Page 33 of Baby By my Best Friend's Daddy

I shook my head. “No, he only sees her as a friend. Catherine wants them to be more, but that won’t ever happen. I don’t know when Brad will find his happily ever after, but it won’t be with her.”

“Then don’t let him stop you from getting yours with her,” Ted said.

I nodded. It was easier said than done, though. I could easily say, “Fuck the rest of the world and what they think,” but to deal with the fallout when it came out that Rebecca and I were together was something we had to take seriously. She was a lot younger than I was, and she wasn’t in our circles. That was aside from the fact that she was Brad’s best friend.

It wasn’t that he had some kind of claim on her, but still.

Ted and I talked about other things, and after another two drinks, I paid my bill and left. I didn’t want to hang around and get wasted with the others tonight. I had a lot on my mind, and the doctor had said I wasn’t supposed to drink on my meds.

I wasn’t taking so many pills anymore, but I used it as an excuse to get away.

When I got in my car, I turned toward home and dialed Rebecca’s number. I waited for her to answer.

“Hi, Landon,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hello, beautiful.”

She chuckled softly, and I could just picture her blush. “Is this a good time to talk?”

“I can’t talk long. I’m on my way to the hospital for my shift,” she said.

“Night shift,” I said.

“For another week,” she confirmed. “Then I’m back on a more normal schedule.”

“Ah. So, if your times are upside down, when would be the best time to take you out?”

“You want to take me out?” she asked.

“I do. I want to wine you and dine you, to give you the date you deserve before I get you into my bed.”

She giggled again, and I knew her blush intensified. It was adorable when she blushed after my compliments. When had been the last time a woman had blushed when I’d talked to her? When was the last time I’d tried to make a woman blush?

With Rebecca, it felt like I was new to the dating world all over again—a teenager who fumbled for words and felt butterflies and all the good stuff I didn’t think would be reserved for someone my age.

“I’d like that,” she said. “I just don’t have a conventional schedule, so a conventional date would have to wait until next week if you want to do it that way.”

“Sweetheart, nothing about us is conventional,” I pointed out.

“Yeah,” she said softly.

“How about breakfast after your shift one of these coming mornings?”

“I can do breakfast,” she said.

I grinned. I could doher. “Perfect. Saturday morning?” I had to go into the office early the rest of the week, and I wanted to take my time with Rebecca and really treat her to a special morning.

“That’s perfect,” she said.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah,” she said with the same smile in her voice, and I wished I could see the color in her cheeks, the laughter dancing in her eyes.

We ended the call, and I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I hadn’t been this happy in a long time. I hadn’t been this happy… ever.

I was almost scared it was too good to be true, but I wouldn’t allow myself to think like that. After everything I’d done for everyone around me, I wanted something for myself now. This was it.

This was good, and it was true, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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