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"So, you have a conscience. Could have fooled us." Bryce laughed, bringing us all back to our conversation.
"Shut up. She's one of my best friends. What would you do?"
"Oh, so that makes it different than every other woman out there? And what would I do? I jump at the fucking chance."
"Yes, it does make a difference," I mumbled, ignoring his other comment.
"What are you afraid of, that she may not like your piggish ass afterward?" Bryce bit out. Bryce had stayed with me for a bit last year before he met Mia. He, of all of my brothers, knew exactly how I was.
I stopped pacing and looked over at Bryce. He had pretty much hit it on the head. What if, by doing this, we totally ruined the relationship we already had with each other? We basically spoke every day in one way or another, we hung out on weekends, vacationed with the same group of people in the summer, and I already knew that not having her in my life or her not speaking to me would probably kill me.
"That's exactly it." Bryce laughed when I didn't respond immediately. "You're afraid."
"Can I not share anything with you asses? I don't know what the hell to do. I've never been in this position before."
"Do whatever you think you should." Bryce shrugged, looking at his watch. "I've got to run too. We are expecting Mia's brother and his family this weekend. She'll kill me if I'm not home on time tonight, and since I'm already late, I'm gonna have to make it up to her. See you next week." He waved as he walked out of my office and soon he, too, was gone.
"Hunter, what would you do?" I asked, trying to get some kind of feedback from someone older and wiser—and perhaps a little more mature.
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
He blew out a breath and placed his hands behind his head. He took a few minutes and thought, and then took a deep breath. "Well, I'd have to consider a lot of things."
"Like?"
"What my relationship with said person is and what it might become afterward. So I get where you are coming from on that front. I mean things are going to work out one of two ways: either everything will go back to the way it is now, or the worst, this will drive a rift right between you. You need to figure out how comfortable you would be with that last aspect. You also need to think about protecting yourself. I mean we as a company have a shit-tonne to lose if you go through with this, and then she wants to come after you financially."
"I'm not worried about that. Sophie is in a good place, and I've known her my entire life. Hell, we've all known her. I don't think she is doing this in any way to be vindictive."
"Neither do I, but the stress of dealing with a child alone can do a lot of funny things to people. What happens if she falls in love with you and you don't return the feelings, or you get married and she resents you forever and comes after you. You need to think of all of these things. I mean, you are right, we have known her all her life. Now, on the other hand, you also need to figure out what would happen if you end up wanting more."
"I won't," I immediately replied.
Hunter chuckled at my quick and immediate answer and rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, I know I'm in a way different place than you are currently, but when I found out Autumn was pregnant, something in me changed. It was like a switch. Suddenly, I wanted to see my baby be born and grow up, and it killed me when she pushed me away. What if you feel the same way and she wants nothing to do with you?"
"Seriously? I'm a donor, nothing more," I bit out.
"So, then you’re telling me you're going to do it?"
I looked at my brother. Hunter had brought up great points, and I'd given zero thought to how I might feel about the entire process, especially how I might feel afterward. I'd also given zero thought to what would happen if she wanted more. I blew out a breath and dropped my head back and stopped and thought for a second. I hadn't really thought about any of the things he’d brought up. All I'd seen was the hurt in her eyes when she walked away from me. I'd seen it before caused by others, and I'd seen happiness, and honestly, I liked seeing the second better. I just wanted to do whatever it took to see that happiness in her eyes again.
"All I'm saying is be careful and be prepared for what you might not expect. Sophie has lived in Kings Cove her entire life, and she isn't going anywhere."
"What is that supposed to mean, she isn't going anywhere?"
"Well, it means that one day, after all this is done with, you will probably run into her on the street. Your son or daughter will be with her. The part that will hurt the most will be the fact that they won't even know who you are when you run into them, but you will. He or she will just think you are nothing more than an acquaintance that their mother knows, but you're going to know. I just want you to think and be fully prepared for how that might feel."
I sat there considering what he had just said. I knew there was a lot of truth in what he was saying. I had seen what a mess he had been over the whole Autumn situation. I blew out a breath.
"Oh, and what if she ends up wanting child support? That can end up being an entirely different can of worms. We work in the law field. Ask Carter the shit he's seen people pull. It will definitely open your eyes."
I nodded. He was right. "What do you think I should do?"
"If you are absolutely sure that you’re really going to be finished with this situation after the deed is done, then form a contract and make her sign an NDA," Hunter said, crossing his arms and sitting back in the chair. "If you aren't totally sure, then make sure you do a little soul searching yourself before you enter into anything with her."
"Thanks, man. I'll be working on that tonight."
