Almost.
“Fuck no.”
Now I just need to erase the image of Callie in a wedding dress from my head. She’s gonna be the mother of my child, so of course some twisted part of me thinks there could be more here. But a relationship would only complicate our co-parenting dynamic, so I need to put her in a box that doesn’t involve sex.
Easier said than done.
Chapter
Eleven
Callie
* * *
I’ve tried ten times to get out of going to Peeper’s, but my mom was insistent—even when Leighton tried to come to my rescue by telling her I have a lot going on with the podcast.
So reluctantly, I walk into Peeper’s Alley, dreading the fact I have to be around Foster without anyone knowing a piece of him is growing in my stomach.
I haven’t been able to get his pale face out of my mind when he saw me in a wedding dress. It was probably his worst nightmare. He looked pale then green, as though he wanted to search for the nearest trash can so he could go vomit. I wanted to tell him he doesn’t have to worry—I don’t expect a proposal just because I’m carrying his baby. I thought that went without saying, but maybe I need to confirm to him that it’s not the nineteen fifties.
“I know it’s Foster,” Leighton whispers as my mom swarms Ruby with an unwelcome hug and we trail behind. “You’re not hiding it very well.”
“You have no idea.”
I haven’t told Leighton yet even though I said I would. Mostly because I don’t want to put her in a worse situation with my brother. I kind of wish I would’ve just hung on to the news for a while, so she wasn’t always pestering me about who the father is.
And she’s a nurse and observant as fuck, so of course she noticed Foster ready to keel over in fear and anxiety when he saw me standing up there in a wedding dress.
“Exactly! Because you aren’t telling me.”
I steel myself and put on a brave face as we’re about to go through the door into the private room. I have to ready myself to brave an hour or two of uncomfortableness as I pretend I’m not pregnant with my brother’s best friend’s baby, and also try to act as normal as I can with my best friend who knows what’s going on. But before we go in, the door to Peeper’s opens, and Hayes walks in with Foster and the three kids. Foster’s talking to Lincoln about something, Monroe is in Hayes’s arms, and Lake looks as though she’d rather be lying on a bed of nails than be in the bar.
“Oh, they aren’t here yet.” Leighton ditches the plan to head into the backroom and meets Hayes in the middle of the bar.
Monroe wraps her arm around Leighton without letting go of Hayes, and the three of them stand there in a little hug for a moment. I have no idea what Hayes whispers to Leighton, but her face flushes.
My mom calls Lake over to her side. There goes my buffer.
Foster and Lincoln walk toward us, and Lincoln puts a hand up for me to give him a high five. Foster says nothing, passing me and going into the backroom. I guess that’s how this needs to go so no one suspects anything. I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t hurt though.
Eventually I make my way into the room, and the rest of our group joins us. Somehow, I still end up next to Foster. He leans back with his arms crossed and his eyes on the television. I didn’t realize he’d be so into watching contestants try to win a competition by climbing slippery steps but whatever. It’s easier if we ignore one another.
Ruby comes in with chocolate milk for Lincoln and Shirley Temples for Monroe and Lake, their usual requests. She’s really come around to having the kids here.
She slaps Foster on the shoulder. “What’s with you?”
Hayes’s eyes stray from the screen over to Ruby. “I asked the same thing.”
Great. They’re sensing something’s off.
“I’m fine. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” Foster says.
“Keep your bedroom antics out of the kids’ ears, please,” Hayes says.
I want to stick my finger in my throat. It’s terribly unfair that he has no idea Foster was up all night pondering being a dad and how it will affect the rest of his life.
Foster scowls at my brother. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I just couldn’t sleep.”
