Double The Love (BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel) (5 page)

Jasmine cringed at Liam's
choice of words and rolled her eyes. “Wait a minute…who the hell is Andrea?”
she questioned, feeling a pang of jealousy surface in her chest.

“She's my roommate Jason's
older sister,” Liam explained. “She just had her first kid. This woman, Dr.
Everett, was her doctor and she has nothing but good things to say about her.
It'd mean a lot to me if you'd at least consider her.”

Jasmine was at a loss for
words. The Liam she knew didn't get this ripe with concern about things. She
felt like she was looking at someone else entirely. “Alright,” she agreed,
taking hold of the business card he was extending to her and giving it a slow
once over.

Jasmine made the appointment
and arrived at Dr. Everett's office the following afternoon. She texted Liam
the time, but she wasn't surprised when he didn't show. It wasn't like he’d
promised he would come, but she'd assumed as much, and his absence stung
all the same. She tried her best to stop thinking about him, but she couldn't
help but wonder if he'd informed whomever his latest squeeze was that he was
about to be a father.

The appointment went well.
Jasmine was just as impressed by Dr. Everett as Liam said she would be, and the
two women instantly bonded. By the time Jasmine arrived at the venue she was
set to perform at later that night, she felt rejuvenated and hopeful despite
the fact that Liam had stood her up.

It was Eli's presence in her
dressing room that put a slight damper on her mood. He was still completely
unaware of Liam's involvement in her pregnancy, and she definitely wasn't in
any rush to let him in on the fact that he was the baby's father.

“What's up?” Eli questioned,
taking notice of Jasmine's sudden change of mood. He stepped aside so that she
could sit down at her vanity and frowned when she didn't respond.

Jasmine shook her head. “I'm
just a little tired, that's all,” she lied.

Eli accepted her excuse. “You
look like it,” he remarked.

“Gee, thanks,” Jasmine said in
a dull tone.

“Sorry, I didn't mean it as an
insult. I just think you've been working yourself too hard lately. It can't be
good for the baby. You should take the day off tomorrow. I can get one of my
other clients to cover your set.”

Jasmine looked over at Eli and
raised an eyebrow. She couldn't believe he was suggesting she shift her focus
off of the tour. It was entirely unlike him. “I can't,” she said after awhile.
“I need the money a lot more than I do rest if this child is going to have any
kind of a future.”

Across town, Liam was indeed
with a woman, but it wasn't what Jasmine was thinking. He was with Andrea, who
was in the process of nursing her daughter as she relayed every bit of baby
related knowledge she could come up with to him.

“You should buy a copy of this
book,” she said, leaning forward to grab her copy of ‘What to Expect When
You’re Expecting’ off the coffee table. “I bought it for my ex before he
decided the whole 'fathering a child' thing was beneath him. I'd lend it to
you, but it's kinda sentimental. You’ll want your own copy to mark up anyway.”

“You sure it wasn't the book
that scared him off?” Jason questioned from the kitchen, grabbing a beer from
the fridge.

Andrea gave him a dirty look.
“You're an idiot.”

Jason laughed and swallowed
back a large gulp of beer before digging into a bag of chips. “Kidding,” he
said, holding up his hands.

Liam leaned back against the
couch. “What was the real reason he left?” he questioned, allowing his
curiosity got the better of him.

Andrea shrugged. If she was
annoyed by the question, she certainly didn't show it. “All he said was that he
didn't like the idea of being 'tied down' by a kid.”

“What did you say?”

“I didn't say anything. I
tossed that asshole out and filed for child support as soon as Lily was born.”

Liam smirked. It was such an
Andrea-like move. She simply wasn't the type of woman to bend over backwards
for a man. Quite frankly, it was one of her most admirable traits.

Andrea smiled in quiet
recollection as she looked down at her sleeping daughter. “Jason told me you
went to Jasmine’s baby shower,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“Yeah,” Liam admitted. “It's my
baby. I felt like I needed to be there.”

Andrea studied his face as she
stood up to set Lily down in her rocker. His expression made it clear that
there was something he wasn't saying. “Is that the only reason?” she
questioned.

Liam shrugged. He didn't want
to seem whipped by verbalizing just how much he still cared about Jasmine. What
was the point? It wasn't like she shared his feelings.

Andrea nodded, but she didn't
push him on it. “Well if you ever need anymore advice, feel free to call me,”
she offered.

Liam gave her a grateful smile,
keeping his gaze steadied on hers as he drained back the last of his beer.

“Dude, you're adjusting to this
daddy gig a whole lot better than I expected,” Jason remarked, emerging from
the kitchen with a plate of food.

Andrea had just retired to
change Lily’s diaper, and Liam was sitting on the couch with his nose buried in
the book she’d recommended to him. When Jason took a seat beside him, he
snapped it shut and made a silent note-to-self to pick up a copy of his own.
“Thanks for having so much faith in me,” he muttered, snatching a slice of
pizza off his plate.

Chapter seven

“He's out there again,” Eli
announced one evening when Jasmine was about twenty-five weeks into her
pregnancy.

Jasmine sighed.

Eli still had absolutely no
idea that Liam was the baby's father. All it would do was create unnecessary
drama, and that was the last thing she needed right now. The tour was almost
over. If she could just make it through these last few weeks without him throwing
a hissy fit, she’d be home free.

“Eli,” Jasmine said in a stern
tone. “Don't start anything with him tonight, alright? I mean it this time.”

Eli sighed and sucked his
teeth. “I don’t understand why you put up with him. The guy’s a total basket
case. Or was my broken nose not a clear enough indication of that?”

Jasmine tensed at the reminder.
She didn’t mean to defend Liam, but it just came naturally to her. “Well, what
did you expect?” she shot back. “You didn’t have to handle him so roughly. He
wasn’t doing anything to you.”

Eli furrowed his brows. “Why do
you always do that?” he questioned. “Why are you always so quick to defend the
guy?”

Jasmine sighed and continued
applying her make-up. “I’m not defending him. I’m stating the facts. You put
your hands on him and he reacted accordingly. Regardless, it’s over now. He’s
backed off, and that’s what I'd like you to do as well. This is a public venue.
You said it yourself…he has every right to be here.”

 
“So long as he stays away from you,” Eli said. “Because I
swear, Jazz, if he comes anywhere near you…”

Jasmine groaned. It was time
for her to say something. “Eli, Liam and I…well…we’re not exactly friends
again, but we
are
making an active effort towards being a bit nicer to each other. You
remember what my new years resolution was don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Eli sighed and
rolled his eyes. “No holding grudges, I remember. But here’s the thing I don’t
get. Grudge or no grudge, why do you bother giving this loser the time of day?”

“He’s not a loser,” Jasmine
snapped, but she was quick to soften her tone. “I’ve known him my entire life.
He’s practically my brother.”

“So what?” Eli said, not
holding back. “He’s a condescending asshole, Jazz. Most people ditch their
pseudo-siblings the moment they grow up and leave home.”

Jasmine clenched her jaw and
forced herself not to react despite how annoyed she was. When her name was
called over the intercom, she pushed past Eli without looking him in the eye
and made her way down the hall towards the stage.

“Eli, I'm not in the mood to
discuss this any further, okay?” Jasmine called over her shoulder. “Liam is a
part of my life. I suggest you get used to it if you want to keep your job.”

As soon as Jasmine uttered
Liam’s name, she turned a corner and came face to face with him. It wasn’t all
that surprising considering she’d given him a backstage past, but it still took
her a few seconds to get over the butterflies that surfaced in her stomach.

At the sound of footsteps,
Jasmine snapped into action and pulled Liam towards the stairwell. “Move,” she
ordered, keeping her voice low. “I don't want Eli to see you back here. He's in
a terrible mood.”

Liam looked amused, but he
didn’t say anything as Jasmine propelled him down the hall. Once they were
alone, she turned to look at him and froze when she realized how close they
were. “I have to go,” she whispered, dodging his attempt at kissing her. “I
needed to be on stage like…ten minutes ago.”

Liam nodded and took a step
back, regaining his composure as he watched her take off in the other
direction.

Jasmine’s performance went off
without a hitch, and she was floating on cloud nine when she returned to her
dressing room later that night. Her mood soured, however, when she flicked on
the light to find Eli sitting at her vanity with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke up, standing up and taking a step towards her. “I was an
idiot. I had no right to intervene in your personal matters.”

Jasmine stared at the flowers
for a few seconds before giving Eli a skeptical look. “Yes,” she agreed. “But
you know what they say…the first step is acceptance.”

“Does that mean I’m forgiven?”

“I guess so,” Jasmine said with
a small smile, lifting the lilies into an empty vase on her vanity.

“Good,” Eli said. “Because you know
I can’t stand when you’re upset with me. It’s just…it seems like Liam’s always
hovering around you these days. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me.”

Liam cleared his throat from
the doorway. “I don't hover,” he said, taking a step forward.

Eli rolled his eyes and gave
Jasmine a look that screamed
‘I told you so’
.

Jasmine exhaled a deep sigh.
“Liam’s just here to go over some details on our trip back to Newport Beach
this weekend,” she explained. “His parents live next door to mine. It’s easier
if we just car pool.”

“I could drive you,” Eli
immediately offered.

“Kiss ass,” Liam muttered,
coughing into his hand.

Sensing the tension, Jasmine
stood up and acted as a barrier between the two men. “Will you two just cool it
already?” she said, looking back and fourth between the both of them.

They both looked suitably
pissed off.

“Look, Eli,” Jasmine spoke up.
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. You
really
need to get a grip. You and I are
friends, but that’s it. I like spending time with you, and you’re a great
publicist, but we’re not dating. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,
but that’s just the way it is.” She gave her words a moment to sink in before
turning to Liam. “And you, moron, need to learn to bite your tongue. Otherwise
you can find your own way back to Newport.”

Liam offered up a dramatic
shiver, but he snapped into obedience when Jasmine gave him a stern look.
“Alright, alright,” he said, holding up his hands. “In the interests of keeping
the peace, I’ll see myself out.”