I step outside with her, my hold on her arm tightening. “Not anymore you don’t. Until that baby is born, you will do everything in your fucking power to ensure it comes into this world as healthy as fucking possible.” When she stares up at me like I’ve lost my damn mind, I say, “Am I understood?”
She doesn’t respond to that.
The horn blares again.
“Am I understood?” I bark.
Fuck, she is not ruining my child’s life.
I don’t care what I have to do; my baby will be born healthy.
Ripping her arm from my hold, she snaps, “Yes, you’re fucking understood. But you don’t have to be an ass about it. If you want to be a part of this baby’s life, you can. I just didn’t think you’d want to.”
A part of its life?
I’ll be more than a fucking part of its life.
“How far along are you?”
She shrugs. “A couple of months or so.”
“Fucking hell, Lynette. How can you not know the answer to this?”
“Don’t yell at me! I didn’t ask for this kid. I’m just doing the best I can. I think the doctor said it’s due in July.”
I take a deep breath and tell myself not to lose my shit with her. The stress won’t do the baby any good.
“Right, this is what you’re gonna do: you’re gonna go home. No happy hour. No drinking. And then I’m gonna come over tomorrow so we can make a plan. We’re doing this together.”
She blinks. “You really do wanna be a part of this, don’t you?”
“Lynette,” I say with conviction. “This baby will grow up knowing not only who its father is, but also that its father loves it. You just try and fucking keep me away.”
Nodding slowly, she says, “Okay,” before smiling and placing her hand to my chest. “Maybe we can be a family.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
After she’s gone, and I’ve processed the fact I’m going to be a father, I process the fact I have to go and see Zara.
I have to tell her about this child.
I have to break her heart.
28
Zara
* * *
“You know I’m all for you two,” Holly says as I make dinner, “but seriously, you’re cooking meat for him? You don’t even cook meat for me.”
I smile. “Aww, she’s jealous. So cute.” Holly never gets like this. Kinda needy. I like it.
She hops up and sits on the kitchen counter. “So when are you breaking the news to Daddy dearest? Oh, and I thought of something to add to your list of shit to do: cave diving.” She grins and nods like she’s pleased with herself. “Nowhere near as dangerous as confessing to King.”
I smack her. Since I told her about Fury and me, she’s given me hell over telling King, making a multitude of suggestions as to what we could do with our lives that might be safer. “We’re gonna tell him next week, smartass.”
“Good to know. I shall prepare for the wake. I’m gonna miss Fury.” At the sound of knocking on the front door, she says, “Speak of the sexy devil.” Jumping off the counter, she waves me off when I wipe my hands on the tea towel so I can go let him in. “As you were; I’ll go get him.”