Aaron hung the phone up and let out a long sigh, then he turned around to face Julie.
"That sounded… interesting," she remarked.
"I think I just did something I definitely didn’t mean to do," he stated.
She knew what it sounded like, but it couldn't be. There was no way he would take that much responsibility onto his own shoulders. They hadn't even slept together yet!
"What might that be?" she asked him tentatively.
With a slight grimace he said, "I might have just told my mom that you and I were having a baby. Together. As in… I’m the one who got you pregnant instead of my brother."
She could only stare at him in disbelief. "Really?"
Sighing, he massaged his temples. "I didn't mean to, she caught me off guard. Shannon apparently overheard us talking at the reception, but she must not have heard enough because she knew you were pregnant but she didn't know if I was the father or not. The question was left to me and… I didn’t want to admit...” Instead of completing his thought, he sighed, shaking his head. “It just came out, I'm sorry."
Fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, she said, "You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like the truth would have been any better. I didn’t expect you to take responsibility though.”
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"It wasn't my place. You and I just started this… thing, and… it's your baby, I shouldn't have claimed it, especially to my mother. It's bound to eventually reach Matt, and…"
"I don’t care about that," Julie said flippantly. "I don't care what he thinks. What do you think?”
“I mean… it isn’t my baby, and we haven’t discussed…this situation. That was really presumptuous of me, but I didn’t think, it just came out.”
Julie shook her head. “It’s fine. Eventually we would have had to tell them something anyway—that story sounds better than the truth. It doesn’t bother me, I just don’t want you to regret something you blurted out in the heat of the moment.”
“It’s not that I regret it… I mean, regardless of our relationship, I’d like to have a role in the baby’s life. You said you regretted that he wouldn’t have a…sort of father-figure, and it doesn’t have to be like that.”
“I didn’t know if you would want to, given the circumstances.”
"I mean, I can't even have kids, and if Matt isn't going to be in your kid's life I guess it might actually make sense… if you don't mind anyway."
"I definitely don't mind. Are you kidding me? That’s one of the things I felt so guilty for cheating Poppy Seed out of. If that’s a role you’re willing to fill… I'm definitely not objecting."
Nodding slowly, he said, "Well… if we really want to do this we have to establish some basic rules that aren't going to change in case something happens."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… if I'm going to take an actual parental role, I'm going to need a guarantee that if something happens between us I don't just… get pushed out of the picture." There was a brief pause and then he went on. "I mean, if you're serious, if we're really going to do this… taking on a kid is not something you do with a grain of salt. Biologically I am not the father, so I'm not going to have a leg to stand on if we break up, but if that's three years from now and I'm already attached…"
Nodding, Julie said, "No, I see what you mean. We're going to have to figure this out in a pen and paper kind of way, not a romantic bubble kind of way."
"Yes," he said, seeming relieved that she caught on easily enough.
"Well… you're the one in the bargaining position, tell me what it is exactly that you want."
"I want to know that if I'm going to accept responsibility for this as my own kid—which I don't mind doing—I need the security of actually being his or her father regardless of whether or not you and I work out. Just like if I actually got you pregnant. If we break up in a year and you meet someone else, you can't change your mind. You have to deal with this exactly as you would if I really did father the baby."
"That's extremely fair."
"Especially considering… I mean, we're still very new. I'm not being completely altruistic here by offering to play daddy. I always wanted to have kids, so… regardless of whether or not you're in the package deal or not, I want to know I’m considered the father. No offense."
Shaking her head she said, "No, none taken. It would be unrealistic to expect you to just play daddy temporarily, and that isn't what I want anyway. The baby needs stability. Switching dads on him or her wouldn't be the most stable thing I could think to do."
He hesitated for just a second, then he said, "Would you be willing to put my name down on the birth certificate?"
Her eyes widened a little. "Well… I would, but if I do that you are aware that you would legally be the father… If things didn’t work out way down the road, you would still be on the hook. I mean, I wouldn’t go after you for child support or anything obviously, but you would be giving me that power.”