42
Luke
“Thanks, mate,” the guy I’ve just passed a beer to says.
I jerk my chin at him and he turns to leave. Surveying the bar, I know it’s going to be a quiet night.
Tyler comes into view as he slides onto the stool in front of me and slaps a fifty down on the bar. “Keep the drinks coming until that runs out.”
“Oh, poor baby,” Avery says beside me. “Did you have a shitty day?”
He scowls at her. “We don’t all have cushy bosses like you do,” he mutters.
She raises her brows. “Oh, really? You think your brother is cushy?”
“What the fuck is up with you two lately?” I ask. “You’re always arguing, driving me crazy with your whining.”
Avery hits him with a glare as dirty as I’ve ever seen. “It might have something to do with his asshole tendencies.”
He returns her filthy glare. “Or her inner bitch,” he shoots back.
She throws the towel she’s holding down onto the counter. “Oh, fuck you, Tyler. I should have known better than to have anything to do with you and your dick.” With that, she storms off and I’m left staring after her.
I finally glare at my brother. “What the fuck, Ty? The one thing I asked of you when I took over this bar was not to fuck any of my staff. If I lose Avery, there’s going to be hell to fucking pay. She’s the best staff member I have.”
He rakes his fingers through his hair. “Jesus, Luke, why do you think she’s pissed off with me? It’s because after we had sex, I told her it could never happen again. And let me tell you that was the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to say to a woman before, because—fuck me—Avery is everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman.”
I jab my finger at him. “Keep your dick in your pants. She’ll get over it soon enough.”
He picks up the fifty, reaches across the counter and slams it down right in front of me. “Like I said, keep them coming. And you owe me for this, big brother.”
I pour him a beer. Placing it down in front of him, I say, “I’m going to check on Avery. You keep an eye on the bar.” He’s worked behind the bar enough to be able to handle it.
I find Avery crying in the office.
Jesus.
She glances up at me from the seat she’s sitting on at my desk. “I’m sorry, Luke, but he can be an ass sometimes.”
I crouch next to her. “I know. It seems to run in the family.”
She smiles at that and wipes her tears away but they just keep coming. “Shit,” she mutters. “Fucking hormones.”
“Fucking hormones?”
She stares at me for a long moment and I know what’s coming next even if I don’t want to hear it. “I’m pregnant.”
I take a deep breath and stand.
I’ll fucking kill him.
I clench my fists. “How far along are you?”
“A month. I just found out.” Her tears increase. “Oh, God, this is such a mess.”
I nod, unable to comfort her and tell her it’ll all work out and she’ll be okay. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry,” she says softly.
I frown. “You have nothing to be sorry for. My fucking brother should have used a condom.”
“He did. It broke. I told him it would be okay because I was on the pill. Seems I’m a fertile bitch and God wants to screw with my already fucked-up life. I’m sorry for the problems this might cause you here.”
I shake my head. “I’m not as worried about that as I am about you. When are you going to tell Tyler?”
“Soon. I just have to work up the courage. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. He’ll be pissed off about this.” Her tears are still falling.
“Tell him. You might be surprised at his response.”
She nods and silence fills the room for a beat before she says, “Why haven’t you been to see Callie? It’s almost been a week.”
“I’ve been trying to get my head together before I go to see her. This week has fucked with me more than I imagined.”
“It was a huge shock, wasn’t it? Have you seen Alanis?”
“No, she’s away with her family at the moment. Plus we’ve been advised to stay away from her. Fuck. It’s a huge mess. But besides that, I’m just trying to get my head around the way I handled the whole thing. I’ve been a bastard to both Callie and Jolene.”
She stands and faces me. “Luke, don’t beat yourself up too much, okay? You’re a good man and you did the best with the information you had. Sure, you could have made a different call with Callie, but she doesn’t hold it against you.” She bites her lip as if she’s weighing something up. “You need to go see her now before it’s too late.”
My heart speeds up. “What does that mean?”
Her gaze drops to the floor for a moment. “She’s had a job offer that she’s hell bent on taking.”
I frown, not following. “So?”
“It’s overseas.”
I stare at her as the room spins.
I’ve really fucked this up.