I slowly stepped closer to her, weary that she might be mad. My choice of words were not my greatest. She didn’t move, so I wrapped my arms around her back.
“That came out wrong. Can we just forget the last few minutes happened, please?”
“Sure,” she replied, and I knew I was forgiven because she hugged me back. “This is going to take work, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” We were still practically strangers, and we were having a baby together. There were many disagreements to come, but we’d get there – we didn’t have a choice.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“He’s gonna hate me,” I said, sitting in Holly’s living room as we prepared to tell Brad that I was the father of Holly’s baby.
“He might be angry, but he won’t hate you.”
“Of course he’s going to hate me and ‘might be angry’ is the-”
“Alright,” she snapped. “I was trying to help and calm your nerves, but fine, he’s going to want to castrate you. Happy?”
I threw my hands up. “No!”
“Jasper, get a grip.”
I stood up. This was going to go badly. There was an unwritten rule about mates’ sisters and not only had I crossed that line – more than once – but I’d also got her pregnant. I didn’t regret what happened with Holly. I’d never wanted anything as strongly as I’d wanted to be with her those nights, but I should have spoke to Brad about it so it wouldn’t affect our friendship.
“Why have you started pacing?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m about to tell a mate I knocked up his sister!”
“We did this. You didn’t do anything on your own.”
I pointed at her. “Let’s open with that.”
The front door opened.
“Holly?” Brad called out.
“We’re in the living room.”
“We’re?” Brad said as he walked in and spotted me. “Jasper, hey man, how’s it going?”
Oh shit. My throat closed up. This was Brad, a mate. I wasn’t supposed to have a baby with his sister, especially not when we weren’t in a relationship.
“Good. Look, there’s something we need to talk to you about.”
He looked at Holly, who stood up.
“You okay? Is everything alright with the baby?”
“Yeah, fine,” she replied.
His attention then turned to me, frowning.
“What do you both need to talk to me about?”
“I’m the baby’s dad,” I said.
Holly gawped at me. We had discussed that we were going to explain a little better than that. Blurting it out was stupid, but there was no easy way of softening a punch like that. It just needed to be out there.
He blinked heavily. “I’m sorry, you’re what?”
I wrapped my arm around Holly, and she leant into me. her petite body fit against me as if she’d been made for me. I liked it way more than I should have.
“I’m the dad.”
He looked between us for a long time, and I had no idea what was going through his head. Different ways to castrate me, probably.
“I don’t understand. Are you together?”
“Um no,” Holly said. “It happened... about eight weeks ago now.”
He ignored Holly. “You slept with my sister.”
“Yes.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.
“Hey!” Holly shouted. “Don’t even start that sexist bullshit, Brad. I chose to go to bed with him. A few times.”
It was my turn to gawp at her. You don’t tell him that!
“Look, man, I get that you’re pissed with me-”
“Pissed with you? You used my sister and got her pregnant.”
“Oh my God, I just said drop the sexist stuff!” Holly threw her arms up in frustration. “Don’t blame him for something I entered into willingly. Hell, I even instigated one of those times.”
I turned to her. “Seriously, why do you do it?”
“How many times has it happened?” Brad snapped.
Holly blushed. “That doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that Jasper and I are having a baby together, and we’re both happy about it.”
Brad shoved his hands through his hair. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? I knew you were struggling with the break-up, but I had no idea you’d completely lost it. You’re not in the right place to have a kid. You’ve been separated from your wife for five minutes!”
“I’ve been in a place to have a kid for the last two years. My divorce won’t interfere with being a dad.”
“What about Holly?”
“What about her?”
He clenched his jaw. “You’ve screwed her life up and you-”
“Hey!” Holly snapped. “He hasn’t screwed anything up and when are you going to open your eyes and realise I’m not some helpless child? I’m twenty, almost twenty-one, Brad. I’ve been living away from home for the last three years. I’m an grown-up.”
“You’re grown up enough to have a baby?” Brad asked, almost sneering.