Chapter 49 Jude
FORTY-NINE
JUDE
“There he is,” Tyson teases as I step into the pro shop at Pembroke. “I was worried that you completely disappeared. Charlotte’s been telling me you’re fine and just busy, but if you didn’t show up today, I was going to call Dateline.”
I roll my eyes as I come to a stop next to him. “No need. I’m here. It’s just been a crazy few weeks.”
Tyson stares at me for a moment. I shift under his stare, wondering if he somehow knows about Ava already or if he’s thinking something else as he watches me closely.
I didn’t know anyone could hide their emotions better than Cal, but it turns out Tyson has a better poker face.
He nods. “Glad you could make it, then.”
I give him a smile as a little bit of guilt hits me.
I still don’t know Tyson as well as I know other members at the club, but I’m enjoying getting to know him, and I feel bad that the craziness with Ava paused that for a moment.
Tyson hasn’t been as active a member in the past as his sister, Winnie, or her husband, Archer, but it seems like he’s making an effort to be here more.
Now that I’m figuring out my footing with Ava, I make the mental note to put more effort into getting to know Tyson more.
I really like him, and I hope the month of ignoring him reaching out hasn’t upset him.
“Is it just us today, or is anyone else joining?” I ask. I know Charlotte had mentioned that some others might come out, but I was so wrapped up in what happened between us last night and not wanting to leave her and Ava today that I forgot to ask.
“Archer, Cal, and Beck are coming. Ryker, Camille, Preston, and Emma all come in later this week, so they want to join in another day.”
I nod. Part of me was hoping all the guys would be here so I could tell them about Ava all at once instead of having to do it multiple times, but telling Tyson, Archer, and Beck about my daughter will still be a way to get the word out.
My chest feels tight with nerves, but I know I’ll feel better once I’m finally able to tell them.
Everyone else will find out when I show up at the party on Friday with Ava in tow. The small group today will allow me to dip my toes into sharing the news before the big reveal later this week.
“It’ll be nice to catch up with everyone,” I note. When Tyson doesn’t answer me, I follow his gaze to see what’s caught his attention. He’s always quiet, but there’s something about the way he stares out the pro shop window that catches my attention.
I follow his gaze until I see a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair standing on the sidewalk, speaking with a Pembroke employee. I don’t know if Tyson is staring at the blonde or the employee, but whichever one it is, when I look back at him, I find that his gaze still hasn’t wavered.
“How are you feeling about today? You ready to actually win against me this time?” I ask. All of them are probably going to beat me because I haven’t swung a club in weeks. I’m used to golfing a few times a week, so it’ll probably take some time for me to get back in the groove.
I stare at Tyson, a grin tugging at my lips as he still doesn’t respond to me.
His blue eyes stay pinned on the two people having a conversation out the window.
His face is stone-cold as he pays close attention to them.
I wish I knew which one he was staring at, but they’re too far away to be able to tell.
But whatever it is, I can’t help but be curious why Tyson is so focused.
“You know all the Pembroke members, don’t you?” Tyson asks, completely ignoring my question.
My eyebrows pull in on my forehead in confusion. “I’d like to think I do. Why?”
He finally looks away long enough to meet my gaze for one moment before his attention goes back to the two people on the sidewalk. “Then do you know the name of that blonde woman?”
I strain my neck to see if I can catch her at a different angle. I don’t know how he expects me to fully recognize someone just by the back of her head, but I try anyway. She finally turns just enough for me to see her profile, but she’s still too far away for me to know who it is.
“I don’t think I can tell from here. Why?”
Tyson shakes his head. He keeps his attention on the blonde I don’t recognize.
I can’t tell what he’s thinking by the look on his face, but something about her definitely steals his attention.
Eventually, he shakes himself out of whatever trance he’s locked in and returns to look at me.
“No reason. Ready to get checked in? We’ll share a cart and wait for the others.
Someone’s going to have to ride solo and tag along.
Charlotte sweet-talked Teddy into letting us have a fifth person out with us today.
” Typically, there are only four people for each group, but since it’s a private club where everyone knows everyone, sometimes the rules can be bent.
I can’t help but frown at his mention of Teddy. My mind immediately remembers the way that it felt to read his name across her chest the day she was wearing his jacket. That same familiar twinge of jealousy hits me at just the mere mention of him.
“Is that so?” I grit out, my teeth grinding against each other as I look across the shop at Teddy. I hadn’t even noticed he was working today until Tyson mentioned it.
“Why do you look like you want to kill the poor pro shop employee?” Tyson asks, humor in his tone. He seems to have all but forgotten about the woman he was staring at moments ago. I don’t look at him as an idea pops into my head.
“Let’s get checked in. I need to talk to Teddy anyway.”
Tyson hums a response, but I feel him follow close behind me as I walk up to the desk.
Teddy immediately smiles at me, but it falters when I don’t return the smile. “Hi, Mr. Kensington. We’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”
“Mm-hmm.” I stare at him, jealousy blooming in my chest again at the memory of Charlotte wearing his jacket. It’s ridiculous. The guy has always been nothing but nice to me. “I’d like to purchase a Pembroke jacket,” I tell him.
Teddy looks at me, confused for a moment, but regains his composure. “Okay. What size?”
“Small.”
“Small?” Tyson asks from right behind me.
Teddy looks just as confused as Tyson sounds.
I nod. “Yes. A small. And then can you make sure you hang it up in Charlotte’s employee locker or wherever she keeps her things?”
Teddy’s eyes go wide as it seems he finally comprehends the reason behind my purchasing a jacket.
I meant to buy Charlotte one the moment I saw her wearing Teddy’s, but then Ava was brought into my life, and I got distracted.
She’s been coming to work since, and I can’t help but wonder if there were any other days she wore his jacket that I don’t know about.
“Sure thing,” Teddy gets out nervously. His eyes look to Tyson for some sort of help. “Are you ready to be checked in?”
I step aside, not wanting to have any more of a conversation with Teddy. If I do, I might be a dick, and I’m not used to being that. I’m also not used to being jealous, so allowing Tyson to finish getting us checked in while we wait for the others is probably best.
“So,” I begin, meeting the gazes of my friends as we all stand in a circle deciding the order for golfing today. “There’s something I just want to tell everyone before we get the day started.”
Cal gives me a smile as his eyebrows lift on his forehead. I can’t help but wonder if he thought I might back out of telling the others about Ava today. I can’t wait to prove him wrong and finally tell the guys about Ava so they will better understand my absence recently.
I scan the rest of the guys in the group, my heart suddenly thundering in my chest. I took a few sips of beer in an attempt to get some liquid courage for the news, but the alcohol hasn’t kicked in at all. They all just stare at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.
I swallow. “I’m a dad.” The words come out hurried, and they’re muttered to my feet instead of to the guys, but still they’re out.
I don’t look up, not wanting to see their faces at first.
“A dad?” Beck asks.
“Who’s pregnant?” Archer questions moments later.
I press the toe of my shoe into the golf green for a moment before working up the courage to look at them. I focus on Cal since he already knows the news.
“No one is pregnant. The baby is here. She’s almost five months old, and her name is Ava.”
It’s silent for a few beats before Beck is the one to speak up. “Being a girl dad is the best.”
I meet his stare, relief flooding through me that he didn’t ask another question.
I smile. “Yeah, she’s got me wrapped around her finger, that’s for sure.
Since I found out about her, it’s been kind of crazy.
Her mother doesn’t want to be involved, and I’m working on getting full parental rights to her.
It came as a surprise that she even existed…
so that’s where I’ve been recently.” By the end of me talking, my words come out hurried and almost blur together.
I was just so ready to get the news of Ava out on the table that I couldn’t even slow down when talking.
It’s quiet for a few beats as all of them soak in what I said. I know me being a dad was probably the last thing they were expecting to hear today, but I’m glad I’ve now told them.
Tyson clears his throat. “That’s amazing, and it explains a lot. Happy for you, Kensington.”
I give him a relieved smile. “Yeah, sorry I ignored your invites to hang out. You can now understand that I’ve been preoccupied.”
He nods. “All good. I’m excited to meet her.”
Archer chimes in. “Winnie will be thrilled to find out there’s another baby in the crew. She’s always talking about how much she adores Celeste.”
“Margo will also be so excited that we aren’t the only ones with a baby. Although it makes me sad… I don’t know if I can even call Celeste a baby anymore because she’s getting so big,” Beck notes.
I can’t help but let out a sigh of relief at how easy they react to the news.
I’ve spent the last month worrying that anytime I told anyone about Ava, they’d grill me with questions, but I’m learning that maybe all of those fears were just in my head.
So far, no one’s pressured me to speak about Karina, for which I’m incredibly grateful.
They’ve been nothing but encouraging after learning about Ava, and it makes me feel bad for taking weeks to tell everyone about her in the first place.
All the tension in my body dissipates as they ask me questions about Ava without ever being intrusive. They listen intently as I give them the details I’m willing to share before we start our round of golf.
Time flies by, and all I can think about is how excited I am to get home once the eighteen holes are over and tell Charlotte how appreciative I am of her getting this all set up.
No matter how much I miss my girls, the time with my friends today is just what I needed to finally feel comfortable finding a new normal that involves Ava in my life at Pembroke.