Kyra suddenly sat up straight. This was new information. “I was… an accident?” she said, her eyes widening at the idea.
“I wouldn’t word it that way exactly,” Jasmine said with a laugh. “You were unplanned, is all. But sometimes, destiny has better ideas than we do. There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to keep you. But I won’t say it didn’t scare me, the idea of being a parent before I was completely ready. It takes courage, so I grabbed what I had and used it. I have no regrets at all. You are the greatest blessing in my life. You’ve made my life richer and happier than it would have been without you.”
Kyra stared down at her half-eaten sugar cookie. What her mother was revealing to her was comforting in a number of ways. But there was still one missing element. “But you had Dad at the time, didn’t you? I don’t?—”
“You have me,” Jasmine interrupted. Then she reached across the table and took her daughter’s hand. “No matter what happens, you will always have me. Got it? And if your baby’s father doesn’t want to be in his child’s life, you and I will be more than enough.” She patted Kyra’s hand, tears welling up in her own eyes as well as her daughter’s. “Now, go take that test you bought. The first one doesn’t count because I wasn’t there for the results. And if it comes out positive this time, you and I are going to celebrate the way we should.”
CHAPTER 8
ADAM
The amount of effort it took for Adam Sage to pretend he didn’t notice Kyra’s strange behavior was exhausting. Firstly, she was obviously unwell, pale and listless, barely able to remain standing at times, when she used to have so much energy. No matter how many times he asked her, though, she insisted she was fine. It was an obvious lie, and Adam didn’t appreciate being lied to.
Secondly, she frequently seemed about to share something with him, and then she would change her mind, turn around, and walk away. It was strange, to say the least. But again, she was unwilling to admit there was anything to it.
Lastly, her positive attitude seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. Where she used to be a ray of sunshine, she now felt like a dark cloud hovering over his day. He could chalk it up to the awkwardness he had created with his own inappropriate behavior. But that didn’t explain everything. He had already apologized, and he didn’t know what else she wanted from him. He couldn’t have explained it if someone asked, but right now, not knowing what she was thinking was driving him crazy.
After hours of this torture, Adam had finally had enough. In a stern, unbending voice, he insisted she meet him in his office after their lunch break. He had some important matters to discuss with her, he had said. Never mind the panic in her expression when she heard that. He was going to get to the bottom of her odd behavior before it killed him.
Adam’s office was a small, spare room in his home. Papers were scattered across his desk. Sticky notes hung from about every surface they could, save the walls themselves. No doubt about it, he was a fundamentally disorganized man, but it had never stopped or slowed him down, so he didn’t bother to correct it. All of a sudden, though, he was painfully aware of his own mess. Why did he tell her to meet him here? Also, why did he care what she thought of his office? It was all too confusing, so he chose not to think about it.
By the time Kyra arrived, he had only cleared about half of his desk. He hadn’t made a dent in the overall mess, and her eyes subtly darting around the room made his chest tighten with something he refused to admit was shame.
“Kyra,” he said after clearing his throat. “I wanted to discuss your employment with you.” Her eyes went wide when she heard that, and he suddenly felt bad for scaring her. “I’m not firing you or anything. Please, don’t think that.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, and he was glad he’d been able to nip that potential misunderstanding in the bud.
He continued, “I’ve noticed you haven’t quite been yourself lately, and I wanted to ask whether there was anything I could do to make you more comfortable.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m good, boss. Just a little tired.”
He couldn’t help but feel she was evading his question altogether. “I can reduce your hours if you like,” he said. “My arm has improved enough that I won’t be needing as much of your help.”
“No, please don’t do that.” She was frantic, and again, he couldn’t understand why. If she was tired, why shouldn’t she want to take it easier?
“Why not?” He nearly snapped at her in frustration but managed to soften his tone in time.
“I like this job,” she said. “I like it a lot. I’ve just been stressed out. But the work helps me keep my mind off things. So, please don’t give me less of it. I promise to do better.”
He sighed and sank into his chair, a hand to his forehead to ease his headache. “Your job performance is fine,” he assured her. “Is it because of what happened between us? We can talk about it if that will make you feel better. I can apologize again.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said. She hesitated and then added, “As long as you don’t blame me.”
Was that what she was worried about? “No, no. Of course, I don’t blame you. We were… well, it was a unique situation.” No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t completely get himself to believe that was true, but if he could at least convince her, maybe he could bring the old her back. “It takes two to tango, right?” He tried to smile. “But we shouldn’t let it happen again.”
She nodded. “I agree.”
“Good. We’re on the same page. So, please, tell me what the problem is.” He almost said,I want the old Kyra back,but stopped himself.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and Adam got the impression he was finally about to get the whole truth from her. Then, she said, “The thing is… I’m pregnant,” and he wanted desperately to believe she was lying again.
He wanted to laugh and tell her that, while he appreciated her attempt at humor, this prank was taking things a bit too far. He cleared his throat multiple times before he could respond, telling himself not to assume the worst. It wasn’t necessarily his doing. She could have been seeing a number of men in the meantime. It would be arrogant for him to assume he was the only person in this small town who a woman like her would be interested in.
“Adam?” she asked when he didn’t respond right away. “Did you hear me?”
Once again, he cleared his throat. “Do you need… paid leave or something?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, anyway. It’s still early. I just wanted you to know because?—”
