Page 20 of Don't Fall For Your Grumpy Neighbor

Oh god.

Callum: Griff, you and Anya just got together. I don’t need to hear about her staying the night already. It’s late, she should head home.

Griffin: …

Paxton: Hartford says you need to get the book, The Expectant Father. She’s ordering it for you. It’ll be at your place tomorrow.

Thanks, I guess.

Tripp: Is there an expectant uncle book? I’m going to need one.

Brock: You’re an idiot, Tripp. But, yeah if there is, we all need it.

Night guys, I’m gonna go freak out in private now.

The next morning, I'm still in shock about last night. I tossed and turned for hours, unable to find any real sleep. My mind raced with thoughts and fears about the future. The fact that I’m going to be a father has completely freaked me out, filling me with a mix of excitement and anxiety that I can’t shake.

As I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, the morning light filtering through the curtains, I try to gather my thoughts. I know I need to be strong for Felicity’s sake. She’s counting on me, and the baby will be too. Despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me, I have to step up and face this new reality.

I crawl out of bed, making myself a cup of coffee before heading into work. I’ve got a busy day at the brewery, filled with ordering and inventory, and I’m thankful it’s all a bunch of mindless work, because my mind’s so occupied with the fact that soon I’ll be a father.

I don’t even know how far along Felicity is. I mean, we had sex over Christmas and it’s May now, so that would make her almost five months.

When do mothers start showing?

As I head into the brewery, Callum is waiting for me by the back door.

“Hey there, Dad,” he says with a huge smile on his face.

Callum may come off grumpy and mean to others, but since him and I are closest in age, he’s never been that way with me.

Griffin steps up behind him. “Anya went a bit overboard last night and bought a whole baby store. She wants to know if at the appointment today you can figure out what sex the baby is so she can buy more.”

Callum laughs. “With Shep’s luck he’ll have a daughter. That way he can fight off all the high school boys who want to get her into bed.”

“Ugh,” I say, scrubbing a hand across my bearded jaw. “Don’t even start on that shit.” I can barely picture having a baby, let alone a teenager. Especially a daughter.

They both laugh, and I follow them back inside and make my way to the dry storage so I can get started on inventory. I pop my Airpods in and get to work, letting the sounds of Red Hot Chili Peppers take over as I lose myself in counting supplies. At around two, I set my iPad down and take out my Airpods.

I need to get Felicity for her appointment, and let’s just say I’m a little nervous about the whole thing.

I honestly don’t know what to expect, and I fear I’m going to screw everything up.

As I’m about to head out for the day, Tripp stops me.

“Hey, I wanted to run something by you really quick,” he says.

“Walk with me to my truck,” I tell him, heading out the back door of the brewery.

He nods, following after me. “First, congrats on this baby thing. How are you feeling about it all?”

I shake my head, stopping at my truck in the lot. “Honestly, I haven’t really had time to process everything.”

“What about the mother? You gonna try to make things work now that she’s having your baby?”

“Tripp, I’ve liked her since the night we spent together. Even if there was no baby, I’d still try to win her back.”

“You need to tell her that.” Tripp may be young, but he’s wise beyond his years, even though he never shows this side to anyone else.

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