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He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
He wouldn’t make excuses. He deserved any censure he got.
“But you’re not in a relationship?”
“No.” Gabby’s tone brooked no argument. Again, he felt a pang at her unintentional rejection.
Shane’s expression twisted with hurt, and guilt churned sickeningly in Logan’s gut.
“Now you’re pregnant?” Shane asked. “Seriously, Logan? I thought you’d have had enough practice wrapping it up not to land in this situation.”
Logan flinched as the barb struck true. Yes, he’d had plenty of casual sex. No, he shouldn’t have touched Shane’s sister. But there wasn’t much he could do about that now.
“It was an accident,” he said.
“I’ll say.” Shane shook his head. “Do you even want to be a dad?”
Logan kept his mouth shut. If he said yes, Shane would call him a liar, but if he told the truth, he’d hurt Gabby. There was no way to win.
“You’re the fun uncle,” Shane continued. “You don’t know what to do with a baby.”
He still didn’t reply, this time because his doubts were choking him. Shane was right. He had no experience with babies. He didn’t know what to feed them, how often to change them, or even how to hold them properly. He had no place being a father.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Gabby snapped. “Even if he doesn’t, he can learn.”
He was tempted to tell her not to bother standing up for him. It was nice that she wanted to defend him, but Shane had a point. He’d more than likely let both Gabby and their child down.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” Faith suggested. “You can talk us through everything that’s happened, and what your plan is. We’re all friends here.” She gave Shane a meaningful look.
Again, Logan appreciated the support, but he didn’t want to cause a rift between Faith and Shane too. He’d already done enough damage.
“We never meant for any of this to happen,” he said softly.
Shane’s eyes narrowed. “Well, it did. So you’d better figure it out.”
* * *
During the triphome from Shane’s house, Gabby’s nerves were ping-ponging all over the place. She’d known Shane wouldn’t be happy, but she’d underestimated how upset he’d be—and it wasn’t all because they’d lied to him. She’d sensed his doubt when they told him they intended to raise the baby together. He didn’t believe Logan would do his part. He knew Logan better than she did, so his reaction made her nervous. She’d already told herself she needed to mentally prepare to be a single mum, and her brother’s behavior reinforced that decision. She had to face reality. Logan didn’t want this, and when it got to be too much, he probably wouldn’t stick around.
“Do you feel like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar?” she asked Logan, to lighten the mood in the car.
He glanced over. “Worse. I feel like Mum just told me she’s disappointed in me.”
She winced. They were due at Corinne’s house for dinner this evening. They figured that in a gossipy town like Haven Bay, they’d better break the news to all the most important people in one day, before they discovered it via the grapevine.
“She won’t, will she?”
He hesitated. “Honestly, I don’t know, but she won’t say anything like that to you.”
That didn’t reassure her. She didn’t know Corinne well, but from their few encounters over the past months, she liked her. She was a warm, friendly person, and Gabby didn’t want to upset her.
“God, we’re a mess,” Gabby said.
“At least after today, we won’t have to tell anyone else. The news will be around town by the end of tomorrow.”
“True.” She gave a small smile. Even though there were pitfalls to living in a place where everyone knew everyone’s business, she liked it. It made her feel like part of the community in a way she never had before. Although she supposed it also meant she’d have to break the news to her boss ASAP.
Logan pulled down her drive and parked outside the house. “Does it still work if I come by at six to get you?”
