Page 82 of Trials of a One Night Stand
I stand abruptly, needing to move, to pack and get out of here as my career circles the drain. The room spins, and I grab the back of the chair to steady myself. Stupid pregnancy vertigo. I’ve read about it, but this is my first experience with it.
“Jayne, sit down. You look pale,” Jason says, concern creeping into his voice.
“I’m fine,” I lie, waving him off. My hand drifts to my stomach again. It’s become a habit lately, this unconscious need to connect with the one inside me. Jason’s eyes follow the movement, and his expression softens slightly.
“How are you feeling?” His tone is gentler than before. “I mean, physically. With the...pregnancy.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Oh, you know, just living the dream. Morning sickness that lasts all day, a sudden aversion to chocolate, which, by the way, is cruel and unusual punishment, the constant fear I might puke in court, which I did yesterday, and now I’m jobless. So, basically, it’s a party.”
Jason nods, looking uncomfortable.
“Look,” I say, suddenly more tired than I was. So, so tired. “I know this is a mess. A huge, complicated, life-altering mess.”
As I say the words, I’m hit with a vivid flashback to my teenage years when I waited with Steffi while she took a pregnancy test. She had no options, no baby daddy who wanted to help, no money, and that’s what I’d feared happening to me. But I’m twenty years older and have options Steffi didn’t. I have two undergraduate degrees, a JD, a savings account, and a 401K. I might be unemployed, but I’m not unemployable. Everything will work out, somehow. Realizing this gives me strength.
“But I’ll figure it out,” I say with all the bravado of that smart kid from a two-stoplight town who thought she had life figured out.
Oh, sweet summer child. If only you knew what was coming.
“I’ll get my stuff and go to HR.” With that, I leave his office for the last time. Not that I’ve been here that long, but I’ve been with the firm since my second-year internship and thought I’d be a lifer.
Less than an hour later, I’m being escorted out of the building by security. Lottie runs after me until Trace holds her back. I’ll have to let her know what’s going on, but right now all I can think about is seeing Nate.
He wants to be involved, and I need him more than I’ve ever needed anyone. If there’s someone who can help me navigate this mess, it’s him.
Life’s thrown me another curveball, sure. But who knows? Maybe I’ll hit this one out of the park. Or maybe I’ll strike out spectacularly and end up living in a cardboard box. Either way, it’ll make one hell of a story to tell my kiddo and grandkids someday.
Watch out, world. Jayne Everton isn’t through yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NATE
I sit at my desk, staring at the skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. The view used to energize me, but today, all I can think about is Jayne. Her smile, her wit, the way she rolls her eyes when I say something ridiculous. And now, our baby. Our family. I should be over the moon, but something’s not right. I can feel it. Despite the fact we rocked each other’s worlds in the bedroom last night. Fuck, she’s so incredibly sexy.
My fingers drum restlessly on the desk. The steady tick of the absurdly expensive clock on the wall seems to mock me. Ticktock, ticktock.
Suddenly feeling constricted, I loosen my tie. This office used to feel like it held my throne—and I thrived on feeling in control—but it now feels like a gilded cage. I should be with Jayne, not here surrounded by cold glass and steel, waiting to hear from her. I don’t even have a photograph of her on my desk.
My cell phone vibrates. I check the screen to see a message from a bodyguard telling me Jayne’s home. Fuck. That’s not good on a workday. I hope that doesn’t mean…
The intercom buzzes, jolting me from my thoughts. “Your two o’clock is here.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Cancel it, Zel. Cancel everything for the rest of the day.”
There’s a pause. I can almost hear Zelda’s brain short-circuiting at the idea of me canceling meetings. “Sure about that?”
She’s right to question me. I’ve never inconvenienced someone before, especially when they’ve given their time for a meeting. But times are a-changing.
“Absolutely.” I shrug on my jacket. “Family emergency.”
“Is it one of the girls?” she asks.
“No, my family.”
Family. The word feels strange on my tongue. Exciting, terrifying, and absolutely right.
As I stride toward the elevator, my mind races. What if Jayne lost her job because of me? Because of us? The guilt gnaws at me, but there’s an undercurrent of...relief.
