Chapter 29

SEBASTIAN

“It’s nice to see you again, Jayda,” Zach said. He stood before Jayda and Sebastian with his girlfriend by his side.

Sebastian noticed how uncomfortable Jayda was, so he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“I saw you from afar and so I decided to come to say hi.” Zach smiled.

JAYDA

Jayda knew Zach was used to attending events like this, but it had never crossed her mind that she was going to see him here tonight.

“She must like you so much that she decided to come with you. No matter how much I persuaded her to come with me, she never gave in because she was always busy with her first love, her work.”

SEBASTIAN

From the other man’s statement, Sebastian was able to conclude that he was her ex.

Zach’s gaze fell to Jayda’s belly and the slightest bump there. His lips thinned into a grimace. “Or maybe that was just a lie she told me. Like when she let me believe she wasn’t ready to have a family.”

As much as he should be angry at Zach, Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to be. If he hadn’t broken up with Jayda, Sebastian wouldn’t have met her at the club, and she would definitely not be carrying his child.

“You don’t need to throw what happened in the past at her face. The two of you were not meant to be together. Jayda is the love of my life. She has moved on, and she’s happy, which is all that matters.”

Sebastian gestured to the woman beside Zach. Her dress showed her small but well-defined bump. He remembered Jayda telling him one of the main reasons Zach left her was because he wanted to start a family of his own and she wasn’t ready for that.

“It looks like you’ve found your own happiness,” Sebastian pointed out without waiting for Jayda’s ex to reply.

“Let’s go, sweetheart,” Sebastian whispered in Jayda’s ear and guided her toward the exit.

***

JAYDA

Jayda sighed as soon as her head touched the headrest. “Thanks for standing up for me,” she whispered to Sebastian.

“You have nothing to thank me for. I’ll do it again if I have to.” He gave her hand a light squeeze.

“I was shocked to see him, and the moment I heard his voice, all the memories came back. The day he broke up with me, he said he and his girlfriend were taking it slow, but her bump tells it all. He must have been sleeping with her before he broke it off with me. Not that I blame him in any way. It was all my fault because I took him and our relationship for granted.”

She took a deep breath and looked into Sebastian’s eyes. “I really suck at all of this. The only thing I know how to do well is being a lawyer. I can’t keep a relationship, and I don’t even know if I will be able to be a good mother to my child. Maybe we should stop whatever is going on between us. You deserve so much more, and I don’t want to break your heart,” she finished, looking everywhere but at him.

“Look at me, Jayda.” Sebastian persuaded her, and she did.

SEBASTIAN

He caressed her face. “You don’t need to allow anyone to make you feel less of yourself. You’re a great lawyer, and I promise you that you’ll be a great mom.

“We’ve all made mistakes in our past. We can only learn from them and move on. You agreed to give me a chance, and we’ve been doing great together. We communicate regularly, and you also made time to accompany me to this event.

“I’m not perfect, and neither are you, but for the sake of what we feel for each other, we will make this work. Just like how motherhood is new to you, the same applies to me. I’ve never been a father before. I don’t mind registering us for baby classes so we can learn all that we need to know.”

He gave her an intense, sincere look. It was important to him that she understand how serious he was about all of this.

“Look, what I’m trying to say is that I believe in what we have and the bond that we share. We’ll figure things out. I’m not promising you that we won’t make mistakes. We will, but we will learn from it, and that’s how we will grow.

“I’ve lost you once, and I don’t want to lose you again. Let’s have faith in what we feel for each other. Please fight for me as I will always fight for you. You promise?” he asked.

Sebastian watched Jayda as she battled with her inner thoughts. He sighed in relief when she responded with a nod. Sebastian kissed the back of her hand.

He didn’t want to leave Jayda to herself, drowning in the thought of her not being good enough, so he made a proposal.

“Instead of dropping you at your apartment, will you accompany me to mine instead? I’m not comfortable leaving you alone drowning in thoughts from the past. We’ll chat and have a good night’s sleep.”

JAYDA

Jayda’s heart thumped harder. She’d been waiting for him to ask her this very question. She didn’t want it to be because she was so upset about how seeing Zach had made her feel, and she shoved away those thoughts. She was with the man who loved her, and she was happy to be with him.

And finally, after all this time, they were going to be together again. Warmth rushed through her, centering in her core. Her breath caught as she remembered how good his touch had made her feel before. Tonight could only be better.

“Okay, we will go to your place then,” Jayda replied.