“She would.”
“How do you think Chloe’s gonna react?”
“She’s not going to be excited, I’m sure about that. If she had a kid, it wouldn’t change how I feel about her,” I say, remembering Archer’s words.
“That’s a good point. What if she was living with her baby’s father for the convenience of things, not because she was romantically involved with him.”
I take a few seconds to really think about it. Chloe famously dated Charles Baldwin, and if she came back to Silver Ridge with a baby in tow, she still would have taken my breath away. I still would have fallen for her all over again, still done anything to make her mine. It wouldn’t matter. I love Chloe, and for some reason, seeing her as the good mother I know she will be would only strengthen how I feel about her.
But if she told me she was still living with the guy she used to sleep with, the guy who has such a close, bonded tie to her…I might wonder if she still has feelings for him, and putting that kind of doubt on a brand-new relationship sets us up to fail, I know.
“It would be hard,” I say honestly. “Because I’d wonder if she’d rather be with him.”
Jacob nods. “Yeah. I’d wonder the same too.”
“If it’s my kid, though…I…I have to put him or her first. I won’t be one of those dads who’s only there when it’s convenient.”
“You won’t be. We were raised better than that. Though if I’m being honest, I thought Mason would be the one coming home telling us about some one-night stand he knocked up, not you.”
“I did too.”
“Look…it’s not ideal and not how you imagined things would happen. It’s gonna work out. I know that sounds like bullshit for me to say it like it’s easy, but you’re not alone in this either. You got us, and if Stacey legitimately needs a place to stay for a few months after the baby is born, you know Mom will clear out a room the same day you tell her. That baby is a Harris, regardless who the mother is.”
“You’re right.” Pepper rolls over, sliding off my lap and onto the couch next to me and sticks his paws in the air so I can rub his belly.
“When can you do a paternity test?”
“Now,” I tell him. “And I brought it up a few times to Stacey and she dances around it.”
Jacob arches an eyebrow. “Don’t you find that suspicious?”
“Yeah,” I say, feeling relief for finally admitting it out loud. “Which is kind of why I want to wait to tell Chloe. I know,” I sigh. “You don’t have to say it. If the DNA test comes back and it is my kid, she’ll be upset I kept it from her. I don’t know the fucking protocol on this.” I shake my head.
“I don’t think anyone does. You gotta tell Chloe. Keeping this from her isn’t much different than leading her on when you don’t want to commit.”
“You’re right.” I pinch the bridge of my nose again, feeling a headache coming on. It’s from stress, I know. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell her what you told me. Stacey recently came to you with the news, you plan to have a paternity test done to be sure, and you want to be with her, not Stacey.”
“Sounds easy when you say it like that.”
“Chloe is pretty level-headed and laid back,” Jacob goes on. “I think she’ll take it better than you expect. Tell her when you get back. If she needs space, she can stay here while you go back to Chicago for work. And if not, you two can go back like you planned and work it out from there. It’s not gonna be easy, man, but if you two can pine after each other for years and years, not act on it, and still have feelings that strong, I think you’ll be able to work shit out.”
“Fuck, I hope you’re right.”
“I usually am. And don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone yet.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s not every day I get to offer you advice, albeit on something I know nothing about.”
“It helps to tell someone. Keeping this bottled up was kind of killing me. I felt like I was lying every time I was around Chloe.”
“Let me know what she says.”
“I will.”17ChloeI wrap my arms around myself, shivering as I slowly make my way out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to pee. My entire body hurts and shivering only makes it worse. My head pounds worse than before, and the bright light shining through the windows makes me feel like I’m going to throw up.
All I want to do is sleep, but I’m in so much pain I can’t fall asleep. Teeth chattering, I debate sitting in a hot shower. It sounds wonderful and will hopefully soothe my body aches. But it also seems like a lot of effort, and just this little walk from the bedroom to the bathroom is wearing me out.