I gasped and touched his arm, but he waved away my concern.
“I mean, hecouldbe the man my mother was forced to marry. He could be the guy with a rap sheet she always seems to ‘run into.’ He could be a lot of things. It doesn’t matter, because I don’t want some deadbeat to claim me. They won’t love me or pay for my schooling. It’s not like I need them to teach me anything. I have the internet, and I’m in my twenties,” he said, nursing his drink. “Besides, I wouldn’t want any blowback about paternity to hit my mom. She deserves to be happy after everything.”
Each new bit of information squeezed my heart tighter than a blood pressure cuff, but I rubbed his shoulder to encourage him. “And you’re happy too?”
“Sure. If I never look into it, we avoid the shame of knowing, and I won’t owe anyone anything,” he said.
There had to be another, less bleak take on those circumstances.
“I-I guess it helped you learn to be independent,” I said.
He gnawed on an ice cube and side-eyed me. “Don’t pity me, pidge.”
“I don’t.” Although I was here should he need any consoling. “In some ways, I’m jealous. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. But I’m not sure being babied helped me in the long run,” I said.
He nudged my knee. “It’s why you’re so sweet.”
Too sweet, right?
“Maybe.” I feigned a smile.
If only that ‘sweetness’ hadn’t caused me to lose so much sleep. So much time. My dreams.
But at least I had my family, even if it was fractured right now, and Angel was opening up to me.
I lightly rubbed his back, which softened underneath my fingertips. “You turned out pretty nice, too, thanks to your mom and whoever else,” I said, my insides fluttering at the way he leaned into me. “And thankfully, Jen’s kid will grow up in a house with people who love them. I only wish she’d make the guy be more involved, if only for child support or medical history, but she won’t tell anybody who it is.”
“He might be married,” Angel said.
“Ew.” I shuddered and slapped his knee to fling the idea from our minds.
He cracked a smile. “Look at you. All moral and pretty.”
Likethatwas such a weird thing to be.
I straightened my sweater. “What? You wouldn’t sleep with a married lady.”
“Of course I would,” he said with an odd tone.
I gawked at him. No, he wouldn’t.
“I’d sleep with my wife all the time. But I’d never cheat.” He grinned.
“Ugh. You’re such a tease.” I pushed his leg playfully.
“I like getting a rise out of you,” he said, keeping eye contact as he pressed his thigh against mine. “You certainly seem to like getting one out of me.”
Oh my gosh. Was he referencing something dirty?
I lowered my head so my hair would curtain off my flushed face, and knocked into him with a little laugh. “Oh, please. For all I know,you’reJen’s baby daddy.”
“I’ve never slept with a ‘Jen,’ and I always use protection,” he said, wrapping his arm across the back of my seat. “I also had a checkup last week. I'm very healthy.”
“Congratulations,” I said dryly, taking another drag of my drink.
Was he that confident he’d get lucky? Or did he sleep around so much he needed regular testing?
He shrugged. “Just thought you might be interested. Eventually.”
