Chapter 29 Jude
TWENTY-NINE
JUDE
My heart slams against my chest as I open the door and meet my best friend’s gaze. I plaster on a smile, hoping I don’t look as guilty as I feel about avoiding him for so long.
Cal and Lucy stand on my front doorstep with curious looks on their faces.
“Why have you been ignoring my calls?” Cal immediately asks.
Lucy gives me her typical warm smile. “What he means is that he was bothered that you weren’t answering him, and I was anxious to see Charlotte anyway, so we came a week early.” She lifts a finger and pokes me in the chest. “Don’t tell her we’re here yet though. I want it to be a surprise.”
I give a tight smile as I fight the urge to step out of the doorway and show them that it might be a little too late on the surprise front. “Well…” I laugh before looking back at Cal. I outstretch my arms and give him a cocky grin. “You missed me so much, you came a week early? I’m flattered.”
I step in to give Cal a hug, but he pushes me away with a laugh. “You normally never leave me alone. I wanted to make sure something didn’t happen.”
Oh, something happened…
“I made you some food,” Lucy announces, holding up a canvas bag that looks filled to the brim with different items. “Let me put the food in the fridge for you.” She steps inside before I can stop her, and multiple things happen at once.
Lucy’s shoes squeak against the hardwood as she abruptly stops in the middle of the foyer, her eyes pinned on Charlotte and the baby.
Cal follows her in and immediately looks from Charlotte to me.
I step inside and let the door close behind me.
“Surprise?” Charlotte smiles and adjusts Ava in her lap as she nervously looks around at the three of us in the foyer.
“Char, what are you doing here with a baby?” Lucy asks, her voice soft and full of confusion. She blinks a few times, as if she’s trying to figure out if what she’s seeing is real or not.
“Jude, why is there a baby in your house?” Cal adds on, his gaze still stuck on me.
I take a deep breath and plaster on my own fake smile. I’m incredibly excited to see Lucy and Cal. It’s been entirely too long. I just thought I’d have time to really think about how I’d tell them about Ava.
“So…” I begin, letting out a low whistle as I try to think about where to even begin.
“Charlotte, is that your baby?” Lucy asks in disbelief. “It can’t be…oh my God, did you have sex with Jude and have a baby?”
Charlotte blanches as her eyes go totally wide. “No, Jude and I didn’t have sex,” she hurries to get out. “And Ava isn’t mine,” she adds on, this time a little quieter. “You’ve seen me enough in the last year to know I haven’t had a baby.”
I tuck my hands into my pockets and close the distance until I’m standing next to Charlotte.
Without me having to ask, she lifts Ava up to me, and I take her and cradle my daughter to my chest. “She’s mine.
It was a bit of a surprise, but she’s perfect, and I’m excited for the two of you to meet her. ”
Lucy’s eyes soften as she basically shoves the tote full of food against Cal’s chest and heads in my direction.
“Jude Kensington, you’re a dad?” She doesn’t bother to hide the shock in her voice. She closes the distance and immediately reaches out to hold Ava’s little hand. “Well, you’re absolutely adorable and look just like your dad.”
Cal lets out a grunt from where he places the bag on the kitchen counter. “Lucy, don’t call Jude adorable.”
I smile because as nervous as I was to tell two of my friends about Ava, it’s going surprisingly well. At least so far. Things could still change.
Lucy looks over her shoulder at Cal. “I’m not calling Jude adorable. I’m calling baby Ava adorable. She just so happens to look just like her dad.” Lucy pauses as her gaze rakes over Cal. “You’re cute when you’re jealous though.”
Cal pulls his attention from his fiancée to look at me. “So this isn’t a joke? You have a baby?”
I look down at Ava, who still rests in my arms, although I don’t know how much longer I’ll be allowed to hold her.
By the way Lucy’s looking at my daughter, she’s moments away from snatching her from my grasp.
“I’d never joke about something like this.
I’m a dad. I don’t know if I’m a good one or not, and it’s still so new, but that doesn’t change the fact that I have a baby. ”
Charlotte scoffs before she stands up and steps next to Lucy and me. “Don’t talk like that. You’re a great father. Ava’s lucky to have you.”
I give Charlotte a smile. It isn’t the first time she’s said that to me, but for some reason, it means even more to hear her say it in front of our friends.
Lucy keeps a grip on Ava’s hand as she looks between Charlotte and me.
Her eyes are wide as she continues to scan us.
“So, not to keep asking questions, but if you and Jude haven’t had sex—which I wouldn’t judge, by the way.
It’d be about time, actually—then why are you here right now?
” Lucy’s gaze stays pinned on Charlotte.
Char looks over at me as if she doesn’t quite know how to answer the question. All I can do is smile, completely interested in what exactly she’s going to say.
“Jude and I aren’t going to have sex. He’s my friend. He’s a new dad. And I’m here because I live here now.”
Lucy’s mouth pops open as she looks between Charlotte and me.
I risk a glance over at Cal and find him to be as shocked as Lucy, which is really saying something because Cal is usually great at keeping a poker face.
“Since when can dads not have sex?” Lucy asks, and I can’t help it, but I snort because the question takes me by surprise coming from her.
Lucy’s not normally the blunt one in their friendship; that’s typically Charlotte’s job.
“I’m not saying he can’t have sex,” Char hurriedly gets out.
I try not to notice how her cheeks turn an adorable shade of red.
“It’s just that he and I aren’t having sex.
And I meant he’s a dad and busy right now, and…
” Her words fall off as she looks to me for help.
All I do is stare at her with raised eyebrows as I keep my mouth shut.
I’m looking forward to how she plans to fill in the blank myself.
She lets out an annoyed sigh when she realizes I’m not going to rescue her from Lucy’s questions. “And I can’t tell you a single detail about his sex life because it has nothing to do with me.”
To be fair, my sex life is nonexistent. It has been for a while.
Sure, I like to flirt, but I can’t actually remember the last time I was intimate with someone.
It’s been months and months at least, but I don’t find it necessary to point that out at the moment.
Luckily, Charlotte continues to talk and leaves the topic of my sex life behind.
“And I’m living with Jude because I lost the place I was renting, and he offered me a place to stay for the summer.” She grabs Ava’s other hand and places a kiss to the top of it. “Which works out perfectly because I get to help out with my best girl and get all the baby snuggles.”
“To be clear, I’m not forcing her to help me with Ava in exchange for a place to stay. She could stay here either way. It’s just nice to have someone else here in case I fuck something up.”
Charlotte rolls her eyes as she gives me a warm smile. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re a great dad until you believe me?”
Before I can respond, Lucy holds out her hands. “Can I hold her?”
I nod and pass Ava to her. Something in my chest tightens when I see Cal take a step closer to Lucy and the two of them begin to interact with Ava. It’s so good to see two people I care about immediately accept Ava into the fold.
“Don’t get any ideas.” Cal laughs as Ava reaches for his nose. He playfully blows a raspberry, and I’ve never seen my best friend like this. He looks at his fiancée with raised eyebrows. “We need to make it to the wedding before we start trying for a baby.”
Lucy gives him a guilty smile. “Oh, but Jude and Charlotte have a baby. Now we need a baby.”
Charlotte sucks in a deep breath as her eyes immediately find mine.
She gives me an apologetic smile, but I don’t know why she feels the need to.
I don’t mind Lucy’s words at all. The truth is, it does feel like Ava is both of ours.
It feels like we’re raising a baby together, and that realization doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I can’t imagine it any other way. I don’t want to.