AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Foster’s eyebrow went up ever so slightly. “Meaning?”
“I may have gotten her pregnant.”
Foster’s eyes went wide. “What? Fuck, Pike. How did you do that?”
“Well, when a man and a woman get together and like each other, they can make a—”
Foster leaned over the coffee table and smacked the side of Pike’s head like he used to do when they were kids. “Shut up. Don’t joke. What the fuck happened?”
“Condom broke. She’s not on the pill. We won’t know for a few more days, though.”
Foster sagged back against the couch cushions and rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw. “Jesus, man. That’s … I don’t even know what to say. How is she taking it?”
“Oakley’s tough—maybe too tough. She basically told me I could walk away and she wouldn’t hold it against me. She thinks the responsibility is on her because she didn’t want to take a morning-after pill.”
Foster cringed. “Pike, you know you can’t—”
“I’m not going to fucking leave her on the hook, man. What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
Foster blew out a breath. “Sorry, it’s just—I mean, you’ve made it no secret how you feel about kids. And with your schedule and the band …”
“I wouldn’t be the first musician with a kid.”
Foster laced his hands together, letting them hang loosely between his knees as he took on a thoughtful expression—the businessman stepping in. “Well, obviously, you could help her financially. Maybe you could hire a nanny so that when you’re not in town, she has an extra hand. And when you’re in town, you could get visitation on the weekends and the nanny could help you. There are ways—”
“I think I might love her.”
Foster looked up at that, a bewildered expression on his face. “What?”
Pike stood and shoved his hands in his pockets, hearing the words out loud sending him almost straight into hyperventilation. He paced around the couch, studiously avoiding looking toward the baby crib. “I know I sound crazy. That’s why I’m here. You’re good at talking sense into me. I’m having stupid urges. Talk me down, Fos.”
Foster watched him as he paced. “Haven’t you only known her for a few weeks?”
“Yes, but it’s like I’ve always known her. I know that sounds weird, but there’s this thing, this stuff, when I’m with her. I just … Everything’s different. The vibe between us. The way we can talk to each other. The sex … God, it’s like I’m a damn virgin again. I actually get it now—why you like the control. That need to dominate her came out of fucking nowhere. When I’m with her, I want to be everything to her, like this big, shining hero who she can trust to take her wherever she wants to go. All the bullshit that usually comes along with hookups just doesn’t exist with her. Everything is better and real and new.”
Foster listened to Pike’s rambling speech without changing expression. He stretched his arm over the back of the couch. “Doesn’t she already have a child?”
“Yes!” Pike said, keeping his voice down, but throwing his hands up. “That alone should make me want to run, right? But you should meet this kid. She’s like … the coolest little girl ever. She likes Patti Smith, for God’s sake. What eleven-year-old even knows who that is? And she’s a musician, too, and has this voice that will knock you on your damn ass. Even Monty likes her.”
Foster’s mouth twitched.
Pike stopped pacing. “What?”
Foster shrugged. “Nothing. Just listening.”
“You think I’m fucking nuts.”
“Yep.”
Pike braced his hands on the back of the couch and sighed. “I knew it.”
“And,” Foster added. “I think you’re in love.”
Pike lifted his head.
Foster’s lips curled into a shit-eating grin. “Congratulations, man. Welcome to hell.”
Pike si
