Page 71 of Dump and Chase

I thought she’d leave, but she didn’t. “So what’s going on here? Some kind of love triangle?”

I whirled to face her. “Excuse me?”

“Brandon and Ethan can’t stop trying to help you. Like two guys competing for the girl. I also can’t help but notice you’re pregnant, so, like, what hormones are you giving off?”

I laughed uncomfortably. “What are you talking about?”

“Which part?” she said with a smile. “You’re clearly pregnant, at least I’m pretty sure you are. As for the guys, Ryan said you and Ethan were exes, but based on how Ethan is acting, I’d say he’s trying to un-ex himself. Brandon keeps looking at you like you’re a tall glass of something.”

Great. How the hell should I handle this? “So Ethan is my ex, and I am pregnant. I’m not sure about the rest of it.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Those guys are going to start fighting soon.”

“Maybe there is something you could help me with,” I said, swiftly changing the subject. “Do you mind taking out the cream and sugar? And send Ethan back in to get the coffee cups?”

I think she knew what I was up to, but she did as asked. Ethan returned with a frown. I beckoned him closer.

“Amanda was in here poking around. She thinks you and Brandon are both trying to make a play for me. So cut it out before she starts gossiping about it.”

He frowned. “Is Warde going to get the same lecture?”

“Yes, he is. Now stop it!”

The rest of the evening proceeded smoothly, but Amanda was watching all of us. At least Brandon and Ethan had stopped one-upping each other, but did Amanda have a point? Was something going on? If so, I had to stop the madness because I wasn’t interested in getting into a relationship with either of them. And they both needed to know it.

ChapterThirty-Four

Tangi

Aweek later, Ethan and I went for my sonogram appointment. We were both a little nervous, but Dr. Mehta quickly found the baby’s heartbeat and pointed out all the hands and feet. And then she asked the all-important question.

“Do you want to know what you’re having?”

“No,” we said in unison.

Ethan and I looked at each other and laughed. We hadn’t discussed it before, and it was kind of cool that we were on the same wavelength.

“Then a surprise it shall be. Everything is looking great. We’ll schedule your next appointment for the New Year.”

We both seemed to skip along to the car, excited that Baby Kildare-Grant was growing normally and that we could see our little one for the first time. I’d teared up a little, and Dr. Mehta had patted me on the hand and told me it was a natural reaction.

“That was amazing,” Ethan said, his face lighting up as we walked to the car. “I bet it’s a boy.”

“Based on what?” I asked as he held open the door for me.

“I don’t know. I can just tell.”

“I didn’t see anything that gave it away. Did you?”

“Maybe it was a finger, maybe it was a dick. Who knows?”

We talked about the sonogram all the way home, and that was when he brought up the nursery and asked what my plans were. I was five months along and I hadn’t thought any of that through.

“I think I mentioned turning your room into a nursery,” I said carefully, “but that can wait. The baby can sleep with me at first. My mom’s coming to Vancouver for a month or so before the birth to help me, and we’ll head back to Minneapolis together. Maybe you could oversee the nursery once we go? It wouldn’t take much. Just some paint and furniture.”

I was trying to find a way to tell him he had to go when my mom came, and I wasn’t sure he’d picked up on that. I’d try again later. We’d had such a beautiful moment and it didn’t seem right to shit on it.

“Oh. Yeah, sure. I guess I thought I’d be more involved.”

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