There’s the tiniest sliver of hope inside me as I walk back towards the table. I sit next to Sam and my heart feels lighter. My smile comes easier as I lean towards her and touch my shoulder to hers. She turns towards me and smiles. “I’m happy for you, Sam,â€� I say. She grins. “Finally.â€� “What’s that supposed to mean!â€� Sam laughs. “You’ve been sulking all day.â€� A bolt of guilt passes through my stomach and Sam laughs. “It’s ok, Jess. As long as you’re happy now. Your fake smile sucks, by the way.â€� For the first time today, I start laughing. Sam grins and finally starts laughing with me until the tears start gathering in my eyes. I dab them away with a tissue and she shakes her head. “I’ll explain later,â€� I finally say. “You don’t need to explain anything, Jess. Just be happy today.â€� I nod, and this time the tears in my eyes aren’t from laughing. She squeezes my arm before grabbing her glass of champagne. She clinks it against mine and takes a sip. I bring the glass to my lips and pretend to drink, but put it back down without having any. I put a hand to my stomach and stroke it gently before turning my attention back to the table. The wedding is beautiful. There’s speeches and tears and laughter, and I’m in awe of how good a simple wedding in the town’s hotel can be. Pretty soon everyone is up and dancing on the dance floor, waiting for the fourth of July fireworks to start. Other patrons start drifting into the hotel and mixing with the wedding until it seems like the whole town is in this tiny room. I’m standing at the edge of the dance floor when Owen appears beside me. His arm brushes against mine and I can immediately smell that fresh, manly scent that I’ve missed so much. It’s the closest we’ve been since I left Lexington two months ago, and my whole body starts to feel electric. He leans his mouth towards my ear. “You look beautiful,â€� he whispers. I duck my chin and smile, trying to hide my blush. Even those simple words send a thrill down my spine as my centre starts to heat up. He holds out his hand and nods to the dance floor. I can’t help it, a smile breaks across my face. I slip my fingers into his palm and he guides me out onto the dance floor just as the music starts to slow down. His hand finds the small of my back and I feel like my whole body is trembling. His cheek rests against mine and we sway, chest to chest. “I missed you,â€� he growls into my ear. The flame inside me grows hotter as my heart starts to beat. “I missed you too,â€� I answer. My voice is barely above a whisper. “Whatever we have, whatever this thing is between us,â€� he says. “I want to keep going.â€� I pull my head back. “Is that why you knocked me up?â€� I ask with an eyebrow raised. He laughs, throwing his head back. I can’t help but smile as well. “My master plan is working,â€� he says with a grin. His eyes soften and he shakes his head. “I’m fucking terrified.â€� “So am I,â€� I answer. He smiles and holds me a bit closer. We sway back and forth on the dance floor for an eternity. I don’t even know if we’re moving to the beat of the music. I can’t even hear the music. All I hear is his heartbeat and mine, inches apart from each other. I forget where I am and who is around. I forget everything except the feeling of his hand on my back, his cheek against mine and my fingers on his palm. I lift my hands up and wrap them around his neck, putting my forehead against his. He slides both hands onto the small of my back and a sigh shudders through me. As much as I don’t want to let my guard down, as much as I’m afraid that he’ll change his mine and walk away, as much as I’m terrified of having this child, right now, I’m happy. Right now I could stay like this, swaying gently side to side forever. The music ends and everyone on the dance floor starts clapping. Reluctantly, I pull myself away from Owen and clap. We look at each other for a moment and he winks at me before starting to clap. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see Mary Hanson in the doorway. She’s staring at me with laser focus. A chill runs down my spine. Owen glances at me and follows my gaze. He brushes his hand on the small of my back and leans towards me. “You ok?â€� “I’m fine,â€� I say, turning towards him. He looks at me and smiles. For a moment, I think that he might be about to kiss me. His eyes soften and he turns his chest towards me. He puts his hands on my hips and his lips part ever so slightly. Just as his chin starts to dip down towards me, that fake-sweet voice rings out beside us. “Well look at you two lovebirds,â€� Mary says. We both jump and turn towards her. She grins at me. “Owen, Jess,â€� she says, nodding to each of us in turn. “I’d like to introduce you to my fiancé. Jess, I believe you already know him.â€� A man steps out from behind her and my jaw drops. “Michael?â€� “Hi, Jess,â€� he says, glancing at me and smiling shyly. I feel Owen stiffen beside me. “I thought you said you didn’t know Mary’s fiancé,â€� he says to me gently. I can hear an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before. Mary’s smile widens as she puts her arm around Michael’s waist. I’m still in shock. My eyes flick from Mary to Michael and back to Mary again. “Oh she knows him, don’t you, Jess?” I nod. Michael is still looking at me, and he glances quickly at Owen. I gulp. “Good to see you again,â€� I lie. Michael nods. “You too.â€� My heart is thumping and I glance around. I need to get away. “Excuse me,â€� I say as I turn and almost run towards the bathroom. It’s not until I’m inside that I let out a huge breath and lean on the counter. Michael, my first boyfriend. The guy who left me pregnant and alone. That’s Mary’s fiancé?! Chapter 48 – Owen
Jess hurries towards the bathroom and I turn back to the couple. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,� I say stiffly. They both nod, and Mary smiles. “Thank you, Owen. I’m glad you two finally got to meet.� “Me too. If you’ll excuse me, I think Joe needs some help behind the bar.� Not a moment too soon, I slip away. I glance over towards the bathrooms. What the hell is going on? Why did Jess run away? Why did she tell me she didn’t know Mary’s fiancé if she obviously does? The questions are flying around my head, and the peacefulness in my heart that I felt with Jess in my arms on the dance floor has evaporated. Instead, all I have is uncertainty, doubt, and a million questions. Jess has disappeared and I keep scanning the room for her. Where did she go? I walk around the room and finally spot her, leaning against the wall in the back corner. “Where did you go?� I ask. She turns her head towards me and then looks down at the ground. “I didn’t feel like talking to her.� “Who’s that guy? Her fiancé? I thought you said you didn’t know him.� My voice sounds harsher than I intended, and Jess flinches. Her hand goes up to her stomach and I take a step towards her. “I said I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t realise it was him.� “Who is he?� I ask more gently. Her face sours and she shakes her head. The frustration starts to build inside me. Jess won’t look at me and I glance around the room again. I make eye contact with Mary, who’s staring at the two of us intently. I take a deep breath and try to soften my voice. “Jess, please tell me? I hate to see you like this. I want…. I want to be there for you.� Jess finally lifts her eyes up to mine and I see deep-rooted pain in them. She swallows and then opens her lips to speak. “He was my first boyfriend. The one that I… the one who left.� The one who got you pregnant, you mean. “i don’t even know why I’m upset. I haven’t spoken to him in over a decade. I don’t know, just seeing him here, with Mary, when Sam and Ronnie are getting married and I’m just pregnant by accident again, it’s just,� she sobs and her hands fly up to her face. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close to me. She’s shaking, and I just hold her and make wordless soothing noises until her body softens and she relaxes. Her arms slowly
wrap themselves around me until she pulls away and brushes a tear away from her eye. “Sorry,â€� she says. “This is just too much for me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.â€� I laugh. “Neither do I.â€� I brush her hair off her face and wipe another tear away. “We’ll figure it out, Jess. I’m happy you’re here.â€� She finally smiles and my heart starts to grow. “It’s good to see you.â€� “Good to see you too.â€� Jess glances across the room and frowns. “Gram looks tired. I might have to take her home.â€� “I’ll drive her,â€� I say. She looks at me sideways and shakes her head. “I saw you downing that whiskey earlier,â€� she laughs. “I haven’t been drinking.â€� “Alright,â€� I answer. “You’ll come back after?â€� “If you want me to,â€� she answer with a grin. “I want you to.â€� The smile on her face makes my heart melt as she squeezes my hand and slips away towards her grandmother. I watch her put her arm around the old woman and help her to her feet. The two of them head towards Sam and Ronnie and then towards the entrance. I watch every movement, unable to take my eyes off her. Even seeing her take care of her grandmother like that makes my heart swell. She’s going to be a great mother. “So, you guys are an item now, or what?â€� I turn towards the voice and see Mary leaning on her hip with her head tilted to the side. She licks her lips slowly and raises an eyebrow. I shrug. “I’m not sure what we are.â€� Mary narrows her eyes and smiles at me. The smile doesn’t seem to change her face at all except for her lips, giving her an eery sort of expression. “Hey, Owen, I think there was a problem with my last pay check. Do you mind if we have a look at it?â€� Is she pouting right now? Is that supposed to be cute? “How about tomorrow,â€� I answer, shifting my gaze towards the party. “I’d really rather sort it out now,â€� she says. I glance at her and sigh. I’m not going to get rid of her until that’s done. “Alright,â€� I say, gesturing towards the office. “Let’s go in here and have a look.â€� She smiles the same way and nods before turning around and swaying her way towards the office. If she wasn’t so good behind the bar, I’d have let her go a long time ago. Chapter 49 – Jess
“Thank you, honey. You get back over there now,â€� Gram says as I help her up the stairs. I can almost feel her tiredness as she moves slowly, dragging one foot forward after the next. I say nothing, instead I just help her towards her bedroom. I help her take off her jacket and put her jewellery away while she goes to the bathroom and changes into her dressing gown. She comes back out and sits on the bed, letting out a big sigh. Finally, she shifts her gaze up to me and smiles. “He likes you, you know.â€� “Who?â€� I ask, pretending to be confused. Gram chuckles. “Mr. McAllister. Remember what I said before, Jessica. Some things are worth fighting for. He’s a nice man.â€� “You’re just worried I’ll end up all alone,â€� I laugh as I help her back into bed. Gram chuckles softly and lays her head on the pillow. “I’m worried you’ll end up unhappy.â€� A lump forms in my throat and Gram takes my hand. “I’m proud of you, Jess. Always have been. You’ve turned out to be an independent, intelligent young woman and I couldn’t ask for a better granddaughter. You’ll make a wonderful mother one day.â€� I still cant speak and Gram smiles. In another breath she’s asleep and I tiptoe out the door. It’s a quiet drive back as I think about Gram’s words. These past couple days she’s been saying a lot of things to me about happiness and love. What is she trying to say, really? What would she say if she knew I was pregnant? Maybe happiness is possible for me, and she sees me trying to push it away. Maybe I should just trust Owen, and trust that he wants to be with me and he wants this baby. Maybe I should let myself go and let my walls down and let him in. By the time I get back to the Lex, the party is in full swing. It’s almost too loud after the silence of Gram’s house. I scan the room, looking for Owen. My heart feels light as I walk around. I’m ready. For the first time in my life, I’m ready to let happiness in. I’m ready to trust Owen and to open up to him and let him in. I’m ready to hear his story and I’m ready to accept that he’s not a criminal. Maybe it is possible that he’s as wonderful and caring as he seems. I’m ready to fall in love with him. My thoughts surprise me. After spending all day trying to force my lips to curl upwards, now I can’t seem to stop smiling. “Jess!â€� I turn to see Michael walking towards me. The lightness in my heart feels dampened as soon as I see him. He offers me a beer and I shake my head. “Thanks, not tonight,â€� I say. He nods and takes a sip of his own beer. He glances at the floor and then back up at me. It doesn’t seem like he’s going to say anything, so I start. “So, you and Mary, hey?â€� “Yeah,â€� he says, nodding. “We’ve known each other for years and it just made sense.â€� Doesn’t make sense to me. “That’s great, Michael, I’m happy for you. Now if you’ll excuse me -“ “Wait, Jess,â€� he says, holding his hand out. I pause, turning back towards him. His eyes plead with me and he continues. “I just wanted to apologise. The way I treated you, leaving you after you.. you know.â€� “Got pregnant.â€� “Right. Got pregnant. It was wrong.â€� I nod. “Ok. Thanks.â€� I shakes his head. “I mean, I’m sorry. I was a dumb kid. I freaked out and I left and I should have been there for you.â€� “What about shaking up with Mary two weeks after we found out I was pregnant? Was that just you ‘freaking out’?â€� I hate the bitterness in my voice but I can’t help it. His face contorts and he looks away. Finally, he swings his eyes back towards me. “I’m sorry,â€� he says again. I realise my shoulders are tense and I relax them. I force my face to relax and I nod, and finally smile. I don’t need to hold on to this anger. It’s in the past. As I look at the guilt in Michael’s face, I finally let go of it all. “Thank you,â€� I finally say. “It’s ok. We were kids. It’s probably for the best now.â€� Michael glances up at me hopefully, and when he sees the sincerity in my eyes he starts to smile. “Really?â€� “Really. Water under the bridge.â€� His smile widens and I grin before sweeping he room with another look. “Thank you for apologising. Hey, have you seen Owen?â€� “No. I’ve been looking for Mary too, I saw her talking to him but I haven’t seen either of them in ages.â€� I frown and glance back at him. He shrugs and takes a sip of beer. My heart starts pounding and I glance at the bar and back around the room. There’s no sign of him or Mary. Finally my eyes rest of the office door and my heart starts thumping even harder. “In there,â€� I manage to croak, nodding towards the door. Michael shrugs and I start walking towards the closed door. I don’t understand why I’m suddenly nervous, but every step makes my whole body tremble a little bit more, and pretty soon all I can hear is the heartbeat rushing through my ears and all I can see is that closed door. Chapter 50 – Owen
Knocked Up... Again!: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 14