Chapter 10
ten
. . .
Natalie
Porto’s is packed when I arrive, the smell of cheese rolls and café con leche making my stomach rumble. I spot Stella immediately, practically bouncing in her seat near the window. Blair, Sophia, and Jess are already there, pastry boxes stacked in the center of the table.
Stella sees me and leaps up, wrapping me in a hug that nearly knocks me over. “Finally! I have been dying to celebrate with you properly.”
“I missed you too,” I laugh.
They all stand, pulling me into hugs. Jess squeezes my shoulder. Sophia kisses my cheek. Blair gives me a longer hug, and there is something knowing in her eyes when we pull apart.
“Sit,” Stella commands, pushing me into a chair. “We got you a potato ball and a cheese roll.”
I grab the potato ball immediately, taking a huge bite. “You are my favorite people.”
“So.” Sophia leans forward, grinning. “What is this big news Stella keeps hinting about?”
Stella is practically vibrating. “Tell them. Tell them now!”
I look around the table at these women who have become my closest friends over the past few years. “I sold a show. To FlixPix.”
The table erupts. Sophia shrieks. Jess’s jaw drops. Blair is grinning, her happiness genuine even if it’s not a surprise, as I suspect it isn’t. They all jump up at once, another round of hugs and squealing that makes half the bakery turn to look at us.
“When did this happen?” Jess demands as we all settle back down.
“Couple weeks ago.”
“What is the concept?” Sophia asks.
“Three estranged sisters who inherit their grandmother’s witch powers and have to deal with family trauma while fighting supernatural threats. Think Charmed meets Practical Magic meets Supernatural.”
“That sounds amazing,” Blair says warmly. “Congrats to you.”
“Wait.” Jess sets down her iced coffee. “Have you been a writer this whole time we have known you?”
Heat creeps up my neck. I feel guilty that I have kept this a secret for so long. “Yes. I have been working on it while teaching yoga.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Sophia looks genuinely hurt.
I take a breath. This is the part I have been dreading. “I didn’t tell anyone except Stella, and she only found out a few weeks ago when I got the call.” I look around the table. “The thing is, my dad is Ryan Cole.”
The table goes quiet. They all know that name.
“Ryan Cole,” Sophia repeats slowly. “Ryan Cole…from Hays & Cole?”
“Yeah.”
“Ryan Cole who has worked on half of Hollywood’s biggest deals?” Jess adds.
“That’s him.”
“Holy shit,” Sophia breathes. “You are Ryan Cole’s daughter?”
“Nobody knows. I’ve kept it private for years.” I tear apart my cheese roll. “I wanted to do this on my own. No connections, no favors, no ‘Ryan Cole’s daughter sold a show.’ Just me and my work.”
Blair is watching me with soft eyes. “That’s why you kept it so quiet.”
“Yeah. I needed to prove to myself I could do it without anyone knowing who my dad is.”
“That is very you,” Jess says. “Independent to a fault.”
“But incredibly impressive,” Sophia adds. “You sold a show to FlixPix on merit alone. That is huge, Nat.”
“I still can’t believe you kept this from me for so long,” Stella mumbles.
“I’m sorry. I just, I needed to keep it separate.”
Blair leans forward slightly. “Jake mentioned he helped with the contract signing at your dad’s office.” There is something in her tone, in the way she is looking at me, that tells me she knows more than she is saying.
My stomach flips. Of course Jake told Wyatt. And of course Wyatt told Blair.
“Yeah,” I say carefully. “He was there.”
“He said it went well,” Blair adds, and the knowing look she gives me is gentle and supportive.
“We should celebrate properly,” Jess announces. “I’ll grab us a bottle of champagne!”
“Oh, I’ll just stick with water,” I say quickly.
Everyone pauses, looking at me.
“Water?” Sophia frowns. “Nat, you just sold your first show.”
“I know. I just can’t drink right now.”
“Why not?” Stella asks.
I hesitate for a second. I didn’t want to share this news with everyone yet, but these are my people. And I may need their support. My hands are clammy where they’re pressed against my thighs under the table.
“I’m pregnant.”
The words come out quieter than I intended, but they land like a bomb anyway. Stella gasps so loud the entire bakery turns to stare again. Sophia’s mouth falls open. Jess very carefully sets down her coffee cup.
“Pregnant?” Stella’s voice climbs an octave. “You’re pregnant?”
Heat floods my face. My pulse is racing. “About twelve weeks.”
“Twelve weeks?” Jess’s journalist brain kicks in. “How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I just found out a few days ago. I didn’t know before that.”
“Who is the father?” Sophia asks.
My stomach flips. Here comes the moment of truth.
“Jake.”
Just saying it does something to me. My skin feels warm. My heart kicks against my ribs. Because saying Jake’s name out loud to my friends makes him real in a way he hasn’t been yet. Makes the night we spent together something I can’t pretend didn’t happen.
“Jake?” Stella’s eyes go wide. “Jake Reyes? Our Jake?”
“Yes.”
“Wyatt’s Jake?” Jess leans forward. “Wait. When did you and Jake hook up?”
“His Fourth of July party. Remember when you guys went out of town?” I look at Stella. “You texted me the address. I figured, Why not check it out?”
“Oh my God.” Stella is staring at me like I have grown a second head. “You hooked up with Jake and didn’t tell us? I feel like I don’t even know you.”
“Jake told us he was with you when you found out,” Blair says. She reaches under the table and squeezes my hand. A silent show of support. “How are you feeling about it?” she asks.
The whole table grows quiet, waiting for me to answer.
I take a breath. “Terrified. I just sold my first show, and now I am going to be visibly pregnant during production. What if FlixPix decides I am too much trouble?”
“They can’t do that,” Stella says immediately. “It’s illegal.”
“They can find other reasons. Creative differences. Wrong vision for the show.”
“Over my dead body.” Jess’s voice has that dangerous edge. “If anyone at FlixPix even thinks about sidelining you because you are pregnant, I will personally destroy them.”
“Same,” Stella adds. “Blair and I know everyone in this town. We’ll make sure the right people know what’s up.”
Sophia squeezes my other hand. “I’ve been in this industry a long time. I’ve watched them try to sideline women for way less. But things are changing.” Her voice softens. “They’re not going to throw away a good show because the creator is pregnant. That would be incredibly stupid.”
“How’s Jake handling everything?” Stella asks gently.
“He’s been really supportive. He wants to be involved.”
“Of course he does,” Jess says, and there is genuine warmth in her voice. “That is so Jake.”
“He’s probably already bought out half of Kidsland,” Sophia adds with a grin. “Jake has wanted to be a dad forever.”
I think about the groceries he ordered without being asked. The food he brought over. “Yeah. He’s definitely excited.”
“And you?” Jess asks carefully. “How are you feeling about Jake specifically?”
My throat goes dry. I reach for my water, buying myself a second.
“We’re going to co-parent. Figure it out as we go.”
They all exchange glances. I can feel them silently communicating, deciding who’s going to push me on this.
“Co-parent,” Jess repeats, one eyebrow raised.
“That’s the plan.” I tear off a piece of my cheese roll, not because I’m hungry but because I need something to do with my hands. “I mean, we barely know each other.”
“But Jake is a really good guy,” Stella says gently. “Like genuinely one of the best people we know.”
“He’s also hot,” Sophia adds. “Like objectively hot.”
An image flashes through my mind before I can stop it. Jake’s hands on my hips. His mouth on my neck. The way he looked at me in the dark like I was the only thing that mattered.
Heat crawls up my chest.
“I’m aware,” I manage.
Jess leans forward, eyes sharp. “So, did you not like being with him?”
My face is on fire now. “I didn’t say that.”
“So you did like it,” Sophia says, grinning.
Heat floods my body. Because the truth is, I haven’t stopped thinking about that night. About the way he made me feel seen and wanted and safe all at once. About the way my body responded to his like we’d done this a hundred times before.
“We agreed to one night. And I don’t do relationships.”
“But was it a good night?” Jess presses.
I take a long drink while I decide how much to admit. My pulse is hammering. My hands are shaking slightly.
“Yes,” I say finally.
“How good?” Stella is practically bouncing.
“I’m not giving you details.”
“Come on,” Sophia whines.
I close my eyes for a second, and there he is again. The weight of him above me. The sound of my name in his voice, rough and needy. The way he took his time like he had all night and wanted to use every second of it.
My stomach flutters.
“Fine. It was really good. Like really, really good. Happy now?”
“Very,” Jess says, smirking. “So you’re attracted to him, sounds like you have amazing chemistry, and he is a great guy who wants to be there for you and the baby.”
Everything she’s saying is true, and that’s the problem. Because the more I think about Jake, the more I remember how it felt to be with him, and the harder it is to keep my walls up.
“We don’t want to complicate anything right now,” I say, but my voice sounds uncertain even to my own ears. “Co-parenting is something we both agree on.”
Blair squeezes my hand again. “You don’t have to figure everything out right now. Just see what happens.”
I look down at our joined hands, then back up at the faces of my friends. They’re not pushing, exactly. Just opening a door I’ve been trying to keep closed.
But the truth is, Jake’s already halfway through it. With his groceries and his dinner and his calm certainty that he’s not going anywhere.
And I’m terrified of how much I want to let him in.
“Maybe,” I say. And this time, I almost mean it.
“You never know,” Sophia says softly. “Sometimes the best things are the ones we don’t plan for.”