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She pouted. “Who was the other?”
“A new friend here who turned up during a weak moment but as far as I know, she’s kept it to herself.”
“She better not have replaced me,” Marley said.
“Of course not. You’re irreplaceable.”
“Hmph.” Her eyes twinkled. “So, the father?”
Gabby grinned. “He’s a super-hot former pro surfer who owns the local pub.”
“Ooh. Photos?”
Gabby tapped a few buttons on her phone. “I just sent you a link to one of his social media profiles.”
She waited for Marley to open the page and scroll through a few photos.
“He’s like sex on a stick,” Marley said after a moment. “I can see why you went there. Are you dating him?”
Gabby was relieved Marley hadn’t just assumed they were together. No doubt plenty of other people would, and she’d have to correct them.
“No. We had a one-night stand.” She paused, then corrected herself. “More like a series of one-night stands spanning the last few years.”
Marley’s lips twisted mischievously. “You naughty girl. I’m impressed. How did he react when you broke the news?”
Gabby pulled a face. “About as well as you’d expect from a notorious playboy who has outright said he never wants to settle down and have a family.”
“Ugh.” She grimaced. “Gotcha. That’s rough. Do you think he’ll support you if you decide to keep it?”
Again, no assumptions, even though Marley probably suspected she’d want to keep the baby. This was why she loved Marley. She never assumed or judged, unless someone hurt one of her friends. Then she was fierce. Gabby grinned, recalling the way she’d keyed an insult into the driver’s side door of Henry’s Mercedes. Of course, Gabby had been right there with her. They both had hot tempers. But they’d stopped short of smashing the window with a cricket bat. She’d thought it would be karma, but Marley had pointed out how much more likely they were to get caught if they made a scene.
“I’m keeping it, and I think he will be supportive, but it might take a while for him to stop freaking out. I offered him the option of signing away his rights.”
Marley nodded, her expression turning serious. “If he does that, you can’t ask for child support, can you?”
Gabby shrugged. “I should probably check, but honestly, I get paid well. I can afford to support a child. It’s just that working out childcare would be easier with two of us. Not to mention that I have so much to learn. I love babies, but it’s different when they’re your responsibility.” At least, she assumed it was since she hadn’t actually gotten that far yet.
“Are you excited?” Marley asked.
“Yes!” Gabby let out a girlish squeal that she’d deny to her dying day. “You know I’ve wanted kids forever. It’s just harder without having exclusive access to a willing penis. But maybe I should have thought of this option sooner. Not getting pregnant to my brother’s friend, but doing it myself. Just going for it. Other women have, so why not me?”
“Maybe because you want the whole kit and caboodle?” Marley said softly. “The man and the baby.”
Gabby ignored the pang in her heart. “Yeah, well, the baby part of the equation is on a biological countdown timer, but the man part isn’t. There’s no reason it can’t happen in reverse for me.”
“There’s not.” Marley looked thoughtful. “You could at least see whether Logan would be open to trying a proper relationship though.” Gabby started to protest, but Marley held up a hand. “Hear me out. You’re obviously attracted to him, hence falling into bed with him more than once. You probably like him well enough too, or else it wouldn’t matter if he was a supermodel, you just wouldn’t want to touch him.”
Gabby wrinkled her nose. “He’s all right. Annoying as hell, but that’s only on the surface.”
“See.” Marley pointed at her. “You’re stuck with him now. You have chemistry and at least some level of mutual admiration. Why not give it a shot? Maybe he’s your white picket partner.”
“Uh, no. I don’t think so.” Logan wouldn’t settle down. How many times had he said that? Marley raised some valid points, but even if Gabby were willing to take the chance, she doubted he would be open to it. She hadn’t even been worth being the sole focus of a man who actively wanted a wife and family. He’d made her the other woman and given her dream to someone else. There was no way she could entice a guy who’d never wanted to settle down to be with her. Even if it were possible Logan would give up his playboy lifestyle for a woman, it wouldn’t be her. She was nobody’s exception.
9
Logan spentSunday morning riding the waves. It was raining on and off, so he was the only one out there. All the better to try to seek the clarity he desperately needed. There were questions he had to answer. He was taking it for given at this point that they’d be keeping the baby, and that in order to avoid following in his irresponsible father’s footsteps, he’d have to man up and do his best for them, however little his best might be worth. It was difficult to get his head around all the ways his life would change. This wasn’t a little thing. Everything would be affected. Their child would have to factor into every decision he made from now on.
Yet he had no idea what it would mean for him. Would the baby live with Gabby since she was the one who could breastfeed, or would they alternate and he could use formula? He didn’t like the idea of leaving her to handle the baby on her own. He’d seen what Shane was like when the boys were young, and how much Bex had struggled as a new single mother. It wouldn’t be fair to expect Gabby to take that on herself. But he didn’t want sole responsibility for the baby for so much as five minutes either because he’d mess it up somehow. Give the kid too much food or too little. Forget to change their diaper. Not be able to comfort them when they were crying.
