“I’m not pulling anyone’s leg.” I clear my throat as their eyes grow double in size. “I’m having a baby, and Eli Gates is thefather.”
“What?” Rush riots so loud the room thunders with the sound of his voice. Chaos erupts all at once as everyone at the table springs to their feet as if there was a fire in thebuilding.
Mr. and Mrs. Baker look the calmest of them all, and if I didn’t know better, they actually look as if they’re gloating. As if they’ve been apprised of my slutty ways all along, and tonight my belly and I stepped up to prove thepoint.
Lex springs up next to me. “Who is this Eli Gates, and where can I find him?” she hisses while holding up a butterknife.
“Lex!” I snatch it from her. “This isn’t the time for violence!” I look to my brothers, hoping I’ve somehow convinced them,too.
Nolan strides forward with his chest expanding wide. “The hell it’snot.”
My cousin, Marlin, strolls over with his Jepson PD uniform, looking every bit pissed for no good reason. “What the hell’s going onhere?”
Rush steps in close. “Don’t you worry about it. Just let me borrow yourgun.”
“Nobody is killing Eli!” I scream over the melee with all the power my lungs allow. My God, I hope at least twelve different coeds have texted the poor guy by now, alerting him to the fact he should indeed run. I hear Mexico is nice this time ofyear.
“The hell I’m not!” Rush riots back, and Seth stomps his seat over the floor a moment, creating a horrible drumming sound that brings us all toattention.
“Enough!” he shouts so loud my skin reverberates. “I’m not doing this anymore.” An awful look of pain crests his features, and it breaks my heart to see it. I knew Seth had a breaking point with me and my fetus and here it is. It’s clear he wants nothing to do with us. He looks to me with a sorrowful expression, and I can feel it coming. “I’m sorry,Sunday.”
I nod as a wild hiccup bucks from me. I knew that Seth was going to eventually cut me loose. I just never envisioned it would be here with both of our families present. I can’t say I blame him, though. Those bedroom shenanigans I’ve enlisted him in were pretty brutal. I’m nothing short of a disgusting predator tohim.
I open my mouth to let him off the hook myself, and he holds up a hand. That expression on his face looks ten times morepitiful.
“Eli isn’t the father of your baby,Sunday.”
Dad chokes at the thought. “What the fuck is this?” He looks to Nolan. “She doesn’t even know who the fatheris?”
Seth doesn’t break his gaze with me. “Eli’s not the father of your baby. Iam.”
“Geez.” I roll my eyes, a part of me filling with relief. Of course, Seth wants to pretend he’s the father. He’s so sweet, he’s willing to lay down his life for Eli just to ensure my sweet baby doesn’t grow up without a father. “And here I thought you were going to break up withme.”
Rush towers over me. “Break up with you? Are you seeing thisasswipe?”
“Yes.” I give my brother a shove. “And he’s not an asswipe.” I can’t help but steal a glance at the Bakers as their son gets taken down a notch. “And Seth has been nothing but an upstanding gentleman. He just wants to make this better for me.” I pick up both his hands. “Seth and I are in love.” I melt like candlewax as I look into his eyes. “He wants to help me raise the baby. But he’s not the biological father. That’sEli.”
Mrs. Baker gags as if someone shoved a breadstick down her throat. “Seth, you will not raise another man’s child.” Her voice is high and shrill, and here it is. The truth comes out. She hates me. I’ve suspected so much allalong.
“You’re right, Mom.” Seth gives my hands a squeeze, those midnight blue eyes penetrating me so intimately. “I’m not raising another man’s child. This one would be mine. It’s true, Sunday. That baby you’re carrying isn’t Eli’s. I’m sorry I let you think so.” His voice breaks, and suddenly the moment takes a dark turn. “You didn’t sleep with Eli that night. You slept withme.”
Dad looks to Rush. “What the hell kind of threesomes are you allowing your sister to partakein?”
“No threesome.” Seth shakes his head just barely, his eyes still pinned to mine. “We were alone, Sunday. I was the one you woke up with in the morning. It was neverEli.”
The Bakers gasp in unison, and Misty offers them water as if they might passout.
“Seth, this isn’t funny.” A horrible sinking feeling grips me. “I woke up in Eli’s roomwithEli.”
“You never saw his face. That was me you were lookingat.”
“No.” I pull my hands away and take a step back. “Why are you doing this? Why are you saying these things? It’s not funny, Seth. You’re going to confuse everyone. Most of allme.”
“I’m not trying to.” His eyes glisten with tears, and his cheek twitches as if he were struggling not to break down right here in the bar, not that it would be a stretch since we’re pretty much causing a scene. He glances down before coming up for a lungful of air. “I’m sorry, Sunday. I let you believe something that wasn’t true. It just never felt like the right time to tellyou.”
It sinks in hard and fast, like only the truth can. All thoughts of Seth faking this moment to be some kind of a hero are off the table. That look on his face, that tone in his voice can’t be faked. I know Seth enough to realize when he’s telling the truth, or at least I think I do. One thing is obvious. I don’t really know Seth Baker atall.
“Five months?” I take another step back and land against Rush. “You lied to me for five months? You never wanted to tell me, did you? You were happy letting me think it was Eli’s baby while you played the part of some hero. You let me apologize to you over and over again for being with me while I was pregnant with someone else’s child, and you never said a word!” My father and brothers share a quiet groan. “Oh my God.” I laugh like a loon. “You said you loved me. Was that a lie, too? Because I’m really starting to thinkso.”
