Page 18 of The Bartender's Baby

“Are you telling him?” When I nodded, Nate’s gaze flicked over my shoulder to where Harrison sat. “Take all the time you need.” Before I could step away from him, he pushed my water bottle into my hands with a stern eyebrow raise and a quiet, “You’ll be all right.”

I made my way over to the table, slipping onto the seat. Harrison grinned at me. “Missed you. We haven’t talked in a while. You won’t text me back.”

“Been busy.”

“With what?”

I wouldn’t categorize what we had as a real relationship, but it was close enough to one where we knew the basics about each other. At least, I knew the basics about him. He either always forgot or didn’t care enough about mine.

“School started,” I said, and he tapped his knuckles on the table, next to his glass.

“Right. Right. Well, I thought I’d come see what you’re up to. Thought maybe I could take you home.”

I attempted to clear the golf ball stuck in my throat. “Maybe not tonight.”

He reached out for me, tracing his thumb over the shell of my ear. Normally, I liked that. I didn’t tonight. Not when Nate glared daggers at us from his place behind the bar. I scooted my chair over, so I didn’t have a full view of him as I made this confession.

“We have to talk,” I started, lacing my fingers together.

Harrison waited with his usual ease, as if nothing in his life could go wrong. For him, probably not. He came from an affluent family with All-American white guy good looks. Life was a breeze.

Welp…

“Harrison, I’m pregnant.”

The smile melted from his face like a landslide pulling a house into the Pacific Ocean. He gaped at me. Blinked. And gaped some more.

“It’s yours,” I said, and that snapped him out of it.

“Are you sure?”

I huffed in irritation. “Yes.”

He didn’t appear to believe me, tap, tap, tapping his knuckles on the table. Had he always tapped like that? I couldn’t recall.

“How do you know it’s mine?”

My jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. How do I know? You could’ve been out here fucking all kinds of people.” He shrugged, his gaze coasting around as if I’d fucked everybody in the bar. “I have no idea.”

“Harrison.” Offended, yet unable to come up with an appropriate comeback, I had trouble finding my words. I hadn’t practiced enough for this. “You know I haven’t been with anyone else.”

He stared at me, the wheels turning behind his angry eyes, obviously searching for a way out. “You’re not keeping it, are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

I didn’t think he’d be happy about this revelation, but I also never would have guessed how disgusted he’d be. His lip curled. “Why?”

“Because I want to. I want this baby.”

“Aren’t you all my body, my choice? What about now? Why aren’t you getting an abortion?”

I exhaled a stunned sound. “I don’t want one.Thatis my choice.”

“I’ll pay for it,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Goose bumps dotted my skin, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes from anger. “What? Are you going to Venmo me?”

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