Not According to Plan

by A. m Madden

  “Sorry, darling.” Ruby shrugged indifferently and winked before heading to the back of the house. She was a riot.

  Jade handed me the kids’ presents while narrowing her eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head, Mr. Navarro.”

  I pressed my mouth against hers in a rushed kiss. “That’s some heady information I was just handed. I can’t make any promises, beautiful.”

  Her eyes rolled up. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go meet the rest of them.”

  My nerves kicked in when Jade took my hand and led me toward the voices that filtered in from the other room. Just as we stepped into the great room, everyone silenced.

  “Jadie.” An older man stood from a recliner and embraced her.

  “Hi, Dad.” She hugged him tightly before pulling away and said, “This is Max Navarro.”

  “Mr. Easton.” I offered the same cordial handshake as I had to his wife, but unlike her, he accepted with a tight smile and no mention of calling him by his first name, Lawrence. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  A silent nod was all I got in return.

  Shit, is it hot in here?

  Next up was Sapphire, Greg, and the kids. The difference in greetings I received from the women in Jade’s family versus the men was almost comical. Five minutes into our visit, I could already assess that Jade was a lot like her dad, serious and reserved, while her mom and sister were much more energetic and vocal. Sapphire was just as forthcoming as her mother with compliments, whereas Greg took a page out of Mr. Easton’s playbook, and it was hard to get a read on him yet.

  “I hate to throw food at you the moment you walked through the door, but someone’s hungry.” Jade’s mom tilted her head toward the two munchkins who attempted to steal some bread off the table.

  Jade and I never discussed when we would be dropping our bomb, and having it hanging over me killed my appetite. With leaden steps, I followed Jade and sat beside her as her mom placed a huge steaming pan of lasagna next to a large salad and a basket of garlic bread.

  Besides normal pleasantries, the conversation revolved around the kids and their latest antics. Jade remained quiet, picking at her food while the telltale signs of queasiness altered her normally joyful expression. I suspected telling them the news she needed to share caused her normal state of nausea to worsen. Hell, I wasn’t afflicted with morning sickness and felt sick to my stomach.

  Trying to help her, or me, I squeezed her hand beneath the table and smiled when she looked up at me.

  Externally, my calm demeanor was a complete facade. Soon enough, this crew would learn my real role, and how they’d respond to it was a crap shoot. But like it or not, I was now a thread in the Easton quilt, a piece to their puzzle. All because Jade and I had sex with a faulty condom the night we met.

  “Are you Aunt Jadie’s boyfriend?” Kenner asked me. Greg and I laughed while Jade choked on her iced tea. I had to give the little dude credit, since he’d single-handedly diffused all the tension in the room.

  Jade glanced at me nervously, and when I said, “I am,” the worried lines on her forehead smoothed.

  “Are you getting married?” Kenner asked innocently before shoveling his last forkful of pasta into his mouth.

  “I don’t know. Maybe, someday,” I responded truthfully, ignoring the way Jade’s dad focused on me.

  “Yuck. When you get married, you have to kiss.”

  “Well, it’s not so yucky when you like the girl you’re kissing,” Greg piped in.

  “Yes, it is,” Kenner said, unconvinced. “Whenever you kiss Mommy, I want to throw up, and I like her.”

  “You mean like this?” Sapphire asked before grabbing Greg’s face with both hands and planting a loud kiss on his lips. The act caused Kenner to gag and Everly to squeal while clapping.

  After a few more minutes of Kenner’s unfiltered observations, and a “fuck” thrown in for good measure, Ruby suggested they watch a movie while the adults finished their dinner.

  “Can we watch Toy Story and play with our new toys?”

  “Yes, go ahead,” Sapphire said with a nod. “And if you both behave, you can have ice cream for dessert.”

  “Okay, I’ll make sure Everly is good,” he quipped, confident he wasn’t the issue.

  “But one more bad word, Kenner, and you’re getting soap in your mouth.”

  “Okay,” he repeated, but a bit sulkier than the first time.

  Ruby wiped her hands and turned toward her husband. “Lawrence, can you help me with that damn DVD player?”

  “Yes, dear.” Mr. Easton and his wife ushered the kids out of the dining area and into the den.

  “So, Jade told me you own a gym,” Sapphire said before sipping what was left of her white wine.

  “Yes.” I shifted in my seat. With Kenner gone, all eyes were on me now. “I own MAXimum Fitness in the East Village.”

  “How did you meet?” Greg asked nonchalantly.

  Not knowing how much Jade had shared, I kept it vague and said, “We met at my brother’s bar.”

  “They were paired up in a Karaoke contest.” After a quick glance at her sister, she said, “It was Jade’s birthday, and they won. Max is a triplet, identical.”

  “Triplets?” Greg raised a brow. “That’s pretty rare.”

  “So is how well Jade and Max hit if off that night,” Sapphire responded with a salacious grin that meant she knew the real story.

  Jade lifted her iced tea but paused at seeing the smirk on Sapphire’s face. “What?”

  “Nothing.” You could practically hear Sapphire’s wheels turning. “Didn’t you say it was called Kismet Karaoke?”

  Thankfully, Ruby and Lawrence returned. “Okay, they’re all set up. Now we can have some adult time.”

  “On that note…” Without asking, Sapphire filled Jade’s empty glass with the same white wine she had been drinking.

  Jade stared at the glass—at the alcohol she couldn’t drink—and I knew our bomb was about to drop.

  “A toast?” Sapphire raised her glass and waited for everyone else to follow suit. My eyes cut to Jade, who reluctantly lifted her glass and grew even paler than she was a few seconds earlier.

  “To my sister… May her future be filled with happiness and all the things that she deserves,” Sapphire said, with her eyes pinned to me.

  “Oh, I love that toast, Sapphire. To our Jade finding happiness.” Ruby sipped her own wine and winked at me.

  I again squeezed Jade’s hand below the table in support. In her defense, Sapphire was unaware of the irony behind her innocent toast.

  “What’s wrong?” Sapphire’s brows pinched toward each other. “Why aren’t you drinking?”

  This is it. My grip on Jade’s hand tightened, and when she looked at me, I gave her an encouraging nod.

  Just as she had when delivering the news to me, she blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”

  Her mom was the first to react, with a gasp, while the rest of them stared at Jade in silence. But it was her father’s face I focused on. A slow response, but his flushed skin and the flare to his nostrils meant he wasn’t happy.

  Sapphire finally spoke, saying, “Congratulations. This is exciting news.”

  “Yes.” Jade looked at me and added, “It wasn’t planned, but we’re both excited.”

  “Didn’t you just meet?” her father scolded more than asked. A deep frown line creased his forehead.

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  “Jade.” He shifted his heated stare from me to his daughter. “How could you let this happen?”

  “I didn’t let this happen,” she shot back. “It wasn’t planned. I didn’t wake up that morning and say, hey, you know what would be an awesome birthday gift this year, even though I work practically twenty-four-seven? How about a tiny human that’s one hundred percent dependent on me for survival!”

 
; Sapphire snorted a laugh but quickly covered it. “Sorry,” she said, darting an apologetic glance toward her parents. “But that was funny.”

  “None of this is funny,” Mr. Easton said. “It’s the complete opposite of funny.”

  His wife stepped in before heads started rolling. “You have to excuse our behavior, Max. This is just such a surprise,” Ruby said.

  “I understand,” I responded with a small smile.

  “Do you now?” her father barked. “Do you truly understand what your irresponsible, promiscuous actions accomplished?”

  “Dad, stop,” Jade snapped, anger lowering the tone of her voice and the narrowing of her eyes. “I’m just as responsible as Max for this. He didn’t take advantage of me, and we weren’t irresponsible. But every preventative comes with a small chance of failure. You know that.”

  Undeterred, her father threw another insensitive jab her way and said, “Regardless, you’re the one that will be most affected by this.”

  Now wasn’t the time to inform him I was very much affected by this. Now wasn’t the time to admit his daughter’s pregnancy sent my life into a new state of disarray. I was here for support if she needed me, but Jade was capable of fighting her own battles.

  “How can you bring a baby into this world when you don’t love the father?”

  “How would you know if I love him or not—”

  “Because you just met! You can’t love someone you barely know. And you’re setting up my grandchild for a dysfunctional start in life.”

  “Lawrence,” Ruby scolded, and a renewed tension in the air became stifling.

  Wow. There was so much I wanted to say to this man, but any of it would only make things worse. Instead, I reclaimed Jade’s hand beneath the table, hating that it felt cold and lifeless in my grip.

  Meanwhile, Jade shook her head and released a huff of air. “That’s a bit parochial, even for you, Dad. I know you don’t truly believe that.”

  “I’m sorry,” he retracted with a sigh, looking down as his shoulders dropped. When he lifted his gaze again, he said, “I just wanted so much more for you, Jade.”

  “I thought all you wanted was for me to be happy,” she countered.

  “I do…” He nodded slowly. “But will you be happy if everything you worked so hard for will be jeopardized?”

  Jade remained silent. Whether it was because she didn’t know the answer or she was tired of arguing, I wasn’t sure.

  Sapphire cleared her throat and asked, “When are you due?”

  “Early March.”

  “You knew at our anniversary party?” Her father’s eyes searched Jade’s face.

  Jade nodded. “Yes. I had only just found out, though. It was too early to say anything.” Despite his reproachful glare, she lifted her chin defiantly. “Did I plan this to happen? No. But it has. I’ll be the first to admit I have a lot on my plate right now, so I please ask that you don’t contribute to it and just offer your support.”

  Ruby attempted to break the tension by taking her other hand and saying, “Sweetheart, of course we support you…and we’re here for you. Whatever you need.”

  “Anything,” Sapphire added, glancing at her husband, who offered a nod.

  “Thank you,” Jade said before focusing on her father, waiting for him to voice his unconditional support, as well.

  It never came.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Max

  “That went well,” I said once we got into my car. After her father’s behavior, Jade didn’t want to stay, but I hated leaving with a canyon of tension between them.

  “I’m sorry.” She paused long enough for me to cut my focus to her and away from the road. “I knew he wouldn’t be happy, but I didn’t expect him to be that angry.”

  “He was just caught off guard. Give him time.”

  “I’m not sure time will help,” she said.

  A part of me worried she was right, especially once he learned I was having another child with another woman in another state. I would’ve liked to comfort her, tell her things would be fine, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

  I meant it when I said I didn’t regret our night together. If it were someone else, I wasn’t sure I’d feel the same. But even before our visit with her family, I knew Jade wasn’t promiscuous, and since that night, I often wondered what made her sleep with me.

  Deciding to take advantage of our somewhat lengthy drive home, I went for it. “Can I ask you a question?” Shadows from the streetlights played across her face as she nodded. “What made you take me home that night?”

  I waited out her silence until she said, “Honestly? Amy.”

  Couldn’t say I was surprised. “Was it a dare?”

  “No. More like a reminder that I was…” A resigned sigh came before she continued. “Boring.”

  “You’re not boring.” It was the goddamn truth. This woman intrigued me more than anyone ever had. And while our union may have started because of a challenge from Amy and Brad, even that night I knew it was more than just sex. And shortly after, I hoped it would lead to more down the road. “But I get it. Brad, knowing I had eyes on you, rigged the contest so I’d be your partner.”

  An unexpected laugh came, and hearing it caused my own chuckle. “Well, I guess our kismet came disguised as a pushy best friend and meddlesome brother.”

  “Seems we owe them,” I admitted, and cutting my focus away from the road, I met her gaze with a wink.

  Somehow, she managed to get under my skin. Weeks ago, I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, and I certainly didn’t need to complicate my life more than it already was. That argument seemed to fall on deaf ears within my heart when it came to Jade. Then there was the tiny issue of how she affected my libido, also known as the fucker between my legs, who had a constant hard-on for her.

  After pulling in a long inhale, I shifted the conversation to safer ground. “What’s your middle name, Jade? Wait, let me guess.” I pretended to ponder a bit. “Garnet? Emerald?” She went to speak until I stopped her with a finger against her lips. “Onyx?”

  “You’re hilarious,” she mumbled behind my finger. “I don’t have a middle name.”

  “Good. Jade is a beautiful name; you don’t need another.”

  When I took her hand, she relaxed and a bit behind her seat belt, shifting toward me. “Do you have a middle name?”

  “Vincent.” Her grin caused my own. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s great. Max Vincent. I like it.”

  “Well, thank you. What kind of music do you like?”

  “I know what you’re doing, Max Navarro.”

  “What?” I pretended innocence. “Just curious about the woman having my baby.” I glanced her way and gave her a wink. “So, music?”

  “Almost everything, except rap. You?”

  “Same. Because of my parents, I especially love classic rock. Did you and Sapphire get along when you were younger?”

  “Most of the time. Just typical sister stuff. What’s it like to have two others who look just like you roaming the earth?”

  “Annoying,” I admitted easily, to which she laughed. “Dating was a pain in the ass. If a girl dated one of us, it wasn’t long before she wanted to find out if the other two were better versions. School was fun, though. Nate is brilliant and on a few occasions took tests for us when Brad and I weren’t prepared.”

  “No way.”

  “Yeah. My parents were called in to the principal’s office weekly.”

  The conversation bounced back and forth between us. I learned she hated pineapple, desperately wanted to visit Italy, and felt she was a true Gemini to the core. I shared my loathing for anything pumpkin flavored, that I had family in Italy, and I actually did find the Olympic sport curling riveting.

  “Curling?” she said. “Isn’t that when they use b
rooms to stop the…the thingy?”

  “It’s called a stone. And don’t knock it. Manipulating its path isn’t an easy feat.”

  “Yeah, okay,” she said, unconvinced.

  “Tell me why you decided to be a lawyer.”

  “Law always fascinated me. Even as a young girl, I loved watching anything on TV that included a judge, jury, and lawyer. People’s Court was my favorite.” The look on my face prompted her to shrug. “I know…a boring, snooze-fest childhood.”

  “I doubt you were ever boring. What did you do for fun?”

  She looked away and then waited a pause. “Oh, the usual, softball, hanging with friends. Amy had a knack for getting me in trouble.”

  “I’d love to hear those stories. Do you believe things happen for a reason?” I asked, watching a man walking eight dogs at once cross the street.

  “I don’t know. I’m very factual… Guess I have to be in my profession. Sometimes facts don’t point favorably to fate and kismet.”

  “True. But I don’t believe in coincidence,” I said firmly. I felt her gaze on my face and turned to meet her eye. Our eyes locked as our breathing came in unison. Her cheeks flushed while her lips parted, and the desire to kiss her thrummed through me.

  I was just about to when the light turned green.

  Reluctantly, I maneuvered the car the last few busy city blocks and pulled up to her building. “Do you want to come up?” she said.

  Did I ever. But I forced myself to shake my head. “You’ve had an emotional day and should get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow?” On her nod, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. The kiss quickly morphed into our typical passionate-filled union until a car honked annoyingly behind us.

  Pulling away first, it took a few long seconds for her to open her eyes. The look on her face, the way her chest rose with each breath she took, created a new form of torture for me. That was until she licked her lips while staring at mine. “Jade, please don’t make it impossible for me to drive away.”

  The horn honked again, and I wasn’t sure if she said, “Okay, okay, I’m going,” for their benefit or mine.

  She opened her door and stepped out of the car. The neckline of her blouse gaped when she bent her head back in. “Bye, Max. Thank you again for being there with me.”