Chapter 14
Teagan
Quentin’s face pales, and it’s honestly the reaction I expected.
Ian has mentioned his distaste for him since he traded teams, having gone on about their rivalry so many times that I eventually tuned it out.
“I know Ian can be hard to…understand. He keeps to himself and isn’t very friendly. So don’t worry, I won’t fault you if you hate my brother.” I chuckle, trying to lighten the sudden tense mood.
Quentin doesn’t budge. Hell, it doesn’t even look like he’s breathing.
I place a hand on his arm that’s resting on top of the table. “Quentin? Are you…okay?” I ask, nerves crawling up my spine.
So far our evening has been more enjoyable than I thought it’d be, even though it’s only been a short period of time. We seem to be able to open up to another, and he’s been respectful and kind.
It’s given me a sliver of hope that we’ll be good at co-parenting if he decides to be a part of this.
Hazel eyes lift up to meet mine, and he suddenly doesn’t look like the easygoing man from a few minutes ago. “You’re pregnant.” The words leave his lips with such certainty that it sucks the air out of my lungs.
“How…how do you know?” I stumble over my words as I remove my hand from his arm. I’m barely showing and I don’t remember telling anyone else besides Ian and the girls, so how the hell did he…
“Your brother was on the phone the other day and when he realized that we’d been eavesdropping on his conversation, he told us that his sister Jen was pregnant. That was you,” he says, his voice colder than it was earlier. “But your name’s not Jen. Or is it?”
“Ian couldn’t pronounce my name as a kid, so that’s what he called me,” I explain. When he doesn’t say anything, I add, “That’s actually why I asked you to talk. I’m having this baby and I thought you should know so you can decide whether you would like to be in Blueberry’s life.”
I should be relieved that the secret is finally out, but I find myself apprehensive about what his choice will be.
“Blueberry?” he asks, sounding intrigued.
A small smile tugs at my lips at the nickname. “Yeah. I found out that’s the baby’s size right now and it’s what I’ve been calling the baby ever since.”
He nods, but remains silent. I know the news is shocking, but he could give me some insight. I didn’t expect him to jump for joy when he realized his one-night stand is now pregnant with his baby, but his lack of response is starting to irritate me.
“I understand this is a lot, and you probably need time to process it, so I’ll go and let you do that. Text me or something when you figure out if you’d like to be a part of your kid’s life,” I say with a bit more sass than intended.
“And you know it’s mine?” he asks just as I stand from my chair.
I glare at him because now I’m pissed. “You’re the only one I’ve been with in months. So yes, I’m sure.”
“I should trust you because you’ve been so honest with me since the beginning, right?”
My head rears back at his words. “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but I don’t have time for this. If you don’t want any part of this, just say the word. Either way is fine by me.”
His gaze turns instantly regretful. “Shit, Teagan. That’s not—I-I’m sorry.”
“I’ve heard sorry a lot from people who didn’t mean it. You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to keep me from leaving right now.”
Quentin lets out a breath. “Please, let me explain.”
I usually wouldn’t abide by a request like that, but his expression is so earnest that I find myself wanting to hear him out.
I take my seat and nod for him to go on.
He swallows harshly, his throat bobbing up and down.
“About ten years ago, this girl I had been casually seeing said she was pregnant. I wasn’t ready then, but I liked her and taking care of people is what I’ve done my entire life.
So naturally, I jumped right in. I bought us a house, filled it with everything she and the baby would need.
Only to find out five months later that she had been lying the entire time. ”
Shit.
My stomach flips at the revelation.
Here I was losing it on him when this guy’s been through this before, and he was merely trying not to end up in that situation again.
“How did you figure it out?”
“A family friend of mine is good with computers. He didn’t trust her, and after doing some digging, he found out she hadn’t even been to the doctor once. The sonograms she showed me were from a random stranger she found online.”
I shake my head in disbelief that someone could do that to another person. “I’m so sorry you went through that, Quentin.”
He leans back in his chair. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago. I sold the house and told her to never contact me again unless she wanted to hear from my lawyer.”
“Good old blackmail. So you can be a bad guy,” I tease him to try to lighten the somber mood we’ve created. I reach for my glass, take a sip, and leave my hand to rest on the table as I await his response.
“I’m a good guy until you give me a reason not to be,” he supplies, finishing the last of his water.
“Fair enough,” I comment, and for some reason, the statement comforts me. Because it tells me he’s willing to stick up for those he loves. And if he’s going to be in our kid’s life, that’s going to be an important trait to have.
“Thank you, by the way, for staying and hearing me out when you didn’t owe it to me. I was frozen by fear and I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I didn’t want Blueberry, because I do.” His voice grows stronger and more determined.
I look away and quickly blink away the tears that want to fall at hearing him call our baby Blueberry, and from the relief of knowing I’ll have a partner in this.
His hand lands on top of mine and squeezes gently. “Please don’t cry. I can’t…handle knowing I made you cry.” His voice shakes slightly, making me look back at him.
I take my hand out from his, not wanting to confuse him. We don’t need to be emotional and he doesn’t need to care this much about me. We’re two adults about to have a baby. That’s it.
“You didn’t. I’m just happy that this baby will have two parents who care about them,” I tell him as I sniffle and grab my purse. I find the sonogram and place it on the table, sliding it over to him.
“I had the doctor print me an extra one. This is for you.”
Quentin carefully grabs the picture and holds it up in front of him. A widespread grin fills his face as his eyes marvel over it. He then grabs his wallet and puts it in the clear casing.
The gesture shouldn’t make me so emotional, but seeing him already showcase a baby who’s not even born yet… I doubt my mom has ever shown any emotion over a picture of me or my brother.
Which reminds me of another thing I wanted to address.
“I think we should wait to tell Ian,” I say as Quentin’s gaze flits back to mine.
“I’m not ashamed of you or anything, but…
I know you two don’t get along and I feel like for the time being, we should keep this between us.
And when the time is right, we can tell him, and hopefully, he can accept it. ”
Quentin scoffs. “Seems like you forget who your brother is. He’s not going to accept this and you know it.”
“He’ll have to. But for now, while we figure things out, I’d like to keep this between us. Well, us and my best friends Clara and Kaya because they already know,” I say as I give him a pleading look.
“That’s fine. I’d like to tell my sister and Ryker, though.”
“Of course,” I say, nodding in approval.
I came into this dinner feeling nervous and unsure of what to expect.
I’d come to terms with the idea that I might have to do this alone, but knowing I’ll have Quentin by my side gives me a sense of relief I haven’t felt since I found out I was pregnant.
While we still have a lot to figure out, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
“How were you planning on contacting me? Prior to me randomly showing up to ESA?” he questions me with a look of interest.
“Honestly, I was going to describe you to Ian in hopes that he would be able to tell me who you were since I figured he knows a lot of the pitchers in the MLB. I guess that would’ve worked somewhat.” I tilt my hand from side to side as my lips twist.
Quentin’s body shakes with a laugh, and that smile of his returns for the first time since I broke the news. “I’m glad that didn’t have to happen or I may not be alive right now when he realized it’s me.”
I return his smile, but there’s a slight pit in my stomach at his lighthearted comment. My brother isn’t his biggest fan, and I hope Ian doesn’t react too harshly to the news when the time does come to tell him.
“All right, well…you have my number and I have yours. I’ll text you when the next appointment is if you’d like to come.”
“I’ll be there. I’d like to come to every appointment if that’s okay with you.”
His insistence on being there surprises me because I didn’t know what to expect prior to our talk tonight. What surprises me even more is how much I like the idea of him being there for them.
“I’d like that,” I say. “I need to get going. I have to teach pretty early tomorrow and I’m really tired lately. So thanks for dinner and for being understanding. I know this was a lot.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Teagan. Call me if you need anything, okay? You don’t have to do this alone. I want to be there for you and Blueberry.”
“Okay,” is all I can muster to say because I have no explanation for the ball of emotion forming in my throat right now.
Quentin pays the bill and he walks me out the side door I had entered through to avoid being seen. We walk in a comfortable silence to my car that’s parked in the lot across the street.
I go to open the door when he beats me to the handle and opens it for me.
“I can open a car door, Quentin. I’m pregnant, not broken.”
“I know you can, but you are mine to take care of now. So let me.” His words are so sure, so strong that they wrap themselves around me like a warm blanket.
You’re mine to take care of now.
I try my best to shake his words off the entire ride home, but they don’t want to let go.