Page 123 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

Luckily, he's working late.

He looks up from his book, and he doesn't make an expression on his face. It's flat, and he shakes his head and says, "Jake.”

"James," I say, and I slide into the seat. "You got a minute?"

"No, actually, but I can't imagine you're going to take no for an answer."

"No. I've taken it for an answer for far too long. But we need to talk. Don't we?"

He sighs. "I don't really want to rehash the past..."

"Then let's not. Let's talk about the future. Look, everything that happened, I'm sorry. I really am. I've beaten myself up about it over the years, about losing your friendship."

"Really?" he scoffs. "Didn't seem like you cared that much?"

"You really think that. I've never apologized to anyone in my life."

"Well, you fucked up."

"I know. I admitted over and over again. But if we're being honest, that situation wasn't entirely my fault, and the only reason you've held such a grudge against me is that your ego was bruised."

He finally looks up and raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me."

"Yeah. You were the big man on campus, the senior everyone wanted. Your girlfriend cheated on you with a freshman. It had to hurt.”

"Is this what you came for? To rub it in?"

"No. To tell you this. I'm in love with your sister. I know you may not believe me, but I am, and I would never do anything to hurt her. The past is the past. If there's anything that I can do right now to make it easier to let it go, you should tell me."

"If I told you to stay away from her?"

I shake my head. "Anything except that."

He watches me for a good while, scanning me as though seeing me for the first time. Then he sighs. "I guess I have no choice. I might be an uncle to your demon spawn."

A flutter of pleasure goes through my body when I think about our child, but I still shrug. "The baby might be Adam's or Sam's."

He shakes his head. "No, I have a feeling it's yours. Even if it's not, she seems to love you, so there's nothing else I can do about it."

"Wait, did she tell you she loves me?" I ask, instantly on alert. "Or did you just figure it out on your own?"

He snarls and shakes his head. "You better not hurt her, you bastard. Or I'll make you very sorry."

39

CHELSEA

Atapping sound interrupts my thoughts a second before a broad hand moves over my knee.

I stare at Sam’s amused gaze and make the connection that the tapping sound was actually my feet.

“Sorry,” I tell him with a nervous laugh. I’ve been nervous ever since I got here. My anxiety is on two fronts. First, because this is my second official doctor’s appointment with my gynecologist, and I'm terrified that he's going to tell me something is wrong.

I haven't been feeling too hot all morning, and I threw up everything we ate last night. It could be morning sickness, or maybe just indigestion, yet a dark voice tells me that something happened to my baby.

That I did something to it, and that's why I'm sick.

Of course, it's ridiculous. I've read enough pregnancy forums to know that my symptoms are far from abnormal. But common sense doesn't do much to dilute the anxiety. I probably won't feel relieved until the doctor himself tells me that everything is okay.