Best Friend Baby Daddy: My Baby Daddy 1

by Hamel, B. B.

  I swear, she’s inching away from me like I’m emitting some noxious gas. It’s pretty comical and I’d probably laugh if I were in a better mood.

  But no, not right now. This is important.

  “I can… check and see…” She trails off.

  “Do that,” I say, still smiling.

  She gets up slowly, knocks on Whit’s door. “Yeah?” he shouts from inside.

  She frowns at me and slips in the room. She’s gone for a couple minutes and I can hear some furious whispering.

  I don’t really have to guess what they’re saying. I know Whit and I know he’s fucking this woman. Well, “girl” would be a better way to describe her. There’s no way she’s a day over nineteen. I bet Whit has the poor girl wrapped around his fat fucking finger, that bastard.

  She comes out and nods at me. “You can go in.”

  “Thanks, darling,” I say, flashing her another smile. She winces like I slapped her in the face.

  Briefly, I wonder what Whit told her about me. Probably something about how handsome and charming I am.

  Yeah, definitely.

  I step into his office and shut the door behind me. The room’s huge, bigger than I expected. Shelves and drawers line the walls, with files spread all over the place. Whit himself is sitting behind a huge desk, ornate and absurd. He smiles at me like he’s happy to see me.

  “What’s up, bro?” he says.

  “Hey, Whit.” I walk toward him, but I don’t sit down.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  I stare at him for a second. I have the sudden, irrational urge to dive across the desk and choke him to death, but no. That’s not the kind of person I am anymore. I don’t just do shit because I think it’ll feel good in the short-term without any thought for the future. I’m going to be better.

  “Wanted to talk,” I grunt at him. “Is that a new secretary?”

  He hesitates. “What, Marlene? Nah, she’s been around for a while.”

  “Huh. Funny. I know you’ve been fucking your secretary but I guess I figured she’d be older.”

  He blinks at me, pretty shocked. But he shouldn’t be. The asshole’s been bragging about his fucked-up antics for a long time, I guess he used to figure that I would like that sort of shit. And I guess I did, made me feel like my brother is as big a fuck-up as I am now.

  But I see a difference between the two of us. Whit’s willing to do whatever he wants, even if it means hurting people, including his family.

  I did whatever I wanted, but I never made any attachments. I didn’t get hurt, but nobody else got hurt, either.

  Now though, I can’t imagine living like him.

  “The fuck’s your problem?” he finally manages to say.

  “I know what you’ve been doing around the office, dear brother,” I say. “I know the sort of shit you’ve been spewing.”

  He laughs a little bit. “Are you surprised?”

  “No,” I admit. “I’m not.”

  “Look, you’re back, I get it, you want your job. You’re the older brother, after all.” He leans across the desk, eyes flashing rage. “But fuck if I’ll let you take it. See, I stuck around, I played the game. I pretended to be Dad’s good boy, happy in his family, happy in his job, working hard, all that fucking bullshit. I put in the goddamn work and I’ll fuck myself with a knife before I let you steal it all away from me.”

  I smile sweetly at him. This is going even better than I expected.

  “See, here’s the thing, Whit,” I say. “Even though you put on your mask, the job was never yours. It was always mine.”

  “You gave it up. You fucking walked away.”

  “No, I never gave shit up. I just didn’t live like a fucking fake.”

  He laughs at that. “Fucking fake? I’ve been playing the game.”

  “Same thing. Don’t you get it? You’re a liar and a scumbag. Why the hell would Dad want you in charge?”

  “Fuck you, Ever. Is that all you’re here for, to piss me off?”

  “No, I’m here to tell you that Dad’s going to give me the position. If I stay married for a year, the job’s mine, whether you like it or not.”

  He stares at me, face a mask of controlled anger. He doesn’t speak right away, which is a shame. I’d love to get his instant reaction to that piece of news.

  “Bullshit,” he finally says, but he doesn’t sound convinced. “Fucking bullshit.”

  “Unfortunately for you, no, it’s all true. You can ask him, if you want. Or maybe ask his lawyers, since they’re the ones that drew up the paperwork.”

  He practically shakes with anger. “Fuck you, Ever. Get out of my office.”

  “Why? So you can talk more shit and try to backstab me some more? Or maybe so you can go ahead and cheat on your wife?”

  “Cheating on my wife has nothing to do with this,” he roars at me, standing up. His face is red now and I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “So what if I fuck around on my wife? So what if I lie about you? It’s nothing you haven’t done before, you piece of shit.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.”

  “You went to rehab. You’re an unreliable asshole.”

  “All that’s true, but at least I’m trying to better myself. You’re still wallowing in your own filth.”

  “Fuck you, Ever,” he says, coming around his desk. I back off, not wanting to push this too far. “I’ll fuck who I want, say what I want. I’m the fucking CEO and I’ll do what I goddamn please. You can go tell our piece of shit dying father to rot in fucking hell. I’ll fight his lawyers. Hell, I’ll snuff him out myself. Now get the fuck out of my office.”

  “Gladly,” I say, grinning like mad. “Have a good day, brother.”

  I turn and leave, shutting the door behind me. His secretary’s staring at me, no doubt having heard every single word. I nod at her and whistle as I walk back to my office.

  “Get Liam Blanch on the phone,” I say to my secretary as I pass her. I shut my door and sit down, pulling the recorder I bought earlier from my pocket. I plug it into my computer and upload the file.

  It’s muffled, a little scratchy, but every single word is clear.

  I cut out the silence on either end and save it just as Liam calls me.

  “Liam, hey,” I say. “I got something for you.”

  “What’s going on?” he asks.

  “You said you needed something to sway Bailey, right?”

  He grunts. “I figured we’d do it gradually.”

  “How about we do it right now?” I attach the recording of my meeting with Whit and send it to Liam’s email address. “Check your email.”

  “Okay, hold on,” he says, and I hear him fumble with his phone. I hear some clicks then the recording comes on faintly in the background.

  We’re silent as he listens to the whole thing. When it’s done, I hear him laughing.

  Finally, he picks up the phone. “This is real, right?” he asks me.

  “Yep.”

  “Well, shit, Ever. All you had to do was stroll in there and record him?”

  “Pretty much. Whit never was good at holding his tongue around me.”

  Liam laughs again. “God damn. I mean, this recording can’t go anywhere, since I’m pretty sure it’s illegal as hell to record him without his permission. But still, god damn. I’ll let Bailey have a listen.”

  “Think it’ll work?”

  “Oh, it’ll work,” he says. “Good job. Congrats on your promotion.” I can hear the glee in his voice.

  “Congratulate me when it’s all finished.”

  “Will do. And don’t forget who made this happen.”

  I laugh softly to myself. Of course he’s going to want something, and hell, he deserves it.

  “I won’t,” I promise.

  “See you on the other side.” He hangs up the phone.

  I lean back in my chair and smile, my whole body vibrating.

  No more waiting, no more bullshit. My be
st friend is pregnant with my baby and I’m not putting her through a whole year of lying. I’m finishing this, here and now. I’m taking what’s mine.

  And I’m going to take care of her, no matter what.

  15

  Amy

  I’m so embarrassed I can’t bring myself to talk to him.

  I know I should. I really want to hear what he has to say. It’s just, I feel so stupid and so alone and I’m so afraid he’ll tell me that I can’t keep the baby but I just can’t do it. I can’t bring myself to take the risk.

  I go through the next two days alone in my apartment. I drift through work and spend the night on the couch, trying not to think. I ignore his calls and pretend like he doesn’t exist at all.

  But of course, I can’t pretend that forever. He does exist, whether I like it or not.

  Sometimes I think my whole life would be a lot simpler without Everest Bloom. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gotten sucked into his orbit, ripped from my old, safe world and thrown into his domain.

  Maybe things would’ve been easier or safer or simpler. But I know that my life wouldn’t be nearly as fun or as interesting.

  It’s hard to see past everything right now. I know that I’m wallowing, but I guess I don’t care. I’m pregnant by my best friend and we’re also technically married, although that’s a lie, and eventually our lies are going to catch up with us, and…

  It’s just all too much. I force myself to go to bed on that second night, and I hope that I feel better in the morning.

  But of course, I barely sleep. I keep imagining what my life could’ve been like, or where I went wrong, or what I’m going to do now. Eventually the sun rises and I don’t think I got more than a few hours of sleep at most.

  I climb out of bed, brush my teeth, shower, and pretend not to hear the knocking at my door. I get dressed, ignoring the knocking, even though it’s getting louder.

  And finally, as I come into my kitchen to make some coffee, the knocking’s turned to pounding, I guess I have to face the day.

  With a sigh, I walk over and unlock it. I pull the door open and there’s Ever, frowning at me.

  “Morning,” he says.

  “Morning.” I turn and walk back inside. He follows me in and shuts the door behind him. “Want some coffee?”

  He’s quiet as I make a pot. He watches me carefully, eyes sharp and focused. I feel like he’s measuring me or weighing me or something like that. I don’t know how I feel, having him standing here in my apartment, but I guess I couldn’t avoid this for the rest of my life. We had to talk, sooner or later. I guess now’s as good a time as any.

  “How are you?” he finally asks me.

  “I’m okay.” I lean against the counter, crossing my arms.

  “You look tired.”

  “Thanks.”

  He winces. “Sorry. I just mean, I haven’t been sleeping much either.”

  “Sorry.”

  He chews his lip, clearly considering his next words. “I don’t want to lose you over this,” he says finally.

  I stare at him, trying not to feel one way or the other. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “It means, you’re pregnant with my kid, god damnit. I can’t… you can’t run off. You said you wouldn’t run off again.”

  I blink, surprised. “What?”

  He takes a few steps toward me. “Amy, listen to me. I know this wasn’t what we planned, but… I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to take care of our baby.”

  “Our baby?” I bite my lip, not letting myself hope.

  “Fuck, Amy,” he growls. He comes right up to me, pushes me back, makes me uncross my arms. “You gonna make me say it?”

  “Say it,” I whisper.

  “I love you. Always have. And I’m going to take care of you.”

  I take a sharp breath and feel a sob escape my lips. He kisses me, stops me from crying, and holds me tight.

  “I love you, too,” I say softly. “Always have.”

  “Shit,” he says, laughing. “Should’ve gotten you pregnant earlier.”

  I groan and push him back. “Come on. Too soon for jokes.”

  He shrugs. “Whatever, but I’m serious about taking care of you. I already have… well, I already made some things happen.”

  I cock my head, getting control of myself. I’ve always wanted to hear these words from him, but I never thought they’d happen. I always figured it was a fantasy, imagining that Everest could love someone like me. I’m so far out of his league, so far out of his world, but here he is, in my kitchen, telling me he loves me.

  “What happened?” I ask him.

  He grins. “We need to visit my dad.”

  “Right now?”

  “Right now.”

  “I have work.”

  “Call out.”

  I hesitate. “They won’t like that.”

  He squeezes my shoulders. “Fuck them. You won’t need that job after this. We’ll find you a new one if they want to be dicks.”

  I nod slowly. “Okay. Okay, I’ll call out sick.”

  “Good.” He kisses me gently. “I really do love you, kid. You know that?”

  “I know,” I whisper, and I really know. I can feel it deep in my chest, down in my gut. He really loves me and maybe he always has.

  It’s like a dream. I thought I’d end up having to do something drastic. I thought I’d have to maybe give the baby up, or raise it on my own, or something. But I can see in his eyes that he’s telling the truth.

  Ever’s going to take care of me. I can give myself to him, and he won’t let me down.

  He’s changing right in front of me. He’s changing from the playboy asshole that I’ve always known into something else. Something more stable, more reliable.

  Something I can count on and love for the rest of my life.

  * * *

  The hospital doesn’t seem as dark as we step into his father’s room. Scott Bloom is awake, sitting up in his hospital bed, reading a newspaper as we enter.

  He looks up. “Good morning,” he says. “I was wondering when I’d see you today.” His eyes jump from Ever to me and back to Ever in a single motion. “Brought the wife, I see.”

  Ever nods. “I’m assuming you got a call.”

  “Call?” He cackles. “I got a visit from the board.”

  “From Bailey?” Ever frowns slightly as we sit down on chairs next to his father’s bed.

  “No, the whole damn board. They all showed up, all seven of the bastards, and we had a nice, long talk.”

  “Oh, wow,” Ever says. Instinctively, I take his hand, and he squeezes my palm, watching his father carefully.

  The old man laughs softly. “You did one hell of a job, Everest,” he says. “Flipping almost the entire board? Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “The entire board?” Ever asks, surprised. “I thought we had four.”

  “You have six,” his father says, laughing again. “Guess whatever you did was more effectively than you realized.”

  Ever laughs, clearly delighted. He told me about what happened with Whit, about riling him up and taping him, about sending that tape through Liam to the board. I guess more than just Bailey heard it, and they decided that a man like Whit can’t be running the company.

  “So, they want you now,” his father says. He puts the paper down and watches his son carefully. “You know I don’t have to listen to them, right?”

  “I know,” Ever says. “But I thought it might help.”

  “They want you to step in immediately. Said something about Whitney… disgracing himself.” He says that last part with a slight frown, like it’s painful to speak out loud.

  “Dad, Whitney’s not a bad person,” Ever says, which surprises me, because Whit is definitely a piece of shit. “He’s gone off the rails lately, but he’s not a bad guy. It’s just… I’m changing for the better and he’s not. The company needs someone like me to guide it forward, not drive it backwards.”

&n
bsp; His father lets out a long sigh and I have to admit, that was a pretty good line.

  “I never imagined this would be so complicated,” his father says after a short pause. “I’ll tell you, I’ve been improving lately. The doctors don’t think I’m going to die in the next few weeks, at least, and I’m remembering more and for longer. But I’m tired, Ever. I’m tired of the bickering and the fighting over the goddamn company.”

  Ever nods, leaning forward. “You don’t have to worry, Dad.”

  “Of course I do,” his father snaps. “But I’ve got two lousy sons and nobody else to leave it to.” His eyes suddenly turn to me, locking with mine. “Do you really think this good-for-nothing ass can actually run my company?”

  I blink, completely taken aback. “Uh, sorry,” I say. “Excuse me?”

  “Dad,” Ever growls.

  “Listen to me,” his father continues, looking at me. “You know my son probably better than I do. Tell me the truth. Can he actually run it?”

  “Yes,” I say without a single reservation. “He can.”

  “Hm.” His father nods slightly.

  “He’s changing,” I say, pushing forward. “I know what he used to be like, the partying, the traveling, but… he’s settling. He’s growing. He wants to do more.” I squeeze his hand hard. “We have a family coming.”

  His father blinks, surprised. “You… have a family coming?”

  “She’s pregnant, Dad,” Ever says. “I’m going to have a kid soon, and I’m done with all the bullshit, all the games. I’m ready to take the company. I’m not going to be the kind of man that you’ve always been afraid I’d end up.”

  Ever’s father leans back in his bed and laughs. It’s low and throaty, the kind of laugh that comes from a man full of relief. “You’re going to be a father,” he muses. “Never thought I’d hear the words.”

  “It’s true,” I say.

  “I’m sure it is.” Ever’s father sits up straight again. “And I’m sure you’re going to change in ways you never imagined. I know I did.” His father’s silent for a short moment. “I wasn’t always the best… but I tried.”

  Ever looks uncomfortable. “I know, Dad.”