Page 51 of Who's Your Daddy?

The words feel like they weigh a million tons as they sink into my brain. “Take...take the other one. He said...he said...um...” My thoughts are racing so fast I can’t form a coherent sentence. “He said sometimes...sometimes they give palse fositives.” I grit my teeth, becoming more frustrated that I can’t find anything in my muddled head. “False. Positives.” Or did he say false negative? I can’t even remember. “Just take another test.”

“I took all of them.”

“And?”

Her panic-stricken eyes lock on mine. “They’re all positive.”

“Can’t be.”

I rush past her into the bathroom. They’re all lined up on the sink. I check the first one. It says positive on the tiny screen, and I chuck it. The next one has a big, fat plus sign on it, and I chuck it. The third one shows two pink stripes. I toss it over my shoulder, hoping and praying that test number four says something different, but it only confirms my worst fear.

She’s pregnant.

Holy fuck! She’s pregnant.

I grip the edge of the sink, holding on so tight my knuckles turn white. I take slow, deep breaths to bring my heart rate down. When I finally gather my courage and leave the bathroom, I find Lia sitting quietly on the bed. Hunched over, she’s staring helplessly into oblivion.

I cross the room and sit down beside her. Our collective regret hangs in the room, making the air thick. It’s so hard to breathe. Silence stretches on for almost forty minutes before my throat loosens up enough for me to talk.

“So, what are we going to do?”

She releases a heavy sigh. “I don’t know.”

I can hear that she’s on the brink of tears, yet she never breaks character. As always, she remains stoic and withdrawn. It’s driving me nuts because I am freaking the fuck out.

I don’t know how to broach the subject, or if now is the right time, but I need answers. “Are you...” I inhale a sharp breath. “Are you gonna...keep it?”

She scrambles off the bed, staring at me like I’m the enemy. “Of course, I’m gonna keep it. How can you even ask me that?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” Shit, this is so hard. “It was just a question.”

She’s still defensive. “Yeah, and I don’t understand why you would ask me that when you know how much I want a family.”

This decision has been based purely on emotion. “Li, you gotta think about this logically. You’re not in the best position right now. We’re not even...together. You wanted a nice, faithful guy to marry and raise a family with. That’s the guy you should be doing this with. Not me. I’m not him. I’m not that guy.” My voice rises with my anxiety. “I don’t want a kid. I’m-I’m not ready for a kid. This is a big decision that affects both of us, and you’re not giving meanysay in this. I don’t know what you want from me or how I even fit into the picture you’re painting forboth of us. What’s the role you’re expecting me to fill here? Do you want money? Commitment?” I rest my elbows on my thighs and drop my head into my hands. After a few steadying breaths, I look up at her again. “Maybe you want a family, but I don’t. I made it clear from the start that I never wanted to settle down. At the wedding, you told me this was temporary, and having a kid isn’t fuckingtemporary, Lia!”

My voice was so loud, my last words seem to echo in the silent aftermath. My voice was so loud the echo reverberated off the drywall and struck the deepest chord inside her. She remains silent for a long time, absorbing the shock, blinking back her tears. She swallows whatever emotions she’s feeling and nods as if she’s accepting her fate.

“I understand,” she says softly, slipping her stoic mask back into place. “I don’t want money or commitment from you. You do have a say, and you’ve made your stance clear. I understand. I’ll figure out a way to do this on my own.” She walks to the door and opens it. “You can leave now.”

“Lia, c’mon. Don’t make it seem like I’m abandoning you to go at this alone. I’m trying to compromise so we can find a resolution here. I’ll help in whatever way I can, but I don’t want—”

“You don’t want to change your lifestyle or make any sacrifices. I get it, and that’s fine. But parents don’thelptheir children, Peter. They raise them. If help is all you have to offer, you can keep it.” She nods her head toward the door. “Now, please leave.”

I snatch my car keys off the bed and storm out. She closes the door the second I walk through it, and the lock snaps from the inside. I’m so fucking mad I could break something. I get into my car and slam the door shut. My fist flies against the steering wheel, hitting it repeatedly until my knuckles bruise. I throw my head back in frustration.

“Fuuuuucccckkk!”

My voice is trapped within the confines of my car. And that’s exactly how I feel. Trapped.

What does she want from me? Does she want me to turn my whole world upside down to accommodate her and this baby? Does she want me to give up my single life to raise a child with her? What does she want? Because from that conversation, it seems like that’s exactly what she wants, and won’t settle for anything less. She had dreams for the future, and now she’s imposing those dreams on me.

But I don’t want any of that. I just wanted a simple life. This is why I always made an active effort to avoid women and relationships. They are nothing but trouble. My rules were simple. No emotional attachments, and I always told myself that if I ever wanted to indulge in anything more than a one-night stand, I would tap out at two weeks.

But I didn’t tap out, did I?

The one time I broke those rules and look at where it got me. It got me completely twisted over the most closed-off woman on the planet, who – by the way – is looking for the polar opposite of me in a life partner. But now she’s carrying my child and wants nothing to do with me.

Onetime.Onemonth.Onewoman. That was all it took. And now my life is an unrecognizable shitshow!

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