Page 42 of Pregnant After One Forbidden Night

He was certainly not the kind of grandfather to play hobbyhorse and sneak treats.

Though, that wasn’t entirely true.

She could picture him sneaking candy to his grandchildren—with deadly efficiency and outrageous intrigue, in fact.

He would love it, and so would they.

But where did she fit into that picture?

She didn’t know the answer, just like she didn’t know what to do for herself or about Sebastian or anything else, for that matter, and dammit, she wanted to take a bath.

But a vigorous workout would be a close second, she told herself, not believing it for a second.

When she didn’t encounter him in the kitchen through the time it took her to prepare a light, stomach-soothing breakfast of biscuits, lemon ginger tea and cucumber spears, Jenna assumed she would not be encountering Sebastian today.

Still sulking, she thought with only mild spite as she put her dishes away. They had prodded too close to things he wanted kept private and she had not fallen in line like a good soldier last night, but he could go ahead and sulk for all she cared. She would not be manipulated by what was so obviously a tantrum.

Therefore, she was surprised when she found him in the workout room.

He froze upon her entry, his body deceptively still as he held himself midrep on the seated press machine, the muscles of his upper arms flexed and hard, his thighs planted and still engaged though the focus was on his upper body. As always, the man had gorgeous form.

“Sorry. I’ll come back later,” she said, mouth oddly dry for having just finished her tea. And how was it that he managed to look so good, even as she was less than impressed with him?

At her words, he sat forward, shaking his head. “No. Don’t let me chase you out.”

“It’s fine, really,” she said. She was quite familiar with being chased out.

“No. It’s not. I want you to be comfortable here. With me.”

A part of her wanted to laugh at the idea. Frustrated, attracted, confounded...there were a lot of words that described how she felt about Sebastian, but comfortable was not one of them.

Unfair, the romantic voice inside her chimed in with, and she was startled by it. It had been conspicuously absent since she’d learned about her pregnancy. You’re always comfortable with Sebastian, it insisted, and again to her surprise, in reviewing her encounters with him, she couldn’t deny it. She was always comfortable with Sebastian, even in the most shocking situations. She might also be impassioned and baffled as well, but she was always comfortable.

She’d proven that the line between comfort and settling was a very thin one for her, though. She had to remember it for both her sake and their child’s.

“No, really. It’s fine. I’ll come back later.” His presence, even after the way he’d left her on the path the night before, was too distracting to work out anyway.

“I’m sorry, Jenna. I shouldn’t have left you like that last night. I—” He stopped himself from completing whatever thought he had been close to sharing. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry. It was unacceptable and it was my responsibility. You don’t have to run away from me.” His gaze was clear and direct, respectful and open for her to assess the truth of what he said.

She didn’t want the words to begin to work and untangle the knot of irritation and frustration she felt toward him, but like magic, they did.

“It’s okay. I’m sure it won’t be the last time emotions get high. Thank you for apologizing,” she said.

He made a noise in the back of his throat. “Before I met you, Jenna, I might have disagreed. Now, I’m sure you’re right. Our child can only benefit for having such a wise mother.”

Jenna smiled, though the statement didn’t bolster her. The verdict was still far out as to what kind of mother she would be. Letting out a little laugh, she said, “Not my wisdom. My mother’s. More than once I’ve seen her comfort the new mothers of our community, saying, ‘When children are involved, you’d better have tissues.’ I’d say children are smack-dab right in the center of what we’ve got going on.”

He nodded, green eyes measuring her. “Among other things.” Rising to his feet, he walked to where she still stood near the entrance of the room. “I can’t be your husband, Jenna. But I am committing to raising our child with you.”

It was, at least, a start. With resignation, she smiled. “I appreciate that. I know a lot of men in your situation would not take that position. We’ll figure the rest out as it comes. But really, get back to your workout. There’s nothing so urgent you need to stop on my account.”

Staring at her for a beat, he said, “You were coming here to use the space.”

She nodded. “I was, but I’m good at waiting my turn.” She turned, knowing he would continue to insist she remain there if she didn’t take the steps to actually leave.

“Before you go, Jenna,” he called from behind her.

Turning, she asked, “What?”

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