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I knew she meant Garrett, Blaise, the rest of the family.
I nodded. “Levi is who informed me she was pregnant.”
Mom’s gaze swung back to Haisley. “Why didn’t she tell you?”
I sighed. “We ended things two months ago.”
“And she wasn’t going to tell you?” she asked, horrified.
“Eventually,” I said, although I wasn’t so sure. “Look, she knows who we are. She knows about us. She’s the reason we found Aspen when she was taken. Haisley tracked her brother’s phone.” I stopped then, realizing that maybe I shouldn’t have made that connection just yet for her.
Mom pointed at Haisley. “Her brother is the man who took Aspen?”
“Yes. But Haisley helped save Aspen.”
Mom began to pace back and forth. “I don’t understand. You ended things. There are no feelings there, clearly, but she’s pregnant. You had unprotected sex with some girl you barely knew. It’s the holidays. We have family and friends coming.”
Of course, leave it to Mom to mention the holidays when we were talking about a life. One I’d helped create.
“Mom, there were feelings.” I fucking hated admitting that. “They just weren’t enough.”
Mom threw up both her hands as she stopped and looked at me. “So, what? You’re going to be a dad? Please tell me you aren’t getting married.”
I shook my head. “No. We aren’t getting married. But Haisley needs somewhere to live, and she’s going to stay with me until the baby is born. I’ll help her get a place of her own after, and then I don’t know. We haven’t made it that far. But, yeah, I intend to see my kid.”
“She can’t get an abortion? Or there is adoption. Why does she need somewhere to live? Where are her parents?”
I glanced at Haisley then, and her eyes locked with mine. As much as I didn’t like her, as angry as I was for how she had fucking dumped me, we were a team when it came to this … or the baby. It was ours. We were all the kid had.
“No abortion. As for adoption, we are keeping the baby. Haisley wants the baby.” I turned to look back at my mom.
“But do you want to be a dad?” my mother shot back at me.
No, I didn’t. But what the hell difference did that make? I had made a baby, and its mom wanted to keep it. I didn’t like the idea of abortion either, but I hadn’t been against adoption. Haisley was though. And right now, I was the only person she had on her side. Even if she didn’t deserve me.
“This is our decision,” I told her. “I didn’t come here to ask for your opinion. The decision has been made. I came to tell you. I’m sure Dad already knows, although he hasn’t said anything to me yet.”
Mom stood there, staring at me. She looked heartbroken, and I hated that. I had never put that look on her face before, and knowing I was the cause of it now hurt. But I had made a mistake, and I had to own up to it. This was what being a man was. She had to understand that.
“Fine,” she said tightly. “You’re right. You got yourself into this mess, and you are responsible for it.”
I stood up, and Haisley followed my lead.
“What do your parents think about this?” she asked Haisley then.
I wanted to answer for her and get her out of here, but she needed to do this. If she was going to eventually earn my mom’s respect, she had to start by speaking for herself.
“I don’t know my father, and my mother thinks that I should have aborted the baby or demanded money from y’all. I refused to do either, so she kicked me out.”
“So, you came running to who? Levi? Or Blaise? Who did you tell about this so that Saxon would be forced to accept it?”
“Mom—”
“I didn’t tell anyone. I don’t know how Saxon found out, but he came to me.”
Mom said nothing else to her. She shifted her gaze back to me. “You’ll regret this. But if you think having her live with you is what needs to be done, it’s your choice.” Then, she turned and left the room.
When she was gone and her footsteps faded away up the stairs, I looked at Haisley. “That went about how I’d expected.”
Haisley’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“I thought she might yell more,” I admitted.
“Can we leave?”
“Yeah,” I replied and led her back to the front door. I glanced at the garland that Mom had hanging on the banisters. “The Christmas party should be fun.”
Haisley glanced up at me. “Do I have to come to that?”
If I had to be here, she did too.
I nodded. “Yeah, you do.”
“This is the nicest dress I own, Saxon. I don’t have the appropriate thing to wear to something like that.”
