“What the fuck?” I’m shaking. No. She told me she was on the shot.
I look at Leo, and she is vibrating with anger, and when she turns her eyes to me, I realize it’s not anger at Nat but me.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No.
“Leo—” I reach out to her, taking a step in her direction. Her eyes widen, and she takes a step back with Rune in her grasp.
“Phoenix.”
I’m struck in the chest by that one word.
Her eyes never leave mine as she backs into the kitchen, grabs her keys out of the little bowl on my island, and then walks toward the front door.
Before she leaves, I give her a warning. “Leo, I will find you.”
She scoots past Nat with her eyes on Rune, who looks more scared than I have ever seen him.
“Well, that was interesting.” Nat’s tone is boastful, and I hate it. She walks in and takes a seat at the island, her long leg crossing over her other one, her black, red-bottom heel dangling.
“What the fuck, Nat? You’re pregnant? How do you even know it’s mine?”
She rolls her eyes. “Please, Everett, don’t offend me. You’re the only one I have sex with. And I’m about twelve weeks. It lines up perfectly with the last time we had sex.”
I hate to even ask, but fate can’t be this cruel, can it? “Do you have proof?”
She looks hurt by my accusation, but based on the paper she is pulling from her Chanel purse, it seems like she was expecting it. “Here.”
I take the paper and find an ultrasound report and picture. The little black and white blip mocks me.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” My eyes don’t leave the little blip. That's my little blip. And as much as this revelation hurts because I know it’s hurting Leo, that’s still my baby.
“I have been trying to call for weeks now. You didn’t answer.”
I run my hand down my face. “Fuck.” She’s right. I thought she was just trying to get back into my life, I never thought…
“Wait. You said you were on the shot.”
She looks down, like she is ashamed, but that can’t be right. “I might have missed my last appointment.”
I want to scream. She did this on purpose.
“That’s a really important appointment to miss, Nat. Also would have been nice to know so I could have pulled out!”
“You always wore a condom! I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal!”
“Yeah, well, accidents fucking happen, Nat.” I go and fall onto my couch. What a cluster fuck.
“She isn’t an accident, Everett. Don’t call her that.”
“She?” My head lifts from my hands. I’m going to have a daughter, Rune, a little sister.
“I had blood work done. They told me it was a girl.”
My heart warms in my chest. God, I fucking love Rune so much it hurts. What the fuck am I going to do with a daughter? She is literally going to kill me. I can’t be a girl dad. I will fucking kill anyone who hurts her, looks at her, fucking breathes on her.
“What are you going to do about Leora?” Her tone is suggestive that Leo is a problem to deal with, like I missed trash day or something.
“Her name is Leo now, and what do you mean, what am I going to do about her?”
