Plus One

Chapter Twenty

"You look better than you have in weeks," Jenna said as Sophie let her inside the house.

It'd been three weeks since the accident.

"Thanks. I feel it."

She didn't need to use a cane anymore, as long as she wasn't going long distances. The bruise on her forehead was nearly gone and none of the cuts on her face had left a scar. Though she was no longer working for Ian, he'd insisted she stay in the house until he had a chance to sell it. She wondered if he ever would. She'd already promised herself that she'd move out as soon as she was able to handle it physically. The Culver City apartment was gone: Troy had just moved in with Thomas.

Jenna pulled her dress tight against her belly. "Look! I'm starting to show."

"Oh my gosh—you are adorable!" Sophie said.

"We've decided to get married soon—next month in Thailand. Do you think you could make it?"

"In a month? Yeah, I should be okay."

A wave of nausea swept over Sophie. She held up a hand.

"Jenna, can you excuse me for a—"

She bolted as fast as her body would let her toward the downstairs bathroom, falling painfully to her knees as her stomach turned.

"Sophie?" Jenna knocked softly on the door. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

She wiped her mouth, then rinsed it out with tap water. It had been like this every day this week.

"The good news is, we were able to save the baby. It's a miracle, Miss Kinsale. What with all your internal bleeding—I was sure you'd miscarry. But it looks like you have a fighter in there."

Sophie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened the door.

"Honey, if you're not feeling well, I can come some other time," Jenna said.

She shook her head and drew Jenna into the kitchen. She grabbed two sparkling waters and handed one to Jenna.

"I'm not sick," she said. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh my god! Are you serious?" Jenna squealed.

Sophie tried to smile, but the tears started and she couldn't stop.

"Oh, sweetie," Jenna said. "It's Ian's?"

Sophie nodded, miserable.

"Is he not stepping up?"

"He doesn't know."

"You have to tell him," Jenna said.

"I know. I'm just...waiting for the right moment."

She wanted to know that he was engaged and would feel no obligation to be with her because of the baby. She didn't even want child support. But, he had a right to know and she would tell him when the time was right.

"What happened between you two?" Jenna asked. "You never go out with him anymore and every time I see him he's an ornery mess. He's no good without you."

Sophie laughed, mirthless. "I doubt that's true. I was a thorn in his side."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Sophie sighed. "I made life harder for him. He's under a lot of pressure to settle down and I was an unneeded distraction."

"He doesn't love you?"

"God, no."

She wouldn't even let herself entertain the idea. He was attracted to her, yes. But if her accident hadn't gotten him to confess deeper feelings, then, she concluded, they must not have existed at all.