My Ex's Baby (Crescent Cove 8)

Fuck, we might’ve made a baby.

Us. Her and me, together. The idea was scary as fuck, but somehow it was still…good.

Crazy but good.

Even if she didn’t think I needed to be a part of it. I was just the sperm donor, after all. We’d let off steam, so now I was supposed to get gone. That was the role she expected me to play.

Her plot was just about to twist.

“You can think of us being together as casually as if we’d met for lunch, but I’m not like that.” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Just because I’m male doesn’t mean I treat sex as if it’s meaningless. If I go there, it’s important to me. You’re important to me.”

She pivoted to face me. “You’re important to me too. But what about Ivy?”

“What about her?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t this weird for her?” She lifted her hands and dropped them. “I mean, one time, she never has to know. But if there’s repeats…if there’s a—” She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

I clasped both of her hands in mine. “She loves you. I’m pretty sure she loves me. I’m going to guess she’d be okay with it. My sister only wants us to be happy.” I rubbed my thumbs over the backs of her hands, so pale and cool in mine. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”

“Yeah. I suppose I should take this.” She stepped away from me and drew the test from her purse. “Before Ivy comes back. I mean, I could go home and take it.”

“No. Do it here. Now. I can’t wait to find out.”

A wrinkle formed between her brows. “I thought you weren’t freaking.”

“Of course I’m freaking. But until we know there’s something to worry about, let’s just…not.”

“Right. That’s logical.”

Rhiannon started to cry from her room just down the hall. “I’ll get her,” I said quickly. I’d known I probably wouldn’t be able to put her down for long, but I’d wanted to see what was going on with Kinleigh. “You take the test.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

She moved toward the bathroom, suddenly seeming so fragile although I know she wasn’t. She was anything but. Even so, everyone needed reassurance sometimes.

Including me.

“Kin?”

She glanced back.

“We’ll be okay, no matter what. I promise.”

Nodding, she stepped inside and shut the door.

After rolling out the tension in my neck, I went to check on my niece. Rhiannon had worked herself into a good head of mad. Cheeks red, big blue eyes streaming.

Probably a Ferguson family trait.

I scooped her up and rocked her gently, walking to the big window that looked out on the street. I sang a lullaby to her, one that usually worked, while Rhiannon sobbed.

Good God, did I really think I could do this? Being an uncle was one thing. I was still finding my way there, but I also got to give her back if she fussed or made too much of a mess. I’d changed a couple of diapers when I had no choice. Still, my sister was in charge.

What would it be like if I was in charge? Well, Kinleigh and I. We would be a team, no matter what she believed.

That concept didn’t bother me nearly as much as I would’ve thought, huge freaking surprise aside.