Page 14 of Bless My Heart

“Ok.”

“Wes, I hate to ask you to do this, but can we keep this between us for now? If it gets out that I’m pregnant with my student’s baby, I could be fired. I really need this job. And getting fired won’t look good on my resume.”

“Who are we talking about?”

“Everyone.”

“What about my family?”

“I’d rather them not know. I obviously can’t keep it a secret from my family because I’m going to show, but no one has to know you’re the dad. At least until after the semester is over.”

“Hazel …”

“I know. I know it’s a big ask, but this is my career, Wes. My entire life. It’s just for this semester. Once you’re no longer my student, you can tell your family. It will still be plenty of time before the baby comes.”

I sigh. I understand her point but keeping this big of a life moment from my parents, Stella, and friends feels wrong. Ozzy and I tell each other everything. How am I supposed to keep this big of a secret from him?

“Alright. I won’t tell anyone,” I agree. I see her shoulders relax with relief.

She squeezes my hand. “Thank you, Wes. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok. I understand why you’re asking. And really, as long as I’m here with you and the baby, that’s all I care about.” She gives me a smile. “Well, Dr. Greenwood, you better get used to me hanging around because I’m not going anywhere.” I slip my shoes off and make myself more comfortable on her couch.

“You…you’re staying?”

“Yep. I’ve gotta make sure my baby mama is taken care of.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m still not going anywhere.” She looks me up and down, again trying to decide if I’m serious. “So, what are we watching?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

HAZEL

I thought Wes was kidding. Or maybe I thought he’d get tired of sitting on my couch watching The Mandalorian with me on a Friday night. I thought he’d realize what a nerd I was and change his mind.

But he doesn’t.

He actually looks like he’s enjoying himself. I started the season over so he could watch it from the beginning. He pays attention and asks questions when he is confused. It’s kinda cute.

I hate to admit it, but it’s kind of nice having him here. I don’t feel pressured to look sexy or say the right thing. Maybe it’s the eight year age difference or the fact that he’s being so mature about everything, but I feel more relaxed than I have all week.

We’re just hanging out. I haven’t done this in…years. Even when I was with Jordan, I always wondered what he was thinking or what I could do to keep him happy.

I’m not worried about that with Wes. I can’t be. He’s my student. Yes, I ended up pregnant but that doesn’t mean anything has to change, or that we have to be in a relationship. It just means we have to tolerate each other and be the best parents we can be for this baby.

When I get hungry, Wes orders us a pizza because that’s the only thing that sounds good to me right now. We don’t bother sitting at the table and just put the pizza box between us on the couch and grab what we want. It’s totally chill and one of the best Fridays I’ve had in awhile.

That seems to happen when I’m with Wes. Each time I’ve been with him, I have a great time. It doesn’t matter if it’s life changing sex in a bar or sitting on my couch watching reruns of one of my favorite shows.

After we eat, I watch him get more comfortable on my couch. He runs his hands through his already messy blond hair, and I can’t help but watch his fingers glide through the strands. He has such nice hands. And those fingers…He sure as hell knows how to use them.

Suddenly, my throat feels dry, thinking about all the things he made my body feel. Oh, Jesus. Remember, he’s your student, Hazel.

I clear my throat. “So, uh, we should probably have some ground rules if we’re going to do this.” He turns his gaze to me, and his eyes lock on mine. His lips turn up in a slight smile, like he can’t wait to hear what I have to say.

“Rules?”