That Baby: A Small Town, Friends-to-Lovers Romance (That Boy Series Book 3)

Phillip, Angel, and I went for a run this morning. Then, Phillip took Angel with him to work, so I can actually get something done today. I’m working through emails when I get a call from Danny.

“I need your help,” he says. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Did she finally calm down?”

“Calmed down, yes. Forgave me, no. I slept on the couch.”

“Oh, Danny, I’m sorry. But, look, you’re in the home stretch. This is like the end of a game. You’re down with a few seconds remaining, and only a touchdown can win it for you.”

“Are you saying I need to throw a Hail Mary pass?”

“Yeah. A big gesture to make her feel better. So that she knows you love her.”

“I was stupid. I shouldn’t have gone out.”

“Danny, it’s okay to go out with your friends. The underwear was the bad move.”

“So, what are you thinking?”

“You never did go on that babymoon. What if you got a hotel room for tonight? Scheduled a couple’s massage or something.”

“Pamper her, order room service. That kind of thing?” he asks.

“Yeah, reconnect.”

“You mean, suck up.”

“Basically, yes.”

“I had a necklace made for her.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty spectacular. I was going to give it to her after the baby was born, but maybe I should do it tonight instead.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Danny. Having a necklace made was sweet of you.”

“Okay, so if we’re going to surprise her, we need to work fast. She’s getting her nails done right now. Can you go over to the house, pack up a bag with whatever she would need, and meet me at the Plaza for lunch? I’ll book a room and schedule massages. Should I get some candles or something, too?”

“That would be nice. Why don’t you get some votives? But don’t get any that are too strong. You know how she is with certain scents.”

“Got it. See you in a little bit.”

I let myself into their house, expecting to find a whole construction crew working. But no one is. They are a week away from her due date, and it’s still far from done. No wonder she’s so freaking stressed. I wouldn’t want to bring a baby home to this mess either.

I breeze through the kitchen and pack up the duffel I brought with a pretty maternity nightgown, a soft robe, her nightly bedtime products, and a toothbrush. Then, I find a cute maternity dress with the tags still on it and carefully fold it into the bag.

Danny greets me with a hug at the restaurant, and we talk and joke through lunch, followed by a cheesecake dessert. Well, I order cheesecake because he’s on some sort of no-sugar diet to help him build more muscle. I shove a piece in his mouth anyway.

When we’ve demolished the cheesecake, he says, “Let’s walk over to the jewelry store and pick up the necklace.”

A heavyset woman goes to the back and brings up a black velvet box.

When she opens it, I suck in my breath and then go, “Wow! Danny, that’s so beautiful!”

“One hundred marquise and round brilliant-cut diamonds, totaling a little over nine carats.”

“It’s really exquisite.” My eyes are huge, and there’s a big smile on my face.

Lori is going to D.I.E when she sees this.

“Just the reaction I told you your wife would have,” the saleswoman says to Danny.

“Oh, I’m not his wife. Just a friend,” I tell her.

She pats my hand. “That’s okay, darling. It can be our little secret. Would you like to try it on?”

“Uh, no, that’s okay.”

“Put it on, Jay. I’d like to see it.”

The woman puts the necklace on me and points to a mirror.

“What do you really think?” Danny quietly asks. “Is it too much?”

“Give me a few minutes to get over the shock of seeing all the sparkle first.” I look in the mirror, gently running my hand across the necklace. “I love how it fits, how it molds to your skin. Lori will love its classic style. When it was in the box, I thought she could only wear it with a ballgown, but, now that it’s on, I think she could wear it every day, and it wouldn’t look out of place.”

He lets out a big sigh. “I’m so glad you think so. I was worried it was too much. It also fits you way better than it did her.” He nods toward the woman. “Her neck is so thick.”

“It will lay perfectly on Lori. And this little piece here will fall down into her cleavage. I think it will make her feel sexy.”

Danny smirks. “I like her cleavage.”

“I know you do, goofball.”

He takes the necklace off me and hands it to the saleslady.

As she’s packaging it up, Danny looks at his watch and says to me with a grin, “We’d better get to the hotel.”

I stand in the lobby with our bags while Danny gets checked in. He’s walking toward me, holding up his key, when I clutch my stomach in surprise.

“Ohmigawd, Danny! I think I just felt the baby kick!”

“Is it the first time?”

“Yes! Ohmigawd, I’m so happy!”

Danny wraps me in a hug. “Congrats, Jay. That’s so exciting. Wait until it kicks so hard that Phillip can feel it, too. He’ll freak out.”

“He hasn’t freaked out about anything so far.”

“Did you know he’s looking into college funds?”

“Ha! No. Is he really?”

Danny laughs and nods. “He really is. One thing about Phillip, he’s always prepared. Come on, let’s hurry and get everything set up, so you can go home and tell him.”

I’m driving home when Phillip calls me.

“Where are you?” he asks.

“Just headed home.”

“Where have you been?”

“At the Plaza. I met Danny for lunch—”

“But, this morning, you told me that you were working from home all day. Needed a day without having to deal with the dog.”

“Yeah, change of plans.”

“Lori called me. She’s very, very upset. Says there are photos of you and Danny spending the afternoon together, having an intimate lunch, shopping at a jewelry store, and hugging in a hotel lobby. An anonymous source reported that Danny bought diamonds for someone who isn’t his wife and was taking her to a hotel for an afternoon tryst. What was really going on?”

“I was helping him plan a special night for Lori.”

“Well, she thinks the two of you are having an affair. She’s packed, and she says she’s going to her parents’ house.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m home now. She called me at work and was hysterical.”

“Don’t let her go anywhere. Um, Phillip, you don’t believe it, do you?”

“No, I don’t. But the pictures along with the accompanying story make it seem believable.”

“Were we kissing in any of the pictures?”

“Nope.”

“If he really bought me that necklace, I totally would have kissed him.”

“Is it pretty?”

“Yes, it’s amazing. Like ten carats. Lori will die when she sees it.”

“I hate that the press jumped to that conclusion,” Phillip says.

“It’s a steamy story. Readers like that, but Lori should know better. Let me talk to her.”

“She says no—wait, she says yes.”

“Why couldn’t you just be happy with Phillip?” she yells. “How long has this been going on? Since we were dating? Since we’ve been married? Whose baby are you carrying—Phillip’s or Danny’s? Or do you even know?”

“Lori, I am not having an affair with Danny. And to suggest that Phillip’s not the father of my baby is just ridiculous.”

“Are you with Danny now?” she asks.

“No, he’s in his car. I’m following him home.”

We’re lined up, stopped at a stoplight, Danny in front of me. I can see him on the phone, talking to someone. A few seconds later, I get a text from him.

Danny: Just got a call from my publicist. There are pictures on the internet of you feeding me cheesecake. Of us at the jewelry store. Hugging at the hotel. They’re suggesting we’re having an affair. If Lori sees that, she will freak.

Me: She already has. Phillip, too.

Danny: Does she believe it?

Me: Yes.

Danny: Does Phillip?

Me: Not at all.

Lori continues screaming into my ear, “You can tell your lover that there is no more home for him.”

“Lori, there’s a logical explanation for this. Will you please calm down?”

“Don’t think you can lie your way out of this,” she says. “I know how you are.”

“I’m not a liar! There is a reason we were where we were, and it has to do with you!”

“Yeah, because I’m a pregnant bitch! What were you doing, sitting around, laughing at me?”

Laughing at her? Is she even sane? If I thought my husband was having an affair, sitting around and laughing at me would be the last thing I’d worry he was doing.

“Lori, Danny is pulling in the driveway. Please, listen to him.”

I watch Danny jump out of the car, and Lori and Phillip come out of our house. Danny marches over to them as I get out of the car.

“You can’t believe what you read,” Danny says calmly to Lori. “Jay was just helping me—”

“No!” she screams, covering her ears and bawling. “Bullshit! I’m not listening to your lies! I knew something was going on! You’re always sneaking over here!”

“Lori, you need to calm down,” I say.

She storms up to me and points her finger in my face. “I want the truth. How long has this been going on? Since college, right? I should have known! You’re a horrible person, and I never want to see you again! How could you? How could you betray our friendship?”

Danny steps between us. “Lori, stop it! You’re being ridiculous! Don’t yell at her like that! She doesn’t deserve it!”

“Oh, sure! Stick up for her! Take her side! I don’t know why that doesn’t surprise me. I know what I saw!”

“If you’d just stop screaming and let me explain!” Danny yells back.

Lori’s hair is a mess, rivers of black mascara are running down her face, and she’s hysterical.

I can’t blame her. I’d be hysterical if I thought Phillip was cheating on me. But, if I saw a photo of her and Phillip hugging, I would never think they were cheating. I’d have to see photos of them literally in the act to ever believe it.

I realize that we’re not as good of friends as I thought. Because, if we were, she’d never believe it. Never in a million years.

The only way to convince her is to show her.

“What are you gonna say? That you didn’t mean to? That it just happened? It’s all bullshit. Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!” she cries.

“You know what? Fuck it!” Danny yells, throwing his hands up in the air. “I give up! I try to do something nice—”

“Nice? Nice?” she screeches.

“You know what, Lori?” I say coldly. “You’re right. Danny and I were up to something that we didn’t want you to know about.”

“I knew it!” she yells. “You bitch! I hate you!”

“Danny, can I have the room key, please?”

He gives me a puzzled look but fishes it out of his pocket.

I grab it and hand it to Lori. “Here. Take this. It’s the key to the hotel room that Danny rented for the night. You should go see for yourself what we were up to. Phillip, take Lori, so she can see the messed up sheets, the discarded champagne bottles, and the condoms in the trash. All the details of our lurid affair are still there, waiting to be seen.”

She shudders and stops crying. “Why in the world would I want to do that?”

“Because I want you to see it,” I tell her in the bitchiest tone I can muster up, knowing it’s the only way to get her to go.

She shakes her head and glares at me. “Fine! I’m taking photos, too. That way, I’ll have proof of your infidelity. I’ll sue you for everything, Danny. Just wait! I’ll make your life a living hell! And you’ll never, ever see your baby!” She grabs Phillip’s arm and marches him to my car.

“The keys are still in it,” I tell Phillip. “Go.”

He tries to help Lori in the car, but she yells at him, “I can do it myself!” and slams the door shut.

As he runs around to the driver’s side, I’m in tears.

He pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. “It’ll be okay,” he says reassuringly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Once they leave, Danny and I plop down on the sidewalk. He puts his arm around me, and I sob on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe she could ever think I would do something like that!”

He rubs his face. It’s red. Like it used to get during two-a-days or after a hot practice when he was hungover.

“It’ll be okay, Jay,” he says, although he really isn’t very convincing.

“I keep going over it in my head, Danny. Have I ever flirted with you? Have I ever given her any reason to doubt our friendship?”

Danny slumps down. He looks defeated, and Danny Diamond never looks defeated, no matter how bad the odds.

“I can’t think of anything. I mean, I know she’s been having dreams where I cheat on her. And the panties were not a good move. So, I can see—”

“Those were not my underwear!”

“Do you think I’ve ever given her any reason not to trust me? I come home every night. I’m with her all the time. I’ve gone on two business trips by myself since she’s been pregnant. I was gone one night and talked to her from my hotel room for most of it. I can’t believe any of it. Then again, everything about this pregnancy has been a surprise.”

“What do you think she’ll do when she sees everything we set up? You wrote her that sweet note, told her about the massages, that you had a gift for her. Do you think you should go to the hotel, Danny? Once she sees it, she’s going to feel horrible. You should be there. You could still get your massages and salvage the night.”

“No freaking way,” he says. “Let’s go inside. I need a drink, and you need to stop crying.”

Once we’re inside, Danny heads to the beer fridge while I sit at the island.

“Get me one, too.”

He comes back in with two bottles, sets them on the counter, opens them, and hands me one.

“Nothing to cheers about with this one,” he says, clinking my bottle with his. Then, he looks at me. “You’re a mess.”

I rub under my eyes and then take a drink of beer. “Ohmigawd, this tastes good.”

“Should you be drinking it, Jay? Lori says—”

“I really don’t care what your wife says, Danny. I’m sick of her judgmental bullshit. This is the first sip of alcohol I’ve had in three months. Our doctor said it’s fine to have an occasional glass of beer or wine.”

“I know. Jay, I’m really sorry. I can’t believe she acted that way.”

“I can’t either. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hurt. I’ve been dumped by a lot of boys, but this hurts worse. Way worse. I just can’t fathom how she could even think it.” I swirl the beer in my bottle. “I have to be honest with you, Danny. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get over her accusing me like that. Of how she looked at me. Of the horrible things that were spewing from her mouth.”

“Me either,” he mutters. “She threatened to take away my baby.”

I hear Angel whimpering in her kennel. I leave Danny in the kitchen to ponder his life and go get my adorable Angel puppy. I hug her, let her give me a million kisses, and start crying again.

“Let me take her out for you,” Danny says, pulling her out of my arms. “You sit down.”

When he comes back in, I hand him my beer. “You want the rest?”

“Can’t do it, huh?”

“I feel sorta sick to my stomach, to be honest.”

He sets Angel down, and we watch as she run circles around the island, growling at a tennis ball.

“I’m gonna sit on the couch,” I tell him and move to the living room. Angel bounds onto the couch with me, nips my nose, and then bounds down again.

“She’s so freaking cute,” he says, picking her up and hugging her before she squirms out of his arms. He plops down in the chair across from me. “And, now, we wait.”

“Today is the anniversary of my mom’s death,” I mutter.

“Oh, Jay, I’m sorry,” he says.

An hour later, Angel barks when she hears my car pull into the driveway.

Phillip and Lori come into the house. Danny stands up and walks into the dining room.

Lori moves slowly toward him. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “Can we go home?”

“I’d say you owe Jay an apology first. Do you have any idea how much you hurt her?”

Lori just stands there, motionless.

“I love you. I chose you. I’m having a baby with you, but none of it is enough. I don’t think I’m ever going to make you happy. And that pisses me off because I don’t deserve to be treated like this. You said some really hurtful things.” He looks at me. “To both of us.”

But Lori won’t look at me.

“I just want to go home,” she says again.

“What happened to you? One of the things I love about you is your confidence in me. That confidence is gone. Jay helped me plan this. She was doing something nice for you. And this is how you repay her? And, not only that, but before you even give me a call, so I can set the record straight, you call Phillip and tell him that the girl he has loved most of his life is cheating on him. I looked at the pictures, Lori. We hugged at the hotel because something cool happened to Jay.” He says to Phillip, “She felt the baby kick for the first time.” He turns back toward Lori and continues, “But that’s all that was in the photo. Two friends hugging. The photo of us at the restaurant? For gosh sake, I told her I wasn’t eating sugar, and she shoved cheesecake in my mouth. None of us deserves the way you treated us.”

He pulls the black velvet box out of his pocket, opens the lid, and sets it in front of her.

“Here’s the necklace I had custom-made for you. I was going to surprise you with it tonight. I know pregnancy hasn’t been easy on you or easy on us, but I wanted to get you something so spectacular that you would know how much I love you and appreciate what you’ve gone through. I made Jay try it on because I wanted to make sure it would lay properly, and the lady at the store had a fat neck. So, you enjoy. I’m out of here.” He heads toward the door.

“Danny! Wait!”

“No, I’m sorry. You being pregnant and the hormones you’re taking can excuse some things, but not this. You figure out what you want. You let me know. I’ll be sleeping at the hotel tonight.”

When the door shuts behind him, Lori drops to a dining room chair, studies the necklace, and starts crying.

“You should probably go now,” Phillip tells her.

She leaves the necklace on the table and walks out the door.

Phillip locks the door behind her and then rushes to me. “Did you really feel the baby kick?”