Kai pales and sits down heavily on the bed, shock on his face. “Fuck! I’m going to be a daddy?”
His family gathers around him to offer support as his eyes meet mine, pleading with me to say something. We talked about this scenario a little more when we went to Colorado to check out the hockey arena, so I’m not being hit as hard as he is right now. I’d been mentally preparing myself for this despite the unlikelihood because I didn't want Kai or Thomas to see anything in my reaction that might hurt them. I want them to know that we will love and accept the baby despite its horrible origins. In fact, I plan to do no less than smother it with love.
“Well, I, for one, can’t wait to meet our new family member. There was a nursery room off the master bedroom in the house. Better add that to the renovation lists, Jazzy.” I watch as he releases a breath, his body relaxing so dramatically you’d think Atlas had just dropped the world from his shoulders.
“Oh, we can make it animal themed. Wouldn’t that be perfect for your baby?” she says to me, and I feel my ovaries flutter.My baby?Hell yes, it will be my baby. My maternal instincts kick in, and a wave of fierce protectiveness hits me.
“Your first grandbaby, Brad, and our first great-grandbaby, how exciting!” Nana enthuses. How fucking amazing is this family? Ready to pivot in an instant and embrace bumps in the road like they were meant to be.
“When is she due? Were they able to determine the sex of the baby?” I ask Forrest as I push the others out of the way and sit down next to Kai, taking his hand in mine.
“Yes, they were able to determine Veronica’s actually about twenty weeks along.”
“Twenty weeks? But she barely had a baby bump.” Oliver scowls, speaking up for the first time. “Was she not looking after it properly?”
“She was a little underweight, and she admitted to the doctors that she’d been under-eating. Told them some craziness about how she needed to look her best to make sure she could hook one or the both of you,” he says, his eyes drifting between Thomas and Kai. Forrest doesn’t hide the scorn in his voice, and I’m right there with him.
“And the sex?” Kai’s voice is still shaky, but I see him steel his shoulders.
“It’s a girl.” And that, my friends, is how you make six grown adult men melt into puddles of goo.
“Fuck me, that little girl is going to get spoiled rotten,” Hope groans as the guys start talking about building her a castle playhouse and buying her a pony.
The room is filled with excitement once more, but Forrest calms some of that when he holds his hands up.
“Unfortunately, there’s more. The prison is concerned about Veronica’s mental state. They're worried she might do something to the baby. Their psychologist has recommended that she be allowed to think that you want her to be part of the baby’s life—just for now, as a precautionary measure for the baby’s health and well-being. She still thinks she’s going to walk away without a prison sentence and get to live happily ever after together. She’s also in denial that the baby is Kai’s, and her insistence on referring to it as Thomas Jr. is implying some kind of issue with the gender as well. Really, letting her keep those fantasies will likely be very easy considering the doctors think it would be better if you all stayed away for now. We’re just going to have to play things by ear, but if we want this baby to be born healthy and happy, you need to be prepared to play pretend. Thomas, if she asks for you, we may need you to go in and see her. Is that alright with you?”
He makes a face before saying, “To keep our baby safe? Of course.”
Aww,ourbaby. We really are going to have to sit down and work out the parenting dynamics of this, but it can wait for now. And really, in the grand scheme of things, will it hurt the girl to have more than one protective daddy looking out for her best interests?
“Come on. Let’s go downstairs and celebrate all the wonderful things that have happened today.” Dad claps Forrest on the shoulder. “Thank you so much for everything you do for us.” He pulls an envelope out of his inner pocket and hands it to him. “That contains ten nights all-inclusive at a five-star resort in Cancun. We really should look at expanding down there, but for now you can enjoy a stay at one of our competitors on us.”
Forrrest thanks us all as he takes the envelope, and everyone starts to head downstairs until it’s just Kai and me left.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask him.
“Yup, now that I know, I promise this little girl I’ll be as good a dad to her as mine was to me. I just can’t let her have anything to do with Veronica. I can already see my past repeating itself, and it frightens me.”
“Don’t worry, that woman is going nowhere. She’ll be someone’s bitch for the rest of her life. Come on, I want to dance with the daddy-to-be. Oh, we’re going to have to think of names now.”
“That’s going to be fun in this family,” he says wryly, getting up and holding his hand out for me. I take it, and he tucks it under his arm, the two of us following after everyone. “I can’t imagine what Oliver is going to come up with. He wanted Coco to be named Little Lord Fauntleroy.” We’re both smiling and laughing when we make it to the elevator, and I just hope the rest of the evening stays that way.
Someone jostles me from behind, causing my champagne to slosh over the side of my glass and onto my hand. Swearing, I grab a napkin off the tray of a nearby waiter and wipe it away.
The gala is a loud and jovial affair, and Nana has introduced me to what feels like a billion people, all of whom are trying their hardest to get Grace Summers’ attention. There have been a few that have felt genuine but not many. Everyone wants to pitch their cause or charity in the hope that the money raised from tonight will go to them.
I’ve caught glimpses of Max, but every time I try to head in her direction, she disappears or I get stopped by someone else. Just now I can see her through the crowd, talking to Jacinta, and I’m determined to make it to them this time.
“Harlow dear, there you are. I have someone I’d like you to meet. This is Rose Smith, the director of the MacGinty Sanctuary.” I grind my teeth in annoyance, spinning around to tell Nana no, but I quickly smooth out my expression when I see who it is.
“Oh, Nana, didn't she tell you we’ve met before? Haven't we, Ms. Smith? Except at the time she was basically calling me a whore and told me there was no place for me in their program.”
Nana tucks her hand under my arm as the woman with her pales. “Is that right, dear? Well, I guess it’s a good thing that we’re not going to be able to provide the MacGinty Sanctuary with funds this year. We wouldn't want to be associated with a company that makes assumptions based on trash they see in gossip articles, would we?”
The woman scowls, her previously pleasant face turning ugly. “I wasn't wrong! What a slut. Look at you, sleeping with all six of the Summers men at the same time.”
Crack.The slap Nana delivers to the woman's face sounds out through the ballroom, causing people to turn and look. “No, you self-righteous bitch, that’s not slutty. That’s lucky.”
