Still grinning like an idiot, I lean against the wall across from the ladies' restroom at the clinic. Jennifer had to make a quick stop before we headed home.
Today has been the happiest day of my life.
Not only am I engaged to the woman I love more than anything, but I also heard my baby girl's heartbeat for the first time.
It's like… after a lifetime of being cursed, the curse has finally lifted.
"Bennet!!"
A sharp female voice yanks me out of my thoughts.
"You're Bennet, right?!"
I blink, turning toward the voice.
The woman standing a few feet away looks vaguely familiar, but I can't immediately place her.
"Yes?" I respond, still trying to remember where I've seen her before.
"I've been trying to contact you for weeks, but your number was inactive!" she says, stepping closer.
And just like that—I remember.
Ah, Laurel.
Shit.
"Yeah… I lost my phone," I lie smoothly. In reality, I had deliberately given her Tim Chang's number instead of mine.
"Then can I have your current number?" she presses, tilting her head.
I open my mouth to throw out an excuse—any excuse—when suddenly…
"I'm ready, babe."
Jennifer's voice.
The world seems to slow down for a moment.
I watch as she walks toward me, her hand resting on her belly in that subconscious, protective way she does.
Laurel notices.
Her eyes flick to Jennifer's stomach, then snap back to me—demanding an explanation.
Shit.
This looks bad.
I feel like I'm being caught cheating—even though I absolutely am not.
"Who is she?"
They both ask at the exact same time.
Double shit.
I clear my throat and quickly wrap my arm around Jennifer's waist. "This is Jennifer, my fiancée." I emphasize fiancée, making my stance abundantly clear.
Jennifer, bless her, lifts an eyebrow but says nothing.
I turn back to Laurel, offering a polite but completely unapologetic smile. "And… I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
Her eyes widen in absolute offense.
Jennifer presses her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
"I'm Laurel," the woman finally says, before turning to Jennifer with a sneer. "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing between us. We just had a fantastic one-night stand… about two months ago."
Oh, for fuck's sake.
The way she phrases it is completely intentional.
She's clearly noticed that Jennifer's baby bump suggests she's been pregnant for more than three months.
Translation: she's implying I cheated on Jennifer with her two months ago.
Never mind the fact that Jennifer and I were separated at the time.
Before I can explain—
Jennifer suddenly tilts her head, looking entirely unbothered.
"Oh," she hums, drawing herself closer to me, her hand now resting deliberately over my chest.
Oh no. She's about to make this worse.
Jennifer glances up at me, loudly musing, "That must've been the time you told me you had to fake it, right?"
She doesn't even look at Laurel.
She doesn't have to.
Her voice is loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear.
Including Laurel.
The second-hand embarrassment is lethal.
I swear I hear someone choke on their water nearby.
Laurel's face turns beet red.
My face also turns red.
But obviously, I can't betray Jennifer's side—even if I just got publicly humiliated in the crossfire.
So, I sigh dramatically and nod. "Yes, baby. That one."
Jennifer smiles sweetly. "That's what I thought."
Laurel practically shrieks. "Excuse me?!"
I turn to her with a small, apologetic shrug. "Sorry, but it's true."
I swear to God, I see steam coming out of her nostrils.
Jennifer, meanwhile, shrugs lazily. "Well, I rest my case."
And with that, she turns and walks away.
Like an absolute queen.
I give Laurel a final awkward, apologetic smile before speed-walking after Jennifer.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure Laurel no longer wants my number.
And even if she did…
She's definitely not getting it.
Even after getting into the car, Jennifer remains silent.
She's not exactly a chatterbox, but she's never this quiet. And when I glance over at her, I realize—she's pouting.
God help me, she looks even cuter like this.
But I know better than to ignore it. If I don't fix this now, things could go south real fast.
I reach over and rub her thigh gently. "I don't mind apologizing, baby. But first, I need to know what I did wrong."
"You don't have to apologize," she mutters, still pouting. And worse—she swipes my hand away.
Uh-oh.
"Okay, yeah, you're definitely mad at me," I say, giving her an amused look. "You literally just swatted me like an annoying fly."
"Let's just go home," she says, crossing her arms.
I shake my head. "Nope. I refuse to spend the night on the couch without knowing what crime I committed."
She exhales dramatically, still refusing to look at me. I keep my eyes on her, waiting her out.
Finally, she snaps. "You didn't tell me she's pretty."
I blink. "Wait… what?"
"Laurel," she grumbles, glaring at the window. "You didn't tell me she's curvy and has E-cup boobs and—"
"That's because I don't think she's pretty," I cut in immediately.
Jennifer narrows her eyes. "Liar!"
"I'm not!" I insist. "She's nothing compared to you."
She huffs, arms still crossed. "She's still attractive."
I sigh, scratching the back of my head. "Okay… well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn't have ended up in bed with her if she wasn't attractive."
Jennifer whips her head toward me so fast I swear I hear her neck crack.
"But!" I quickly add before she kills me. "I only sleep with beautiful and attractive women. And the more beautiful the woman, the more I—"
Sharp glare.
I chuckle. "I'm just being honest with you."
She doesn't respond, but the corner of her lips twitches.
I smirk, deciding to push my luck. "In fact, I remember one time I had sex twelve rounds in one night, then countless more the next day. And then, when her apartment exploded, I let her move into my place, and we went at it like crazy every single day—"
Jennifer finally cracks.
She tries to hide her smile but fails miserably.
She looks away, biting her lip, but I see the amusement in her eyes.
By now, I've pulled into our apartment's parking lot.
"How many girls did you have in your phone?" she suddenly asks.
I shrug. "In the past? Maybe… twenty?"
Jennifer frowns. "And now?"
I smirk. "None."
From the corner of my eye, I see her grab my phone from the dashboard.
"746978," I tell her without hesitation. "That's J-E-N in ASCII."
She pauses, her eyes flicking to me for a second, before unlocking my phone.
"You really deleted them all?" she asks.
"Nope," I answer honestly. "I lost my phone when your apartment exploded, remember? When I bought a new one, I didn't need to save any girls' numbers anymore."
Jennifer hums, scrolling through my contacts. "Who's Tiffany?"
Oh.
"Oh, except that one," I say with a laugh—then immediately stop when I see her eyebrows knit together.
"Who is Tiffany?" she repeats, unimpressed.
I clear my throat. "She's my teammate. The hacker I told you about."
Jennifer's eyes narrow. "Your hacker is a girl?"
I nod. "Yep. Nineteen years old."
Jennifer's expression shifts to mild surprise.
"You've probably seen her in the news," I add. "She's the daughter of presidential candidate Whittaker."
Jennifer's jaw literally drops. "Wait, what?!"
I chuckle. "Yeah. She was my client once. But she ended up helping me a lot, so I made her my partner."
Jennifer frowns slightly. "Then why do you have her number in this phone instead of your work phone?"
I laugh again. "Baby… I don't have a work phone anymore, remember?"
She purses her lips, still staring at my phone.
I sigh, my voice softening. "I kept her number because she's one of only two friends I have. And I don't want to lose one of them."
Jennifer doesn't say anything. After a few seconds, she quietly places my phone back on the dashboard and closes her eyes.
I let out a small breath of relief.
"I'm sorry if you thought that woman was pretty," I say, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "But I don't. That's why I never mentioned it."
She hums. "You're not wrong. It's just my hormones."
I chuckle. "So, I'm forgiven?"
"Mmhmm. But I'm sleepy now," she mumbles without opening her eyes.
I smile, slowing the car's already gentle speed, trying not to disturb her.
Yeah… this pregnancy is going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride.
And I can't wait for every second of it.