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“Hi.”
That simple word in her soft voice lights up my entire body, bringing my heart and brain back to life.
“Hi.” She remains silent, and I add some humor to ease the palpable tension. “I’m sorry I got you pregnant.”
She laughs, and the knot in my stomach loosens.
“It’s not so bad. Quite a shock at first, but I’m excited about it now.”
There’s distance in her voice, and I hate it.
“Tell me everything. How did you find out? Let’s start there.”
“We were in New York, doing a photoshoot for a clothing line. I was exhausted and almost fell asleep on set.” She chuckles. “Then, several mornings in a row, I was sick, and here we are, fourteen weeks pregnant.”
I can’t imagine her in New York, going through this whirlwind of emotions, while I was thousands of miles away. A pang of guilt hits me. I should have been there—I should be there now, or at least doingsomething.
“Jackson tells me you’re having trouble with your roommate. Is everything okay?”
“No.” She releases a heavy sigh. “Emily refuses to speak to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m friends with Jax,” she says, too curt for my taste.
“Just friends?” I tease.
“As of this moment, yes.”
As of this moment.So there’s a possibility, and I’m pushing her right into his arms. Great.
“Are you considering being with him?”
“Like I told Jackson, my only concern is this baby, not dating.”
I can see her rolling her eyes, annoyed with my prying.
“Okay, I respect that.” I draw a breath and blow it out slowly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I think about you. I want to be a part of this baby’s life—and yours. My behavior in the limo was appalling, and I apologize. I was only thinking of myself.”
“I don’t blame you for anything. I have no hard feelings toward you. I just don’t know you. I worry about the future,” her voice shakes, “such as shared custody. You know?”
I hadn’t even considered custody issues. Now I understand why she wanted nothing to do with me and seemed afraid. She’s worried I’ll take her to court, take the baby.
She didn’t hunt me down or use this pregnancy to extort money from me. She could have, and I would’ve given it to her, and that tells me everything I need to know.
“Don’t worry about that. It’s the furthest thing from my mind, I promise. We’ll work this out together.” I take another deep inhale, gathering my courage. “I do have something important to discuss, though.”
“Okay…” She drags out the word.
“And that’s how we portray this pregnancy in the public eye.”
The line goes quiet, and I sense her aggravation.
“I’m not gonna trash your reputation. I already told you that.”
Her tone has a bite, and it’s the last thing I want, but unfortunately, this situation is escalating quickly. Between Jackson’s freak-out over the elevator mishap and his recent fight, the media will circle like a pack of vultures soon enough.
“Can we FaceTime and have an honest conversation?”