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“Charlotte’s the one I want to have kids with,” he grumbles.
Give me strength, Buddha. “Seems Charlotte already has a whiny toddler on her hands,” I mutter.
He huffs out a breath.
I glance over. “Why don’t you stomp your feet while you’re at it?”
“Come on, Rock.”
“Fine. I get it. It’s not a perfect situation. But if he’s yours, you will take the time to get to know your kid. Work out something with the mother.” I can’t bring myself to say her name one more damn time. “Handle your responsibilities like a man. And you’re sure as fuck not going to treat him any different from any kids you and Charlotte may have.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Don’t let whatever you’re feeling about the mother spill over onto the kid. That’s not fair. That’s all I’m saying.” I glance over at him. “I’d say the same thing to any brother.”
“Christ.”
I simmer down and take a different approach. “Teller, I have complete faith in you. The way you’ve been looking out for Heidi since you were a kid yourself, how good you are with Alexa. I have no doubt you’ll be a good father.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch him pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head. “There really isn’t a chance it’s yours?”
And now I want to choke him again.
“Unless she forgot how to count, then no. There really isn’t.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“I don’t blame you for asking. You know how fucking shitty I feel about this whole thing?”
He cracks up, and I glance over at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I can’t remember how many times you warned us not to fuck the dancers. ‘They’re employees, not club whores,’” he says, mimicking words I probably threw at him several times over the years. “Hypocrite,” he mutters.
“Seems I’m not the only one who broke the rules.” I pull into a spot in front of the lab and shut the truck off. I turn and face him. “Let’s set aside the fact that I’m your fuckin’ president and within my rights to kick your ass for that disrespectful attitude you just threw at me.”
He glares.
I put my hands up and wave my fingers toward myself. “Give it to me, Teller. Get it all out of your system now. I’m not putting up with your bullshit until we get the results back. And this sulky dickhead act isn’t gonna fly if that kid’s yours. So now’s your chance.”
He works his jaw from side to side. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Teller this pissed off. Better he get some of that anger out now before he ends up doing something stupid.
“She the only woman you ever fucked?” I ask.
“No,” he spits through clenched teeth.
“You always wrap it up, right?”
“That’s what you taught me,” he shoots back.
“You’re welcome, asshole. Otherwise you might have been dealing with a situation like this a lot sooner.”
“Well, gee, thanks a lot.”
“What the fuck is your problem? According to Sparky, you have the least chance—”
“Yeah, it’s awesome having to take Sparky’s word on this.”
I think I’m getting closer to whatever twisted his jackass knob up to eleven today. “So, you got drunk and did something stupid. Every single one of us has at one time or another.”
He tilts his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk in my life, Rock.”
“That’s not true. Even so, I did lots of stupid shit when I was younger.” I glance at the building looming in front of us. “And when I was older, obviously.”
He snorts, then squeezes his eyes shut and laughs even harder. “What the fuck did you ever see in her, anyway?”
Now I’m the one glaring at him. “Are you serious?”
“Well—” He taps his chin, like his brain hurts from thinking so hard, “—she’s all skin, bones, and silicone. You two have some scintillating conversations or something?”
“Fuck you.” I continue glaring at him, and he raises his eyebrows and gives a little hurry-up motion, prompting me to come up with a serious answer.
So I give him one. “She came to town, we did… whatever, and she went away. That was the extent of our relationship.” Back then I couldn’t imagine wanting the kind of intimacy I share with Hope.
“You didn’t miss her when she left town?”
“No.” Fuck, I barely even thought about her.
“So it wasn’t ’cause you were a fanboy who whacked off to Easy Ride Her a hundred times?”
“What?”
“Romancing the Bone?” He snaps his fingers. “I know. Lord of the Cock Rings?”
“Are you naming real movies?”
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Charlotte catch you watching that shit?”
His mouth twists with amusement. “Who do you think looked ’em up?”
Reluctantly, I let out a grunt of laughter. “At least she has a sense of humor about the whole thing.”
He shrugs.
“Where we at, Teller? Can you control yourself until we get the results or do I need to have a different conversation with you? I need you levelheaded at this meet later.”
“I’m fine.”
“Still pissed at me?”
“No.”
“The odds really are in your favor here, Teller.”
He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “Yeah, but if something seems unlikely, that’s when it’ll fucking happen.”
“You honestly believe that? You’re our money guy. What’ve you been doing all these years, stroking your lucky rabbit’s foot to earn for the club?”
“Fuck no. But there’s a small amount of luck involved in everything, Rock.” He glances at the dashboard clock. “We should probably go inside.”
“So you’re done? I already got a hormonal wife at home. Don’t need to deal with a moody teenager all day.” I snort with laughter. “Already went through that phase with you once.”
He tips his head down and looks at me with a smirk playing over his lips. “I was a little asshole, wasn’t I?”
“What do you mean, was?”
Chapter Nine
Rock
Are you ready for her?
Trinity answers my text a couple seconds later.
Almost.
You know she already knows about the shower, right?
By the time you get her here, we’ll be ready. LOL!
Shaking my head, because she’s right, I stuff my cell phone back in my pocket and shout up the stairs. “Any progress?”
“I hate everything!” Hope yells back.
I close my eyes, steeling myself for whatever I’m about to find in the bedroom.
Hope’s adorable mood swings? Yeah, those took a turn toward homicidal this morning when I reminded her the baby shower was today. I did the smart thing—kept my mouth shut and stayed out of her way while she hurricaned through her closet.
“How are we doing?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
She’s dressed. Good sign.
My gaze drops. Half her closet is on the floor. Bad sign.
“We are miserable. This looked so nice on me a couple weeks ago.” She runs her hand over the blue and green wrap dress she’s wearing. “Now, I look like a gestating mermaid.”
“I always wanted to fuck a mermaid. Especially one I knocked up.”
She blinks at me. “Is that your answer to everything?”
“Have we met?”
Her lips twitch, but she fights back her laughter.
I point at her. “Put your laser-beam-of-death eyes away.”
“I look pregnant.”
“You are pregnant, and I think everyone at your baby shower is aware.”
“Don’t you try to logic and reason me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I crook a finger at her. “Come here.”
I’m expecting her to make me work harder, but she shuffles over, and I wrap my
arms around her. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She screws her pretty lips into a pout that I probably shouldn’t find as sexy as I do. “I don’t want to go.”
“Why?”
“We shouldn’t be having the shower now,” she whispers.
I think I know why she thinks so, but I wait to see what else she has to say.
She curls her arms between our bodies and rests her head on my chest. “I’m nervous about the test this week,” she finally says.
There it is. I rub my hands over her back. “Me too. But the other ones came back fine. All signs point to Grace being perfectly healthy.”
“I know. I’m scared. I’ll do something or—”
