Her Secret, His Child

Karen was frowning. "I thought you were still in your senior year when you got pregnant—" She broke off, her eyes wide. "Oh, no…"

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

Nodding, Jamie smiled sadly. "I was working the night she was conceived…"

"Oh, God."

She nodded, fresh tears brimming in her eyes, though she wouldn't let them fall. Not again.

"But Kyle—"

"Karen, the truth is, we met at a party of Tom Webber's and I was there to work. But what happened with Kyle was… different. We talked, we really connected and we…made love. It seemed so natural and wonderful—and it was the first time for me."

"Does he know?" Karen whispered. "I mean, does he know what you did for a living?"

"Not yet, but I'm going to tell him." Jamie watched the ramifications dawn in Karen's eyes. And saw the sadness—the worry—that followed.

Kyle stopped by his favorite take-out place and bought them all teriyaki chicken and rice for dinner. Jamie had invited Karen and Kayla to join them; at Karen's suggestion they'd decided to meet at the Smith house. Karen was upstairs reading the girls a story when he arrived, laden with fragrant bags. He always looked great to Jamie, especially in his professor duds, but tonight he was like a lighthouse in a storm, calling out to her. His jeans fit his thighs as snugly as always; his jacket, a tweed, had patches on the elbows. And his hair was disheveled as though he'd been running his fingers through it all afternoon. But his eyes had warm lights in them when he smiled at her.

TARA TAYLOR QUINN

Jamie reached up and kissed him hello while he still had his hands full of bags. After tonight, she might never have another chance.

Gentleman that he was, he calmly kissed her back, as though her greeting had been a perfectly natural and everyday occurrence rather than the minor miracle it was. He then set the bags on the kitchen table and started divvying up dinner.

Although the girls were overtired, they were full of tales from their day at the zoo and kept the three adults entertained right up until dessert.

Which consisted of peanut butter, bread and jelly. Kyle had forgotten dessert, but he'd brought the sandwich makings in case either of the girls didn't like teriyaki chicken.

"This is lunch, not dessert, huh, Mommy?" Ashley said, turning up her nose at the offering.

"Usually it is, sweetie, but if Daddy says it's dessert, then tonight it's dessert."

"What's dessert about peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, Daddy?"

"The jelly," Kyle said. "It's pure sugar."

' 'Then can I just have jelly and bread and no peanut butter?" Kayla asked, grabbing for a slice of bread from the bag Kyle had produced.

"Just jelly it is." Kyle rescued the bread from Kayla's tight little fingers and spread it liberally with jelly.

"Mommy? Can my daddy spend the night?"

Kyle dropped the slice of bread, jelly-side down, on the table.

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

Karen started to cough and buried her face in her napkin.

Jamie wanted to die.

"I don't think so, honey," she told her daughter. "Tonight's a school night and you know the rule about school nights."

"But daddies don't go to school."

"No, but little girls do."

"But Miss Jamie, if Ashley's daddy doesn't ever spend the night, then you can't be marrieds and live ever after."