Chapter 6
Chapter Six
SIX WEEKS LATER
Grayson
Rolling over, I looked at the woman sleeping next to me and sighed. I picked my pants off the hotel room floor and slipped them on. As I was buttoning my shirt, she stirred. Shit. I wanted to make my escape before she woke up.
“Where are you going?” I heard her hungover voice speak.
“Home. I need to shower and change clothes.”
“What’s the rush? The least you could do is buy me breakfast.”
“Order room service but make it for one. I’m out of here. I already paid for the room, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Seriously? You’re just going to leave like that? I thought we had a good time last night.”
“We did, and now it’s over. I have things to do.”
“Am I ever going to see you again, Grayson?”
“No, Molly. Last night was a one-time thing.”
“It’s Holly, you asshole!”
“Right. Sorry.” I sat on the edge of the bed and put my shoes on. “Thanks for last night. Have a good day,” I spoke as I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and left the room.
Climbing into the Escalade parked at the curb, I told Damon to take me home. Just as he pulled up, my phone rang, and it was Julius.
“What’s up?”
“Grayson, are you home or at the office?”
“I just got home. Why?”
“I’m heading over there now. We need to talk.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
Placing my phone in my pocket, I climbed out and stepped into the building.
“Good morning, Mr. Rhodes.” The doorman smiled.
“Good morning, Charlie.”
Stepping into the elevator, I took it up to the penthouse. I kept thinking about Julius and how panicked his voice sounded. What the hell happened? Maybe he was coming to tell me that he and Yasmin were breaking up. Or perhaps he was coming to tell me he cheated on her. Either way, I’d find out in a few minutes when he got here.
I went upstairs to my bedroom and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I’d shower after he left. As I was making a cup of coffee in the kitchen, I heard the elevator door open.
“Hey. Coffee?” I asked as he stepped into the kitchen.
“No.” He put up his hand.
“What’s going on?”
He placed his hands in his pants pockets and began pacing around the room.
“Julius, what the hell is going on?”
“There’s something I have to tell you, and you’re not going to like it.”
“Okay. Just calm down and tell me.”
“You better sit first.”
He walked over to the bar, poured a glass of bourbon, took the coffee cup from my hand, and handed me the glass.
“What the hell?” I looked up at him.
“Trust me. You’llneed that.” He began pacing again.
“For fuck’s sake, Julius. Fucking tell me what’s going on!” I shouted.
“Someone purchased your sperm, and now she’s pregnant.”
“WHAT!” I shouted as I stood up. “How did that happen? YOU promised me it wouldn’t!”
“I don’t know, Grayson. I’m still trying to find that out. Apparently, you matched exactly what this woman was looking for, and they sent your profile to her. I’m still investigating, and they're fired when I find out exactly who did it.”
“How do you know? Are you one hundred percent sure?” I threw the warm liquid down my throat.
“I was going over the list of donors and pregnancies for the month and saw your donor number listed.”
“FUCK! You’re the goddamn director of that facility! How could you let this happen? Didn’t you take it down after a month like you promised me?”
“YES! I took it down immediately. It happened when I was in Aruba.”
“Now what?” I threw back the rest of my drink and slammed the glass down on the bar. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing you can do. If I were you, I’d forget about it. Pretend it never happened.”
“Right. Pretend it never happened. BUT IT DID! And now there’s some woman out there in the world carrying my kid!”
“Actually, she’s right here in New York.”
Placing my hand on my forehead, I slowly shook my head.
“Listen, Grayson. There are a million donors out there. You’re not responsible for the kid in any way, and since you were listed as anonymous with no contact, she will never know you’re the father. Ever. Just forget about it, bro. You can do that. It’s no big deal. Look at it this way. You made a woman who so badly wanted a child happy. You gave her life's greatest gift. The best part is you aren’t being held responsible for the kid.”
I stood there and narrowed my eye at him as I slowly shook my head.
“Grayson, listen to what I said. Just forget it even happened. It’s not like you fucked her, and it was an accident. You’re not responsible for this. You’re not, nor will you ever be tied to this woman and the child. You know, I didn’t even have to tell you. I could have kept this from you, and you would never have known. But I told you because you’re my best friend and I couldn’t keep it from you. I have to go. I told Yasmin I wouldn’t be long. We’re going to her mother's house for brunch. I’m sorry, bro.” He turned around and stepped into the elevator.
Walking over to the bar, I poured myself another drink. This was fucking unbelievable.
I stood in the shower, letting the hot water pour over me. I kept replaying our conversation repeatedly in my head. Julius was right. I just had to put it out of my mind, forget about it and pretend our discussion never took place. I should never have agreed to the betin the first place. Of all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, this one was by far the worst of them all.