by Hamel, B. B.
Best Friend Baby Daddy
My Baby Daddy 1
BB Hamel
Contents
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1. Amy
2. Ever
3. Amy
4. Ever
5. Amy
6. Ever
7. Amy
8. Ever
9. Amy
10. Ever
11. Amy
12. Ever
13. Amy
14. Ever
15. Amy
16. Amy
Also by BB Hamel
About the Author
Copyright © 2019 by B. B. Hamel
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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1
Amy
Of course, he’s late.
I check my phone for the fiftieth time, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. The waitress has checked on me five times already and I’ve only asked for water so far, mostly because I can’t actually afford to eat here.
Ever picked the spot like always. He insists on going to these stupidly expensive spots and buying the most lavish lunches possible, just because he likes to spoil me. I could never afford any of this stuff, let alone an entire meal for two, so I can’t take the risk of ordering without him actually here, in physical form.
I clench my jaw and type another text. I’m going to kill you, Ever. Where are you? This cool waitress is about to throw me out.
I wish this were the first time Ever left me hanging. I’ve known the man since we were kids, all the way back to middle school. My parents were not the most well-off people in the world, but I managed to score a special scholarship from a local private school. I was the only poor kid in a school full of the richest and most elite people in the Seattle area, and I never really fit in.
Except with Ever. I remember the first time I met him, in English class. He tapped me on the shoulder and smirked at me, that famous smile of his, the one that never fails to melt my heart. He tapped me and said, “Hey, new girl. What’s your deal?”
That was the start of the longest-running friendship of my life.
I thought he was such a dick back then. Ever’s always been incredibly handsome and popular. It comes easily to him, for whatever reason. It’s probably because he looks like a male model, if a male model also happened to play football. He’s like the big, ripped version of all those pretty boys you see in underwear magazines. He’s also charming and loud and filthy rich, so he navigated the world of the ultra-elite like it was nothing.
He dragged me along behind him back then. I never really fit in, no matter how hard he tried, but he never gave up. I don’t know why, I always expected him to get bored of his little pet dorky friend, but he never did.
Ever’s loyal, I’ll give him that, even if he’s always freaking late to everything.
Finally, after the sixth pass from the waitress, I spot him slip in through the front door. He looks haggard, rushed, but still absolutely gorgeous. I haven’t seen my best friend in a week, and although I’m furious with him for making me wait in this stupid fancy restaurant, feeling like an idiot, I still can’t help but feel excited to see him.
Ever looks over and spots me. The haggard look slips a bit and a smile crosses his face as he hurries toward me.
It’s like he’s a shark swimming through a pond of minnows. Everyone looks at him, instantly aware of him moving in their wake, but he seems totally oblivious of the attention.
“Hey, kid,” he says, slipping into the seat across from me. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Of course, you are.” I sigh and cross my arms. “I swear, if you hadn’t showed up right now, that waitress was going to stab me.”
“Probably.” He grins at me. The waitress comes back, and he orders a whiskey. It’s just after noon, but it doesn’t surprise me.
Ever’s family owns one of the largest outdoor sports companies in the world. He’s rich beyond my wildest dreams, and he basically doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to. He barely works, barely does anything but travel the world, sleep with models, and party as much as he can. We’re both twenty-eight, but it feels like he’s still a kid and I’m slowly turning into a real adult.
“What’s your excuse this time?”
He frowns a little bit and doesn’t answer right away. “You look good,” he says instead.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Really. What, it’s been a week? Did you do something different?”
I glare at him. “Why are you avoiding my question?”
He smiles graciously as the waitress returns surprisingly quickly with his drink. He takes it, sips it, and winces a little before asking for some more time to look at the menu.
“Look, Amy, we gotta talk,” he says.
“Okay.” I purse my lips at him. “You kind of look like shit.”
That’s not exactly true. I mean, he’s gorgeous in a simple white button-down shirt tucked into designer slacks. But that tired and haggard edge is back, and I can tell something’s up.
“Thanks,” he says, smiling. “I can always count on you to be honest.”
“I try,” I say sweetly. “So, what’s up?”
He stares down at his glass of whiskey, the smile slowly drifting from his lips. “My dad’s dying.”
He says it so simply, like it’s no big deal. Like he’s ordering lobster or discussing new blinds for his insanely expensive downtown loft.
But this isn’t some small thing. I mean, aside from the fact that it’s his freaking father dying, this means his entire future is about to change.
“Oh, god,” I say softly. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well.” He grunts a little and sips his whiskey again. Ever was never close with his father. As far as I can tell, they keep each other at a distance.
His father is the “family values” kind of man. That goes with the whole image his company wants to put out there. It’s all wholesome, good old-fashioned American outdoor fun, and look at this wholesome family running this wholesome family business, isn’t that wonderful? Ever never fit into that mold and I think his father always resented him a little bit for it.
I’ve only met the Bloom family patriarch a handful of times, despite being best friends with Ever for like sixteen years. The man was always traveling, or working, or Ever just avoided him entirely.
I know the rest of his family really well. I know his younger brother, Whitney Bloom, although everyone calls him Whit, just like Everest goes by Ever. I’ve always been really close with Ever’s mother, Faye Bloom, the nicest woman in the entire freaking world. Whit also has a wife and kids and cousins and uncles, but it’s the core family that I’ve always been around.
“Seriously, I’m so sorry,” I say, reaching across the table. I take his hand and feel that little spark of energy every time our skin touches. It’s always been like this, as long as I’ve known him, and I stopped thinking about it too closely a long time ago.
“Thanks, kid.” He squeezes my hand and lets it go, finishing his whiskey and catching the waitress’s eye, asking for another.
“What’s going to happen now?”
He winces. “Nothing good.”
I bite my lip. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t ask about it.”
“Nah, it’s okay. I mean, I’ve been wondering mysel
f.”
“Do you… I mean, do you know?”
He nods slowly and my heart leaps into my throat.
Ever’s father hasn’t named an heir to the family company yet. Everyone knows he wants one of his sons to take over the business, and for a long time, that son was going to be Ever. But since they aren’t close anymore…
Ever’s the older brother. He should be the one to get the company. He used to work there, and technically still does, although he doesn’t seem too interested in the actually working part these days. Still, Ever would be a great leader for the company and everyone knows it.
The waitress comes back with another whiskey. He drinks half it as she leaves and stares at me.
“It’s Whitney,” he says, almost a whisper.
I feel my entire body sink into the floor.
As much as Ever dislikes his father and doesn’t agree with the whole image the man created for the company, running Bloom Outdoors was always his dream. Even when we were kids, Ever would talk about one day running the company, like it was going to be the greatest thing in the world.
“I’m so sorry, Ever,” I say. “How, I mean, what happened?”
He sighs and leans back. “He had a stroke two days ago. Hasn’t been doing great since then, had another one last night, and now the doctors say it’s unlikely he’ll improve beyond… what he is now.” Ever winces and I decide not to ask him to elaborate. “Anyway. He can communicate, and I guess he’s still lucid in there, because he says he’s going to name his successor this morning. Said it’ll be Whit because he represents all the values of the company, and even though I’m the eldest and the rightful heir, Whitney deserves it more than I do.”
“Fuck,” I whisper. “Ever.”
“I know.” He clenches his jaw. “That fucking guy. Like he has any clue.”
“What are you going to do?”
He looks at me and I can see the sheer rage and panic in his eyes. “I have a plan,” he says. “And I think I need your help.”
I’m about to ask him what he needs, but the waitress returns again, practically leaning all over Ever. He doesn’t seem to notice it, the way he never seems to notice women flirting with him, and orders for both of us. Once the waitress is gone, he cracks his neck and grunts a bit at the pop.
“You’re not gonna like it,” he says finally, sipping his drink.
“I’m sure I won’t, but I’ll do whatever you need.”
He sucks in a breath and slowly lets it out. “Look, you know it’s an image thing with my father. He doesn’t care who does what, so long as they look the way they should. Whitney has a wife, two kids, he has that fucking bullshit wholesome image. If I’m going to compete, I need that, and I need it really fast.” He looks nervous now, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen from him before in all the years I’ve known him.
“What do you need?” I ask softly.
“You’re my closest friend,” he whispers. “They all know you. My mom, she basically thinks of you as her daughter. Even my dad likes you.”
That comes as a surprise. “Really?”
He shrugs. “Thinks you’re a good influence. Anyway, they all know you, they all love you, and you’ve been around for so long. So, I was thinking…” He trails off.
“What?” I ask, heart hammering in my chest.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. I stare at him as he places it down flat on the table and slides it toward me.
A diamond ring, big and gorgeous, stones glittering despite the low light.
“Let’s get married,” he says, and I swear, I black out.
I stare at him, speechless, for maybe an eternity. I don’t know how long. He stares back at me, gorgeous green eyes begging, pleading, unsure, but god, they’re beautiful.
This is Ever, my best friend. I can’t marry him. I mean, I’ve never thought about us that way.
Okay, that’s a lie. It’s Ever. Of course, I’ve thought about him that way. I can’t help myself. He’s beautiful, charming, funny, he knows me better than anyone else in the world, but…
I’m not his type. I’m small with brown hair, brown eyes and I’m pale. I’m not a model. I’m just a physics teacher at a local high school. I’m not rich, I’m not elite, I’m not outgoing, I’m nothing special.
I’m happy with what I am. I love my job, my students. I’m comfortable in my own skin. But I’m not what Ever would marry.
Except now…
“Ever,” I say finally. “What the fuck?”
He grins a little at that. “I know, right?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
He laughs and the tension slowly starts to dissolve. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” he says. “And this can work. We get married, I show my dad that I’m getting my shit together, and then…”
“Then what? We have babies and live happily ever after?” I ask him, laughing. “Ever, you don’t want to be my husband. You can’t settle down to watch a movie, let alone to stay in a relationship.”
“We don’t have to stay married,” he says. “We give it a few years, get divorced, whatever. No kids, no mess. And I’ll let you get a big, fat divorce settlement on top of it all.”
I glare at him. “I’m not marrying you for money, you asshole. I’m not a hooker.”
“I know, I know,” he says quickly. “I’m not offering you money, I was just saying, down the line…” He shrugs a little, holding his hands up. “Look, Amy. You’re the only person that can help me. Hell, you’re my only real friend.”
I bite my lip at that. I know it’s true, but he always surrounds himself with beautiful, interesting people, and I always thought… well, I was too boring for him.
“This is crazy,” I say.
“I know,” he agrees. “But my mom would love it. And she’d convince my dad that it’s a good thing. You’re a good influence, right? If we get married, play the game, at least for a little bit while my dad is still around… maybe he’ll change his mind.”
“Ever, come on,” I whisper.
He stares at me and leans across the table, eyes locked on mine. “Please, Amy. I’m desperate, and I think you’re the only person that can help. You know I’ve always loved you.”
Ah, shit.
“As a friend,” he quickly adds.
Of course.
I stare into his eyes, and I think to myself, I love you too, Ever, but I don’t say it out loud.
The gears slowly start to turn. I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to marry Ever, even if it’s just for show. I’d get an intimate glimpse into that world, even closer than I’ve been before. I’d be his wife, and I wouldn’t have to worry about him abandoning me or disappearing for months on end like he does now, at least not for a while.
And it would help him. I mean, it could work. I know it’d be lying, but it’d be a white lie. Ever would be good at that job, I know he would, and it’d help him to settle down. He could calm himself, fall into the role as the CEO, and come out the other side as the man his father always wanted him to be.
This could work. I mean, I could make it work at least.
“It’s crazy,” I say.
“I know,” he says.
“We really can’t.”
“I know.”
“But you still want it.”
“I do.” He won’t look away. God, I wish he would.
“You could lie to your family?”
He nods once. “I could.”
“I’m not sure I could.”
“I’ll help.” He grins at me. “You know I can be very persuasive.”
I sigh and stare down at the ring.
I bet that thing cost more than my entire yearly salary.
Actually, I’m positive it did.
Nothing less for the wife of a Bloom son.
“If I do this,” I say slowly, “it’s because we’re friends and you need my help. It’s because you’re my best friend. You get that?”
> “I get it,” he says.
“And if you betray me, hurt me, make this worse than it is…” I trail off.
“I won’t risk hurting you,” he says.
“You already are.”
“I promise. I won’t.”
I sigh and reach out, taking the ring. He watches as I turn it between my fingers.
“Are you sure you want to marry me?” I ask him.
“Hell, yeah,” he says, grinning again, the boyish asshole I’ve always known.
And always loved.
I slip the ring onto my finger.
“Okay, fine,” I say. “But you’d better make this work.”
His grin is so big, so bright, so incredible that for a second, just for an instant, I forget that I’m making the biggest mistake of my entire life.
2
Ever
I look out over the Willamette Valley and breathe in the fresh, clean mountain air.
There’s nobody else around. I’m wearing my favorite tux, this old second-hand piece of shit I found in a thrift shop in Paris. It’s probably from the twenties, but I had it tailored to fit me like a fucking glove, and god damn. do I look good.
I sip some whiskey from a flask, trying to calm my nerves. I’ve looked out over this valley a hundred times in my life, probably a thousand. The Bloom family owns a mountain house out here in the Cascades and a whole fucking ton of land. We’re pretty much entirely secluded out here, and my father lovingly calls it his ranch.
It’s not a ranch, though. There’s no farming, or cattle, none of that shit. We’re just rich people playing at being outdoorsmen.
I sigh and take another sip of whiskey before turning back and heading toward the house again. I can’t let myself get too drunk, not yet at least.