THIRTY-ONE
EMMA
“Ugh, men!” I mutter for the umpteenth time tonight as I take one more slice of that delicious pepperoni and pineapple pizza that has lifted my mood significantly—along with Tessa. She listened to everything I needed to get off my chest: how horrible I felt when I found out about Dylan’s marital status and how much worse it got when I saw Kate in Jack’s arms. Tessa reassured me over and over that it wasn’t my fault that some stupid moron cheated on his wife.
But when she said it didn’t matter who had fathered my child but who acted like a father, I felt even worse about what happened with Jack. I don’t want to be mad at him. I want to trust him and not forbid him from seeing Kate, but it felt like a betrayal that he didn’t tell me he was meeting her today.
“He didn’t consider the consequences,” Tessa says as she grabs a slice of pizza. “Kate probably called and told him how devastated she was and that she needed a friend. And the sweet guy that Jack is, he came to the rescue.”
I frown. “But he should have told me.”
“That would have been the wiser choice, but I’m sure he’s sorry. You know how much he loves you and this baby.”
With a deep sigh, I sink farther into the soft cushions of the couch. “Yeah, I guess.” I tilt my head back and squeeze my eyes shut. I hate how things are once again tense between Jack and me because of Kate.
I turn around when the front door opens, and a moment later, Sam and Hank enter the living room.
“Hi, Emma.” Tessa’s fourteen-year-old brother greets me with a big grin, which I return with a genuine smile. I love this kid. Tessa had to raise Sam all by herself ever since their parents died when Tessa was just eighteen and Sam was six. And with Paul, Tessa found a man who fits in perfectly with them—along with Hank, of course.
“Hey, Sam,” I say. “How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. Hi, Tess,” Sam addresses his sister. “I’ve taken Hank for a walk. Can I go over to Leo’s now?”
“Sure,” Tessa responds. “But you’ll be home by nine, understood?”
Sam salutes and winks at us before vanishing through the front door.
After Hank says a quick hello, too, he lies on his blanket next to the couch, and I turn back to Tessa. “So I need to talk to Jack, huh?”
“Yes. You love him just as much as he loves you, right? You are miserable without each other. I know you’ve talked about this before, but do it again until he gets it into his pretty head. But,” she adds, pointing her finger at me, “you have to admit it’s not easy for Jack, either, that Rob is your friend.”
I grimace. “Ugh, yes. I know.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut. “The longer I think about it, the more stupid I feel. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and run off like that. ”
Tessa waves off my comment. “Don’t worry about it too much now. You two will be fine. And let me tell you: make-up sex is the best—especially when he fucked up. Because then he’s gonna make an extra effort when he fucks you.”
I gasp. “Tessa!”
She cackles. “What? It’s true.”
I shake my head and join in with her laughter. “I messed up too. Does that mean it’ll be the best sex ever?”
Tessa snorts out a laugh. “Your poor neighbors.”
“Thanks for cheering me up, Tess,” I tell her as I wipe the tears away that run down my face from laughing so hard. It feels good to be laughing again after this miserable day.
“Anytime, honey.” She pats my leg with a cheerful smile.
I blow out my cheeks as I stroke my ever-growing belly. “You know,” I say with a deep sigh, “when I found out I was pregnant, I thought this baby wouldn’t have a dad. At some point, I even considered giving it up for adoption so it could have two parents.”
“No way! I’m so glad you changed your mind.”
I smile, enjoying the warmth that spreads in my chest. “Me too. I wanted my baby to have a dad, too, and with Jack, I may have found the right one.”
Tessa tilts her head and places her hands over her heart with a dreamy smile on her lips. “Aw, that’s so cute.” She puts her hand on my belly. “How’s the pregnancy going?” She strokes the bump before leaning back. I usually hate when people touch me without asking, but Tessa is an exception—just like Jack .
“Good. I have to watch my blood pressure, but other than that, everything’s fine. But I can’t wait for it to be over. It’s exhausting, and I still have two months to go.”
Tessa laughs. “Amy said that the other day as well, and she’s only four months in.”
“But she has a toddler already. That must be pretty tiring. At least I can sleep whenever I want. With Bella, that’s probably a little more complicated.” I squint at Tessa, who sits opposite me on the couch, facing me, with her legs tucked up so I can’t see her hands. She’s up to something—I’ve been suspecting that for a while. Like right now. She’s not listening to me anymore. “Who are you texting?” I ask.
“What?” Tessa lifts her gaze, blinking at me like a guilty girl hiding the reason she’s in trouble for. “Texting? No one.”
“Tessa, are you texting Paul?” I lean forward and catch her hiding something underneath her butt, and I can already guess that something is her phone.
I huff. “If you assume I won’t touch your ass, you’re wrong.”
Tessa groans. “Fine. Yes, I’m texting Paul. Can’t I text my boyfriend because I miss him?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Is Paul with Jack, by any chance?”
Tessa averts her gaze and mumbles, “He might be.”
A moment later, the front door opens, and I’m not surprised when Paul walks in with Jack right behind him. I snort and roll my eyes at Tessa. “Did you tell them it was safe to show up?” I shake my head. “Who am I kidding? I should’ve seen it coming. You are unbelievable, both of you.” I point my finger at Tessa and Paul, but it’s getting harder to suppress an amused smile because how could I be mad at our meddlesome friends for encouraging Jack and me to reconcile?
“Yeah, sorry,” Paul says with a grin. “Hey, Emma.” He walks up to Tessa to give her a gentle kiss. “Hi, Cinderella.” He sits down on the armrest of the couch next to his girlfriend and drapes his arm around her shoulder.
Jack stands on the other side of the coffee table with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans, looking at me with a frown. “Hey,” he says with a cautious smile.
“Hello.” With a dejected sigh, I just as cautiously return his smile. Seeing him stand in front of me like this—so insecure—breaks my heart. No sign of anger shows on his face, no sign that he’s mad at me for treating him like I did. I was wrong when I thought I couldn’t feel worse about what happened, because now I do.
Just when I want to tell Jack how sorry I am, he is the one to speak. “Will you go home with me?” he asks.
I can hardly contain the smile that wants to spread across my face; that’s how happy his request makes me. Tessa and Paul watch us curiously, so I refrain from jumping into Jack’s arms. Instead, I whisper, “Yes.” And without further ado, I rise from the couch and grab my things. I turn to Tessa. “Thanks again for everything.”
“No problem. Anytime,” she says as we hug goodbye.
“Thanks to you, too, I guess,” I tell Paul and give him a peck on his cheek .
“Like Tess said, anytime.”
With that, Jack and I walk out the door and get into his car. Neither of us speaks during the drive to his apartment. Jack seems to be just as deep in thought as me, and I wonder if he’s pondering everything that happened today as well, how confronting him right away could’ve spared both of us a lot of frustration. But sometimes, rationality isn’t my strongest trait.
But then I look at Jack, and he turns to me with a subtle smile on his lips. A smile that makes me feel hopeful.