Page 73 of His Bittersweet Regret

“What are you going to do to try to get her back?”

“I’m giving her space.”

“Considering she’s out on a date tonight, maybe that wasn’t the wisest plan.”

“Jimmy, I took six months off from our relationship, to date other people, all the while thinking I could just walk right back into her life. She didn’t get the same opportunity I did to date other people during that time because she was pregnant. The least I can do, after all the shit she had to put up with, is offer her the same thing I asked for.”

“I know Joe. He’s a genuinely good guy and has had a thing for her for years. We talked about it before I left because he used to ask how serious you two were. I think he was hoping you would rush off to college and leave her behind.”

“He was like twenty-three when she was graduating high school.” That rat bastard. Jimmy chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“She was legal and hot. You think he was the only one sitting back waiting on you to screw up? Half the town wanted in that girl’s pants, your best friend included.”

“He’s no fucking friend of mine,” I shouted.

“Well, you know that now. You let him get inside your head first, and then fuck with Opal’s too, before you finally realized that.” Jimmy sat back down and put the lamp down out of reach. It looked like I might have broken the cord on it when I snatched it up, so I guess I needed a replacement.

“That asshole always rubbed me the wrong way. I used to tell Mom to make you pick better friends. She laughed at me and said you’d figure things out, eventually.”

“I’ve come to the realization that Mom hasn’t been in the right frame of mind for some time.”

“Well, this was before the shit with Dad and the drinking.” We sat quietly for a bit, each of us lost to our own thoughts before Jimmy spoke again. “What are you going to do about the twins? You can’t keep them from your son forever. I realize they were assholes, but they tried to make up for it – however stupidly. If you’re forgiven for your part enough to have a place in your son’s life, why can’t they be?”

“They’re not his dad,” I said. “Trust me, if I wasn’t Austin’s father, I wouldn’t have a place in his life either. They have years-worth of bullying her to try to overcome whereas I don’t. Even so, Opal still tried to kick me out of the delivery room, remember?”

Jimmy laughed. “Yeah, that’s some funny shit.”

“Didn’t feel all that funny,” I grumbled at him.

“Just in a funny, ironic kind of way, Marsh. What are the odds that one of the chicks you dated, and made out with, was the nurse meant to deliver your kid?”

“Fuck, it’s like the universe was set on delivering Karma to me directly, but Opal was the one that kept getting hurt by it.”

Headlights in the driveway caught both of our attention and we stood to see Ryker and the twins coming up the walkway. It looked like someone was behind them, but I couldn’t see who. They fucking knew better than to be here when I had my son. They also should have known better than to bring a guest to my house this late.

I raced to the door and threw it open. “What the fuck are you two doing here?” I bellowed.

“Chill man,” Ryker insisted, but I wasn’t having it.

“You know they’re not welcome here when Austin’s at my house.” My eyes were narrowed on my younger brother because there was no way I would allow him to start disrespecting Opal’s wishes now. He had stood by her this long and needed to keep his promises to her.

I heard Austin squeal from the nursery and cursed under my breath that he had been awakened. Then, a voice I never thought would be on my doorstep again, pulled my attention back to the people on my lawn.

“I told them it was okay to come,” Opal said as she moved around my brothers and stepped into the light. I couldn’t help glancing around, further behind them, to see if her date for the night was lurking somewhere. There was no way that son of a bitch was going to waltz into my home with my girl on his arms. Then again, maybe he should come inside and see the pictures of us when we were happy together.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can we all come inside and have this conversation where the neighbors aren’t hanging out with their cell phones ready to either dial 9-1-1 or shoot some video?”

“That’s one of the few times I’ve ever heard Brix say something smart, you might want to listen,” Opal teased. I didn’t miss the way my brother tried to hide the grin on his face over my ex tormenting him.

I stepped back and held the door open for all of them to come inside. Opal tensed slightly when she noticed that the pictures of us were still hanging up.

“Oh, I hear Austin,” she stated and immediately headed in the direction of our son’s wailing. I followed behind her, but my brothers all congregated in the living room to wait and see how everything would play out.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you but, I’m a little confused,” I told Opal as she picked our son up and scrunched her face at the smell he was putting off.

“Well, I guess it wasn’t the noise that woke him after all,” I commented dryly as I got a diaper and the wipes together on the changing table. She relinquished her hold on our son after placing a little kiss on his scrunched up forehead. I changed him as she stood back and watched with a content little smile on her face.

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