Page 79 of Baby By my Best Friend's Daddy

Ted chuckled. “Look at him. You can’t steal his thunder even if you tried. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man as happy as him. Although, looking at you…”

I laughed and ordered my usual from the barman. I sat next to Ted, and the crowd thinned out a little as Gunner’s close friends chatted to him, and the others formed groups of their own.

Elias arrived, and the room fell silent. They watched him as he walked to the bar. We all knew he’d been against Gunner and Maddison being together long term.

Elias shook his head. “Don’t look at me like I’m the villain. We’re here to celebrate the happy couple!”

Everyone burst out in cheers, and Elias shook his head. He came up to us with a sheepish grin.

“I hate being the center of attention like that,” he said as he lifted his hand to draw the barman’s attention. “They’re all acting like I’m the big bad wolf in this tale, and I’m going to blow their little house of happiness down.”

“You were full of shit about it,” I pointed out.

Elias scowled at me. “Don’t mince your words or anything.”

I shrugged.

“Look, I can’t say it’s what I would have chosen for him, but Gunner is happy. I can’t take that away from him. Literally—he won’t let me. He’ll be happy no matter what. He made it clear to me that legacy be damned. If I decide to put him out, he’ll build a life without me. He won’t give her up.”

“That’s a big statement to make,” I said.

“Yeah, it is. It got me thinking too. I’ve built a huge inheritance for Gunner one day, and he’s willing to turn his back on that for this girl. I don’t see what he sees in her, but he’s serious about it, so I have two choices. I can either accept her as my daughter… or lose my son. The truth is, I’m not willing to lose Gunner, no matter how fucking nuts he drives me sometimes.”

I smiled. “Yeah, that’s what it’s like being a parent. They make you crazy, but you’ll do anything for them.”

“Not me,” Ted said. “I’m happy being perpetually drunk and answering to no one.”

“We’re not all that lucky, my friend,” Elias said, and he sounded so down in the mouth about it that Ted and I both burst out laughing.

“Look, Landon,” Elias said. “I owe you an apology for losing my shit with you. It was a buildup after Gunner, and I got stuck, but it wasn’t necessary for me to be a dick about it. You love who you want to love.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, man.”

“I’m serious. You can’t help who you love, even if it doesn’t fit with what’s right.” I raised my eyebrows. “I can either be a jackass about it, or I can accept the facts and move forward. I guess I’m doing the latter. We’re all friends here, and it’s the same as with Gunner. I’m accepting certain things because the alternative is worse.”

“That was a hell of a backhanded compliment,” I said.

“Take it or leave it, buddy. It’s all I got.”

I laughed and shook Elias’s hand. “I’ll take it. Thanks for saying it. Congratulations on Gunner’s engagement.”

“Thanks,” Elias said. He didn’t look as happy as he should have, but he was accepting the union, and that was a start. Maybe he would come around, and everyone would be okay with each other in that family again. Brad had done that for me.

Maybe they would always be sticky with each other. Shit happened, but that was what family was about.

I’d started to learn that fighting was a part of love. The part that mattered was making up again and moving forward despite the differences we had.

Noah and Aaron came up to me.

“We hear from Brad that congratulations are in order for you too,” Aaron said.

“Yeah?” I asked with a frown.

“Come on, news doesn’t stay secret for long—we might drink whiskey and cuss like sailors, but we gossip just as much as the women do.” Noah grinned after he made the statement. “A baby, huh?”

“Can you believe it?” I asked. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Brad turned out okay,” Aaron said. “You’ll be fine.”

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