Chapter Fifteen

HADLEY

Well, subtlety was never my strong suit and I couldn’t let him keep saying these amazing things without knowing the truth.

It has been hard enough, with his lingering touches over dinner, to have not blurt it out until now.

I couldn’t hold back. I couldn’t keep it in any longer.

I’m pregnant and…he has to know.

“You’re pregnant?” he asks.

“I found out a few days ago. I went to the doctor and it’s confirmed. I’m only about six weeks.”

Cayden leans back, probably doing the math in his head. “So, the first time?”

“Yeah, or the second, they weren’t exactly weeks apart.”

“Wow,” he says, pushing his dark hair back, which is his tell for the fact that he’s piecing things together.

“I’m not asking for anything, Cayden. I’m going to keep the baby, and I don’t want you to feel obligated. You don’t have to be involved or help financially. I can handle it all.”

He moves so quickly, I almost jump. “I don’t feel obligation to you or the baby.”

“Well, okay then.” I know I said I didn’t want him to, but that was a little too easy of a statement.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Of course I feel obligated. Jesus, I can’t get this right. Okay, let me start again. This wasn’t where I thought tonight would go, but it’s here. You’re here and now we’re having a baby. I…am shocked, but also, I don’t know, happy?”

I smile a little and hope starts to form. After all he said, I prayed that maybe we could be together. I wouldn’t require it because that’s not who I am, but I want it. I want him and us and the baby to have this chance at love and happiness.

“What about all you said before?”

His hands cup mine, holding them so tenderly. “I meant it all. I think I fell in love with you the day we met and you told me I was a pompous asshole.”

“You were.”

He laughs. “I was, but you smiled at me and I was gone. Then we had that night and I fucked up afterwards, trying to brush it off like it meant nothing.”

I try not to think about it because it hurts. Cayden was only the second person I’d ever slept with. I was very careful who I let into my heart. After witnessing my mother make the wrong choice with a man right out of college, I was terrified to repeat the mistakes of her past.

Cayden seemed so different. He was nice, when he wasn’t a know-it-all. Even then, there wasn’t malicious intent. The day I fought with my professor about domestic violence, it was Cayden who spoke up in my defense, when normally, he was battling against me.

“We were really young and stupid.”

“My point is that we’re not now. I’m not scared and I’m not going to walk away. I want to be with you, Hadley. I want to come over after work, sit on the floor, eat pizza, and bitch about my day. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up and you be the first thing I see. We have a lot of crap to figure out, but I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“So, you want to date me?” I ask, feeling a little strange even saying the words.

“Yes.”

“You’re sure? Because I can be a single mother. I can…raise this baby and do all the things if you don’t want that. Dating me means that you’re also accepting our child.”

“Do you listen at all, woman?” Cayden huffs. “I love you. I know that sounds insane, but I love you.”

I pull my hands away and cup his face. “I love you, too.”

He brings his lips to mine and it’s the softest, sweetest kiss I’ve ever shared with another person.

I can feel all the emotions and all of this is crazy, but yet so perfect.

The waiter clears his throat and we break apart, heat filling my cheeks. “Sorry. ”

He smiles, placing the first course in front of us. “It is nice to see two people in love.”

Cayden and I eat the soup, it’s absolutely amazing. Today was a good day with my stomach, I have been able to keep everything down. Yesterday was a different story.

“What did the doctor say?” Cayden asks after our plates are cleared.

“Not much. I go back in a few weeks, and I’ll monitor everything. I’m not ready to tell anyone yet.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want anyone at work to know. I’ve seen what happens to a woman’s career once they say they’re starting a family. The partners at my firm are great, but I would like to continue proving myself before I say anything. As for everyone else, we’re really early into this pregnancy. Things can happen, and…I don’t want to tell people we’re pregnant to then tell people we’re not pregnant.”

Cayden nods. “I respect that. I’m assuming Melanie knows?”

“Yes,” I say with a soft laugh. “She brought me the test and was there when I took it. My sister, Bethanne, also knows. She doesn’t know you’re the father, but just that I’m pregnant. I am not really sure why I told her, other than I had gotten home from the doctor and needed to talk to someone…”

“You could’ve called me,” he suggests.

I could’ve. Maybe even should’ve. I just wasn’t really ready to do that. It was too real to talk to Cayden about the child we created. I never thought he would flip or be unsupportive, not that I thought we’d end up being together at the end, but I just needed to sit with it.

“Next time I need to talk, I will.”

“I hope so. I really do love you, Hadley. I know it’s crazy and it feels like it came out of nowhere.”

I stop him there, resting my palm on his face. “It doesn’t. I think you’re right, we’ve been falling in love for years. It’s just finally come to light. We definitely did all this backwards though.”

He laughs. “No shit. But going forward it’ll be different.”

“How so?”

“Well, for starters, we’re going to go on a real date. One where I ask you, not accost you outside your building.”

I nod. “That’s a good start.”

“Then, we’ll go on said date, and you’ll be unable to stop touching me. ”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Because I’m charming and handsome.”

I lean back in my chair with a smile. “Is that so?”

“Clearly, you’re already in love with me.”

“This is true. I also am pregnant with your baby, so it totally could be that.”

Cayden shakes his head as though it’s not even possibly the reason. “It’s my charm.”

“I’m so glad you are able to tell the difference.”

“Considering you are the first and only woman to have or be carrying my child, and others have also found me to be rather irresistible, we can draw a very clear conclusion that it is, in fact, me.”

I raise one brow, fighting back the urge to giggle like a freaking school girl. “I feel that your argument lacks substance and is leading. You haven’t disproved the evidence of the hormones and pheromones being present during this encounter. Professor Stein would be very displeased with your argument.”

“He liked you better anyway”

“This is true.”

Our next course is served and the conversation turns to more lighthearted things. He wants me to come to a game with him next week and meet his brother. As much as I hate admitting that this excites me, it does. His brother is freaking amazing, even my Uncle Sean thinks it.

“I’m totally going to be nervous,” I admit between bites.

“Meeting Logan?”

“Yeah, he’s…well, he’s Logan Benson-Hennington.”

“And your uncle is Sean Arrowood. Forget even him, your other uncle is freaking Jacob Arrowood.”

“Yeah, but they’re not as cool as people think.”

He puts both hands out in front of him with that face like…duh. “My point.”

“But Logan isn’t my uncle. He’s your brother.”

“Which makes him even less cool.” Cayden’s hand rests on my leg. “Listen, Logan will love you. He is the one person that I would like to tell about the baby. I know we said we wouldn’t but I wouldn’t doubt if I have two missed calls from him now.”

“Why?”

He sighs. “Because he’s annoying and nosey. He knew I was coming on a date, he knows how I feel about you, and we tell each other pretty much everything. Plus there’s this weird twin thing.”

I can understand that. “Then we should tell him. I am just trying to avoid many people knowing until we’re out of the danger zone and then I think I am going to wait until the baby is born to tell my family.” As much as I’m kidding, I’m not.

My dad is going to lose his shit.

Cayden laughs. “Yeah, my parents aren’t going to take it well.”

“Tell me about it.” He leans in, pressing his lips to mine. “We have time, and until then, I’ll spoil you, make you love me even more than you do now, and we’ll keep the baby a secret.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, not caring that we’re in public and kiss him a little harder. “I look forward to the spoiling part.”

“You should. Are you still hungry?”

We haven’t had the main course, but I’m pretty full. “Not really.”

He lifts his hand, waving the waiter over. “Check please.”

“What?” I ask.

“I’m hungry, but not for food. My apartment is six blocks from here and I’d much rather eat something else.”

This spoiling thing is going to be really fun.