Page 46 of Oops, I'm Having My Best Friend’s Baby!

“I’m sorry for making you play along in all of this…”

“You didn’t make me,” Amy said quietly.

Kai shook his head. “Not at first, but you kept doing it to make me happy. To help me. And I’m sorry I put you in that position, to have you lie to everyone. And I’m sorry I went behind your back with those emails.”

“It’s okay…”

“Would you let me grovel, please?” he said with a half-hearted laugh. “Let me tell you how wrong I was?”

She stayed quiet at that, but her lips were pressed firmly together to stop herself from saying anything further. Kai stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Nothing else existed right now. Just Amy and his burning need to tell her absolutely everything.

“I am so sorry that I didn’t listen to you, even when you made it clear so many times.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, but she was frozen and let it drip off of her chin. He reached out a thumb and wiped it off for her.

“And if I’m going to be facing up to facts and getting rid of all these lies, then I might as well tell you that I’ve been completely in love with you for years, and I always will be. I can’t see how anything on earth could change that fact.”

More tears fell on Amy’s cheeks, and Kai reached across and kept wiping them away.

“You asked me for one thing, and I didn’t do it, and I know it made you feel so small. I’m so sorry, Amy. Your business is yours and you get to run it however you want. If you don’t want my input, I’ll keep my nose out of it. But…”

He had to clear his throat for a second before he could keep going.

“But if you’ll let me try to make it up to you. If you’ll let me, I want to be the best dad I can be… I want to be the best partner to you I can be… I just hope that you’ll let me try, that’s all.”

Amy said nothing, it didn’t seem like she could say anything. Instead, as Kai finished speaking, she hid her face away in her hands, the only movement the tiny hitches in her breathing. Kai didn’t know what to do, how to help her. He felt stuck all over again.

“Can I say something now?” Jess asked, and Kai turned to her, still terrified, hand still hovering over Amy’s. But there was a small, knowing smile on Jess’s face.

“You should give Amy a hug,” she said, sounding quite sage.

Kai obeyed, not knowing what else to do, and stood from his chair to fold himself around Amy, whose face was still in her hands, trying to hide.

“I’m sorry, Amy,” Kai said, quiet this time, just for her to hear.

She mumbled something, but it was muffled by her hands and her tears.

“I didn’t catch that,” Kai said gently, leaning his face closer to hers. Finally, Amy pulled her hands away, and despite the tears streaming down her cheeks and her fingers shaking, there was a smile on her face.

“I said I love you too.”

Jess stifled a squeal of delight, slapping her hands over her mouth. Even Jason had a smile on his face, watching them over the rim of his wine glass.

“Are you sure? Because you look about as upset as it’s possible to be right now…”

“No, they’re happy tears. Also hormones. Also you’re an idiot, but I love you too.”

“I meant it,” Kai said. “Everything I just said.”

“I know you do. I know.”

And that was all that really needed to be said with words because, in that moment, the rest fell into place between them. All of the touches and looks over the years, the late-night conversations in cars and empty parking lots, the unwavering loyalty, all of it… it was so obvious now what it all meant. Not caring that they were still sitting in the middle of a restaurant, not caring who saw and not caring what they thought, Kai leaned in and kissed Amy, not caring about anything in the world except her. She was the only thing that had ever mattered, and that was never going to change.

Jess had swept Amy away to the bathroom to wash her face, and Kai didn’t expect them to return for quite a while, so it was just him and Jason at the table, the first minute or two perfectly quiet between them as they sipped their drinks. Kai wondered if he was in shock… He didn’t know what the symptoms of shock actually were, but it felt like he must definitely have at least someof them. Even if he didn’t have shock, he certainly wasn’t feeling normal and was a heck of a long way from feeling his best. But it didn’t matter what he was feeling because Kai was painfully aware that he still had some loose ends to tie up, and he might as well get it over with.

“Jason,” he said, looking the man in the eye because it was the least he deserved. Jason looked at him placidly, not seeming at all angry at the revelations that had just been dumped out on the table, so Kai stumbled forward into what he had to say.

“I get it that… well, that there is no reason for you to continue any sort of working relationship with me. The way I’ve screwed you around and strung you along… It’s been unprofessional of me. Childish. And I’m sorry for lying to you. I am.”

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