Page 32 of Home for Nathan
He hadn’t worried about cash—it hadn’t been like they were living together, or they had made any promises to one another. He’d just needed to get the fuck out of town when he’d ended up pregnant. He’d needed to run away and panic in his own way.
Of course, that was when Don started screaming at the top of his lungs, and Nathan thought he sounded a little bit like some demented clown. “I said no, you little fuck! I never wantedbabies. I told you that. This wasn’t a relationship; it was a hard fuck, and you weren’t ever good at that. I said no, and I meant it. You’re a lousy user. And I?—”
“Okay, that’s enough.”
I agree.
He blinked as Zion walked into the room where he was having his little discussion on speaker. He wasn’t sure who’d agreed with Zion, but it worked for him.
“Just hang up the phone, babe. He’s a dickhead.”
“He’s a fucking user!” Don screeched. “Run! Run while you still can!”
Zion rolled his eyes, making the universal hang-up-the-phone motion. Nathan thought it was an amazing idea, so he hung up.
“He’s pleasant. I can totally see why you’d choose to hook up with him.” Zion had on his best sarcastic snowboarder face.
“Oh, shut up.” Nathan rolled his eyes. “At the time, I thought he was cute, I guess. To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe I was just having a moment. Totally heat sex.”
“That’s all right, baby.” That got him a wink and a grin. “I mean, so long as Rachel doesn’t look like him, we should be fine.”
“Oh, that was terrible. Fortunately for you, I have a type. Mr. Blondie with a hot bod. So if she comes out looking like the evil ex, everyone’s just going to think she looks like you.”
Zion stuck out his tongue. “Well, that’s a comfort, I suppose.” Then Zion came to sit in one of the chairs in the office and opened his arms so Nathan could come and sit on his lap. “Seriously, how did you two even?—”
He shrugged. “It was a work thing, believe it or not. He was a businessman, and I had made a wall hanging for the building where he worked. When I say businessman, I mean he’s like an investment banker dude or something, but, like, on the lowestlevel. He’s not, you know, no one ever said oh, he’s super wealthy, more that he’s just a dude. But anyway,hethought I was cute. I thought he was cute. I was single. And to be honest, we had fun, at least in the beginning. Just doing things. And then one day, bang.” Nathan nodded and shrugged. “All of the sudden, I was pregnant, and he was panicked, and he broke up with me the day I showed him the test.”
“Oh, that’s fun.”
“Yeah, except not. I have to tell you, not fun. Though I did realize that wasn’t something I wanted to do forever—to be with him and listen to him yell at me.”
“Babe…” Zion hugged him tight, fingers warm on him. “Well, you don’t ever have to listen to him yell again. We can just tell him to fuck off.”
That was the best idea ever. “So what do we do? I mean. If he won’t sign the papers?”
“Well, I put my name on the birth certificate. Who’ll know? It’s not like we’re going to decide at some point we want him to take his parental rights and everything, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I think. I mean, is that legal?”
Zion shrugged. “I don’t see how it couldn’t be, honey. We’re literally just raising a baby. He doesn’t want her. He doesn’t deserve her. I do. And if somehow he shows up trying to take her, I have way more money for good lawyers.” So fierce. That scowl on Zion’s face meant very bad things for Don.
“I can’t believe he was so awful. Seriously, we didn’t have a great breakup or anything, but it wasn’t like I stalked him. It wasn’t as if I’d asked him for anything.” He hadn’t ever asked Don for a single penny or any kind of support.
“This isn’t about you. This isn’t about you at all. This is about him, and what he would do, and what he thinks. You just have to remember that he’s a motherfucker, and the only way he can interact with the world is in an asshole way.”
“Perfect. So what does that make me? Because I had an affair with him.” Did that mean he was an idiot?
“It means you’re a little trusting, and maybe you were needing somebody right then. God knows, it happens. I’m not a virgin. I get how you can choose Mr. Right Now.”
He looked at Zion, his lips parting as he tried for the world’s biggest, fakest expression of shock ever. “No! You weren’t a virgin when we met? Are you sure?”
“Don’t make me beat you. It’s a bad look when a guy beats his pregnant omega.”
He started giggling hard. “True that. Well, if you think it’s okay, then we’ll just put you on the birth certificate. You’re going to be her dad.”
“I am. I’m already her dad, and it’s going to be the greatest thing ever. And if that son of a bitch ever dares come back and bother my baby or my husband? I’m gonna take him down.” Zion made a slashing motion with his hand.
Okay, that was not surprisingly hot. “I like that too.”
