I nod. I’ve been expecting this.
“Have you been with anyone else since we broke up?” he asks in a slow, careful voice.
I shake my head. “No Sam. She’s yours.”
“Are you sure, sweetheart? Because if she is … well, then I’m the happiest man on Earth.”
I take a deep breath and look into his eyes with a tremulous smile. “Yes, Sam. Ava is your daughter.”
He inhales deeply, his eyes wide with shock. But everything’s going to be okay because now, we have a child together.
16
Sam
* * *
My suspicions confirmed, I tamp down on my emotions before they can take over. If I didn’t, I’d be flying to the moon and then spinning around the galaxy at a hundred miles an hour. I want to take Jessa in my arms and cover her with kisses while also spanking that naughty bottom. I want to yell and scream at her while simultaneously worshipping at her feet.
After all, months have passed, and I had no idea she was pregnant with my child the entire time. She didn’t let me take care of her. She didn’t let me pamper her. I would have gone to every doctor’s appointment and massaged her neck as much as she wanted. Holy hell, I missed out on the most important nine months of my life.
But then Jessa looks up at me, her jade green eyes peaceful and patient. She appears calm, with the serenity of a Madonna. Back when we were dating, she wouldn’t have the internal strength to wait for me because she’d want a response now. I don’t know if it’s been the distance or the pregnancy, but this woman’s changed since I last saw her. A baby will do that, I suppose.
Yet she’s gorgeous. The redhead is exhausted, still a bit damp, and surrounded by blankets, but she’s never been more beautiful to me. Her face is free of makeup, and that wet, red hair is spread around her like a halo. Yes, Jessa is tired, but she’s also glowing. I can’t keep myself from pulling up a chair next to her bed, and taking her hand. I need to be close to her, despite the fact that we’re technically broken up.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask in a low tone. “I would have stayed with you throughout the pregnancy.”
She takes a deep breath, looking away for a moment. “That’s the problem, Sam. I don’t want you to stay with me because you have to. I want you to stay with me because you want to, and after that night at the Salty Lagoon, I knew you didn’t want a life with me. You’re a playboy, and you always have been. No matter what I do, women throw themselves at you, and how can I expect you to—”
That does it. I’ve heard enough.
“Stop.” I say in a low, trembling tone, my fists clenched. I honestly can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Jessa, what don’t you understand? I don’t want those women because they mean nothing to me. I want you. Is that so hard to believe?”
But the redhead merely frowns at me, and I’m surprised to see genuine confusion knitting her eyebrows together. She shakes her head slowly. “No, that doesn’t make sense, Sam.”
I squint a bit.
“Is it so unbelievable that I want to be in my daughter’s life? That I want to be with you?” I ask. “Do you really think that little of me?”
She shakes her head again. “No, that’s not what I mean. In this small town, I know I can’t prevent our daughter from knowing you, and I was going to tell you about Ava when I was ready. It’s just that … well, like you said, Sam, you’ve been a playboy your entire life. Can you really change, now that you have a baby? Can you really give up the late nights on the town? The endless drinking games with your buddies? The fantasy football meetings that go until 3 or 4 a.m.? Babies are tough, Sam. They need feeding every two hours, so your lifestyle would go down the drain, and I don’t want to put that on you.”
I shake my head fiercely.
“You never gave me a choice,” I growl. “You assumed I couldn’t make the change, but honey, I’ve already given half of that stuff up. I didn’t join the fantasy football league this year, and I haven’t been out in ages. In fact, I’m in bed by 9 p.m. most evenings because that shit doesn’t matter to me anymore. Don’t you see?” Jessa looks a bit unsure, and I decide to press my case. “I know you don’t want to hear it, honey, but I don’t think this has anything to do with having a baby. I think it has to do with you.”
She looks swiftly at me, those green eyes shuttered.