The snarl of her upper lip answers my uncertainty.
“You brought a freaking pregnancy test?” she shrieks. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
A reaction. Finally, I get something from her.
Hudson warned me she’d go Muhammad Ali on my ass when she saw the test, but as I mentioned before, my brain isn’t functioning at its finest.
I stumble forward when Lauren pushes my back to gain my attention.
She signals between Willow and me. “Why would you assume the baby is yours if she’s pregnant?” Her hand flies to her mouth. “Holy mother of God, you two are banging?”
“No!” Willow yells, as if the thought horrifies her.
That puts a damper on a man’s ego.
I grit my teeth. This isn’t a conversation I want to conduct in front of my baby sister. “Lauren, some privacy, please.”
She scrunches up her nose. “In case you’ve failed to notice, this is my apartment. Where do you expect me to go at three in the morning?”
“Your bedroom.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. You suck.”
“And be sure to put on earplugs,” I call out to her as she heads down the hallway.
She twists around on her heels with a smirk. “And miss this conversation?”
I give her a look, one that tells her I’m not fucking around, but that only grants me another eye roll. Her bedroom door slams shut, and I know she’s not going for her earplugs.
The air is heavy.
I’m staring at Willow.
She’s staring at me.
A scarlet flush rides up her high cheekbones.
I’ve never had a staring contest last so long.
Willow has the face of an angel with light freckles scattered along her nose and cheeks. Her personality-matching fire-red hair is pulled back into a ponytail with loose strands flying in every direction. I’ve never had one negative thought about her until tonight. She has a huge heart and bends over backward to help others, often putting them before herself. She smiles as if she’s never been hurt, but I know she has from the many times I saw her dip out of rooms with tears in her eyes after an argument with her ex-boyfriend. She acts hard but is a softie.
She’s also cautious with letting people in. This is going to be a challenge.
“Put that pregnancy test away before I shove it up your ass.” Her cold tone startles me.
It takes me a few attempts before I manage to push it back into my pocket. She flinches when I move in closer and drop to my knees in front of her. Pain coats my throat as I clear it.
“If you’re pregnant,” I say, blowing out a breath. It takes me a second to continue. “If you’re pregnant and I’m the father, we need to come up with a plan.”
There.
That’s me stepping up and being a man even though I want nothing more than to throw myself out the window. No matter how broken I am, no matter what hell I’m going through, I could never turn my back on my child.
Willow shakes her head, swatting her hand through the air, as if dismissing what I said. “Dallas, don’t worry about this, okay? You’re going through a lot. I can do this on my own.”
“If there’s one certainty I have for you, it’s that, that’s not fucking happening, do you hear me?”
She sighs, rubbing her forehead. “Fuck.” An annoyed laugh leaves her full pink lips. “You storm over here at the ass crack of dawn after one of the most exhausting days of my life and demand I make a plan?” She snorts. “That’s not what’s happening right now, do you hear me?” She lies back down on the couch and pulls the blanket up her body. “I’m going to sleep, and you can go back to doing whatever it is you were doing … as long as it’s not drunkenly waking up the entire building while waving pregnancy tests through the air.”
Fuck. She has a point.
Lauren interrupts us by walking back into the living room and holds both hands in the air. “Don’t get pissed at me, but, Willow, take my bed. I can’t have a pregnant chick crashing on my couch.”
A slight smile hits Willow’s lips. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine.” The smile collapses when her attention goes to me. “As long as it’s quiet.”
That’s Willow—accommodating everyone else and always putting herself last in line.
“You sure?” Lauren asks, and Willow nods. “Okay, let me know if you change your mind or need anything.” She tells us good night and goes back to her bedroom.
“What are you doing?” Willow asks when I grab a blanket and pillow from a closet.
I throw them on the floor next to the couch. “You’re exhausted. I’m exhausted. Let’s get some rest and talk in the morning.”
“You have a bed at your home. Go sleep in it.”
I squat down and fluff the pillow. “I’m crashing here. End of discussion. I can’t risk you sneaking out on me in the middle of the night and flying thousands of miles away before talking. We’ll be having a conversation about this tomorrow.”
She sends me one last glare before shifting on her side and giving me a view of her back. I switch off the light and make myself as comfortable as I can, resting my arms behind my head and staring at the ceiling.
A baby.
A baby with another woman.
I fight every day to hold Maven and myself together. How am I going to do this?
It’ll be a struggle, but I’ll figure it out.
I made Lucy a promise to be a good man, and I plan on keeping it.
Chapter Five
Dallas
THREE MONTHS AGO
The good people of Blue Beech visit the Down Home Pub for three reasons:
#1: To forget.
#2: To feel alive.
#3: A live band is playing, and they don’t have shit else to do.
I’m number one.
It’s a hole in the wall, the only bar in the county, and it has been here longer than I’ve been alive. It’s not fancy, and it doesn’t carry top-shelf shit, but I feel more comfortable here than any upscale club in LA.
I’ve been a regular since my twenty-first birthday, but in the past ten months, I’ve become almost a part-time resident the two days a week I don’t have Maven. My parents demand they get plenty of time with their only grandchild. I tend to come during the week when the people who don’t like conversation are here.
It’s a full house tonight, which is why I didn’t want to come. I hate crowds. Hate the flashes of pity men give me after sucking down another shot of cheap whiskey. Hate the women who take turns coming over with the belief that food and attention will heal me.
A fucking casserole isn’t going to restore this empty soul of mine.
I walked into the bar to find Lauren and Willow sitting at a table in the back. Lauren ordered a round for everyone and did her best to get us to get up and socialize, but neither one of us was having it. Willow eventually convinced her to bail on us and have fun on the dance floor.
Thank fuck.
My sister goes overboard when she tries to pep me up and give me a good time.
How Willow ended up here is a mystery to me. Pubs aren’t her thing. She sips champagne, does yoga, eats chocolate with fancy-ass names. She flew in for Stella’s crew party, so the only reason I can come up with is, she’s trying to stay away from Stella and Hudson’s lovefest.