Page 19 of The Bartender's Baby

He raised his gaze to mine. Every bit of attraction I’d ever felt for him was gone. Evaporated with the utter revulsion in his stare. “I’m certainly not paying for this baby. I want nothing to do with it.” He stood, stepping closer to me, into my space, so I had to tilt my head back. I refused to back down, though all my martial arts training had drained from my brain. I doubted I could even land a strike with how my hands trembled. “This wasneverpart of the plan.”

“I know. I?—”

He leered over me. “Did you do this on purpose? Are you trying to trap me?”

I shook my head, struggling to see with my blurry vision. “Don’t accuse me of forcing you to do anything you don’t want. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Oh. You wanted to let me know,” he mocked. “Well, thanks for nothing.”

He practically spat the words at me, and from the way he aimed his pointer finger at me, I assumed there was more to come, but he didn’t get it out. Because a body suddenly careened into him.

“Son of a bitch!” Nate roared, grabbing Harrison by the collar of his shirt to pin him against the window.

I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do or think. Could only watch this scene play out in front of me.

“You don’t fucking talk to her that way,” Nate gritted out, his jaw so tight I worried he’d crack a molar.

Harrison struggled with his footing. While he had the height advantage, I doubted the guy had ever done an ounce of manual labor in his life. He would have no idea how to fend off someone, let alone Nate in this wild state.

I touched Nate’s shoulder. “Let him go.”

Nate ignored me, pushing Harrison up to force him out the back door. Patrons gawked at them, but I had no idea how to fix the situation. Thankfully, Genevieve jumped behind the bar, directing everyone’s attention to her as Dylan appeared at my side, both of us following Nate as he wrestled Harrison outside.

“You don’t even fucking look at her anymore.” Nate tossed Harrison away and finally turned over his shoulder to me. “What did he say to you?”

I shook my head, refusing to answer, but that dumbass didn’t have the same reluctance. Harrison flung his hand in my direction. “She’s pregnant and is accusing me of being the dad.”

“Accusing?” Nate repeated. “You are the dad, you jackass.”

“Then she can get an abortion.”

In the blink of an eye, Nate was on Harrison again, landing a brutal blow to his face, shouting curses about how he never deserved me. He landed a right hook to Harrison’s side, audibly knocking the breath out of him and taking his feet out from under him.

I rushed toward them. “Nate! Stop!”

Dylan caught me around the waist. “Stay here,” he directed, pulling me back a few steps. “I’ll take care of it.”

Nate got in one more punch before Dylan hauled him off Harrison, one arm around his shoulders, the other around his torso, immobilizing his arms at his sides. “Enough.”

Harrison struggled to get up, slipping on a patch of ice, his breath forming clouds in front of his bloody mouth. “You crazy motherfucker. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What am I doing?” Nate fought to get away, but Dylan held him tight, leaving Nate to thrash against his hold. “I’m taking out the trash.”

Harrison wiped at his face and patted down his coat, as if that would make a difference, and then waved at the bar. “Say goodbye to this piece-of-shit place because this will all be mine once I press charges and sue you.”

That’s when I leaped forward, standing in front of Nate and Dylan. “You do that, and I’ll take you to court for child support.”

Harrison weighed his options and decided his ego wasn’t worth his child’s life. With a flippant wave that he wasdone, he stalked away from the bar. And me.

Even through my shock and hurt, I recognized the quiet rustling behind me, a few murmured words from Dylan about him not being worth it, and then, “Take care of your girl.”

The back door opened and closed with a thud, and a moment later, Nate’s arm banded around me, his familiar smell a comfort, his heat a balm to my soul. I turned into him and released all the tears I’d been holding back.

“I got you,” he rasped against my ear, tucking my head against his chest. “I got you.”

No one had ever stood up for me like that. Defended me so vehemently.

And I couldn’t help but appreciate it. More than that,loveit.

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