6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

“See? Listen, Kam, I don’t agree with what he was doing. I think it’s pretty sleazy and demeaning, but as far as you are concerned, he loves you and he’s not been unfaithful to you.”

I sat and absorbed everything she’d just told me. So Tate had been faithful to me. If Rain believed him, I knew that I could too.

But what about the baby? That was a huge game changer. He might be ready to give up his playboy lifestyle for me, but would he be ready to be a father?

“So what are you going to do about the baby?” Rain asked softly.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. It hasn’t fully sunk in yet I don’t think. I mean, of course I’m going to keep it, but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.”

“You have to tell Tate,” she said.

“I know.”

Rain leaned over and gave me a big hug. “No matter what, you’re going to be OK.” She bent her head down and patted my belly. “Auntie Rain is gonna spoil you rotten, little one,” she said with a huge smile.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Just promise me that he or she won’t come home with purple hair one day.”

“I make no such promises,” she declared as she rose to go.

I sat for a few minutes after she left just thinking about everything she’d told me. Though what Tate had done had been gross in its own right, he had never cheated on me. He really did love me. The realization flooded me with relief. Now I just had to tell him about the baby.

I got up and walked over to the counter where the mail was sitting from the past couple of days. I picked up an envelope with a familiar address and turned it over in my hands. I knew exactly how I was going to tell him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – TATE

The Gala was packed when I walked in with my sister on my arm. Steven Pratt welcomed me as the others gathered clapped for me. I gave a polite nod and introduced Megan to the crowd.

“Where’s that lovely girl you were seeing?” asked one of the women from before.

“She might be here later.” I didn’t know what else to say and felt too strange to explain that we’d broken up. The wound was too fresh to pick at, and I wanted to just get the night over with, so I could go home and crawl back in bed.

The woman walked away satisfied, and Megan gave me a reassuring pat on the back. “Show me your work.”

I led her around the gallery, nodding and saying hello to the crowd who all seemed to like my photography and wanted to chat about it. After a while, I made small talk with some of the other members of the committee, I flagged down a waiter and took a drink from his tray for my sister and then two for myself. I downed the first and placed the glass back on the tray and gave him a pat on the back as he walked away.

“Easy, there. They won’t ask the lush back next year.” Megan chuckled, but it was half-hearted.

“I don’t know why I’m nervous. She’s not going to come. I really fucked up with her.”

“Well at least dad seemed interested when I left the invitation with him.”

I gave her a withering glare. That didn’t sound accurate.

“OK, fine. His new girlfriend is the one who seemed interested. He just rolled his eyes and played it off. I think he was a little jealous that she liked your picture.”

“Great.” I hated most of my dad’s girlfriends, and it sounded like I wouldn’t like the new one any better. I don’t know why they had to put my face on the invitation. My photographs would have been sufficient.

As I stared off into the other room, where the murals were covered for their unveiling, my sister nudged me.

My mouth fell open as I turned to see Kami walking into the room.

“I’ll just leave you a minute. Go to her.” Megan gave me a pointed look and scurried away.

I walked over, and Kami took a deep breath as I stopped in front of her. “Thank you for coming.”

She rocked back and forth on her pumps and looked around, smiling and waving to the ones who’d been looking for her. “I know how much this means to you,” she said in response.

“Nothing means as much to me as you do,” I said to her.