by Jenna Reed
Natalie glanced over at her friend. “It’s okay. Marissa was just about to go get another drink, anyway.”
Momentarily surprised by this, Marissa caught on quickly and slid off her high stool. “Anyone else want anything?”
I shook my head and Natalie didn’t even seem to hear the question. Her gaze was fixed on me. “Want to join us?”
Grinning, I grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table and swung it around. I slid onto it and made sure I was close enough that our thighs were touching. Natalie didn’t shy away. Within two minutes of chatting, her hand was resting on my thigh. Every few minutes, it rose higher up my leg. My response was obvious, and I didn’t try to hide it. Every time she glanced down at my growing cock, her thoughts seemed to falter.
The longer we talked, the more she kept shifting, her desire making her eager to get out of here. I preferred the long game. Well, as long as a one-night stand could be. Rather than whisking her back to my place at the first hint of willingness, I followed her lead and slid my hand onto her thigh. A tiny gasp escaped her lips, and I glanced up to make sure she wasn’t going to object. The sheen of lust in her eyes begged me to continue. I was happy to comply.
I had no idea what we were talking about, and didn’t care. My focus was on sliding my fingers up her thigh as far as I dared in public. She responded by moving her hand to cover my cock. I flinched at her touch, and she started to pull back. I stopped her with my free hand and pressed her hand back against me. She moaned softly and leaned in closer.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can last,” she whispered. “Do you live nearby?”
“Fairly close,” I said.
Her hand pressed a little harder. “I’m an hour away.”
“My place then?” I asked as my fingertips brushed against her wet panties.
She pressed her lips together to suppress another moan and nodded.
“Let’s go then.”
As eager as she was, she slid from the chair slowly, keeping her hand on my cock until the last second. I held back a groan and grinned. This was exactly what I needed. I only hoped she was as fiery as Erica had been in bed. So far, no one else had even compared.
I stood and pulled Natalie against my front as she said goodbye to her friends. Her ass pushed against me without hesitation. It was going to be a challenge to make it back to my apartment. I would do it, though. I hadn’t had car sex since high school and didn’t plan to take it up again. I loved my car, and it wasn’t nearly roomy enough to do everything I wanted to do.
Once Natalie said her last goodbye, I steered her toward the exit. We had just stepped out onto the sidewalk when my phone started buzzing in my pocket. My first instinct was to ignore it. Then I remembered Cody texting me that afternoon, saying Sophia had rushed off without explanation and was concerned. I hadn’t heard from him since, and had forgotten about it while trying to finish a project at work. Now, worrying snuck back into my mind, and I reached for the phone.
“Just a minute,” I mumbled to Natalie as I hurriedly swiped across the screen without looking at it and stepped away. Bringing the phone to my ear, I didn’t get a chance to ask what was going on with Sophia before another voice cut in, one that wasn’t Cody’s.
“Rhett,” she said, “this is Erica.”
Stunned, it took me a moment to respond. “Hey. How are you? I’ve been thinking about you lately.”
I hadn’t meant to say that last part, and it seemed to catch her off guard. “I…um, I’m sorry to call so late, but…”
“Its fine,” I reassured her. “Call any time you want.”
I couldn’t believe how eager I sounded. What was wrong with me?
“No. No,” she repeated. “I…that’s not why…”
Confusion and worry started to crowd in with my excitement at hearing her voice again. “Erica, is everything all right?”
“I’m pregnant.”
9
Rhett
Her words took an eternity to penetrate and make any sense. When they finally did, I was too shocked to respond. All that came out was, “But…I…how…but…”
Erica laughed, a sharp and confused sound. “Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too.”
Hearing her voice again took the edge off my panic. Pregnant. Holy fuck. Had she not been on birth control after all? Not that I could lay all the blame on her, regardless. We were both there. We both forgot to use any protection. It confused me, almost angered me if she had been careless about the risk. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around how this had happened. That word just kept swimming through my mind, scattering all my other thoughts and attempts at logic.
“Okay,” I said on a deep exhale. “Okay. Pregnant. You’re pregnant. Okay.”
“Okay?” Erica demanded. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m trying to take that news in,” I said, my voice sharper than it should have been. I was reeling and had no hope of controlling my tone or frustration. “I’m…shocked.”
She huffed. “You and me both. Clearly, I put too much trust in birth control.”
That scrambled my thoughts again. So, she had been on birth control? And this still happened? How the hell was that even possible? I shook my head and scrubbed a hand down my face. It didn’t matter. She was pregnant. With my child. That was all that matter in that moment. I took in another deep breath and exhaled as slowly as I possibly could in an attempt to gain some kind of control over my emotions and shock.
“Okay,” I said again, sounding like an idiot. “What do we do next?”
She seemed to choke on her response. “We?”
Her question confused me. “We. Of course. We need to, uh, do something, right? See a doctor?”
“I already have seen a doctor,” she snapped. “On my own. There is no we, Rhett.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, my frustration edging toward anger. Was she really going to deny I had a right to be involved in this? “Of course there’s a we. You didn’t get pregnant by yourself.”
I could hear her breathing quicken. She was angry, and I didn’t understand why. “Aren’t you even going to ask if the baby’s yours?”
That seemed like a stupid thing to do. Why would she be calling me if it wasn’t? I didn’t understand why she was lashing out at me, but it pissed me off. “No,” was all the response I could manage.
“Why not?”
Shaking my head again, I wondered if any of this was ever going to start making sense. “Because you’re telling me that you’re pregnant, and because I trust you more than that.”
Her breathing hitched, making an odd sound I couldn’t interpret. “You don’t even know me,” she argued.
“I know you well enough,” I snapped, instantly regretting my tone. Forcibly reining in the storm swirling inside me, I softened my voice. “I know you’re Sophia’s best friend. That means something to me.”
Erica faltered at that. She stumbled over a few words before saying, “I didn’t call you because I expected anything.”
“Fine,” I said, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re pregnant with my child. I’m going to be involved, regardless of your expectations.”
“The fact that the baby is yours doesn’t change anything, including my expectations,” she argued. “I’m doing this on my own.”
Confused and frustrated, once again, I pressed the heel of my hand against my forehead and tried to keep my temper under control. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want your help,” she snapped.
That floored me. My help wasn’t good enough? She didn’t think I could help her through this? “What? Why the hell not?”
“I know what kind of man you are, Rhett. This wasn’t what you signed up for when we slept together. You don’t want kids or a family. You don’t want anything even remotely like it.” Her breathing pulsed over the phone, frantic and determined.
A bizarre sense of panic washed over me. I didn’t under
stand it, but it scared the shit out of me. “That may have been true when we had sex,” I said quickly, “but this changes things.”
“It changes nothing.”
“Yes, it does,” I argued. “It’s my baby! I’m not going to just walk away, and I’m not going to let you keep me from being there for my child, either.”
“I told you,” Erica said, “I don’t want your help, and I don’t expect anything from you. I only called to remind you to use a condom next time.”
Silence.
It took me several seconds to realize she’d hung up on me. Furious, I started navigating back to her number to call her back and demand she listen to me. I was perfectly capable of helping her raise a child. Where did she get off doubting me? I was great with kids. My baseball players loved me, and so did their parents! Just because I hadn’t planned on having kids didn’t mean I couldn’t step up and be a dad.
Staring down at my fingers as I tried to call her back, I realized they were shaking. Was it the news? Anger at Erica for blowing me off? All-around shock? Fear? I forced myself to breathe and think. Yelling at my child’s mother wasn’t going to solve anything, even if I felt damn sure I was in the right on this. Standing here on the sidewalk wasn’t helping either. I didn’t know what would help, though. Utterly lost, my hands fell to my sides and I stared at the traffic as my mind raced.
“So, I take it we’re not going back to your place,” a female voice said.
I turned toward the voice, having completely forgotten about Natalie until that moment. Embarrassment raced through me when I realized she’d overheard the entire conversation. My brain sparked and sputtered before putting together a coherent thought.
“Sorry, but it’s not going to happen tonight,” I said.
She shook her head, but didn’t seem put off or upset by what had just happened, oddly enough. Shaking her head, she asked, “That was the friend you mistook me for, right?”
I nodded, though I couldn’t claim we were anything close to friends at this point. Erica had tossed me off like I was worthless to her. Her dismissal struck a nerve with me. I was determined to prove her wrong…as soon as I figured out how.
Considering what I’d said, Natalie thought for a moment before continuing. “Have you two been friends long?”
I shook my head. “It was kind of a one-night-only deal,” I admitted, “but she’s my sister-in-law’s best friend, and apparently the mother of my future child.” I shook my head. Erica had acted like the baby was hers, and I was just a sperm donor.
“Are you really willing to help her with the baby?” Natalie asked.
“Of course,” I said without hesitation. The edge to my voice was something I couldn’t seem to shake. “Just because I’ve been with a lot of women doesn’t mean I won’t take responsibility for my actions. I’ve always known it could happen. I accepted that early on.”
Natalie seemed only vaguely surprised by my reaction. “Then don’t give up,” she said. “Your friend is freaking out as much as you are right now, but she’s going to need your help. Trust me. A friend of mine was in the same situation, guy ran for the hills, and she’s been struggling to keep it all together. I help out when I can, but it’s not the same, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said, which was exactly why I’d tried to tell Erica I would be there to help her. Why wouldn’t she believe me? Maybe I slept with a lot of women, but I was responsible about it. I was responsible in every aspect of my life!
Reaching for me, Natalie gave me a hug and said, “Good luck,” before walking back into the bar.
10
Rhett
Alone again, and still frustrated and pissed at being dismissed, I tried to figure out what to do. Nothing was coming to me that wouldn’t just make the situation worse. Nothing except that I needed help from someone who could tell me what the hell was going on with Erica. The first people who came to mind to explain Erica’s behavior were Cody and Sophia. As soon as their names popped into my mind, I was hustling back to my car. I broke more than a few traffic laws trying to get to their house, but I couldn’t focus on speed or turn signals.
As soon as I made it to their condo, I raced to the door and started banging. I didn’t think about what time it was until Cody yanked the door open with bleary eyes, dressed in pajamas. When he saw me, his sleepiness vanished and concern took its place.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Erica’s pregnant,” I nearly shouted.
He sighed and ran a hand across his face. “She told you then? That’s good.”
“Wait. You knew?” I demanded.
Grabbing my arm, he pulled me inside and shut the door behind us. He gestured toward the living room as Sophia came down the stairs. One glance at me and she knew exactly what was going on. “Thank God, she actually told you. I was afraid she’d back out.”
Throwing my hands up, I couldn’t keep my anger at bay. “You both knew? What the fuck is going on? Why am I the last person to hear anything?”
“Calm down,” Cody said. “Erica only found out today. Then she told Sophia, who told me. It wasn’t some conspiracy to keep you in the dark.” He shoved me toward a couch and pushed me to sit. Then he and Sophia took seats across from me.
“What happened when she called,” Sophia asked.
I fell back into the cushions and shook my head. “I freaked out. Then, when I asked her what we needed to do next, she flipped out and started telling me she didn’t want my help and I could basically go to hell.”
Sophia frowned. “Did she actually say that?”
Clenching my fists, I snapped, “No, not the go to hell part. She did tell me that I don’t want kids or a family and that the baby being mine didn’t matter to her. She only called to remind me to use a condom next time. Then she hung up on me!”
“Well,” Cody said, “you really should have used a condom, dipshit.”
Snatching a throw pillow, I launched it at him. “Shut the fuck up, Cody. You think I don’t know that? It wasn’t intentional. We both forgot. Not that it matters, now. She’s pregnant and there’s no changing that.”
“No, there’s not,” Sophia said calmly after throwing a Cody as chastising glance. “She didn’t say as much to me, but I know she plans to keep the baby.”
Her words felt like a sucker punch straight to the gut. Had Erica actually considered not keeping the baby? Would she have made that decision without talking to me first? Anger boiled under my skin at the idea. How could she do something like that? I may not have been actively considering having a child with anyone, but now that it was a reality, I was damn sure going to take care of both her and the baby.
Keyed up more than ever, I glared at Sophia. “She better not even think about changing her mind without talking to me first. She may not want my help, but that baby is still mine, too.”
Sophia’s expression was wary as she watched me, but edged with a hint of compassion. “She wouldn’t do that, Rhett. Trust me.”
Trust Sophia? It was Erica I needed to trust, and at the moment, I didn’t. I took in a deep breath and fell back against the couch. Nobody said anything for a long time. I couldn’t have guessed Cody’s thoughts, and I felt sure I knew at least some of Sophia’s. She’d complained about my behavior enough to know that she at least partially shared Erica’s opinion of my ability to help raise a child.
“I can do this,” I said out loud. My combative tone seemed loud in the space between us.
“I know you can,” Sophia said softly. “That’s why I convinced her to tell you about the baby.”
Glancing up at her, I couldn’t contain my surprise. The storm of emotions raging through me intensified. “She wasn’t even going to tell me?”
Sophia sighed. “Don’t be angry with her. She doesn’t know you as well as we do. She didn’t think telling you would matter. It was a one-night stand, and you’ve done a good job of making it clear that you’re not looking to settle down. I think she was afraid of telling you and
having to face your rejection.”
I wanted to argue, defend myself, but it wasn’t Cody and Sophia who needed to be convinced. I knew Sophia was right about my reputation, at least in part. No, I’d never even pretended I was interested in a long-term relationship with a woman, but I also had never mistreated or disrespected a woman I was with. Why would that change just because Erica was pregnant?
Logically, I knew I’d given Erica no outright reason to believe that I would be willing to step up and help her through the pregnancy and raising a child. Who did that, though? Not using a condom was accidental. Was I expected to verbally tell every woman I slept with that should they get pregnant, they could count on me? Hell no. That would not only kill my sex life, it would be creepy as fuck.
Sure, I hadn’t called Erica after our night together to discuss the situation, just on the off-chance that this exact thing might happen. In hindsight, I should have gotten her number from Sophia and checked in with her. I didn’t really think she wanted to discuss it any more than I did, though. Of course, she didn’t know that was something that had never happened to me before. For all she knew, I had unprotected sex all the time and might have half a dozen illegitimate children running around. Anger at my own cowardice for not calling added to everything else.
Leaning back, I speared my hands through my hair and growled out my frustration with the whole situation. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked. “There’s no way I’m bailing on my child. How do I convince Erica that I’m not the asshole she seems to think I am?”
“Give her a few days,” Sophia said softly. “She’s scared and doesn’t know what to do herself. Knowing her, she’s afraid to rely on you. She hates asking for help, and she thinks you’ll disappear right when she gets used to having you around.”
I threw up my hands. “I would never do that!”
“I know that,” Sophia said, “but Erica doesn’t. Give her a chance to process everything. I’ll keep trying to talk to her. She’ll come around.”