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Pete raised a brow. “I don’t know, man. Seems a little naïve not to ask. This woman just comes out of nowhere after five-six-years and suddenly you’re a dad?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” Jeff picked at the edge of his paper coaster. “I haven’t figured any of this out yet. I’m still processing that I might have a kid.”
“But it’s possible it’s yours?” Ryan asked.
“Definitely a possibility.” Jeff picked up his beer and took a sip. The cool liquid hit his mouth but did nothing to ease the dryness in his throat. “We had a one-night thing a few years ago.”
“So she was just some random chick you picked up who now is coming out of the woodwork?” Pete asked.
“I wouldn’t say random chick.” Yes, he’d just had one night with Saskia, but that one night had been unforgettable.
“Did you exchange numbers?” Ryan pressed.
“No, it wasn’t like that. We didn’t even tell each other our last names, it was just… You know, one of those wild nights.”
“Which is all the more reason to ask for a paternity test, man. Not to be a dick, but you make a lot of money. That could be appealing to a lot of people.” Gonzo wrinkled his face as he held Jeff’s eyes. “Think about it, man. Child support. That’s a lot of dollar bills you could be out.”
“If it’s my kid, I should be paying.”
“Exactly, if it’s your kid. How about you make sure before you fork any out?” Gonzo took a sip of his beer, then set it down. “I know you want to do the right thing, but just take a beat and make sure it is the right thing first.”
“I hate to say it, but he’s right.” Pete grimaced. “I can think of at least two guys who’ve come out the other side of paternity tests with it not being their kid.”
“Yeah, and a hell of a lot more who have come out as the parent.” He was just getting used to the idea of Max being his son. He hated the thought that he now might not be.
“True, so you take the test and if it turns out you’re the dad. No harm, no foul, because you wanted to do the right thing anyway. But if it turns out you aren’t the dad, you saved yourself from getting hurt.” Gonzo nudged his shoulder. “I know you, man, and you’d be devastated if you started down this path just to have it ripped away. Protect yourself, please.”
Jeff nodded. Gonzo was right. If he allowed himself to be Max’s dad just to find out Kia had played him, he would be destroyed. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.” Gonzo’s mouth pulled into a tight half smile. “So assuming he’s yours, how do you feel?”
“Honestly? Terrified.”
“Understandable.” Pete nodded. “Kendall and I are just starting to talk about when we might want to have a family, and it scares the shit out of me. I wouldn’t have the first clue how to be a dad.”
“It’s a lot.” Jeff pictured hanging with Max for the first time. What if the kid didn’t like him? “I don’t even have the first clue what my role would be. I mean, the kid doesn’t know me. I’m practically a stranger. It’s not like I could demand partial custody.”
“You probably could if you wanted it,” Ryan said.
Did he want it? He didn’t know. The idea of being responsible for another human being was terrifying. “That’s not really fair to Max. Can you imagine how that would feel? Hey buddy, want to go sleep at this strange man’s house?” Jeff shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just have to play it all by ear and hope Kia knows how to navigate all this better than I do.”
“That’s the mom’s name? Kia?” Pete asked.
“Yeah, Saskia, but she prefers to be called Kia now, apparently.” Jeff drummed his fingers on the table. “It suits her.” He smiled. She seemed so different from the girl he remembered. That girl had been so light and carefree, like the world was hers for the taking. Kia seemed harder, more streetwise, with her tattoos and piercings and the whole badass vibe she had going on. Both were sexy in their own way. He took a sip of beer. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about how sexy Kia was. His only focus should be on Max.
“Considering it was a one-night stand six years ago, it’s pretty impressive you remembered her name,” Ryan said.
“It was a pretty memorable night.”
“You hoping to hook back up with the sexy mom?” Gonzo’s head cocked to the side in question.
“I’m not even thinking about that at the moment.” What a liar. He was definitely thinking about that. But hooking up with a one-night stand again was one thing. Hooking up with the mother of his child was something else entirely. That had complication written all over it. He didn’t do complicated. But having a kid was complicated, so apparently that was about to change. This was not what he’d expected when he’d woken up today.
“Probably a good idea not to dip your wick in the mommy well.” Gonzo’s lips pulled tight as his head bobbed up and down.
“Classy.” Ryan rolled his eyes at Gonzo.
“What? I’m just saying. There are lots of other places to get that need met. Hooking up with Kia sounds messy.” Gonzo pinned Jeff with a stare. “And confusing.”
