Chapter 23
twenty-three
. . .
Jake
It’s been two weeks since I put up the Christmas tree in her living room, since she let me talk to our daughter through her shirt, since she stood there looking at me like she was letting herself feel something. Two weeks of barely seeing her.
The contract in front of me is a mess of redlines I’m supposed to be cleaning up, but the words won’t stick.
My phone is sitting on top of the file, screen dark because it hasn’t lit up once this morning.
Or yesterday. Or the day before that. My thumb keeps hovering over it anyway, like I can will a message into existence.
If we were truly nothing but co-parents, this silence wouldn’t hurt. It would be normal. But it hurts like hell, which tells me exactly how far gone I am.
“You look miserable.”
I don’t even hear Wyatt come in until he’s already leaning in my doorway, mug in hand, looking annoyingly rested for someone who has a baby at home.
“I’m fine,” I say, even though we both know I’m lying.
“You waiting for a call?” He nods at the phone in my hand as he steps inside and drops into the chair across from me.
“Nat started at FlixPix,” I say, setting the phone face down. “I just haven’t heard much from her.”
“Oh.” Wyatt raises a brow.
I shrug. “She says work is crazy. She needs to prep for the next day. She’s exhausted. Which is true, I’m sure. But it feels like she’s pulling back.”
“Do you think she is?”
“I don’t know,” I say quietly. “I want to be supportive. She told me the writers’ room would be intense. She warned me this might happen.”
Wyatt watches me for a long moment, and I already know what he’s thinking before he says it. “You’re serious about her.”
I drag a hand down my face. “I miss her. Not seeing her every day makes me feel…” I search for a word that doesn’t make me sound like an idiot. “Untethered.”
Wyatt’s expression shifts, the teasing edge dropping away. He leans forward, his voice quieter. “You need to talk to her, man.”
“I know.”
If I’m already this tied up in knots after two weeks, I need clarity. Sooner rather than later. If she’s pulling away for good, I’d rather know now, before I fall any harder.
“No, I mean really talk to her. Because from where I’m sitting, you’re putting everything into this and she’s keeping you at arm’s length.” He hesitates. “I care about Nat. You know I do. But I also care about you. And I don’t want to watch you get hurt by someone who doesn’t feel the same.”
The words land heavier than I expect.
“I’m not saying give up,” he continues. “Just make sure you’re protecting yourself too. You deserve someone who’s all in, Jake. Not someone who only shows up when it’s convenient.”
My throat tightens. “I know.”
“Talk to her. Get some clarity. You can’t keep going like this.”
Before I can respond, he brightens. “By the way, welcome to the girl-dad community,” he says, gesturing to himself like he invented fatherhood. “You’re going to love it here.”
Despite everything, I laugh. “How’s Ruby?”
“Perfect and exhausting. She discovered she can throw things, so Blair and I have accepted our home is a danger zone.” He grins proudly. “Worth it though.”
I feel the answering warmth in my chest immediately. “That’s how I feel every time I look at the ultrasound pictures.”
Wyatt leans forward, elbows on his knees. “So how’s Natalie doing? Pregnancy-wise?”
“She’s good. The baby’s good. Everything’s on track.”
Before he can say more, a knock sounds on the door. Ryan steps inside, holding a file.
“Jake, got a minute? Need to go over the St. James contract.”
“Sure,” I say, but I feel my shoulders tense.
Ryan glances between the two of us, reads the room instantly, and closes the door behind him. “Everything okay?”
Wyatt answers for me. “Jake’s missing his daughter.” Then, with a grin, “And her mother.”
Ryan’s face softens immediately. “How’s Natalie settling in at FlixPix?”
“Good,” I say. “Busy. Stressed. Focused.”
“That sounds like her.” He sits beside Wyatt. “When she’s overwhelmed, she’ll bury herself in work. Shut everything else out until she feels like she’s back in control.”
That hits a little too close.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m getting that impression.”
Ryan hesitates, then leans back like he’s calibrating the boundaries between father and boss. “Can I give you some advice?”
“Please.”
“Keep showing up for her. She has a tendency to push people away when things feel too close.”
I lean forward. “Why?”
Ryan shifts uncomfortably, his jaw tightening. “It’s not really my story to share. I’ve said this before.” He pauses, seeming to wrestle with something. “But you should know she was hurt badly in a past relationship. They were supposed to get married, and the way it ended was rough.”
The air leaves my lungs.
“Married?” The word comes out strangled. “She was engaged?”
My chest constricts. The room feels smaller suddenly, the walls pressing in. Natalie was going to marry someone. Someone proposed to her, put a ring on her finger, made promises, and I had no idea.
How did I not know this?
Ryan’s watching me carefully. “I hoped you knew.”
“Hoped?”
“I hoped she’d confided in you. That she was finally opening up to someone.” He sighs. “She doesn’t talk about it. Not to me, not to her mother. Maybe to Stella, but even then, I doubt she shares much.”
My hands curl into fists on my lap. “What happened?”
“I’ve already said too much.” Ryan’s voice is firm but not unkind. “You need to talk to her, Jake. Ask her yourself.”
“And if she won’t tell me?”
“Then give her time.” He looks at me directly. “And give her space to get there on her own terms. She’ll come around. She just needs to feel safe first.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will. I’ve seen the way she looks at you when she doesn’t think anyone’s watching,” he says.
After Ryan leaves, Wyatt whistles low. “That’s new news.”
“Yeah.”
“And you didn’t know?”
“We haven’t really talked about our past.” I stare at my phone again. “I haven’t even told her the full story about Lauren. I figured she probably knew from the gossip around town.”
“Maybe you should tell her. Open up first. Show her it’s safe.”
“Maybe.”
But even as I say it, I’m not sure it’ll make a difference. Because the problem isn’t that we don’t know each other’s pasts. The problem is it feels like she’s decided she doesn’t want a future. At least not with me.
When Wyatt leaves I grab my phone and decide to make the first move.
Jake
Can we talk? Maybe I can come by tonight?
It takes a minute for her to reply.
Natalie
I can’t tonight. Meeting my writers’ group. But I promise we’ll spend time together this weekend.
Jake
Okay. Let me know when works for you.
Natalie
I will. Thanks for understanding.
I turn back to my computer, to the contract I’m supposed to be reviewing, and try not to think about how Natalie was engaged once. How someone else had her heart and broke it so badly she’s still protecting the pieces.
And how I’m falling for a woman who’s seemingly convinced herself she doesn’t need anyone.
Including me.