He holds his hands up in defense. “Sorry, sorry. Please, continue.”
“I’ve fucked up so many times in the past. But each of those only really affected me. This time, someone else is suffering and?—”
“You care,” he finishes for me.
Yeah. Yeah, I fucking care.
I think I might care a little too much. That’s why I’m so fucking freaked out.
It’s all just…a lot.
Last week, when I took her out, Bea had a bump. She might have denied it, said she was bloated, but it was there. I could seeit with my own two eyes. The rest of the world is going to be able to see it soon, too.
Our time for hiding, or burying our heads in the sand, is coming to an end.
“How the fuck am I meant to be a father, Linc? How?” My heart slams against my chest as I ask the most pressing question of all.
“Just like everyone else. You wing it.”
“But—”
“How do you think everyone else feels when they’re in your situation?”
“Well, most likely they planned it, because they’re ready and excited for the next step.”
“Many pregnancies are planned, but I don’t think there is a single person out there who isn’t terrified about becoming a parent for the first time.
“Do you think your mom and dad had a clue what they were getting themselves into the day they discovered they were expecting you?”
“They probably knew I was going to be awesome,” I state, making Linc snort a laugh.
“And you think your kid won’t be?”
“Fuck no. They’re gonna be amazing. I’m not questioning my kid here; I’m questioning myself.”
“Rett, all kids need are parents who are there for them, who show up for them day after day, no matter what.” As he speaks, sadness washes through his expression, making me feel like an asshole.
“I’m sorry, bro,” I say, squeezing his shoulder in return.
“I miss him every day,” he says sadly. “He wasn’t perfect. Hell, he was far from perfect. But to me, he was everything. And I know that in years to come, your kid will say the same, because you’re gonna be there. On the good days, the bad days,to celebrate with them, to be sad with them, you’ll be there right beside them every single step, and that is all anyone can ask.”
“Shit,” I rasp, rubbing at my burning eyes roughly.
“Have you seen her?”
I shake my head, guilt swimming through my veins.
The photos that were posted on the internet seem to have died down now, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about them.
After Parker left the day after our date, I discovered a message on my cell from Hailee praising me. I was so shocked I had to read it three times for it to sink in.
But while she might think I did a good job, what does Bea think?
She opened up about her family, about walking away from them and starting over as a nobody to focus on her own hopes and dreams.
And while she’s being photographed with me, she isn’t a nobody.
In the articles attached to our date photos, people were already trying to figure out who the dark-haired beauty who’d stolen my attention was. It won’t take them long to figure it out, and then what?
