Chapter 36 Bryce
Before her tube of lip balm even stopped rolling, Jada had jumped out of her chair, racing to get something on the ground that looked like a black and white picture.
She snatched it up and pressed it against her chest so only the white edges were visible behind her hand.
Her eyes were wide, and her breaths came quickly.
Confused, I continued helping her gather up her things, tucking them into the purse. I wondered if it was an older picture of her parents—but why wouldn’t she want me to see? Maybe it was an ex?
Something about it left me feeling uneasy. “Is everything okay?” I asked as I passed back her purse.
Finally, she shoved the photo into the bottom so I couldn’t see. “Can we talk somewhere private?” she asked. She wasn’t even looking at me, her gaze trained on the stained concrete floor.
My stomach sank. I hadn’t dated much throughout the years, but I knew how a breakup began. Even so, I agreed, gesturing to the outdoor garden. She nodded, walking toward the glass door. I turned back toward the guys. “We’ll just be a minute.”
Q nodded with a concerned look in his eyes while Aaric and Cruz were already arguing over another topic.
With a sigh, I wound through the patrons toward Jada, who was escaping out the side door.
By the time I stepped outside, my view of her was obscured by rows of hanging plants.
The stands were wound with twinkle lights, giving the place an ethereal glow.
A soft breeze lifted the scent of damp earth and foliage.
“Jada?” I called.
“Over here,” she said, a little breathless.
Concerned, I followed the sound of her voice past a few rows of plants and found her sitting on a wooden bench.
For a second, I watched her, committing this moment to memory. She looked so beautiful with the twinkle lights bouncing off her dark, curly hair. Her nose was cute, turning up slightly at the end. It was odd—finding a nose so attractive. But here I was, thinking how much I would miss her nose.
I took a breath, not wanting to suffer longer than I had to.
We sat beside each other, and Jada fiddled with a spinning ring on her finger. The little red ladybug blurred as it went round and round. “This isn’t easy...” she said softly.
“Jada, what is it?” I asked. I leaned in, reaching for one of her hands, if only to still it. “Are you having second thoughts?”
Her beautiful eyes flashed up at me, a million emotions swirling in her dark irises. “When I agreed to marry you, I had a lot of second thoughts, but you erased all of them, just by being yourself.”
Her words were comforting but left me confused. “Okay, then what is it? I’m sure we can figure it out together.”
“That’s the thing...” She looked down at her legs covered in the floral skirt. “I’m not sure you’ll want to figure it out once you hear what I have to say.”
The little bit of food I’d eaten for supper froze into a heavy block in my stomach. Had she cheated? Fallen for someone else? The possibilities flashing through my mind at breakneck speed were driving me mad, so I asked, “What is it? Tell me.”
“I’m pregnant.” The two words that fell past her lips were the last I expected to hear.
My lips parted and closed while my brain struggled to process what she’d said. “Pregnant?” I echoed.
She nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek, catching the orange glow of the fairy lights. She quickly wiped it away.
“But we haven’t...” I said, reality dawning on me.
A sad smile formed on her lips. “I’m six months along.”
My eyes widened as I looked at her. She was a full-figured woman, but I would never guess she was carrying a child. And then, with horror, I realized that meant... “You’ve known all this time.”
She nodded slowly. “Since you had the doctor see me in your office.”
“And you’re just telling me now.” After I’d introduced her to my friends. After I’d gotten her grandmother’s blessing. After I’d fallen for her.
She reached for my hand. “Bryce, I’m sorry, I—”
I pulled back, standing up to pace the row between plants. Before emotions could take over, I had to know the facts, even if they’d kill little pieces of me along the way.
“Do you know who the father is?”
“Yes.”
“And?” I asked, continuing my path along the crumbling cement. “What does he say?”
“That I should get an abortion. And if I won’t, he wants nothing to do with it.”
Even through the betrayal, the hurt, and the anger at Jada keeping a secret from me, I was appalled on that baby’s behalf. “What kind of lowlife makes a baby and walks away?” I shook my head, disgusted.
Jada stayed quiet.
“And your grandma, does she know?” I asked. The thought of them being in on it together, like some kind of joke while I poured my heart out, was almost too much to bear.
But Jada slowly shook her head.
“When were you planning on telling everyone?” I asked. “When you went into labor?”
“After...” her words trailed off.
And it hit me. “After the wedding?”
She nodded, sniffling as more tears fell down her cheeks. “Bryce, I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, I just...”
“Just what?” I snapped, desperate for an answer that would ease the betrayal consuming my system.
“I had to make sure she was taken care of.” She wrapped her hand protectively over her stomach.
A gesture I’d seen her do before but had thought nothing of.
Now I realized I’d been missing hints all along.
The lack of drinking, the morning sickness in my car, her reaction to the smell of the coffee beans in Golden Café…
The kind of relationship I’d hoped for—one led with love and honesty... it was crashing to the ground in a burning, twisted heap. Would there be anything left to salvage?
And at the same time, I couldn’t fault her for doing whatever it took to give her daughter a good life. After all, I’d proposed marriage to her to save my business. At least I’d told her the truth behind my proposal, though. “You should have told me,” I said.
“Bryce, I’m sorry. When you asked me to marry you, I thought you were just another rich prick who used people to get what you wanted. But then I got to know you and...” Her voice cracked with emotion.
I stalled, my heart in my throat. “And?”
“And I fell for you,” she said, standing, reaching for my hand. I stilled, but I didn’t pull away.
“I fell for how kind you are to my grandma and how you appreciate her eccentricities instead of making fun of them. I fell for how you treat your assistant, respecting her and appreciating the work she does for you. I fell for how you see the beauty in things that most people miss.”
She took a steadying breath. “Most of all, I learned that you’re exactly the kind of man I wish would be my daughter’s father.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
My eyes slid over to the little sliver of the door I could see through the rows of plants. “I don’t think I can go back in there, and I don’t want to have this conversation here,” I told her.
She nodded. “I’ll call a car to take me home.”
I shook my head. “We’re going to the limo to talk.”