Double The Love (BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel) (8 page)

“It’s the past,” Jasmine said,
refusing to meet his gaze. “I mean…it’s not like I can deny that it happened
considering the proof is right under my shirt, but it’s nothing I want to
discuss with you either.”

Liam was quiet. “Are you sure?”
he questioned, giving her one final chance to change her mind.

“All we would do was fight,”
Jasmine said.

Liam smirked. “Yeah, well, what
else is new?” he teased. “But I get it. Just promise me you won't marry that
slime ball publicist of yours. That would make these visits home pretty
awkward, you know, considering he’s as old as your dad.”

“Trust me when I say that’ll
never happen,” Jasmine said, giving him an amused smile as she reached down and
caressed her stomach. “I think it’s safe to say that marriage is just about the
last thing on my mind right now.”

Liam relaxed, welcoming the
change of air. “Well if you change your mind…”

“I won’t,” Jasmine finished for
him, although she didn’t sound entirely sure of herself. “But if on the off
chance that I do, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Chapter twelve

Jasmine postponed her final
scan appointment until after her tour, which meant it had been almost two weeks
since the last time she'd seen Liam. Things had been weird between them ever
since their conversation at her parents, and neither one of them was in any
rush to see the other.

Liam tried to convince himself
that it wasn’t as much rejection he was feeling as it was regret, but it was a
lot easier said than done. It wasn’t that he blamed Jasmine for turning down
his proposal. His approach was anything but charming, but he still hadn’t
enjoyed the experience of her turning him down. It left him feeling bitter, and
it wasn’t long before other people started to notice what a foul mood he was
in.

Andrea was the first to bring
it up. Liam had been spending a lot of time with her lately, and though their
friendship was strictly platonic in nature, that didn’t stop Jason from
speculating that his friend was moving in on his sister.

“What the hell?” Liam
exclaimed, furrowing his brows. “Of course not. I’d never do that to you.”

“Well can you blame me for
assuming?” Jason said, holding up his hands. “You’ve been spending a hell of a
lot of time with her lately. I was starting to think you’d went and developed a
fetish for single mothers.”

“Gross,” Liam said. Quite
frankly, he’d begun to look at Andrea as a sister. It took a real effort for
him to look at her in a sexual manner.

“What’s gross?” Andrea
questioned, stepping out of Lily’s nursery and taking a seat beside Liam on the
couch.

“The fact that I can see your
breast milk leaking through your tank top,” Jason remarked, nodding at her
chest.

“What?” Andrea looked down and
her cheeks flushed as soon as she saw what he was referring to. She ran to
change her shirt and jabbed him in the chest when she returned. “Asshole,” she
muttered, taking a seat on the couch and folding her legs up under herself.

“How's Jasmine?” Andrea
questioned, changing the subject.

Liam shrugged. “Oh you know.
Just her usual hormonal self.” He really had to get around to breaking the ice
with her. The baby could be born any day now. He couldn't sit around licking
his wounds forever.

Andrea shot her brother a dirty
look when he snickered. “Jason,” she said, speaking in an even tone. “I’m out
of diapers. Would you mind running to the store and grabbing me a pack?”

Jason sighed. “Really? Now? But
Liam just got here.”

“Yes,” Andrea said. “Lily will
be up from her nap soon. I’ll be SOL if I don’t have a clean one to put on her.
I have a twenty in my purse. You can keep the change.”

“Alright, alright,” Jason
relented. He stood up from his recliner and glanced over at Liam. “You coming?”

Andrea gave Liam a look that
screamed
‘say
no’
, so he did just that. “Nah, I’m good man. I have a headache. I'll just
chill here and we can game or something when you get back.”

Jason huffed and puffed a
little, but Andrea and Liam heard the front door slam shut a few seconds later.

“You really look like you need
to vent,” Andrea spoke up, meeting Liam’s gaze.

Liam shrugged and blew out a
long breath as he clawed his fingers through his hair. “I asked her to marry
me,” he muttered. “Why did I do that?”

Andrea gave Liam a look that
illustrated just how surprised she was. “Well it’s not that hard to figure
out,” she said after awhile, sounding somewhat sad. “You’re in love with her.”

Liam met eyes with her and
shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, not bothering to refute it. “I guess I just
felt like it was what she needed, but apparently I was wrong. She shut me down
as soon as I popped the question.”

Andrea was quick to recover.
“Liam, come on,” she said, grabbing hold of his hand. “I’m sure it’s not that
she doesn’t want to. It’s just that…no woman wants a man to feel obligated to
marry her. Besides, do you really think you’re ready to give up your
independence? Didn’t you say that was what caused your parents downfall?”

“What does it matter?” Liam
countered. “It’s happening whether I’m ready or not. And you know…I’m getting
real sick of everyone comparing me to my parents. I’m nothing like them.”

Andrea ignored Liam’s harsh
tone. “A baby and a
wife
are two very different things Liam,” she reminded him. “This
isn’t the 1940s. As honorable as it is, you’re not obligated to marry a woman
just because you got her pregnant.”

Liam sighed and looked away
from her. “I never said I felt obligated,” he said after a moment of silence.

“You didn’t have to.”

“Well all of this is irrelevant
anyway. Jazz said no. There’s nothing to talk about. Besides, you’re right. The
idea that I could ever be married is insane. It would never work,” Liam
rambled, although it was clear to Andrea that he was trying to convince himself
more than he was her.

“So why did you ask her then?”

Liam shrugged. “I overheard her
talking to her younger sister when we were at her parents house. Apparently I
took her virginity the night we hooked up.”

Andrea smirked. "Ah, now I
get it,” she said. “You feel like you tarnished her.”

“Well, I kinda did, didn’t I?”
Liam theorized. “Her career was just starting to hit its peak when I came along
and ruined it with my dick. Now she has to walk around wearing a fake wedding
ring to escape judgmental looks from women twice her age. It’s fucked up.”

“Liam, come on,” Andrea said.
“You're not entirely at fault here. It takes two people to make a baby.”

Liam sighed and clenched his
jaw. It didn’t matter what anyone had to say. He’d always feel the need to carry
the brunt of the blame in this. He was the one who drunkenly suggested that he
and Jasmine hook up, and he was the one who stayed awake almost every night for
a year replaying it in his head.

“You love her,” Andrea reminded
him for a second time, pulling him away from his thoughts. “That's a lot more
than Lily's father can say about me. Give yourself a little more credit, would
you?”

Liam gave her a sympathetic
look, but he didn't say anything. What was there to say? The reminder that
Andrea’s ex could walk out on her and his daughter never ceased to infuriate
him. No matter what happened between him and Jasmine, he would never stoop as
low as to walk out on her.

“When was the last time you saw
her?” Andrea questioned, breaking through the quiet.

“It’s been a few weeks,” Liam
said, feeling guilty.

“Oh.” Andrea gave him a look
that made it clear that she wasn't impressed. “Well do you plan on changing
that anytime soon?”

Liam nodded and pulled his keys
from his jacket pocket. “Yeah,” he managed. “I guess there’s no time like the
present right?”

Chapter thirteen

Eli made a point of avoiding
Jasmine when she first got back from her trip to Newport Beach. It wasn't until
the final show of the tour that she finally saw him again. He knocked on her
dressing room door after her performance, and she opened it to find him holding
a large bouquet of flowers.

“Forgive me?” Eli begged,
tilting his head to the side and giving her a desperate smile.

Jasmine smiled and rolled her
eyes before stepping aside to let him in.

“You did great out there,” Eli
noted, removing a few wilted flowers from the vase on her vanity and sliding
the new ones in. “And you have a glow about you. It’s nice.”

“I’m just glad the tour is
finally over,” Jasmine said. “It’s been exhausting. I’m ready to just kick back
and focus on the baby for awhile.”

“I know,” Eli said, giving her
a tight smile. “That's actually why I'm here.”

“Oh?” Jasmine questioned. An
uneasy feeling surfaced in the pit of her stomach, but she tried not to give it
that much energy.

Eli nodded. “Look,” he said,
taking a step towards her. “I know I’ve come on a little strong these past few
months. That wasn’t my intention. It’s just…I can’t help the way you make me
feel, Jasmine. I'm in love with you. I have been from the moment you walked
into my office seeking management. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, or
for this baby. I want to share everything I have with you. I’m a wealthy man.
You know that. I can give you a good life. The kind of life you deserve. Let me
take care of you. Be my wife.”

Jasmine stumbled backwards and
slid into a chair. “I can’t believe this is happening again,” she mumbled,
reaching up to massage the tension from her temples.

“What?”

Jasmine looked up, appearing
surprised that he’d heard her. “Nothing,” she said, exhaling a deep breath.
“It’s just…you aren't the first person to ask me to marry them this month.”

Eli caught sight of the ring on
her finger and let out a nasty laugh before beginning to pace. “Jazz, what are
you thinking here? Why the hell would you marry that punk? What happened to you
looking at him like a brother?”

Jasmine remained quiet as she
watched him go off the deep end. “He’s not a punk,” she interrupted, getting
right to the point. “He’s the baby’s father.”

Eli jerked around to look at
her and froze in place as though he’d been slapped. “He's what?” he spat.

“You heard me. Liam is the
baby’s father. We hooked up one time last summer and this was the result,”
Jasmine said, waving at her stomach.

Eli narrowed his eyes at her
and took a step back. “Wow, and to think I was under the impression that you
were the kind of girl who knew when to say when.”

Jasmine pummeled towards him
with the intention of slapping him, but she regained her composure for the
baby’s sake. “Get out,” she said instead, nodding at the door and folding her
arms over her chest.

Eli wouldn’t listen. He just
kept stomping around the room and tossing his arms in the air like a madman.
“God, I can’t believe you screwed that asshole. What was it, some kind of pity
fuck?”

“It wasn't like that at all,”
Jasmine snapped. The next words to leave her mouth were some of the most
truthful ones she’d ever spoken. “I’ve had a thing for him since I was five
years old.”