“Jenna…” Lowering my voice, I look straight into her eyes, hoping she’ll see I’m not playing into her games. I’m not sure how to word my next sentence because I don’t want it to come out harsh. She’s trying to trap me, and it pisses me off beyond belief.
“I know you’re the father, Hunter. You have to be.” I can tell she’s getting upset, and it’s the last thing I need right now.
“I’m certain I’m not. We used protection every single time. I’m encouraging you to tell whoever else you were with he could possibly be a father because it’s not fair for him not to know.” There’s more to the story on why I’m so confident I’m not, but it’s honestly none of her business. Only Hayden knows.
Our food arrives, pulling us both away from the discussion. Though it’s the middle of lunch rush and the restaurant is full, I know this conversation has to happen right here, right now.
Tears begin rolling down her cheeks. I’m not sure if she’s crying because I refuse to accept this or because deep down she knows it’s a possibility that someone else is the father.
“This is all going to work out,” I say, trying to comfort her but knowing I can’t.
She shakes her head. “No, it’s really not going to be okay. One drunken night, in a moment of weakness I hooked up with Craig.”
Jenna covers her face in embarrassment, and I actually feel for her since that’s her ex who cheated on her before we got together. I understand why she’d be so upset with him being the father. It all makes perfect sense now.
“He deserves to know, Jenna,” I tell her, then pick up my burger and take a bite. She eats too, and we stay silent while we eat.
“You could still be the father, Hunter. I haven’t been on birth control since I broke up with Craig months before, and while I know you and I used protection, it’s not foolproof. You can’t know for sure.”
I grow more frustrated with her, but I try to push it away. Her ex was a piece of shit and knowing I’m not the dad means he’s back in her life again. It’s not a healthy situation for her or the baby.
“I do know for sure,” I tell her confidently.
“So what do you want me to do? Just forget about us? Forget we ever happened? Take your word for it because you don’t want to be the father to my baby?” She snarls, her voice rising, finally drawing attention to us. I was actually wondering how long it would be until she had a meltdown.
“That’s exactly what I want you to do. Look, it tears me to fucking shreds to know I hurt you and that you wanted more out of the relationship than I could ever offer. I’ve told you time and time again that I couldn’t give you anything more. Now you’re pulling this and—”
“It’s because of her, isn’t it?” She searches my face, and I swallow down the food that feels like it’s lodged in my throat.
I can’t even find it inside me to argue, so I don’t say anything at all.
“You can deny it all you want, but I could tell by the way you two looked at each other when I showed up. The way you’ve always looked at her. I knew the moment I met her that you had a thing for her. It’s more than obvious.” Jenna lets out an annoyed huff, wiping away her tears before they fall.
My blood pumps faster, and I can feel my pulse pounding in my neck. For years, I believed everyone was fooled by the way I treated Lennon, but apparently, I’ve been transparent, even to Jenna. “What do you want me to say? What do you want from me?”
Jenna glares at me, and if looks could kill, I’d be dead. She’s hurting, that much I can see, but I can’t be the man to fix it for her. She digs in her purse and pulls out a twenty dollar bill and tosses it on the table. “We’re done here.”
“Wait,” I say and she stops for a second. “You have to tell Craig. You need to tell him today, so he can be a part of the pregnancy,” I nearly beg, knowing how much she’ll need someone during this time. But it can’t be me.
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer, Hunter,” she hisses my name like it’s poison.
“Looking forward to it.” Picking up my burger, I take a bite and continue eating without a worry in the world.
She groans, then storms out of the restaurant. Though I know this isn’t over, I let out a relieved breath and finish my fries.
“You need a to-go box for that?” The waiter looks at the plate of food she barely touched, then hands me the bill.