Chapter 1
Covey held the test in her trembling hands, staring at the faint pink line as though sheer willpower could erase it. Four months. Four months of unknowingly carrying a life, of smiling through dates with Ka’iana while her body worked quietly, secretly, against her assumptions.
Her chest felt tight as she slipped the test into her sweater pocket, waiting for the inevitable sound of his knock. Tonight wasn’t supposed to be this heavy—they had plans for takeout, music, maybe laughter that spilled too late into the night. But now there was only one thought filling her mind: He has to know.
When Ka’iana arrived, his presence immediately filled the small apartment. He set the food on the counter, kissed her cheek, and smiled in that easy way that had disarmed her since day one. But her silence told him something was off.
“You okay?” he asked, brows knitting as he studied her face.
Covey’s throat felt dry. She forced herself to nod, then shook her head. “No. Not really. I need to show you something.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the test. The two lines stared back at them, undeniable.
Ka’iana blinked, then looked at her—eyes wide, searching. “You’re… pregnant?”
Her heart lurched. She hadn’t prepared for the hope in his voice, the way his hand instinctively hovered near her stomach as though the baby belonged to him.
“Yes,” she whispered.
A grin flickered on his lips, hesitant but real. “Covey… that’s ours?”
The word ours sliced through her. She could see the possibility shining in his eyes, the joy that dared to surface, and for a moment—just a moment—she wanted to let him keep it. To let the fantasy breathe.
But lies had never built the kind of love she wanted.
Her voice cracked as she forced the truth out. “Ka’iana… it’s not yours. I—I used a donor. Before I met you. I thought it hadn’t worked. But it did.”
The smile dropped from his face, his features tightening as though bracing against an unexpected blow. He stepped back, his hand falling away from her.
“So all this time…” His voice was low, controlled, but she could hear the storm beneath it. “You’ve been carrying another man’s child and didn’t say anything?”
Tears burned her eyes. “I didn’t know, Ka’iana. I swear, I didn’t. I only found out this week.”
He turned away, running a hand through his long hair, jaw clenched. “Damn, Covey. I don’t even know what to feel right now. I thought—” He stopped, shaking his head, his chest rising and falling with the weight of what he couldn’t finish.
She stepped closer, desperate. “Please don’t think I was trying to hide this from you. I wanted you to know. I need you to know.”
His gaze met hers again, darker now—hurt, confusion, a shadow of betrayal. He exhaled sharply. “I thought… I thought we were starting something real. That we had a future. And now—” His voice cracked, his throat tight. “I don’t know where I fit into this picture anymore.”
Covey’s chest ached. “You do fit. I want you here. I don’t want to lose what we’re building.”
Ka’iana sat down heavily on the couch, elbows braced on his knees, staring at the floor. He rubbed his temples, trying to steady his thoughts. A baby. Her baby. Not his. He had imagined late nights, first steps, teaching his child to swim like his father taught him—but that dream had shattered in an instant.
Part of him wanted to run, to save himself from the ache that threatened to swallow him whole. But another part—stubborn and loyal—wanted to stay, to protect her, even if the child wasn’t his.
“I need time,” he said finally, his voice low, almost ragged. “I can’t promise I’ll get this right, Covey. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to be okay with it. But I don’t want to walk away either.”
She sank onto the couch beside him, her hand barely touching his. “That’s all I can ask. Just… don’t shut me out completely.”
Ka’iana didn’t answer. His silence stretched between them, heavy but alive, as though love and uncertainty had tangled together and refused to let go.
Morning light crept through the blinds, spilling across the couch where Ka’iana sat, fully dressed, staring at nothing. He hadn’t been able to sleep, not really. Covey had drifted off in the bedroom hours ago, exhaustion and tears carrying her under. But for him, the night stretched on like an ocean tide that refused to retreat.
Pregnant. Four months. Not his.
The words replayed over and over, looping like a broken song. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back, eyes closing. And now, with stillness pressing down on him, little details from the last few weeks came rushing back, demanding to be noticed.
The way she had tugged her sweater tighter around her stomach some nights, laughing it off as “too much takeout.”
The faint swell he thought he’d imagined when she stood in front of the bathroom mirror in her tank top.
How quickly she’d excused herself when a wave of nausea had hit during dinner, chalking it up to food poisoning.
Was I blind? Or just choosing not to see?
He exhaled, frustrated with himself. He’d wanted her so badly, wanted their relationship to feel solid, uncomplicated, new. Maybe he hadn’t allowed himself to question the signs because he’d been afraid of what he might find.
His mind drifted to the first night he kissed her—the way her smile had felt like sunlight, her laugh spilling from her lips with ease. He had been hooked, sure that whatever this was between them had been placed in his path for a reason. And now?
Now there was a child. A child that wasn’t his.
Ka’iana rubbed his chest, trying to ease the heaviness there. He wasn’t angry at the baby. He couldn’t be. That little life didn’t ask for any of this. But the truth was, he didn’t know if he was ready to raise another man’s child, to stand beside Covey through late nights and diaper changes, always knowing he hadn’t been there from the start.
And yet, the thought of walking away made him sick.
He glanced toward the bedroom door, cracked just enough to see the curve of Covey’s leg beneath the blanket. She shifted in her sleep, her hand instinctively resting against her stomach.
That sight—simple, raw, maternal—knocked the air from his lungs. She looked like she belonged to that child already. And he? He didn’t know if he belonged to either of them.
Ka’iana leaned forward, elbows on his knees, voice a whisper meant only for himself.
“God, what am I supposed to do here?”
