“Alright. I get it; I’d be pissed too, but I didn’t do this on my own.”
“I don’t care if she threw herself at you, you should’ve said no. I’ve never put much thought into my little sister having kids, but I assumed it’d be after she’s finished uni and with someone that she’s with. Not a one-night stand.”
“Isn’t that what most of us want? Doesn’t always happen like that. Life’s not that perfect, mate. I can promise that she’ll never be alone in this.”
I could stand there and tell him I was falling for her and that everything I wanted was within my reach, but I was scared that if I admitted it out loud I’d lose it. And I was scared that she didn’t want anything to happen between us.
“I need something stronger than this,” he said, holding up a cup of what must’ve been Coke.
“Me too, but it’s a four-year-old’s party.”
He smiled. “Right. Better wait for the after party then.”
“Am I forgiven?”
“I reserve the right to hold it over you if I want the last slice of pizza, first call on who to chat up or who’s paying for the last round.”
I held my hands up. “Deal. And if you’re a dick to me I can use the I’ve-slept-with-your-sister line to shut you up.”
“I fucking hate you, Jasper,” he said, shaking his head and holding his hand out. I shook it, glad to have my friend back.
“You’ve made up,” Holly said from the doorway.
“Er, yeah. Suppose it could be worse, could’ve been a guy that did a runner.”
Her jaw tightened. “I don’t sleep around, Brad, Jasper was my first.”
I spun my body to face her. I’m her first?
Holly registered the shock in my eyes and added, “First one-night stand! Not my first first.”
“First or only?” I asked.
She blushed scarlet. “Only.”
Good.
I mentally calculated her sexual past. Her first boyfriend, Harry The Boring, and me. Only three.
Good.
“Can we talk about something, no, anything else?” Brad asked.
“Cocktail sausages,” Holly said, eyeing the two stacked bowls on the counter. And I was pretty sure I saw another plate in the dining room with the rest of the food too. When I asked Oakley to grab another bag because they were what Holly was craving I had no idea she’d go that crazy.
I still couldn’t even eat them after lobbing the full plate at the wall when I was arguing with Abby.
“What?” Brad asked, looking at Holly like she was crazy.
“Her craving,” I said. “Cocktail sausages dipped in chocolate milkshake.”
Brad turned his nose up. “Holly, that’s disgusting!”
She held her hands up. “Hey, it’s not my fault. It’s what Jasper’s child wants.”
The baby was my child whenever it made her hormones freak out, made her pee extra turned her ankles into ‘cankles’ or wanted weird things to eat. I was pretty sure it was going to be all mine when she was in labour too.
“I think this one is going to be just like his or her cousin,” she said.
Christ, two Everleighs!
I passed her one of the bowls. “Maybe not. Oakley didn’t like them when she was pregnant. Actually she didn’t really eat any meat because at the time she was absolutely not going to ‘eat any fucking defenceless animals’.” I tried to imitate her voice, but even I knew I’d failed.
Holly laughed. “That’s probably for the best. Think I’m going to be sick of them by the time she’s here,” she replied, popping two in her mouth.
“Are you two together?” Brad asked out of nowhere.
“No,” I said.
“This is messed.”
“It’s not. We’re happy. Right, Holly?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. Honestly, Brad, everything’s fine. This is working for us so please can you just be happy for us and excited to be an uncle?”
“Hey, I am. I just don’t know how you do the ‘best buds having a baby’ thing.”
“Man, you should’ve just said. You’re still my bestest bud.”
He stuck his middle finger up.
“You’re both adults so do what you want. Just can’t help thinking this is going to all go horribly wrong.” He stopped and smirked as I put my arm around Holly. “Or horribly right.”
I stuck my middle finger up.
Neither of us wanted that. We’d known each other five months and were already having a baby. There was no need to rush anything else. The more I thought about my future the more I saw Holly beside me but as much as I wanted her I still didn’t feel ready for a new relationship.
Holly bit her lip and looked away. There was something she wanted to say. “Hol, spit it out.”
“Okay, this is no big deal but my aunt is getting married next Saturday, and she asked if I wanted a plus one. Fancy going with me? Free food and alcohol.”
“Love to,” I replied. But not because of the free food and booze. The more time I spent with her the more I wanted. It was ridiculous and annoying and not only because she was carrying my child.
“Pass the parcel time!” Everleigh shouted.
I grabbed Holly’s hand. “Come on.”
“We’re playing?” she asked.