Chapter 82 Bonus Chapter – The past comes knocking

Chapter 82 Bonus Chapter – The past comes knocking
The room erupts the moment Hailey announces that she's pregnant.

"When did you find out?"

"How are you feeling?"

Hailey laughs as she tries to answer all of them at once.

"I'm only one month," she reminds us.

I can't get over the coincidence.

"Seriously?" I ask, staring at Hailey across the living room. "You two couldn't even let Mo have her pregnancy moment alone?"

Hailey laughs, resting her hand over her still-flat stomach.

"We didn't plan it."

"Neither did I," Mo says from beside me.

I raise an eyebrow.

"You two are impossible."

The three of us laugh, the sound filling Mo and Liam's living room.

I shake my head, still smiling.

"One of you is three months pregnant, and the other one is one month pregnant."

Hailey smiles.

"When you say it like that, it sounds even crazier."

"It is crazy," I say. "I'm going to have two pregnant friends at the same time."

Mo nudges my shoulder.

"You'll survive."

"I don't know about that."

Hailey laughs.

I look between them.

"Honestly, though, I'm really happy for both of you."

Mo, this being her first baby, is subjected to advice she hasn't asked for, while I contribute far more than I probably should.

By the time I finally leave Mo's house, I'm still smiling.

………..

I barely step through my front door when I hear Hayden's voice coming from the kitchen.

"You're back."

I drop my handbag onto the table and slip off my shoes.

Hayden appears in the doorway, smiling.

"How was Mo's?"

My expression immediately changes.

"Eventful."

"That sounds interesting."

I walk toward the kitchen, still trying to contain my excitement.

"Hailey is pregnant."

Hayden stops.

"What?"

"One month."

For a moment, he simply stares at me before a smile spreads across his face.

"Wow."

"Apparently, everyone is having babies."

Hayden laughs.

"Not everyone."

I point a warning finger at him.

"Don't start."

His smile widens.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"I was thinking about dinner."

"Sure."

Hayden clears his throat.

"Speaking of dinner..."

The suspicious look on my face immediately makes him laugh.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I won't like this?"

"You might."

"Hayden."

He leans against the counter.

"I invited Jamie to dinner."

I freeze.

"You what?"

Hayden's smile fades slightly.

"He's in Florida. He called me yesterday, saying that he'd be here for a few days, so I invited him over."

I stare at him.

"And you thought you should tell me when?"

"Now?"

"When is he coming?"

He glances at the clock.

"Shortly."

I stare at him.

"Don't worry. I've already cooked."

I exhale slowly. It's been three years since things between Jamie and Mo ended.

Jamie continued with his life, and so did Mo. More than that, Mo built an entirely new life.

"Are you okay with him coming?" Hayden asks.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because of Mo."

"Jamie is still our friend too."

Hayden nods.

I sigh.

"I just wasn't expecting him."

"Neither was I until yesterday."

I narrow my eyes.

"And yet you had a whole day to tell me."

Hayden smiles.

I laugh despite myself.

"You're unbelievable."

Before he can say anything else, the doorbell rings.

Hayden glances toward the door.

"That'll be him."

I stare at him.

"You're lucky I love you."

His grin returns.

"I know."

………..

Dinner starts easily enough.

Jamie and Hayden always have a way of falling back into conversation, no matter how long they've been apart.

"Where's Lexi?"

"At Grandma's."

The dinner table is filled with the sound of cutlery and laughter.

Jamie never asks about Mo.

Later that evening, after dinner ends, Hayden excuses himself to take a call.

I'm in the kitchen rinsing the last of the dishes when I hear Jamie behind me.

"Victoria?"

I turn.

"Yeah?"

He's standing near the kitchen island, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Jamie hesitates.

It's unlike him.

"How's Mo?"

There it is.

"She's doing well."

Jamie nods slowly.

"I heard she's pregnant."

"Yeah."

A small smile appears on his face.

"I'm glad she's doing well."

It's been three years since he and Mo ended things, but Jamie doesn't look like someone who has completely left the past behind.

"Victoria," he says quietly, "I know this might be a lot to ask."

I wait.

"Do you think you could arrange a meeting between Mo and me?"

My eyebrows draw together.

"Jamie..."

"I want to apologise. I know it won't change anything."

He looks down briefly.

"I can't undo what happened. I can't take back the things I said or the way I handled everything."

I stay quiet.

"But I hurt her. I know I did."

Jamie looks back at me. His voice is calm, but there's something heavy beneath it.

"She deserved better from me."

I lean against the counter.

Jamie looks away again.

"I don't think I'm completely over her," he continues. "But that doesn't mean I don't know that her life has changed. I know she's married now. I know she's building a family with Liam."

The confession hangs quietly between us.

I don't react. I simply listen, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I just..." He pauses. "I don't want the last thing between us to be everything that went wrong."

My heart softens.

"She might not want to revisit any of it. She might feel like she's already made peace with what happened."

He nods.

I'm quiet for a moment.

"But I'll ask her."

Jamie looks up.

"Really?"

"But the decision is hers."

"Of course."

"And if she says no, you have to respect that."

"I will."

I give him a small smile.

For the first time since he walks into the kitchen, some of the tension leaves his face.

"Thank you."

I nod.

"You're welcome."

………..

When Jamie finally leaves our house later that evening, we stand by the door and watch him walk toward his car before I close the door behind him.

Hayden leans against the door.

"Well?"

I narrow my eyes.

"Well what?"

"What was that conversation in the kitchen about?"

I stare at him.

"You're nosy."

"I'm married to you. You love feeding me gossip."

I laugh.

Then my smile fades slightly.

"Jamie wants to speak to Mo."

Hayden nods slowly.

"And?"

"He asked me to arrange a meeting."

"Do you think she'll agree?"

"I don't know."

I sigh.

"He's still carrying a lot of guilt."

I look toward the hallway.

"Mo's married and about to have a baby. Her life is completely different now."

"Maybe that makes it easier."

I look at him.

"How?"

"Maybe she's in a place where she can finally hear an apology without being hurt by it."

I consider that as I walk toward him.

He wraps his arms around me as soon as I reach him.

"What are you going to do?" he asks.

"I'll ask her and see how it goes."

"Fair enough."

Hayden kisses the top of my head, and silence settles between us until—

"Let's join the pregnancy club."

He kisses behind my ear, then my jaw, and as soon as his lips capture mine, heat pools between my legs.