Page 32 of His Best Man's Baby

“I don’t know.”

Zerita appeared calmer. She sat down again and faced Tae. “Let’s look at it logically. If you tell Jax the truth, will things change between you?”

“He might hate me for keeping it from him for so long.”

“So?”

Tae blinked at her.

Zerita sighed. “You like the attention. You want both of them to want you. The fact is you never would have slept with Jax if you didn’t feel something for him. You’re not the type of woman who sleeps around and definitely not without some type of emotional tie. It’s not just physical pleasure with you.”

Zerita knew her too damn well. Sometimes she wondered if her friend knew her better than she knew herself. “I don’t have feelings for Jax. I like him. He’s a lot of fun, and I see him trying. It’s sweet.”

Zerita eyed her.

“Fine. I’m attracted to him. That’s it. I’m not getting off on them both paying me attention. I don’t care what you say. It killed me to see them fighting. They’re like brothers, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

“You should have considered that when you broke the unwritten code.” Zerita turned to her computer screen, and her fingers flew over the keys. “Tell him, Tae. He deserves it. If you end up with Daniel, that’s on the two of you, but you can’t block Jax from knowing about his baby. It’s not right, and you’ll never fully live with yourself if you don’t. Now get out of my office. If you need further counseling, the doctor is in after six, at home, and she accepts bottles of wine as payment.”

Tae harrumphed. “I think the doctor needs to have her license revoked for extortion.”

Zerita saluted, and Tae slipped her feet into her shoes and left the office. She returned to her cubicle in time to see her cell phone ringing. Speak of the devil, Jax’s name flashed on the screen. She slid her finger across the phone toward the X and set the phone aside. Then she brought up the document she’d been working on the day before. The article on preparing to see your ex was so interesting and entertaining, she’d had to read it several times just to edit rather than get lost in the advice and equate the examples to her own experience. When the phone beeped, she found Jax had left a message. Time to face the music.

* * * *

“Mm,” Tae moaned around a mouthful of beef curry. “This is so good.”

Jax stared at her lips as she chewed. “I like the way you enjoy your food.”

“Dirty mind.” She laughed.

He shrugged. “I make no excuses. After all I brought you here because you wanted a break from the food we make together at home.”

Her heart beat faster at the way he said it, as if they lived together. They didn’t, but he was at her apartment often enough, and they had looked up a ton of recipes online and learned to prepare them side by side. She had to give it to him. Jax made eating healthier more fun, and she hadn’t gained too much weight even though she was now four months pregnant. The changes in her body surprised her in the way she responded to them. She’d thought she would hate her belly growing and her breasts getting heavier. She didn’t. Jax and Daniel both had said she looked even more beautiful and that her skin glowed. Still, her reason for liking her body had nothing to do with what they thought.

Tonight, she had brought Jax out to ONE-U, the Japanese restaurant she loved, in order to come clean. She had put it off for weeks after discussing the topic countless times with Zerita. No more. Tonight was the night.

Thinking about her resolution produced butterflies in her belly, and she placed her chopsticks on the side of the plate. Jax paused in the act of eating his udon. “What’s wrong? Portion too big?”

She examined the massive plate, filled with beef, rice, potatoes, onions, and other veggies. “It’s big, and I usually take some home, but I eat more than this.”

“What’s up?” He reached across the table and touched her hand. A tremor passed through her fingers, and he gripped them in a strong hold. She dropped her gaze to her lap and saw the slight swelling to her belly. The base was now firm, and her ankles were sometimes swollen but not all the time. She took in a deep breath and looked up at him. As soon as she opened her mouth, he spoke again. “I know what will make you feel better.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

He bent toward the floor and brought up the paper bag he’d carried into the restaurant with them. Tae hadn’t known what to think of the package but was so nervous about her intention to tell him about the baby, she didn’t question him. Now he unraveled the brown paper bag and reached inside. He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned at her, making a big production about it. The next thing she knew he withdrew a colorful baby toy. Tae burst out laughing.

“It’s…” she began. “What is it?”

He pointed out the features of the caterpillar handle with various colored rings around its body and the musical notes on the front of the toy. “See? It’s like a radio. There’s an on and off switch and a volume control. It plays seven different tunes to drive you crazy when the baby plays them over and over.”

Tae shook her head. “Aw, that’s so sweet. I can’t believe you bought that. The baby will love it, and you’re probably right. After a while I’ll want to toss it out the window.”

Jax glared at her and held the toy protectively against his chest. “But you won’t, right, Mommy?”

Something tightened in her chest. No, Daddy. “I won’t.”

His cell phone rang. He held up a finger. “One second while I get rid of this call.”

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