Page 84 of Sass

“Are you okay?” Jenn asked.

“I’m fine.” I rolled my eyes at Chris and pitched a tea towel at his junk. He caught it on the fly and draped it over his head, the idiot. “Yeah, of course I can take her.”

Chris mouthed the word “Susie?” and I nodded. And as Jenn ended the call, Chris sashayed his pert little butt over to his clothes and started dressing.

I shoved the phone in my pocket and pulled him in for a kiss. “And just where do you think you’re going?” There wasn’t anything in the world better than a warm, naked, wriggling Chris pressed hard against me.

He frowned. “You’ve just landed babysitting duty, right?”

I nodded. “So? You don’t have to go. Susie loves you.”

A flicker of nerves crossed his face and the penny dropped. One look at Chris and me all cosy in the flat, and Jenn would know. Five minutes later and every damn person in my family would know as well.

It was a big fucking step for a guy who could barelysaythe word boyfriend without crossing himself.

“Too much?” I ventured.

“I just...” And again, Chris hesitated. Then he blew out a sigh and his shoulders relaxed. “Fine, I’ll stay. After all, Rhys and Drew know, and Ty and JJ guessed a while ago.” He paused to let that little nugget about my workmates sink in and I groaned at the realisation. “Hell, even the couple you bought your house off know. So, why not your family as well?”

“I’m sorry.” And I meant it. “You didn’t sign up for this, at least not all in one day.”

He wriggled against me. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I did. But I’m not forgetting about our plans. An hour or so with your adorable niece, and then the adults get to play. Deal?”

I lowered my lips to his. “Got it.” And somehow, I knew it was time. “But in the spirit of full disclosure, there’s something I haven’t told you about Susie, or should I say about me and Susie.”

Chris’s expression turned to immediate concern. “She’s okay, right?”

“She’s fine,” I assured him. “But... she’s not actually my niece.”

“She’s—” He frowned. “What?”

“Susie’s not my niece.” I took a deep breath. “She’s actually my biological child.”

Chris paled and stepped out of my arms. “She’s your... daughter?”

I shook my head. “She’s my biologicalchild. She’s Jenn and Kevin’sdaughter.I offered to be their sperm donor when they had trouble conceiving. I thought you should know, especially since we’re... doing what we’re doing... boyfriends. And if anything happens to them, I’m next in line.”

Chris gaped, then shook his head. “Um... wow. So you’re her guardian? You’ll be her parent if they...? And if we... then I would...? Shit.”

I nodded, slapping myself for not thinking sooner how the very idea might unnerve Chris. He’d been clear he didn’t see a family in his future, and I’d ignored it, hoping it would change with time and with... well, us. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said something sooner. I didn’t think, because the guardianship thing was only just decided recently. And it’s not like anything is likely to happen.”

He stiffened. “But it could.”

I opened my mouth to brush the very idea aside and then closed it again. No one knew better than I did that shit happened. “Yeah, it could. Anything is possible. And if this is a dealbreaker for you, I’ll be really fucking gutted, but... she’s my biological daughter. She’s a big part of my life, and I can’t not be there if she—”

“I know.” He stepped forward and placed a warm palm to my chest, and I could suddenly breathe again. “And I would never ask you to make that choice. But in the rush of getting to know you and fucking your brains out and vice versa, I’d kind of forgotten the whole family part of this plan you have for your future.” He gnawed on his lower lips as he studied me. “And I still don’t know how I feel about it.”

“That’s not a no, and I don’t need—”

“Yes, you do.” He kissed me softly. “You were born to be a father and you’ll be so fucking great at it. I just don’t know that I would.”

I ran my thumb over his cheek and spoke softly. “Still, not a no. And I happen to disagree on that. I think you’d be a brilliant dad.”

He flushed brightly and looked away.

“But can we maybe take this one step at a time?” I pressed, kissing his forehead. “Maybe wait until we see if we even work before we have the big family talk?”

His bright green eyes searched my face. “But you want a family. You were clear.”

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