Once my shift is done, I head for the apartment and crash on the couch so I can get a couple hours of sleep before cleaning out the room for the nursery. It’s on the first floor, right by the master bedroom. She can always change it later if she doesn’t like what I’ve done.
As soon as the store opens, I call and pay extra for a rush delivery. Thankfully, they aren’t busy.
Three hours later, the delivery truck is pulling out of the driveway. A huge box sits in the middle of the living room, along with the paint and all the supplies I need.
I spend the majority of the next couple of hours rolling paint across the walls, music playing low on my phone while I work. By the time I finish the second coat of paint, my arms are burning, but I keep going. I stop long enough to step over to the window and lift it, letting in some fresh air to clear out the smell of paint. I think I read something somewhere one time that it’s bad for pregnant women, or it could’ve been something my mom told my dad when he would paint the house and she’d gag on the fumes.
After the paint dries, I start on the animal decals I picked out. There’s a big, sleepy-looking elephant near one of the corners of the room. Then there’s a giraffe stretching its neck up to the ceiling. On another wall is a lion curled up in tall grass.
They were just peel and stick designs,but I feel proud of the work I’ve done. It’s the nursery I’d want for my child, but I’d want motorcycles instead of animals. I wasn’t sure what Vee would want, but if she doesn’t like the animals, I’ll fix it. Get whatever she likes. It’s as simple as peeling them off and putting up what she wants.
Now, the last piece that needs to go in the room sits in the middle of the floor.
The crib.
I cut open the box and pull out the pieces.
“Guess I better learn how to build this thing,” I mutter.
Because despite the kid not being mine, I’m making damn sure they have a home.
A deep breath escapes me as I lay out all the pieces on the floor in front of me.
My hands are steady as I work; tightening bolts, lining up the rails, making sure every screw is perfect. I take my time. Partly because I want it done right, and because I’m delaying what comes next.
Seeing her.
She told me to stay away. And I’ve respected that.
I debate just telling the guys and letting them surprise her with it as if it came from them. But a part of me knows they wouldn’t do that.
They’d tell her.
But I need to talk to her. To apologize for how I acted. The harsh words I said about her in anger. Then I’ll tell her how much I love her. How I’ve been working on myself and that I want to be in her life. To be with her. That almost losing her made me realize that sharing her doesn’t mean she’d love me any less. It’s just one more person making sure she’s okay.
It’s something I’ve been putting off. Until today.
Chapter 42
Vee
Theminutetheapartmentdoor opens and Luke and Josh step inside, something in my chest drops straight to the floor. I know something’s wrong before they even say a word. Their faces are too serious, and they don’t have their usual smiles. Instead, their lips are clenched and their eyes are strained.
My stomach twists violently and my hand goes to it on instinct, palm pressing protectively over the precious life growing inside of me. I’ve just started to have a little swell in my belly. I’m not sure if it’s normal, or I’m just going to have a large baby.
Or twins. God, I don’t know if I’m ready for two babies.
They come and sit down on the couch, one on each side of me, as they lean forward, resting their arms on their thighs.
“Hey…” My voice comes out shaky and soft. “What’s wrong?” It’s taking everything in me to keep it together.
They exchange a glance. The kind that I’ve become accustomed to seeing them do when they are deciding who’s going to be the one to speak. My heart starts racing so fast I swear I can hear it beating.
“Baby,” Luke says softly. “We need to talk to you.”
The words hit me worse than any accident could. My vision immediately blurs. Of course. I knew this would happen, eventually. That Luke and Josh would realize having a baby was too much. It wasn’t something that was planned or even talked about.
Two men. A baby. A life none of us planned.
