Logan laughs. “No she did not.”

  “Promise. Being in charge of people is not what it appears.”

  “So why not try something different?”

  I glance over at her. “Starting over is scary as hell. And although they wouldn’t mind, I have no desire to move back in with my parents while in school.”

  “What would you do?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. I just know that being in management is not for me. I get calls all hours of the day and night, people calling in the night before saying they have a headache and they just know that they’re going to be sick the next day.”

  “Wow.”

  “That is the story of my life.”

  “Well, I’m glad you have a few days off to relax and get away from the stress of it all.”

  “Yeah,” I agree halfheartedly. The time away from it all is nice, but with the conversation with Tristan looming, I don’t know which is the lesser evil.

  I called Kacen last night as soon as I hung up with Lauren. When I asked him what he was getting into today, my intention was for him to tell me that Logan was picking my girl up at the airport. He fell into the trap and I invited myself over to keep him and baby Drew company.

  I’m not sure if she expects me to be here or not. I’m keeping my promise to her. I’m not going to shout from the rooftops for anyone who will listen and tell them she’s my girl, but I am going to be here when she gets here. I haven’t set eyes on her in two weeks. Two very long weeks.

  I have no idea what she wants to talk to me about, but I do know that nothing she can say is going to change my mind. When I told her I was all in, I meant it. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. I get it now. Being away from her has shown me what she means to me. That foreign feeling in my chest, the night I had to leave her, the feeling was my heart wrapping around her. All of her. Nothing will change that, but I’m still curious what she has to tell me. Is she sick? My mind races with what it might be, and I know I need to stop this freight train before is flies out of control. Whatever it is we’ll get through it together.

  “You want me to take him?” Kacen asks.

  I’m currently sitting on the living room couch with Drew sleeping on my chest, his little head resting on my shoulder. “Nah, he’s good,” I say as the sound of the front door opening catches our attention. I turn my gaze to the doorway and there she is.

  “Hey, you two,” Logan says, bouncing into the room. She stops and leans in to kiss Drew on the back of the head before settling herself on Kacen’s lap.

  “Hey, babe. Hey, Lauren,” Kacen greets. “Come on in.”

  She’s staring right at me, not moving.

  “Hey,” I say, keeping my voice soft, trying not to wake the slumbering baby on my chest.

  “Lauren,” Logan calls out, finally getting her attention.

  “H-hey.” She waves awkwardly. “Where should I put my bags?”

  “Just leave them. I’ll take them up to the guest room in a few,” Kacen tells her.

  “It’s just one bag, I can get it.”

  “Leave it, crazy girl. Get in here and say hello,” Kacen says emphatically.

  Dropping her bag to her feet, she slowly enters the room and settles on the love seat, her gaze locking with mine. “He’s getting so big,” she exclaims, her eyes watery.

  I pat Drew’s back softly. “He’ll be playing the drums with Uncle T in no time.”

  “And he’s going to have vocals like his dad,” Kacen boasts.

  “You okay?” Logan asks Lauren.

  “Yeah, just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “Damn,” Kacen says.

  “What?”

  “I was kind of hoping I could steal Logan away for an early dinner before everyone gets here.”

  “I thought we were having snack foods and stuff?” she asks him.

  “We are, but I was hoping for a kid-free day date with my wife.”

  “I would love to watch him,” Lauren says.

  “What the hell am I?” I ask them.

  “You can both watch him.” Logan smiles happily. “That way it’s not all on Lauren. Deal?”

  “Deal,” I say immediately.

  “Perfect.” Kacen pulls her into him for a kiss.

  “Lauren?” I prompt.

  “Y-yeah, I can—I mean we can do that.”

  “Why don’t we make it a lunch date? I still have a few things to pick up for tonight, and we need diapers,” Logan suggests.

  “You two good with that?” Kacen asks.

  “We got this, Dad. Go spend some time with your wife.”

  This could not be going more perfectly. I want us to get this conversation she wants to have over with so I can stop hiding what I feel for her. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and maybe that’s true. I fell for her long before I slept with her, which just intensified the feelings. Then there were the past two weeks. Knowing that our future, the one I crave with her, is up in the air, I’m even more determined to prove to her that she’s my end game.

  “Ready, wife?” Kacen taps her thigh and she stands, him following. “Tristan, you know where everything is, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long since he’s eaten?” Lauren asks.

  I hold up the empty bottle sitting beside me. “I just fed him before he conked out on me. I’ve got this.”

  “Thank you,” Logan says, her eyes softening.

  “Go,” I order.

  They both lean in and kiss Drew goodbye, then tell Lauren and me goodbye and are out the door.

  As soon as I hear the garage door close, I pat the seat next to me on the couch. “Come here, baby. I need to see you.”

  Lauren stays where she is, just watching me. Her eyes keep diverting from Drew to me. “You’re good with him,” she whispers.

  “He’s a good baby. Come here.” I hold my hand out for her.

  “We should talk.” She stands still, her eyes wary.

  “Yes, we should. You should tell me whatever it is you’re thinking so I can tell you you’re wrong and I can stop hiding the fact that you’re all I think about.”

  “You want to put him down first?” she asks.

  “No, he’s comfortable. I do, however, need my lips on yours.”

  “Tristan.” She wrings her hands together. “There is no easy way for me to say this, so I’m just going to blurt it out. Just pull the Band-Aid off, if you will.”

  “Well, do it fast. You’re starting to scare me.”

  My mind races. She was sick a few weeks ago when I was there. Is that why she’s pushing me away? She’s sick and doesn’t want to burden me? Fuck that, she’s mine.

  I watch her as she closes her eyes and opens her mouth to speak.

  “I’m pregnant.” She lowers herself into the chair as if her legs can no longer hold her.

  My heart stalls in my chest. Did I hear her right?

  Slowly she opens her eyes, locking on mine. “Tristan, we’re having a baby.”

  A baby.

  She’s pregnant.

  With my baby.

  I’m going to be a father.

  I’m swarmed with emotions I’ve never felt before: love for her, love for our child, and a definite certainty that this is where we’re supposed to be. This is how our lives are supposed to turn out—us together, making our own family. Emotion clogs my throat and I swallow it down.

  She starts to speak but I beat her to it. “Come here, Lauren.” I hold my hand out for her yet again.

  “Listen, I don’t—”

  “Lauren, I need you to come here.” I watch as she stands on shaking legs and makes her way over. Stiffly she takes the seat next to me, sitting just on the edge of the couch. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least I can touch her. Placing my hand on her back, I gently trace her spine. “When?” I ask softy.

  “Wh-when what?”

  “When will our baby be here?”

  “Seven months. I’m thirteen weeks.” She’s looking straight ahead, focusing on the wall when I want her eyes on me.

  “The sickness?”

  “Morning sickness.”

  “I assume you knew, then?”

  “I did.” This time she turns to face me, and there are tears streaking down her face. “I wanted to tell you, but I’d just found out, you know, and I was worried and scared and stressing out about being a single mom, and—”

  “Hold up. Single mom? You said this baby is mine, ours.”

  “It is, but I know you didn’t sign on for this. We were just having fun,” she sobs.

  I need my arms around her. Standing, I carry Drew to the crib thing in the corner of the room and lay him down. He squirms a little but stays asleep. Cautiously, I place my hand on his chest and watch as it rises and falls with each breath.

  I’m going to be a father.

  Lauren’s still sitting on the edge of the couch, crying silent tears, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes are filled with fear, something I never want to see from her.

  In a few long strides, I drop to my knees in front of her, taking her face in my hands. I wipe her cheeks with my thumbs. “Stubborn girl. Have you not heard anything I’ve been telling you since that weekend? I want you, Lauren. I want to tell the world that you’re mine.”

  “You do?” she asks, hope in her voice.

  “I do. How could you think anything different? “I want this baby.” Dropping my hands, I place one on her belly and one around her waist. “Fuck, Ren, we made a baby.” I stop there, letting the emotions wash over me. I fight the battle not to lose my shit, but this is a big fucking deal.

  Life-altering.

  “You should take some time,” she suggests. “Make sure this is what you want. I’m prepared to raise him or her on my own. I don’t want to be a regret for you.”

  “Stop.” My voice is hard and she jumps. “Enough of that. How can you even suggest that I not be in your life, in our child’s life? We’ve been talking about us. I told you I wanted you before I even knew about the baby.”

  “I know, but we never truly defined what more meant. You don’t do the commitment thing, and I don’t want you to feel trapped into this.”

  “I didn’t. Until I met you. Baby, you’ve let your mind race and convinced yourself that I don’t want you or our child.”

  I move to sit on the couch and pull her onto my lap. She comes willingly, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight. “You’re all I want, Ren. You’re the only woman I see, the only thing I think about. The day I met you, I stopped living that lifestyle. There has been no one but you since that day. There will never be anyone but you.”

  I stop there and give my words time to sink in.

  “What do you want, Lauren? Do you want me in your life? Regardless, I’ll be a part of my child’s life, but what about you? Tell me what you want.”

  “You said I was yours.”

  I fight the smile that wants to break through. “I meant that. I feel it here.” I place her hand on my chest, right over my heart. “That’s where you are. Your answer isn’t going to change that. It’s also not going to keep me from pursuing you. It’s just going to tell me how much I need to step up my game.”

  She laughs through her tears. “Can we do this, Tristan? Together, can we really do this?”

  “We can and we will.”

  “There’s so much to figure out, to talk about.”

  “There is, but first and foremost, I need to know what you’re thinking. Where are you with all of this in the beautiful brain of yours?”

  “I want this baby,” she says adamantly.

  “So do I.” And I mean it with everything in me.

  “I don’t want to lose you. You’re important to me.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I try to reassure her.

  “You have women throwing themselves at you. I’m just this small-town girl. How can I compete with that?”

  “You’re right, there is no competition.” She stiffens in my arms. “None of them compare to you.” She relaxes a bit at that. “Tell me what you want, Lauren.”

  Lifting her head from my chest, I see the tears have stopped. “I want all of it. I want you, not just as a guy I’m falling hard and fast for, not just the one who sneaks out to see me like a teenager in the middle of the night. I want the drummer, the uncle, and the best friend. I want it all, Tristan, every version of you. I want the fairy tale.”

  Sliding my hand behind her neck, I pull her mouth to mine and kiss her like I wanted to the minute she walked through the door. Her taste explodes on my tongue and I want more. I crave her. My hands travel up her thighs and end up on her belly. Pulling away from the kiss, I stand and lay her on the couch, then drop to my knees beside her. Eyes locked on her stomach, I raise her shirt and rest my palm on her bare skin.

  “You’re showing,” I say in awe. There’s just a slight swell to her abdomen, one that wasn’t there two weeks ago.

  “A little.”

  “Hey, baby,” I murmur, speaking to her belly. “I’m your daddy.”

  A sob breaks from her throat. When I lift my head to look at her, she’s wearing a blinding smile. “We’re doing this?”

  “Yeah, Ren, we’re doing this. The three of us.” I place a soft kiss to where our baby grows inside of her. “Stay with me? This weekend while you’re here, will you stay with me?” I brace myself for her answer. I’m not above begging or seducing her, if that’s what I need to do to get her to agree.

  “Yeah, I’ll stay with you.”

  “No more hiding?” I clarify.

  “No more hiding.”

  Leaning in, I kiss her lips just as Kacen announces that they’re back.

  At the sound of Kacen’s voice, I freeze.

  “We’re in this together, beautiful Ren,” Tristan says, giving me one more chaste kiss before standing and pulling me up with him.

  “Well, this is a new development.” Logan grins.

  “Actually, it’s not,” Tristan confesses. “Lauren and I have been seeing each other.” He looks over at me. “For a while now.”

  “Tristan,” Kacen growls.

  “Oh hush, you,” Logan scolds him. “Tell me everything,” she gushes.

  I watch as she walks into the room and heads for Drew, who’s still sleeping peacefully. “He’s never going to sleep tonight. I should wake him up.”

  “Let him sleep. I’ll get up with him,” Kacen says, grabbing her hands and guiding her to the chair. He sits and pulls her into his lap—something he always does, I’ve noticed.

  “Spill.” Logan smiles wide.

  “We met when we all went to Ohio for your Gramps funeral,” Tristan reminds them. “We hit it off and exchanged numbers. That brings us to now,” he says, taking a seat on the couch and pulling me down beside him. He puts his arm around me and holds me close, pressing his lips against my temple.

  “All this time your nose has been buried in your phone, you’ve been texting Lauren?” Kacen asks. “I told you not to mess with her. She’s family.”

  “You’re right, she is family. My family.”

  I look up at him and can see the question in his eyes. He wants to tell them.

  “He’s right, we’re family now,” I chime in. “No matter what happens, Tristan and I will always be bonded.”

  “Eeeeeek!” Logan squeals and jumps off Kacen’s lap, rushing toward us. Bending down, she wraps both of us in a hug. When she pulls away, she places her hand on my belly. “When?”

  “I’m thirteen weeks weeks.”

  “I suspected,” she confesses.

  “I know you did, but I couldn’t tell you. Not until I told Tristan.”

  “You’re pregnant?” Kacen asks.

  “We are,” Tristan speaks up.

  We’re all silent, waiting for what he’s going to say next. It’s no secret that Kacen is super protective of Logan, and that includes me by association.

  “Congratulations,” he says with a smile. “My little man is going to have a cousin to grow up with.”

  Tristan relaxes beside me. I know it wouldn’t have mattered what Kacen thought of us being together, but it makes life easier for everyone that he’s accepting this.

  “Thank you,” I mouth to him. He nods.

  “How are you feeling? Sickness?” Logan asks.

  I tell her that I had some morning sickness but it seems to have subsided, and we carry on as she tells me her pregnancy ups and downs. It’s as if a giant load has been lifted from my shoulders. Tristan didn’t turn me away like I thought he would. He wants us, me and our baby. And I have Logan, my cousin and best friend, to share this experience with and guide me through it.

  “Hey, hey!” Gavin says, coming into the room. We all wave and greet him in various forms. He plops down on the love seat, immediately zeroing in on Tristan’s hand on my thigh. “What did I miss?” he asks with a gleam in his eyes.

  “Oh, you know, just that Lauren and I have been seeing each other for a while now and we’re having a baby,” Tristan says with pride in his voice.

  “Who’s having a baby?” Cole asks as he and Stacy join us.

  “We are,” Tristan responds, giving my thigh a gentle squeeze.

  “What?” Stacy shrieks. “Why did I not know this?” She slides out from under Cole’s arm, perching on the edge of the couch beside Logan and me.

  “No one knew,” I tell her. “It was just… something that we kept to ourselves and it became—”

  “Everything,” Tristan finishes for me.

  “Woman!” Cole exclaims. “We’re behind.” His facial expression tells me he’s dead serious.

  “We get married next week.”

  “Okay, so let’s start now.”

  “Cole,” Stacy laughs. “It’s a week, babe.”

  “A week my swimmers could be doing their job.”

  “Can we talk about this later?”

  “Sure, right after I toss your pills in the trash.” He nods.

  “Let’s go play some pool, leave the ladies to talk,” Gavin suggests. Cole follows him, grumbling about birth control.