Nina’s knees were so weak she thought she might collapse onto the tiles beneath her feet. Theo was back, and he wanted to be with her. He wanted to raise Jack with her. It was everything she hadn’t dared hope for, and despite her reservations about trusting him again after how he’d hurt her, she knew, somehow, that he was telling the truth.
She’d known it longer than Theo had, maybe. She’d seen him play with Jack, had seen the love there even when Theo hadn’t seen it himself. She’d seen how he looked at her and how he spoke about them, and some part of her had known, or at least hoped, that he meant it.
And he did. A few days ago, Nina would have launched herself into Theo’s arms and kissed him until her head spun. She would have told him that she loved him, too, because she did. She loved him.
Yet now, things were different. Nina had her own secret — the baby growing inside her. Her baby. Theo’s baby. The baby she hadn’t told him about. Even though she was willing to forgive Theo for being done with her, Theo might not be ready to forgiveherfor keeping the news about his child from him. Nina felt deeply that what she’d done was wrong. She’d hoped to find the right time, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Nina?” There was worry in Theo’s eyes, and Nina knew the longer she dragged this out, the worse it would be for both of them. Still, she struggled to find the words.
“I… we…” She stuttered, then sighed. “We slept together.”
“And I handled it terribly,” Theo nodded, “I pulled away after that, and I shouldn’t have. It was the best night of my life. I?—”
“Wait.” Nina held up a hand. “Please. Just let me say this.”
Theo nodded and fell silent.
Nina took a deep breath. “We spent the night together, and… I’m pregnant.” She dropped one hand to her stomach. “I’m pregnant with our baby.”
Theo’s eyes widened. For a long moment, Nina thought that he was going to turn away in anger or just shake his head. Then, suddenly, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Oh, Nina,” he whispered into her hair, “this is wonderful.”
“Really?” Tears filled her eyes as she pulled back and looked up at him. “Do you mean it?”
“Of course,” Theo smiled down at her. He was the same man she’d lived with, but he was different, too. Something had changed in his brown eyes. “Being around Jack has shown me how wonderful it is to have a child in one’s life. Another baby could only be good news. I know it won’t be easy, but we can figure it out together. Aren’t you happy?”
Nina nodded through her tears. “I am. I’m so happy. I was just worried you’d be mad that I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“I don’t think I have any ground to stand on there,” Theo said with a smile. “I’m just glad that you’re giving me another chance now. Youaregiving me another chance, aren’t you?”
Nina laughed softly. “Yes. Now that you know about the baby, yes, of course. We can both have another chance.”
“And this time, you don’t have to be on your own.” Theo pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “We can do this together.”
“Together,” Nina nodded. Gathering her strength, she looked up at him. “Theo… I love you.”
His eyes lit up, and he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingertips lingering on her cheek.
“That makes things easier then.”
Nina laughed softly at his response, but her humor quickly faded, turning into something else. Theo was looking down at her with such warmth, such love, that her heart began to race. Her worry and her anger had faded, replaced by love and desire. She rose onto her tiptoes as Theo bent his head towards her. Already, she could imagine his lips on hers, gentle but firm, as he pulled her close.
“Mom! Theo!”
They pulled apart as Jack came running down the hallway.
“Jack!” Nina held out her arms to hug her son. “Your performance was amazing. How did you find us?”
“Mrs. Heller told me you were over here.” Jack turned away from Nina and hugged Theo around the waist. “You came! I knew you’d come.”
Theo ruffled Jack’s hair, as he’d seen Nina do so many times. “I promised, didn’t I? I had to see SuperJack’s first big performance.”
Jack puffed up at the praise. “Was it good?”
“It was great!”
“And are we coming home now?” Jack asked. He turned to Nina, looking sheepish. “I know you said we don’t live with Theo anymore, but…”
