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“Do you need menus at all?” The server held up a stack of menus.
“Nah, just the beer for now,” Ryan replied.
“Coming right up.” The server turned and pulled up short when she almost crashed into Gonzo, who was walking up to their table.
“Whoa, easy.” Gonzo grabbed her arm to stop her from stumbling backward into a nearby table.
“Thanks.”
Gonzo smiled at the server and she ducked her head and blushed, then slinked away. As Gonzo dropped into the last remaining seat, he grinned at the group. “She’s cute.”
“Can you not turn that off for like five minutes?” Pete joked.
“Hey man, it’s a curse. I can’t help it that the ladies love me.”
“Right.” Pete snorted. “Get a hobby.”
“I have a hobby, picking up women.”
“Get a dog,” Ryan added.
“Yeah, that’s not even close to the same thing at all.”
The server arrived and set the pitcher of beer and glasses on the table. She smiled shyly at Gonzo, then left.
Ryan filled up the glasses of beer, then looked pointedly at Jeff. “Alright, why are we here, Smitty?”
When he arrived, he’d been dying to talk to them. Now that the moment was at hand, he didn’t know how to start. Maybe that’s how Kia had felt when she’d just blurted out the news. Needing a moment, he picked up his beer and took a sip. He eyed his friends watching him expectantly and took another sip. This was a lot harder than he’d expected.
He took a breath and let it out loudly. “So I had an interesting day today.”
“Okay?” Gonzo raised his eyebrow at him, encouraging him to continue.
“This is weird. You know Max’s hot mom?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Gonzo smiled. “What about her?”
“Well, turns out—” Uncomfortable, he shifted on his chair and his plaid button-up got caught underneath him. He yanked it free and rocked back in his seat. “Max is my son.”
Ryan’s glass clunked on the table, spilling beer over the edge of the glass. “Say what now?”
Jeff handed Ryan a napkin. “Yeah, that’s how I felt when she told me.”
“Holy shit,” Pete mumbled. “You have a kid?”
“Apparently.”
“Are you sure it’s yours?” Gonzo asked.
“Pretty sure.” Kia had mentioned a paternity test, but he believed her. Not sure why exactly, but he did.
“But you’re going to do a paternity test, right?” Gonzo pressed.
Jeff shrugged. “Not sure, but I don’t think so.”
Pete winced. “Are you sure that’s wise? It might be a good idea just to be safe.”
“It feels like a dick move to ask for a paternity test. Like I think she’s lying.” The idea of questioning Kia about it didn’t sit right in his gut.
