21. Stefan
21
STEFAN
I’m cooking breakfast for Wren and me when there’s a knock at the door. Looking up, I smile when I see Jaxson standing there. Sometimes I appreciate the clear entrance but other times, I wish it was frosted so I could hide away and not answer it.
Walking over, I let him in. “Jaxson, what are you doing here?”
“I think you know,” he states and pushes his way past me. “I’ll take a coffee, black. No sugar.”
“Please, come in,” I snarkily retort. “Can I get you a coffee?”
Jaxson just laughs and makes himself at home on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, while I turn on the coffee machine and make him his coffee.
“Thanks,” he says, taking the mug from me. I turn back to the stove and add the eggs to the pan.
“That smells good, what you whipping up for me?”
“I’m making eggs for Wren,” I reiterate her name.
“She not well?” he asks, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Hungover,” I tell him.
“I’m not hungover,” a soft voice says from the stairs.
We both turn toward the sound of her voice, and my eyes widen when I take Wren in. No longer is her hair a bird’s nest, and there’s no trace of the panda eyes from when she first woke up. She’s in those jeans of hers that mold to her body and highlight her ass. She’s wearing a Legends tee and blue Converse that match the team colors.
“Jaxson,” she says his name by way of greeting and walks over to the coffee machine. She makes herself a cup. “So, what are you doing here? You hate the beach.”
“I was in town for a friend’s wedding yesterday.”
“You have friends?” I cheekily tease just as Wren sits next to Jaxson with her coffee in hand.
“Yes, I have friends … even if he is a client of mine.”
“Anyone I might know?” I ask him.
“Marshall Kerr.”
“I heard he was getting married. The playboy of racing has finally settled down. You want some?” I lift the pan of eggs up and he nods. Getting out another plate, I dish three plates up and slide two over to Wren and Jaxson.
Before I eat mine, I hand Wren her bitch juice, aka her morning OJ, and make her another coffee—black, no milk or sugar. I made that mistake once and my balls are still frightened each time I make her one. Fearful that a speck of sugar or a splash of milk will have made its way into her cup of black tar. Don’t get me wrong, I like coffee but it needs to have Italian sweet crème added. Yes, I know, it’s not what you’d expect someone like me to drink but it’s mother’s milk. Chefs kiss if you will, but then again, it’s no secret that I like White Claws.
Leaning on the counter, we all dig in. Silence surrounds us as we eat but as soon as Jaxson is finished, he places his cutlery down and turns to Wren. He has a look on his face I cannot read. “Something you want to tell me?”
She furrows her brows and looks at Jaxson. “Ummm, no?” It comes out like a question.
“So Stefan isn’t about to become a dad?”
“Ohh that,” she replies.
“You didn’t think as his agent I should know something as important as that?”
“We’re dealing with it,” she matter-of-factly tells him.
“And how are you dealing with it?” He air quotes the last three words.
“Stefan and Alicia are still hammering things out but it’s been amicable so far, and Stefan will be there every step of the way.”
After we’ve explained things, he’s changed his tune. Jaxson’s dad is a deadbeat dad and this is hitting close to home for him, so once he has the complete story and realizes that I’m going to step up, his demeanor changes.
“Are you sure it’s yours and this is not a play for fame and money? Have you considered a paternity test?”
“He’s mine,” I growl between clenched teeth.
“How can you be sure?”
“The doctor we went to all but confirmed the conception date is when she and I hooked up and because I trust her. I get you and Wren have my best interests at heart but I also have a brain, and I know he’s mine.”
“Like you can remember every hookup you’ve had,” Jaxson throws back at me.
“I. Trust. Her.” Emphasis is placed on each word. My fists clench and unclench at my sides, and I tell myself that I cannot hit my agent. No matter how much of a douche he’s being right now. Why does no one trust me about this? Sure, I’ve made shitty decisions in the past but when I step up and be a man about the situation I find myself in, everyone doubts me. I cannot win, no matter what I do, the people around me don’t trust me.
Jaxson nods and turns and focuses on Wren. “Wren?”
“It’s Stefan’s decision. He knows how I feel.”
“And how is that?” Jaxson questions her. Wren doesn’t answer him and she avoids my gaze. “Wren,” he warns. “What are your thoughts?”
She lifts her gaze to mine but quickly averts it and focuses on Jaxson. “Stefan trusts her, therefore, I trust him trusting her.”
“I call bullshit,” he snaps at her. “No one trusts him, and the fact you’re saying you trust him tells me that you don’t trust him.”
“You asked for my opinion on the matter and I told you. I trust him trusting her. And for what it’s worth, since he found out, have you seen him in the headlines?” Well apart from the first night but Jaxson doesn’t know that was the cause of that bender. “No, you have not. As much as I’d like to take credit for that, it’s the baby bombshell that did that.” She takes a deep breath. “I really think this baby is a good thing.” Her mouth opens and closes like she has more to say, but in an unlike Wren fashion, she stays quiet.
“Very well then,” Jaxson voices. “Seems like you have it all under control.”
“That we do.”
Silence falls over us but it’s broken when Jaxson’s phone rings. He looks at the screen. “I have to take this, excuse me.” He stands up and walks through the living room and out onto the lower terrace.
The two of us sit here, still not saying anything.
“Thanks for having my back with Jaxson just now,” I tell Wren as we both begin to clean up the kitchen.
“Mmmhmpf,” she nonchalantly replies. I get the feeling she’s not telling me the truth when it comes to Alicia. Come to think about it, Wren and I haven’t really spoken about it in detail. Every time it’s come up, something has interrupted us.
“You do mean what you said, right? You trust me?”
She pauses wiping down the countertop and when she looks to me, I know I’m not going to like what she has to say. “I do trust you, Stefan. You’ve really changed these last few weeks but when it comes to Alicia, just be careful.”
“Why does no one trust me regarding her?”
“I trust you . It’s her I don’t trust.”
“Well I do, Wren,” I snap, pissed off because I thought she had my back.
“That’s all well and good, Stefan, but you are blindly believing what she’s telling you. You’re a mega-rich athlete, and she’s well, not a mega-rich person. I still agree with your lawyer; you really need to consider a paternity test. Yes, the doctor confirmed the dates match up, but I can’t believe you think her word is concrete and she wasn’t screwing anybody else.”
“I was there for the sonogram, Wren. That baby is mine. When I saw the grainy image on the screen, I felt a connection. Why can’t you believe it?”
“I want to believe it, but there’s just something I don’t trust about her and Tyrone. I really think you need to be careful when it comes to Alicia.”
“That’s your opinion but Alicia is a part of my life, and we’re having a child together. You need to accept that or you and I are going to have a problem.”
Throwing the tea towel down on the counter, I storm out of the kitchen. Little did I know, it would be me with the problem.