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I wanted to know more but was afraid to pry. “Rough childhood?”
“You could say that. Anyway, it’s in the past and well, I never thought I’d have to deal with that baggage because I never planned to be a mom. Funny how things change.”
I digested that unexpected nugget of personal information, hungry for more but I knew that hot topics were best left to the person to decide how much they wanted to share.
My respectful silence prompted her to switch gears with a sharp sucked in breath and a bright, almost blinding smile. “Enough about me, what about you?”
“Well, career military. Naval officer. I help train Navy SEALs. One of many links in the chain but it’s rewarding work.”
“It’s kinda ironic that Jessica got knocked up by a military guy,” she mused.
“Yeah?”
She chuckled, admitting, “Yeah, because she was never really attracted to guys in uniform. That was always my thing, though I’m not sure why I was into it, either. I was never around military guys growing up.”
“Well, our dress uniforms are pretty sharp,” I said with a teasing smile.
Her shy returning smile made my stomach do an odd flip. She was a beautiful woman. I hadn’t thought to ask if she were dating anyone.
“Not to put my nose where it doesn’t belong but I have to ask seeing as we’re going to potentially share custody of the baby, are you seeing anyone?”
She barked a short laugh and I was relieved when she answered, “God no. As much as I love Berkeley, the dating pool has pee in it. It was one of the things that Jessica and I used to talk about, how there was literally no good guys out there anymore. It’s nothing but dick pics and douchebags trying to hook up with anything that moves. No, sadly, I’m single as a Pringle.” She swung her gaze my way, curious. “And you? Why aren’t you dating or married for that matter? Unless you’re hiding something really gross —which, please God, I hope not for Victoria’s sake —someone should’ve snatched you up a long time ago.”
I laughed. “Nothing gross to my knowledge. I’m just married to my work and most women don’t appreciate my schedule. I find it easier to stay single. Less drama that way.”
“True, but what about sex?” she asked.
I nearly choked on my beer. “Um, I didn’t say I was celibate,” I said, wiping the beer from my chin with a rueful laugh. “But I’m not about the random hook-up either. Somewhere in the middle, I guess?”
“Yeah, same. Sometimes you want an itch scratched but you don’t exactly want to pick out China either.”
Dating, even the little I participated in, would have to change as well with a baby in my life. I swallowed, sobering. “I want you to know…if I’m the father, I will do anything I have to, for her safety and well-being. It’s important to me that any child of mine knows that they are loved and taken care of.”
Briar’s eyes welled but she looked away with a short nod, appreciating my declaration. “Good,” she said. “That’s exactly what I need to hear because I swear, I will turn into a badger and rip your face off if you hurt that precious girl. She’s all I have left of Jessica and she means the world to me. Understand?”
I nodded, taking the threat at face value. I liked that Briar was so protective of Victoria. Her love for the baby said a lot about her character.
“Now what else should we cover?” I asked, half-joking. “We wandered into some deep waters.”
“Yeah, I’m not really used to being so open with someone. Usually, Jessica was the only one I opened up to. I just want to say that you’re handling this news way better than I thought you might. I mean, I dropped a bomb on you and here you are, allowing us to stay here while we wait for the test results. Not many guys would be so generous.”
I thought of Halford and realized the world needed better men. Especially if I had a daughter that would someday be in the dating pool.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. A daughter. How would I keep her safe from all the perverts and weirdos out there? The world was full of predators and being in the military, I’d seen some things. A wave of protectiveness swamped me. I would commit a felony if anyone hurt that baby. I swallowed, shocked at the reaction. Was this what being a father felt like?
“Ah, well, it’s the least I can do,” I said gruffly before rising to throw away my beer bottle. How would I feel about my daughter being in Berkeley while I was stationed here? How could I ensure her safety if I wasn’t around all the time? I shook the questions starting to nag at me.One thing at a time.Twenty-four hours seemed a lifetime away.Change the subject. “Tell me about Victoria. I want to know all about her.”
Briar laughed. “She’s a funny kid. A little quirky. You can tell her personality is going to be lit when she gets older. She has this way of listening to you as if she’s deciphering what you’renotsaying. It’s kinda crazy, like baby psychic or something. I don’t know, I used to tease Jessica that she had a mystical witch baby.”
I shared Briar’s laughter, enjoying the sound and watching how Briar lit up when she talked about Victoria. How was it possible Briar was still single? To me, her smile dazzled a room like sunshine from an open window. “Is now a bad time to share that I have stories of supposed psychic ability in my family?” I teased.
“Shut up, seriously?” Briar asked, incredulous. “I need to know more.”
“Okay, well, according to my mom, my maternal grandmother had ‘The Sight’ as she called it. Personally, I think she just said that to scare me into thinking moms always had a way of knowing if you’re lying so just don’t do it.”
“Did it work?”
“Yeah, it worked for me,” I admitted, remembering how scared I’d been to tell even a white lie to my mom. “Kept me honest, I guess.”
