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Love isn't about to open herself up to someone who isn't all in. Dexter likes life exciting. He skates from one new thing to the next, never sticking around for long.
It's a shit situation being stuck between my best friend and the woman I love.
"They don't seem to mind." Dex nods toward the living room. "Our kid is growing in there. Well, one of ours."
"You still want a paternity test?" I ask, my voice low. I'm still not sure if he was serious about that, or just trying his best to get under my skin. If it's the second, it fucking worked.
Dexter rubs a hand over his face, shrugging.
"We both know you're the one who is going to step up. It doesn't really matter whose swimmer hit the egg. You're going to be that kid's dad."
"I'll be a dad," I clarify. "Because I'm wifing the fuck out of Love as soon as she'll have me. She's having a baby, so whether it's mine and I'm the dad, or it's yours… and I'm also one of the dads. It doesn't matter to me. Dexter, if you want to be in the kid's life, in whatever capacity, we want you here with us."
"Sure," Dex says, grabbing a bottle of water.
"No one's trying to cut you out; you can be that kid's dad, too. But you need to get it together. Kids…" I shake my head, trying to figure out how to say what I want to say.
We both know what happens to kids who grow up with parents who don't have their shit together.
"You have to be solid to take care of a kid. You don't think you can do it, but man, I know you can. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and grow the fuck up. I love you like my goddamn brother. I want you to be happy, not this bullshit act you put on, pretending you're living it up."
"Yeah," Dex says. His eyes are still on Love and Riggs.
He's letting his head get the better of him a-fucking-gain.
"Listen to me, Dexter," I say, taking a step into his personal space. "I won't let you destroy that kid, only popping in when it's convenient foryou. I lived that life. I saw what it did to my mom. Why do you think I latched on to Frank when he showed up?" I chuckle mirthlessly. "His name is fuckingFrank."
I grin, trying not to let my anger show. Dex nods, his eyes finally back on me.
"He wore high-water pants and fucking golf shirts. I thought he was the coolest motherfucker in the world. You know why? Because he showed up when he said he would and he made my mom smile," I say, shaking my head.
I blow out a breath as I try to get myself together.
I shoot Dex a look. He knows what I'm saying. I latched on to Frank because he's a decent guy who showed me attention and listened when I talked. Kids need that, and Frank is as solid as they come. To be fair, he isn't much cooler to this day, but heisreliable as fuck. He's my dad and I tell him that shit every Father's Day.
It's getting hard to curb the urge; sometimes lately I have to physically stop myself from punching Dexter. It's getting worse, and nothing else is getting through to his ass.
I get it he's got his own issues, but he's hurting the woman I love. My patience has officially run out. He joined us in Vegas. We got back to Florida and he started up his shit again.
"I hear you," Dex tells me.
"Do you really?" I ask. It's so hard not to bring up Love, but we've got to focus on one thing at a time. Knowing where his head is with the baby is the first step.
"Yeah," Dexter agrees. "I'm not going to dip out on the baby."
"Good," I growl, pulling him in for a hug.
I've known Dexter Clark since we were both running the streets of our neighborhood. We were too young to be out all night, but my mom was always working. Even before we hit double digits, no one kept tabs on us.
When I turned eleven, my mom met my step-dad and things turned around for us. We were always poor, but at least I got meals and someone asking where I was headed.
Dexter never had that.
My chest aches as I think about that skinny boy who'd show up on our doorstep. Dirty and hungry in the same clothes he wore the last time I'd seen him.
I've tried to help Dexter since I was old enough to look out for him. Sometimes, it even seems to work… for a while.
I'll always be around when he needs me, but he's got to start learning how to take care of himself. I've got different priorities now.
