11
Veronica
Hayden’s wrong. He’s got to be...
Maybe he was just jealous of my friendship with Lane, or anyone from the opposite sex. Would he have said the same thing if I’d been hanging out with Evan? I recognize that he had a possessive streak but to go as far as to try and drive a wedge between Lane and I, that is going too far.
But... it wasn’t just Hayden that said it, Katie did too. Which means I have to at least give it merit enough to ask the man in question about it.
I shudder out a deep breath as I steel myself for what I’m about to walk into.
As soon as I work up enough courage to step through the threshold of Lane’s bar, I’m swallowed by the crowd. It’s packed.
“Hey. Merry Christmas.” Lane wraps his arm around me in a side hug. At any other point in our lives, it would’ve been considered a normal, friendly gesture, but there’s been a shift in the wind. Instead of leaning into him like I normally would, I find myself tensing uncomfortably. “I was wondering when I’d see you.”
“Yeah. So, how was your Christmas?” I ask, feeling somewhat awkward as I sit in my usual place smack dab in the middle of the bar.
“Great. I’m actually really glad you came in.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you…” Oh no. I watch apprehensively, ready at any second to make a mad dash out the front door. “Missy,”
A few seconds later, Lane’s older sister Missy appears in the doorway of the back room. A small child, a girl, clings to her while another follows her. They’re super cute. They’re dressed in matching outfits but that isn’t where the similarities end - they must be twins.
I didn’t know Missy had kids.
“Yeah?”
“I want the girls to meet someone.” The trio waddles around the bar to where we stand. “Veronica, I’d like you to meet my daughters. This is Millie and Avery.”
What did he just say? I’m frozen in shock. “Daughters?”
How is that possible? The girls must be about three or four. I haven’t been living out west for that long. Why didn’t he tell me?
“Wow.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to find the right time to introduce you.”
“So.... this is what you wanted to tell me? Nothing else?”
“No.” His eyebrows pull together in confusion and I know that I’ve got it all wrong. Or more like Hayden and Katie had it all wrong. The relief that befalls me is almost offensive to Lane, but nevertheless, it feels like this massive pressure has been lifted from my shoulders.
“Is this not a big enough piece of news?”
I giggle as I begin to process that this is reality, Lane is a daddy. Nope, that doesn’t sound right at all. It may take a while for me to get used to it. First of all, I need to know how the hell this happened because as far as I was aware Lane is single and has been for a while now.
Oh God, who’s their mother? Where is she?
The only woman I remember seeing Lane with over the last few years was Olivia but they broke up amicably. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine it being her.
My mind begins to buzz as I pull Lane over to an empty table. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Well, I f-” The ring of my cell phone stuffed in my pocket interrupts what he’s saying and I throw him an apologetic look as I dig to retrieve it.
I go to silence it when I see it’s a strange area code. “I’m so sorry, Lane. I’ll make it quick.”
“Hello?” I press the phone to my ear and use my finger to plug the other.
