine and dressed in one of my suits.

  When I arrived downstairs, I found Dad already seated. We’d both opted for navy blue suits with light blue shirts and dark ties with slanting stripes. It was a total coincidence, and I thought I saw Dad’s mouth twitch, though he didn’t smile.

  A waiter showed up to take our orders, then we waited.

  “Do you know what you’re going to use for your speech?” I asked.

  I hadn't seen Dad make any preparations, and I wasn’t sure if he’d done it while I was off having some fun. He seems taciturn and quiet around me, but when the situation called for it, Dad knew how to talk. I still mostly remembered the speech he’d made nearly a decade ago, but mostly because I wasn’t far from graduating high school myself, and I was almost tempted to follow behind his and my brother’s goals.

  Well, I didn’t back then, but that had changed now.

  If only he was here to see this, I thought, nostalgic.

  “For talks like these,” Dad started explaining. “You don’t need to have a formal speech written. As long as I have an outline of what I want to say in my head, depending on the time limit, I don’t think I could lack things to say.”

  I took his word for it. So far, besides a few times at the company, I hadn't talked to any big crowds like he had. The one thing I knew how to do was talk to people so it wasn’t like I would freeze up, but I still hoped I wouldn’t get to do anything besides sit in the sidelines today.

  These were college kids and professors he would be talking to; I didn’t take my own time in college too seriously, I was fine as long as I didn’t get failing grades, and passing was a plus, but a rare one. I had no right to stand in front of those people and say anything to them.

  Breakfast came, and we ate quickly before stepping outside to a waiting car.

  There was some traffic on the way, so the trip to the college took a while. Dad didn’t look worried at all, though, so I didn’t think we were late. The car drove us right into the school, where a few people were waiting for us.

  They all looked like important people with ties to the school, so while I was polite and shook hands and greeted them, I mostly hung back and let Dad do the talking. Mostly, I looked around.

  While the school I attended in Cali wasn’t a bad one, its reputation wasn’t quite on par with NYU. I had been here once before, but only the one time during my brother’s graduation, and I didn’t get the time to explore then. I didn’t plan on going off alone, though.

  After a long walk through campus, mostly because Dad and the group with him were walking slowly as they talked, we arrived at the venue for the speech. We stood at the front and to the side, currently out of sight, but I could hear the crowd. I peeked at the crowd and flattened my lips.

  I knew exactly where we were. Nearly a decade ago, I’d sat in that crowd and watched both my brother and my dad walk onto the stage to applause from the crowd. I turned back to Dad with a grim expression.

  “Are you okay, Dad?” I asked.

  He stood, frozen, staring out at the platform. He didn’t show any reaction, but I didn’t miss how he jumped when someone patted his shoulder. His eyes blinked rapidly, growing red, and I sighed internally. Two years ago, I’d never seen that look on my dad’s face, he wasn’t the kind of man that got emotional easily, but in the past two years, I’d seen it enough times that I wasn’t even shocked anymore.

  Maybe Mom was right, we both need to work through the depression instead of burying it, but is it ever that easy?

  “Hey, Dad?” I murmured, moving over to his side. I patted his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”

  He frowned and looked down. It seemed to take a few minutes before he adjusted himself.

  “I can't not give a speech,” he muttered. “We already came all the way here, and people are waiting.”

  Even though he said so, I didn’t miss the rough quality to his voice. I didn’t doubt, that if he went ahead and tried to speak, even if he could, he’d end up crying. Dad was a man full of pride. It wouldn’t sit well with him to cry in front of a crowd.

  “Jake,” Dad said, taking a deep breath. “I want you to go up there and talk.”

  My eyebrows jumped up. “Um, Dad? What was that?”

  He turned his red eyes to me. “I thought I could do it, but I’m not sure I can. Can you please go up there and give the talk on my behalf?”

  Crap.

  Since he’d asked so formally, I couldn’t just immediately shoot it down. I’d known something was up when he asked me to come along. If he really could have done it, he would have gone alone, and I wouldn’t even be needed on this trip. I figured I’d be there for emotional support, but I didn’t think he’d just give up last minute.

  It wasn’t the kind of man my father was, after all. But, the past two years had been terrible on him. Looking at him right then, with his greying hair and haggard face, I started to wonder when my dad started looking so old.

  “Do you think you can do it?” he asked.

  I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “If you can explain it to the big wigs, I’ll go along with it and try my best.”

  If it was just giving a speech, it wasn’t something too terribly hard. I knew my dad’s story better than anyone since I grew up listening to it. I had disregarded it for a while, but it wasn’t like I didn’t reali
ze his incredible feats. I was just a hard-headed youth.

  Dad went to talk to the school’s representative and professor who had been taking us around. I stood aside and watched them talk, and in the end, he sent a nod my way.

  I nodded back, feeling my stomach cramp a little bit.

  Not long after, we were directed to seats set to the back of the platform, right at the edge so we would be visible. The crowd broke into murmurs as soon as we showed up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched as the representative went forward to introduce the both of us. The murmurs increased when he said I’d be speaking in place of my dad, but they all still broke into applause as I was invited up to the podium.

  I turned to Dad. Just looking at him, he looked the same as always. But, when he patted my shoulder, I couldn’t help but notice his hand was trembling just slightly. I got up and walked to the podium, exchanging a handshake with the representative, before he went to sit down.

  I wonder if any of them are disappointed, I thought.

  Taking a deep breath, I started.

  “Good morning,” I said, and the room quieted down. “I know you were all here hoping to hear from my dad, but I hope you will listen to me instead. If there’s anybody else that would know his story just as well, it should be me, after all.”

  I looked around at the crowd, and it was a large crowd. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’d done several presentations during my college years, this might feel daunting. But even those large classes didn’t amount to half of the crowd in front of me. A lot of them looked young. I’d been where they were not all that long ago, but standing in front of them, I felt a lot older than I did back in college.

  My eyes passed over one particular audience member before doing a double take.

  No…fucking way.

  I had to use all the control I’d instilled in myself from working at the company to not let the shock show on my face. She was seated in the first few rows, making me think she’d come early to have a seat so close to the platform. I could see her clearly, so I couldn’t even say I was deceiving myself.

  She was staring at me, too, her expression one of shock. I forgot myself for a minute as the two of us continued to stare at each other.

  Fuck, what is she doing here?

  I never once expected to see her here, and I was supposed to give a speech with her looking at me like that?

  Then, she did something else unexpected. She smiled. She looked like she was happy to see me.

  Suddenly, I couldn’t feel the cramp in my stomach anymore; I didn’t feel as low as I did just a while ago.

  I can do this.

  Feeling renewed, I got back to my speech.

  “My dad’s story at NYU started more than twenty years ago…”

  I’d heard Dad give speeches before, so it wasn’t something hard to do, and considering I only graduated four years ago, I knew what these kids needed to hear, and what they wanted to hear. Occasionally, my eyes would flit over to Klara, who didn’t seem to stop staring at me. As I spoke, I gained more confidence.

  When I finished my speech, still feeling a bit dazed from talking so much, I was startled by the crowd breaking into more, loud applause. I glanced over my shoulder at Dad and didn’t miss the smile on his face, or how he discreetly wiped at his eye while pretending to cough.

  The representative walked up to the podium, and I received a hearty pat on the back. He was all smiles as we shook hands, and as I went back to my seat. The event was closed, and the suits that had been paying all the attention to Dad before, came to me to give me the same treatment.

  After being at the office for several months, I could deal with this much easy enough. The crowd was slowly moving out, though quite a few of them weren’t leaving their seats. I kept glancing over to make sure Klara didn’t leave.

  It took a while before I could break away, leaving them to Dad instead, and rushed off the podium.

  Klara stood aside as if she’d been waiting for me, a small smile of welcome on her face. I came to a stop in front of her, at first not sure what to say, but the smile was reassuring.

  My heart started beating faster in my chest as I mirrored the smile.

  “Would you like to go for a drink with me?”

  Her smile widened. “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Klara

  I’d arrived early for the speech because I knew the place would end up being packed, and if I wasn’t early, I’d end up sitting in the back. Julia had been there with me, and we’d found seats pretty close to the front.

  Walking beside Jake as we left campus, I praised that decision.

  Even though I had no idea how to search for him all this time, he appeared in front of me.

  Julia had been curious when I told her I’d be staying behind. I wasn’t the only one that hung back. Other people wanted to try and talk to the men of the Black family, but they’d been surrounded. I hadn't been sure how to talk to him. We’d locked eyes when he was on the platform, and I didn’t miss how he kept throwing looks at me, so he hadn't forgotten me, either.

  I’d been worrying about how I’d be able to talk to him in private when he walked up to me on his own.

  The two of us were silent as we walked. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be feeling. Of course, I’d been shocked to see him, and a part of me had been pleased, too. I’d always wanted to talk to him, and now I had the chance. But now, I was starting to worry.

  What are we supposed to talk about? How are we supposed to talk, when we only had the one day together two years ago?

  Even if we both remembered, things had changed since back then.

  “So, do you know any good places around here?” Jake asked.

  I looked up, startled, to find him staring at me. “Um, there’s quite a few places, but it’s past lunch already, so maybe a place where we can eat food, too? How long do you have?”

  He’d come with his dad, and I didn’t know what Jake had told him about disappearing off with a woman he shouldn’t know. Or, had he told his family about me back then?

  Probably not, I decided almost immediately. And there was the news about his older brother’s death. It must have happened after Vegas.

  My heart ached in sympathy for him. I wondered if that was why his dad didn’t speak and he had to step up last minute. He’d given a great speech, though. He was so different from two years ago that, during his speech, I wondered if I hadn't gotten the wrong person, and it was simply a look-alike.

  “Dad isn’t going to worry about me; I’ve got plenty of time.”

  I took him at his word. Twenty minutes later, we were settled at a club that was frequented by students all the time. After showing off our IDs, we ordered food and drinks that were brought to our table. The food was just light stuff, though.

  Thinking about it, aside from that one day we spent together where we didn’t ask each other that many questions, we might as well be strangers. It didn’t feel that way, though, as we bantered lightly back and forth through the meal. He told me a little about his family, and I told him a bit about mine. I conveyed my sympathy over the passing of his brother, who didn’t even make it to his wedding, but we didn’t linger on it, it was clear this was still a painful subject for him.

  “It was a total surprise to see you there, though,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t even want to come in the first place, but I got talked into it. I can't believe I almost missed out on meeting you again.”

  We were both on our second bottle of beer. Jake was leaning against the table with an easy smile. I was feeling a bit warm myself, but I took another sip of my beer. I didn’t drink often, but I was not a lightweight.

  Maybe no more after this, though, since I’ll be going back home.

  Then, I had a stray thought. If I’ll be going home…

  Immediately, I felt my face warm up even more, and I pushed that thought aside. My wild days were already over, so what the heck was I thinking!


  Though maybe that was just Jake being as hot as always.

  “I was surprised to see you, too,” I said, pushing back a lock of hair that was brushing my cheek. “I didn’t even ask your surname, so I didn’t imagine I’d see you when news of Richard Black showing up with his son started floating around the school.”

  He grinned. “Well, I’m glad we were both there. I always wanted to try and find you after the Vegas.”

  “You were the one who left while I was asleep,” I accused.

  His smile dimmed a little. “I got a text from my brother, he and his friends had left already so I thought it would be time to go back, too. Dad would get mad if I stayed so long after he got back early.” Then, he smirked. “Besides, you looked so peaceful lying there, I didn’t want to bother your sleep, so I left you alone.”

  I touched my flaming cheek, and mock scowled at him. “It would have been nice to say goodbye in person, though. But, I did love the note.”

  We finished our drinks, and I decided against ordering a third bottle.

  I’d wanted this chance because I had things to talk to him about, but I couldn’t bring any of it up. I didn’t know if it was the memories from our time together resurfacing or what or the drinks, but my body was slowly heating up as I sat across from him.

  Also, I wasn’t sure, but I thought he was flirting with me.

  “So,” he asked, as he finished his third bottle. “Your place or mine.”

  I was startled, my eyes widening.

  “That was blunt,” I muttered.

  He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t want to?”

  I couldn’t honestly say I didn’t. I was thinking about it, and he must have noticed me checking him out with how closely he was watching me. He’d taken off his coat and loosened up his tie to undo the top buttons of his shirt, then taken off his cufflinks to fold back the sleeves of his shirt. The shirt was thin and well-fitted, so every time he moved, my eyes would be drawn to the shifting muscles underneath his shirt.