But if he’d seduced her hoping she’d rubber-stamp his proposal, wouldn’t he have submitted the proposal with his name on it? But his name had been absent from the EA and proposed action description. If she’d known his involvement, she might have called him and asked for an explanation before she denied the permit.

He’d nearly gotten her fired from the dream job she’d pursued since she was a kid—and he’d known exactly how important it was to her. They’d talked about it when she first joined him and Jae for drinks that night. The only thing he hadn’t known when he complained to her boss was that she was pregnant with his child.

And he still didn’t know that little detail.

What a mess.

She’d been so tempted to tell him before he left, but he needed a clear head as he set off in the rainy night. She pushed off the door and returned to the living room, settling on the couch and wrapping herself in several blankets. There was no danger she’d be falling asleep anytime soon. She was tired, but wired. And terrified.

When she closed her eyes she saw the specter with the knife. She saw Jeb. She saw a disembodied finger.

She kept her eyes wide open. She pulled the musty blankets tight around her, and warmth finally began to seep in beyond the surface. Her lips still held the memory of kissing him.

When she’d been unable to tell Xavier about the baby, she’d made the choice not to tell anyone. Not yet. It didn’t seem right to share the news with someone other than the baby’s father first. Only her OB/GYN, the physician’s assistant, and the ultrasound technician knew. She’d heard the baby’s heartbeat two weeks ago, but hadn’t been able to share her excitement with anyone.

Her parents had divorced when she was fourteen, and her mom had gleefully left the Olympic Peninsula as soon as Audrey turned eighteen. The family had moved to Forks for her father’s work, and her mother said living on the peninsula had felt like punishment for bad decisions.

Her mom now lived in Tacoma and refused to visit Audrey in Port Angeles. Needless to say, they weren’t close. Not telling her mother about the baby hadn’t been a hardship.

Her father was a different story. He’d left Forks as well, but for a different reason. His arthritis couldn’t take the heavy coastal rain anymore. He’d retired to Arizona eight years ago. They exchanged regular emails, but distance had eroded their relationship. He would be excited to learn he was going to be a grandpa at long last, but he wouldn’t have a big role in the baby’s life.