Page 77 of Baby By my Best Friend's Daddy

“I’m not going to take the attention away from you, Brad,” I said, my smile fading again. “He’s crazy about you, and I can’t ever replace you in his life. Come on, how old are we? You’re supposed to know that.”

“Yeah, yeah… I acted like a spoiled brat, and I’m sorry. I know I should have been better. I just had a moment of weakness, and I hit you where it hurt because I knew it was a touchy topic. It was low of me.”

“Fucking low,” I said.

Brad sighed. “I already feel like complete shit about it. I’m sorry.”

I nodded. “It’s okay. I get it. I’m sorry too. I should have talked to you about Landon. I didn’t know how, and it drew out too long. The way you found out… it shouldn’t have happened that way, but I’m serious about him.”

“I mean it when I say I’m happy for you,” Brad said. “And I get that you didn’t tell me right away. I would have lost my shit no matter when or how I found out.”

I nodded and worried my lower lip.

“I have to tell you something,” I said. “Now that we’re talking about coming clean…” I hesitated, not sure how to move forward.

“What is it?” Brad asked.

“You can’t freak out.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I can’t make promises if it sounds this serious.”

“At least you’re honest.”

Brad chuckled, but his smile faded quickly.

“Just tell me,” he said.

I took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” he asked. He looked confused for a second before the facts sunk in, and his face shifted and changed. I watched as a myriad of expressions crossed his face. Shock, anger, frustration, worry.

“We didn’t plan it,” I said when he stayed quiet. “I found out after we broke up, after that night at the fundraiser. I wasn’t even going to tell Landon. I planned to do it alone, but when he found out…”

“He would never let you do it alone,” Brad said. He’d packed up his emotions now, and I couldn’t read his expression.

“Yeah,” I said. “I want to do this with him, Brad. I want to do all of it with him. You should see how excited he is about the baby.”

Brad swallowed hard.

“The baby won’t replace you either, you know,” I said.

Brad nodded. “Yeah, I know. It’s just a lot to take in.”

“I know,” I said.

“Are you going to marry my dad?” Brad asked suddenly.

“I don’t know. I guess so… we haven’t really talked about it. We’re just taking it one step at a time. I’m living here now, I’ll move my stuff over slowly, and then the baby will come… that’s where we are right now.”

Brad narrowed his eyes. “Because if you do, you’ll be my stepmom, and that’s really weird.”

I burst out laughing. “Yeah, it is. I really didn’t want to think about that.”

“You should know I’m a rebel, and Iwillstay out after curfew,” Brad said, his face serious.

I stared at him, and then we both started laughing.

Brad walked around the bar and pulled me into a hug.

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