Page 3 of April is for Asher

Then I start to process what she just said. She’s almost four months pregnant, which lines up with the night we were together, and she found me from Ruby’s bachelor post. I don’t want to encourage Ruby, but I could give her a huge kiss right now because she brought this girl back to me.

Did she really say she wants nothing from me? That’s fine. She can want nothing, but she will be getting everything. There is no way a kid of mine is walking around on this earth without me in their life. And there is no way Jenna is getting away again.

By the time she rejoins me, I’m a lot calmer and thinking straighter.

CHAPTER2

JENNA

I takean extra moment in the bathroom to regain my composure. Seeing him today really knocked me for a more of a loop than I expected. He didn't slam the door in my face, so to speak, so that's a good thing, right?

Placing my hand on my stomach that is just starting to 'pop' as my sister calls it, I remind myself I am doing this for my little one. Even if Asher isn't a part of our lives, he has a right to know. I want to be able to look my child in the eye and say I did everything I could as his or her mom.

The problem is, I know even when a father is around, it doesn’t mean he will be there for the kid. My father was married to Mom and lived with us, but he wasn’t there for simple things like dinner or the bigger things like my school plays, or when I broke my arm. When my sister was sick, he was barely there. My mom shouldered all of that, and all my dad contributed was a paycheck. I want more for my kid.

With a final deep breath, I go back to his office, walking slower than normal, before closing the door behind me and taking my seat again.

"I'm glad you found me. I really thought we had a connection, and then I wake up the next morning and you were gone," he says.

Even though he’s watching my every move, it doesn't feel creepy. I thought I was the only one who felt we had a connection, but I know how one-night stands go. You say things in the heat of the moment, but then go your separate ways in the morning.It's why the thought never appealed much to me, but things seemed different in the lights of a Bachelorette party, drinking, and peer pressure added in.

I'd never done anything like that before and I thought with the alcohol and all I was just imagining what I felt between us. But hearing him say that he felt it too pulls at my heart.

Giving myself a mental shake, I realize that this isn't about just me anymore. I have to do what is best for this baby. Nothing or nobody will distract me from taking care of my baby.

"I know how one-night stands are. You say things, but it all looks different in the morning. Besides, I had an interview to go to." I try to brush it off.

His expression doesn't change, making him very hard to read.

"I remember you told me you are up for a big promotion. How did the interview go?" he asks, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk.

His whiskey brown eyes get more serious than they were earlier and his muscles cause the long sleep shirt he is wearing to stretch across his arms and chest.

I remember what it's like to have those strong arms cage me in while he was on top of me and how safe I felt. Instead of feeling trapped, I truly enjoyed it.

Dammit Jenna, stop thinking about that night.

As he waits for my answer, he gives me a cocky half smile, almost like he knows where my thoughts were just now.

"Good. I made it to the next round of interviews and was offered the job last week."

"I knew you'd get it! I'm so excited for you!" He seems truly happy for me as a huge smile crosses his face.

As I start to relax, he looks at out the window and then back at me.The look on his face is more serious this time.

"But let's make one thing clear, we may have started that night looking for a one-night stand, but we both know that night turned into so much more. The universe has made that perfectly clear." He looks down at my belly and I place a protective hand over our little one.

"It doesn't matter. This job means a promotion and a move to Billings. By this time next month, I will be halfway across the state." I tell him and watch the muscle in his jaw tick.

There. Tell him, and it’s like ripping a Band-Aid off. Get everything out there and in the open, I think to myself.

"There is no world where I'm not going to be involved in my child's life, Jenna," he says softly.

But I can tell he isn't joking around either. "I don't want anything from you, and am prepared to raise this kid on my own. The promotion comes with a great pay raise, and I was already making good money. Right now, the only tricky part of the move is putting my house up for sale and finding a place to live in Billings. I'll be doing it before the baby gets here."

What he doesn't need to know is I already put my house up for sale and have been looking at places in Billings. Nor do I need to tell him how much it's all stressing me out.

"Give me a chance to be involved. I will prove I'm going to be a hands-on dad and a good one," he all but begs, the vulnerability in his voice pulls at my heartstrings.

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