by Kennedy Fox
Hunter stands, and I follow him. Almost without a second thought, Hunter reaches for my hand and grabs it. We stand in front of one of the hospital windows with a fake plant in front of it.
As he wraps his arm around my waist, I move closer and fit perfectly into his side, molding together. I barely reach his shoulder because he’s so much bigger and taller than I am.
Maddie snaps a couple of pictures with a huge smile on her face. “So cute!” She takes another handful. “Okay, now...Hunter should put his hand on your belly.”
“Maddie—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“No, it’s fine.” Hunter looks down at me. “If it’s okay with you, I mean?”
My throat tightens, knowing this isn’t easy for him. Pretending to be my husband is one thing, but pretending to be the father of my baby has to be fucking torture.
“Sure,” I croak, sucking in a sharp breath. Instead of resting his hand over my bump like I expect him to, he kneels and wraps both arms around me with his head on my belly.
“Oh my God!” Maddie gushes, and I know she’s losing her cool. “Freakin’ adorbs.” She takes a million more pictures. Some with Hunter kissing my stomach, with us looking at each other, and others us laughing at Maddie’s lack of a filter, saying whatever comes to her mind.
Then Hunter reaches for my face.
“For the ’gram,” he whispers with a wink. Then he cups my cheeks and kisses me.
I melt into him, forgetting we’re in public and that this kiss isn’t supposed to be real. So softly, his mouth brushes against mine, and his tongue slides in just enough to part my lips. I fight the urge to moan as I hear the camera clicking. I know Maddie is getting all the pictures—ones I probably won’t be able to look at.
We’re startled apart when a tech calls out my name. Quickly clearing my throat, I blink and look around Hunter.
“Right here,” I say, grabbing her attention, then glance up at Hunter. “Thanks.”
He licks his lips, his gaze intense as it burns into me. “You’re welcome.”
“I think I just got pregnant,” I hear Maddie mutter to Sophie, and I give her a scowl to shut her mouth before Hunter overhears.
He follows me and my sisters down the hallway. The tech introduces herself and makes small talk with me as we walk into an ultrasound room. After her instructions, I lie down on the exam table with a cloth tucked into my pants. My shirt is folded all the way up to my chest, and when the tech puts the gel on the wand, I know we’re close to seeing my baby again.
“Do you want to find out the gender today?” she finally asks ten minutes later after taking all kinds of measurements. When she says the heartbeat is strong and everything looks healthy, I smile so wide.
“Yes!” a resounding wave of voices echo. Sophie and Maddie are just as excited as I am.
Hunter stands next to my head, and I look up and see that his eyes aren’t glued to the screen like my sister’s; rather, they’re laser focused on me. He shoots me a wink and a classic Hunter smirk.
Damn the guy’s swoon-worthy looks.
“Alright, time to find out, Mama…”
My eyes snap back to the screen as she lowers the wand to find the legs. “Any guesses before the big reveal?” she asks with a little tease in her tone.
“Girl!” Maddie immediately blurts out.
“I actually think it’s a boy,” Sophie says.
“What about you, Hunter?” Maddie asks, drawing our attention to him, and I immediately want to interrupt and protect him. I can’t even imagine how hard this is for him knowing his secret, which is why I was so surprised he came today. He’ll never get to experience this with his own child.
“Oh, um...I have no idea.” He shrugs. “I’m excited either way.”
Ugh. Fuck up my heart.
“I have a feeling it’s a girl,” I say.
“Well, let’s find out for sure…” An image appears, and I see the cute little butt on the screen and then…
“There’s no penis!”
“Maddie!” Sophie and I both scold.
“How would she even know what one looks like?” Sophie snorts, making Hunter and me laugh.
Maddie only rolls her eyes.
“Well, she’s right,” the tech announces. “It’s a girl!”
Hunter arrives at the apartment a few minutes before me. I lug my bag and purse in and am ready to sit on my ass after today’s activities.
“Hey, wait…” Hunter says as I walk toward my room. “I have a surprise for you in there.”
I cock my head and narrow my eyes at him. “You do? What kind of surprise?”
“C’mon, you know I’m not gonna tell you.” He comes up behind me and wraps a hand over my eyes. “Okay, you can walk now.”
“Oh, okay sure,” I reply dramatically. “I can’t see a damn thing.”
“I’ll lead you.”
I hear a door open and the click of the light switch flicking on. “Okay.” He removes his hand, and I blink a few times before I see it.
“What’s that?” I walk toward it, shocked. “Oh my God. You got me a rocking chair?”
“Yep, figured you’d need one.”
I look over my shoulder at him, and he’s grinning.
“I can’t believe you did this.” I close the gap between us and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you, Hunter.”
“You’re welcome.” He kisses my forehead, making those damn goose bumps appear again. “Go take it out for a test drive.”
I sit and rock, the chair soft and comfortable. “It’s perfect.”
Hunter crosses his arms over his chest, standing tall and proud. His smile is genuine and sweet, and I wish I could express how much this means.
“Hopefully, you and baby girl make a lot of memories rocking together.” His face lights up.
“I can’t wait,” I tell him, beaming. “My mom used the same rocking chair for each of us, and it now creaks after years of being used. But it always felt special.”
Hunter watches me with a look of pride. “So now that you know the gender, do you have any names picked out?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a few, but nothing concrete.” My head falls back as I rock back and forth, the motion causing my eyes to close. “Oh shit.”
“What?” Hunter’s brows furrow.
“We have to do a gender reveal announcement.”
“What the heck is that?”
I snort. “It’s exactly as it sounds. You reveal the gender on social media basically or, in our case, the fake Instagram page. But I should call my parents first and tell them.”
“How do you want to do that?” he asks. “Reveal it?”
“Hm...Maddie probably got a good picture of us today, so I’ll probably just use one of those shots and attach the sonogram picture.”
“Oh, okay.”
I stand and walk toward Hunter. “There’s someone else I need to tell.”
He nods as if he’s been thinking it too.
“I don’t know if it’ll destroy them or give them some peace of mind. Either way, they deserve to know they have a grandchild on the way.”
An hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Locke arrive at the apartment. They’re all smiles and hugs as soon as they see me. I haven’t seen them since Brandon’s funeral, and I feel awful for not staying in touch. We’ve all been grieving in our ways.
“Lennon, sweetheart. I’m so glad you called. Thank you for inviting us over,” Mrs. Locke says, her wide smile giving me the courage to tell them the news. I purposely wore a loose-fitting shirt, so it wouldn’t be obvious right away.
“Thank you both for coming,” I say. “I’m sorry it’s been so long.”
“Oh nonsense,” Mr. Locke chimes in. “We know things have been tough.”
“Are you back at work now?” Mrs. Locke asks as I lead them into the living room.
“Yes, started yesterday,” I reply just as Hunter comes from his room. He’s dressed in casual clothes, the soap from his shower still l
ingering throughout the air.
“Hunter!” Mrs. Locke beams the moment she sees him. He gives her a big hug, tells her how pretty she looks, and soon she’s chuckling at his charm. Mr. Locke gives him a handshake and side hug, telling him how good he’s looking.
“So glad you two stayed friends,” Mrs. Locke says as the four of us sit.
“She’s kinda stuck with me,” Hunter jokes. “Or I’m stuck with her?”
“Ha!” I burst out laughing. “It’s a mutual agreement we’re stuck with each other.”
Hunter and I lock eyes, and he flashes me a shit-eating grin and a wink.
Damn him.
“Well, there is a reason I asked you guys over,” I start, and the room goes eerily quiet. Hunter walks across the room and stands next to me. I look up at him, and he gives me a nod of encouragement.
Swallowing down my nerves, I clear my throat and begin. “After Brandon died, I found out I was pregnant.”
Both of them gasp, neither saying anything, and I’m not sure if I should continue or if this announcement is too much for them.
“You’re pregnant?” Mrs. Locke asks just above a whisper, and I already see the wetness in her eyes.
With a closed smile, I nod. “Yeah, I just found out today that it’s a girl.”
“Oh my gosh.” Mrs. Locke comes toward me with her arms out, and I stand to meet her. “A true miracle, Lennon.” She wraps me in a hug; her voice is strained with emotion. “I can’t believe this.” She pulls back slightly, then looks down between us.
“I can show you pictures,” I say, then ask Hunter to grab them from my purse for me.
“We’d love to see them,” Mr. Locke says, giving me a hug next.
“You look so tiny still,” Mrs. Locke comments.
“I don’t feel that way.” I laugh, then press a hand to the top of my bump so they can get a better look through the baggy fabric. “Trust me, she’s in there.”
Hunter grins as he passes me the sonogram pictures. We sit back down as I pass them out.
“Oh goodness.” Mrs. Locke gasps, then covers her mouth. “Her nose.”
“Looks just like Brandon,” Hunter chimes in, and we all nod.
“She looks a lot like him already,” I say with tears in my eyes.
They inform me they have a lawyer for Brandon’s case and plan to sue the person who hit and killed him. It’s painful to hear the details of the accident and see how this is weighing on them—on all of us. Mrs. Locke tears up when she says the case could take years if the other driver’s insurance fights it, but if they can get a wrongful death win or life insurance money, they want to save it for me and the baby. It’s completely unexpected, but I tell them thank you anyway. I never knew so much had to be dealt with after the fact, but I was mostly out of it for those first couple of months. Either way, I hope they win the case so they can get some closure. I think it’ll help them the most.
We chat for close to an hour before they make their way to the door. I give them a few pictures to keep, wanting them to have some. I’m so relieved by their reactions and feel bad for waiting to tell them.
“Thank you, Lennon. You have no idea how this will help us cope and give us some closure. We miss him every single day, but knowing he’s going to live on through your child gives me hope that life can go on.” Mrs. Locke tears up as she gives me a hug, and I never want to let go but, eventually, do.
Mr. Locke pulls me into a hug, and I promise to keep them updated. Once they leave, I walk to the living room where Hunter is sitting on the couch. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I rest my head on his chest as he rubs a hand over my back. I need some kind of comfort after that emotional meeting because the heartache is almost too much to deal with.
“You okay?” he asks softly.
I nod.
“That went well,” he says.
I nod again, thinking about everything that was said tonight.
We stay like this for a few minutes before I pull back and look at him. My vision is blurry from the tears threatening to fall. “Thanks for being here.”
“Of course.” He brings his thumb to my cheek and wipes away a rogue tear. “I knew they’d be happy.”
“She’s probably going to be the most spoiled kid ever,” I say with a halfhearted laugh. Brandon was the Locke’s only son, so this will be their only grandchild.
“Oh I can bet on that,” Hunter agrees with a laugh. “Not just them, though. She’ll be spoiled and loved by everyone around her. You’ve impacted more people in your life than you even realize, Lennon.”
My heart thuds hard in my chest, his words casting a spell that has my emotions magically suspended.
I wish I could kiss him right now.
If only things were different.
Chapter Thirteen
Hunter
The past ten weeks have come and gone, and the temperature is starting to drop. The leaves are changing, and soon it’ll be Halloween. The major project at work finished last month, and we were well under budget as I had hoped and planned. My boss even gave me a nice bonus and has already pre-assigned me to a few large jobs that will kick off next year. At the moment, I’ve been asked to help with projects that have fallen behind. I’d much rather be in charge, but I can’t complain too much because less responsibility equals less stress. It allows me more time to focus on Lennon and the baby.
As I’m sitting at my desk, getting ready to answer a few emails, I receive a call from Tracie, the lobby secretary who checks people in and out of the building.
“Someone’s waiting for you up front with lunch,” Tracie says in a whispered tone, which is odd.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“She won’t tell me her name, but she’s pregnant. She wanted it to be a surprise,” she tells me.
I shake my head, wondering what Lennon is up to. I look at the clock and realize it’s right around her lunchtime, so I bet she ran a quick errand and brought me something. Though I already ate one of those shitty protein bars I keep in my desk drawer, I won’t refuse a hot meal. “Alright. I’ll be right there.”
I try to hold back a smile as I walk down the stairs and open the door that leads to the lobby. As my eyes land on Jenna, I have no words. I know Tracie is watching us, so I try to act normal even though I’m shocked as hell. I haven’t spoken to her since she threatened me with her lawyer. If I act indifferent, she won’t make a scene. I don’t need anyone at work knowing my business.
“Hey there, Daddy!” she says loudly as if she wants the whole building to hear, and I cringe.
I keep my voice low. “What are you doing here?”
“I remembered how much you loved Chinese food when we were together and thought I’d bring you lunch.” Jenna’s being overly fake as she hands me the bag. I look at it and am forced to take it from her.
“Can we talk outside, babe?” The way she speaks as if we’re a couple aggravates the fuck out of me. I walk past her through the double sliding doors, and she follows me.
“Jenna. What the actual fuck?” I stand on the sidewalk and search for her face. She’s as calm as can be.
“Thought you’d like to know I found out we’re having a boy. Isn’t that so exciting?” She grins wide as if she’s expecting to get the same reaction.
If I could shake her and tell her to wake the hell up and smell the roses, I would. “We’ve already been over this,” I tell her between gritted teeth.
“You’re scared and in denial,” she says matter-of-factly, and I’m positive she believes her own lies. “I gave you enough time to process this, Hunter. It’s time to deal with it.”
“There’s nothing to deal with. You’re projecting the way you feel. Did you tell Craig like I told you?” I cross my arms over my chest, staring her down.
She steps closer and shakes her head. “No, because this baby is yours. I know it in my gut, and I can’t allow you to deny it anymore. It’s time to take responsibility for your actions and man up, Hunter.”
I glare at her, anger simmering through my blood like I’ve never felt before. “You want it to be the truth, but it doesn’t mean it is. You shouldn’t be here. I’ll take a paternity test when he’s born to prove it to you, but don’t you dare show up unannounced again.” I hand the food back to her, not trusting anything she’d give me at this point. It might be poisoned. “I’ve already eaten, so you should have this.”
“So that’s it? You’re just going to reject me again?” she hisses. “I know your little friend is pregnant, too. You’d rather take care of someone else’s baby than your own?” She spews fire, knowing it’ll get me worked up.
I narrow my eyes at her, shaking my head as I try to calm down.
“Yeah, I know all about her and your fake marriage, Hunter. It’s not even your baby.” Her words are venom, and I need to get out of here before I say or do something I’ll regret.
“Leave, Jenna. Now.”
“It’d be a shame if her pastor dad found out,” she says in a taunting voice that has me seeing red. My fists clench, and my jaw tightens. How the fuck does she know all this?
As if she can read my mind, she continues, “The internet is a great thing these days, Hunter. You might be able to trick two middle-aged people, but you’re not fooling me.”
I’m glad we took this outside even though I’m sure Tracie can hear every word Jenna spews. She’s not exactly quiet.
I turn on my heels, growing more frustrated.“Stay away from me, Jenna.” I enunciate every word.
“Do the right thing, Hunter Manning! This isn’t over!”
I walk into the building, leaving her outside yelling like a crazy person. Tracie gives me a sad look and scans me in but doesn’t say anything. I take the stairs two at a time, pissed Jenna has the audacity to show up at my job like we’re dating. She’s not going to let this go, and I’m not sure what else to do at this point. Get a restraining order on her? If she does it again, I might have to.
The rest of the day, I’m overly annoyed with every person who speaks to me. I’m short and need to go work out to blow off some steam, but instead, I drive home, trying to forget what happened. When I walk into the apartment, everything is quiet except for the sound of Lennon’s beautiful voice. I go to her room and stand at the door, listening to her sing “Baby Mine” in the rocking chair with her eyes closed and her hands over her stomach. For a moment, I watch and listen to her, and it calms me in a way she wouldn’t understand. The late-evening sun shines through, casting a warm glow throughout the room, and I find myself smiling, soaking in her natural beauty. I glance around, looking at how the room’s been transformed into a makeshift nursery. The crib and changing table I helped build last month fit perfectly in the space.
