Page 116 of One Reckless Night

“It’s… it’s a huge surprise,” I said. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I didn’t know why I was crying, but I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over. “Jared, this is… it’s beautiful.”

He reached out, brushing a tear from my cheek. “I hope you don’t mind that I went on a bit of a shopping spree. You can still pick out the decor and stuff.”

He thought I was crying because I didn’t decorate the nursery. The silly man.

“Jared, why is there a nursery in your house?” I asked.

“For our baby.”

“The baby,” I murmured.

“I want you here, Amelia,” he said. “I want you. I know I have a weird way of showing it, but you did something to me. You got through to me in a way no one else has. And I want you in my life. If you’ll have me. I wanted to show you I was ready for you and the baby.”

I stood there, my hand still on my bump, staring at him as the words settled over me like a warm, unexpected blanket. Jared, the man who struggled to string together more than two sentences about emotions, was now standing in front of me, laying it all out. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the look of fear in his eyes. It was a side of him I’d never seen before.

“I’ve made mistakes,” he began. “A lot of them. I’ve been blunt, inconsiderate, maybe even a little selfish. I know that. I’m not great at this—this whole relationship thing. I’ve spent most of my life focused on my work, on my research, and on the next big breakthrough. And I thought that was enough. I thought that was all I needed.”

He paused, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to gauge my reaction. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest.

“But then you came along,” he continued. “And I don’t know how you did it, but you got under my skin. In a good way. You made me see things differently. You made me feel things differently. And I realized I don’t want to just focus on work anymore. I want to focus on you. On us. On this baby.”

“Jared,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “We can at least try, can’t we?”

I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “Yes,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Yes, we can try.”

He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe. This was a start. A real start.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up your career,” Jared said suddenly, breaking the silence. “You’ll always have a home and a job here. We can raise our son here, together. I want you to feel free to do whatever you want. We can hire the best nanny on the planet. Or you work a couple of days a week. Whatever you want to do.”

Thank you,” I said softly. “That means a lot to me.”

“I know I haven’t been the best at showing it, but I care about you, Amelia. More than I’ve ever cared about anyone. And I want to do this right. For you. For our son.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “Together.”

He smiled, a real, genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Together,” he repeated.

I felt like we were on the same page. Like we were finally moving forward, together. I looked around the nursery, at the half-built crib and the rocking chair and the soft blue walls, I felt a sense of peace settle over me. Things were going to be alright.

“Come on,” he said. “To the couch. Or bed. You have to get off your feet.”

“I was hoping to sit outside for just a few minutes.”

“Let’s go,” he said. “I need to check on our dinner.”

“Uh, about that…I asked Clair to smuggle in some fish and chips. I didn’t know you were home.”

He frowned but then laughed. “I’ll tell her to make it enough for both of us.”