Page 105 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

I don’t care about anything in that moment. Reassurance pounds through my chest so powerfully that it drowns out all sound. Jake’s eyes are open. He’s alive. He’s staring at me now with amusement and a hint of pain that shows on his face. I lean down and fuse our lips.

He laughs into my fervent kiss, and it's glorious, the taste of him so familiar and fresh and alive.

The coffee on his tongue mingles with the saltiness of the tears running down my cheeks. My heart pounds a new rhythm in gratitude, and I send up a prayer for the first time in a long time.

Jake is alive.

Jake doesn’t have any broken bones, shockingly.

He's extremely bruised and suffered a head injury as well as a twisted ankle, but he's otherwise okay, with no internal injuries. The doctor calls it a miracle.

Jake says it's thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes.

He says that when he heard the sound of the collapse, he leaped onto the floor in a split second and positioned himself in such a way to minimize damage as much as possible.

"Any idea what caused the collapse?" I ask.

“The cops are saying it was the excavator," Adam says. “Looks like it rolled forward a few inches and hit the scaffolding which caused it to collapse.”

“How did that happen?”

"Probably a malfunction, thanks to some structural problem,” Jake says. “Stuff like that happens all the time."

"Not on my site it doesn't,” Adam’s face is dark. "I have routine check-ups. It shouldn’t have even been that close to the scaffolding in the first place. I don't know who the fuck was drinking when they set it there, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it, and they're going to get fired."

"Oh, come on,” Jake says. "I don't think we need to go that far."

"You almost died, Jake," Adam says, frowning deeply at him. "I don't think you quite understand how serious this is. Had you reacted a little slower, it would have been a lot worse. Anyone else would have sued us into oblivion. Someone needs to get fired for this."

"It was likely an accident."

"An accident that could have cost you your life. It's not even up to me. The cops are involved now, and they have to ensure that the site is safe for more work, so until then, production is shut down."

"Bummer." Jake doesn't seem to be bothered, but maybe because he's distracted, holding my hand and playing with it,

"I already called Sam. We're going to lose money, but it's probably for the best."

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Much better seeing as how you're here." He winks roguishly despite everything. I roll my eyes, giggling.

"I heard that you tried to run in there and save me," he says, fluttering his lashes. "Look at you being the Superman to my Lois Lane."

"Shut up," I say, and he laughs. But I'm dead sober. The memory of his unmoving body still haunts me. I'll probably have nightmares about it for at least a few weeks.

"When I saw you like that, it terrified me. I would have done anything to get you out of there."

"Including putting yourself in danger," Adam gives me a stern look. "You're lucky Theo caught you because if not, you could have made things worse for both of you."'

"It's still sweet that you tried to save me," Jake says, eyes soft. "You really care about me that much, huh?"

I nod, squeezing his hand. "Yes, I do." My voice is still hoarse from all the screaming and crying I did, and I'm pretty sure my face is a mess. But he sits up and kisses me anyway, sweetly, softly.

"Thank you," he says.

I raise my eyebrow. I don't understand the gratitude. I mean, why would he be surprised that I care about him? Of course, I care about him. Why would I not care about the man I'm sleeping with and the possible father of my child?

A man who makes me smile and laugh more than any other person, soothing my insecurities while hiding his own.