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Her eyes met his, and she saw a hint of embarrassment there.
She took a swig of her water as he sipped his coffee. “Can I ask you something?”
He sat up straight and tall. “Anything.”
“Do you wish it hadn’t happened? You and me.”
His lips pressed together and twisted to the side as he thought about her question.
“It’s okay if you do. I know this was an unexpected outcome of that night.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t answer that question.”
She looked down at the table. “Maybe.”
“If I answer one way, I’ll hurt you. If I answer the other, I’ll seem unfaithful to my fiancée.”
“You’re right. I should’ve never asked.” She stared down at her hands, wrapped around her water bottle, then back at Duncan. “I don’t, by the way.”
He eyed her questioningly over the top of his cup.
“I don’t wish it hadn’t happened.”
His throat moved as he swallowed hard.
Their eyes locked, and her pulse began to race. Was he thinking about that night like she was? Did he still want her as much as she wanted him?
He pressed his lips together and looked down at the table. “I think from now on it’s best if we don’t talk about that night. I really can’t go there, Jamie, okay?”
“Okay. I get it. I’m sorry.”
They chatted about surface things after that—her photography, his graphic design jobs, the weather. When he walked her back to the studio, there was no goodbye hug, and she wondered if it was because she had pushed too hard with her question about their night together. It had made him uncomfortable, of that she was sure. But was it the kind of uncomfortable filled with regret or the kind that had him remembering just how good they were together?
“Things aren’t good between them.” Shannon spun her office chair around before going back to work editing wedding photographs.
“Why do you say that?”
“She doesn’t return his calls. She thinks something more is between the two of you than a one night stand.”
Jamie glanced at her computer screen. “That’s not true. He’s the baby daddy, nothing more. He’s made that very clear.”
“He has? What did he say?”
“He doesn’t want to talk about us, about our night together. And I get it. It isn’t something he’s proud of, I’m sure. But that tells me he’s not as concerned with how I felt than he is with how it will affect his relationship with Dréa going forward.”
“Like I said, I don’t see that happening.”
“It’s going to happen,” Jamie replied.
“He’s going to Denver next weekend to see her, so we’ll see.”
Jamie’s heart sank at that news. The idea of him and Dréa working it out and settling down in Denver worried her. Living across the country was not an ideal situation. He said he would be there for her, but if that was the case, she knew he wouldn’t be able to be present for her and the baby. It just wasn’t logical.
“I have a feeling she’ll be giving him back his ring.” Shannon turned back to her computer.
Jamie stared out the window at the passing cars and people walking along the sidewalk. She didn’t want to take hope from what Shannon had said, but if anyone knew Duncan and the workings of his mind, it was his sister. She shook her head and went back to work, trying not to think about how happy she’d be if Duncan was no longer engaged.
Chapter 25