“Darcy, are you sick? I really can’t come in if you’re contagious. Being sick is not an option right now.” He says, retreating a few steps back—a valid fear considering how closely he works with the guys on the team.
“Trust me, Tatum. What’s wrong with me is not contagious. Just come in and sit down. Please?” I can feel my exhaustion trying to rear its ugly head and I would love to not be upright. So I add, “Before I pass out.”
This lights a fire under his ass, he makes his way to the couch and, after grabbing a Gatorade from the fridge, I sit on the opposite side tucking my legs beneath me.
“So what did you want to talk about?” He asks and I think I can tell that he may be connecting the dots. His leg is bouncing lightly as he waits for me to speak, his eyebrows furrowed and gaze honed on me.
“I don’t know how else to tell you this gently, so I’m just going to spit it out.” I take in a deep breath attempting to calm the nausea whirling in my gut. The combination of pregnancy sickness and anxiety makes a deathly cocktail. “I’m pregnant, Tatum, and the baby is yours.”
Chapter2
It Definitely Let In A Child
Tatum || July
“I’m pregnant, Tatum, and the baby is yours.”
Those eight words didnotjust leave Darcy’s mouth. My world is spinning on its axis right now. These words, which I never expected to hear from any woman, came out of Darcy Whitestone’s mouth—a woman who’s invaded my daydreams since I first met her at Maverick and Kodi’s. I thought we were just scratching an itch but it would appear that I was scratching so hard that I didn’t use a condom. I always make sure to use a condom for this very reason.I’m a fucking idiot.
“Tatum, say something.” Darcy’s light voice saves me from the depths of my mind. “Please say something.”
“Are you sure? The baby is definitely mine?”
“Five positive pregnancy tests sure seems pretty definitive.” Shit, Jerry Springer couldn’t deny five positive pregnancy tests. “I haven’t been with anyone since you, and the timeline adds up so, yes. Definitely yours.”
“So what do we do now?”
It takes her a moment to answer, biting on her lip as she thinks through her next words. “I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t thought past telling you I was pregnant.”
“Well, do you want to keep the baby? Or did you want to look into your other options like adoption or abortion? I’ll support you—whatever you want to do, Darcy.”
“I think I want to keep the baby. Tate, we both messed up. I know how you feel about kids. I won’t force this on you, but if you choose to be a part of this, I won’t ask you to be anything but a father to the kid, and a co-parent to me.”
Those last words feel like a punch to the gut. She is offering me an out which is what I thought I was wishing for. But seeing her here, exhausted and on edge, I don’t want her to have to do this on her own. I won’t.
“No,” I state firmly before I’ve even figured out what to say next. I never thought I wanted to have kids, but something is fluttering deep within me over the idea of raising a child. Over raisingmychild.
“No?” She asks with her brows drawn together, and confusion painted across her face.
“No. I want to be a part of this. Sure, this is not a situation I expected to be in, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to take care of you, both of you if you’ll let me.” I feel so desperate asking her to let me help but I don’t understand why. I amliterallyshaking in my boots. Maybe Darcy just gives off an aura of fierce independence and the thought of failing to plead my case terrifies me.
“Tatum. I’m serious, you don’t have to.”
“I’m going to, Darcy,” I reassert. “From now until forever, our child is just as much my responsibility as it is yours. What do we do next?”
“To start with, I need to make an appointment to make sure everything is good. Long term I have to start looking for somewhere with space for a nursery, or at least a crib when they make their arrival.” She yawns, and only now do I notice purple bags under her eyes and her unbrushed hair.
“Darcy, you need to rest. Can I do anything for you, should we pick this back up in a little bit?” I feel compelled to offer up my home, but I’m afraid of stressing her out when she’s already this exhausted.
“If your demon spawn will let me rest, I will take a nap after you leave. I’ve barely been eating or sleeping. It’s been rough so far. I want to get this all figured out before you leave.” She smiles at me, but it doesn’t quite reach her oval-shaped, coffee-colored eyes.
“Well, we can take one thing off your plate right now. You don’t need to hunt for a new apartment, I have plenty of space in my condo. You and the baby can have your rooms and still be close to me in case either of you needs anything. A break, sleep, ten minutes alone?”
Darcy’s eyes drop to her lap immediately. I can feel her rebuttal on the tip of her tongue, so I continue gently. “Come on, Darcy. Let me do this one thing for you both. Those rooms don’t do anything right now but collect dust, anyway. It would be nice to have a use for them.”
“I don’t want to invade your space or cramp your style, Tate. I’m sure you have company regularly.” I balk at what she’s implying as it couldn’t be further from the truth. I haven’t been with anyone for a long while before Darcy, and there hasn’t been anyone since that night, either.
“Trust me, the only company I have are the guys, and Bella if Mav and Kodi are coming. Just move in, if you hate it, I will help you find a safe space for the baby. If you need some personal space, I have a beach house where you can go if you need to get away from me.”
