CHAPTER NINE THEO
CHAPTER NINE
THEO
Lucy’s quiet the entire ride back to her apartment. My stomach churns and my knuckles are white as I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. I wish she’d say something—anything at this point. Hell, her yelling at me for lying would be better than the silence.
I glance at Lucy from the corner of my eye as I turn onto her street. Her body’s facing forward with her hands neatly folded in her lap, her head looking out the window. Now that I think about it, I think her gaze has been locked outside that damn window the entire drive.
I pull up along the curb, slowing the car to a stop right outside her building. I put the car in park, shifting my body to half face her. Lucy doesn’t move. The air is thick in the small vehicle, so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Lucy…” I finally say, my voice gruff.
“We can tell everyone you made a mistake,” she starts, her voice quiet.
My eyebrows tug together. “What are you talking about?”
She stays still like a statue, frozen in the same position. “The lie about the baby being yours. We can tell them you panicked and it was a lie.”
My stomach is still in knots and my chest tightens. “Is that what you want?”
Finally, she turns, whipping her head to look at me. Her expression’s unreadable, her eyes bloodshot and damp. “I don’t want you stuck in something you didn’t sign up for.” She sucks in her cheeks and releases them. “I don’t want this to be a burden on you.”
“I’ll be honest, it was a moment of panic…” I pause, swallowing hard. “But if you don’t want anyone to know the truth, they don’t have to.”
She slowly scans my face before bouncing back to my eyes. “You want everyone to think the baby is yours?”
Jesus, when she says it like that, it sounds bad—worse than it actually is.
“I don’t want you to be alone in this. I don’t want you to have to deal with any bullshit because the real father wants no part in this.” My throat constricts, my heart hammering harder against its cage. Not only is this situation personal because it’s Lucy, but it hits too close to home.
I had Nash. He is my father, blood or not. This baby doesn’t have one.
“I don’t want your child to grow up without a father.”
Her eyes widen and her breath hitches. “Theo… I can’t ask that of you.”
“You’re not, Luce. I’m offering.” I shrug. “If you don’t want me involved like that, I understand and I’ll clear everything up with your parents.”
She’s silent again, her eyes burning holes into mine as they slowly search my irises. “I—” She rolls her lips between her teeth, her eyes brimming with tears again. “Are you sure? It’s a lot, like a lot-a lot. Like, this is a whole ass human being that you’re committing to.”
My chest expands as I inhale a deep, heavy breath. It’s not even a question, not when it has to do with Lucille Taylor. I can’t sit on the sidelines and do nothing. When it comes to her, I will do anything I can to help her, to protect her.
“I’m sure,” I say, my voice stronger than I feel inside. “No one will ever have to know the truth.”
She blinks back tears. “If it’s ever too much, I need you to let me know.”
“Nothing that has to do with you will ever be too much.”
A smile cracks on her face. “I’m talking about the baby, Theo.”
“That baby is a part of you. The same goes for them.”
She lets out a soft breath. “Thank you.” She reaches for my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t know how any of this is going to work out and honestly, I think my mind is still struggling to catch up. But, I appreciate you so much.”
“Of course, Luce.” I squeeze her hand back. “It’s what friends are for.”
I fucking hate that word.
“About that…” Her voice trails off for a second. “Are people going to believe the baby is yours if we’re just friends?”
Shit. I didn’t even think about that…
“We need to come up with a story. Something careful and calculated.”
She rolls her lips. “We were seeing each other in secret?”
“Or make it a one-night stand thing.”
“I think either works.” She tilts her head. “What about now, though?”
I run my hand through my hair, blowing out a breath. “Shit, I don’t know, Luce.”
“We could pretend to date? A fake relationship to sell the story.”
My stomach flips. “Pretend we’re together?”
She shrugs. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. It just makes the story more believable.”
This is a fucking terrible idea. Fake dating my pregnant best friend. The best friend I’ve secretly been in love with for years. Yeah, this won’t end horribly.
“We can do that.” My throat bobs as I swallow hard. “We had a drunken one-night stand and now we’re making things work for the sake of the baby.”
Her expression is unreadable. “But it’s just fake,” she says, her voice quiet.
“It’s just fake,” I agree, nodding and ignoring the way my heart clenches. “For how long though?”
“I don’t know.” Lucy tucks her hair behind her ears. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re locked into anything. So, what if it’s just until the baby comes?”
What if I want to be?
“I don’t feel locked into anything,” I assure her, giving her a small smile. “Whether we’re fake dating or not, I won’t leave you or the baby hanging, okay?”
She inhales deeply. “Okay.” She exhales slowly. “Okay.”
I think we’re both exhausted from the emotional whirlwind of this evening. I’ve just changed the trajectory of my entire life with one simple sentence I let slip. One moment where I felt I needed to protect her.
And now, I’m signed up to help her raise a child that isn’t even mine.
“We’ll plan on pretending until the baby is here and then I think we’ll just have to see what we both want to do then.”
She nods again as she blows out a breath. “Okay.” She chews on her bottom lip for a beat and covers a yawn. “Sorry. The pregnancy exhaustion has been kicking my ass.”
“Come on.” I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Before she gets the chance to tell me that I don’t have to, I get out of the car and meet her along the curb. She gets out and falls in step beside me as we walk to the front door of her building.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess,” she says quietly, turning to face me.
I shake my head, my stomach sinking at the sorrow in her tone. “You didn’t drag me into anything.” I pause for a second. I never once asked her if she was okay with this or if it were something she wanted. It was just a situation sprung upon us. “Are you good with this?”
She’s silent for two heartbeats. “Only if you are.”
I don’t hesitate to answer. If it were anyone other than her, I’m not sure I’d be as quick to answer.
“I am. It’s getting late, Freckles.” I take a step closer, instinctively pulling her in for a hug. “Go get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Shit.” The color drains from her face. “I’m going to lose my job.”
Fuck, I didn’t even think about that. The one wrench in the fake dating plan. She got pregnant before she started working there, so surely there’s some kind of loophole because of the dates?
“We’ll do whatever we can to make sure you don’t,” I assure her, lying through my fucking teeth. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do, but there must be some way to keep her job safe. “I think it’s better if we’re honest, rather than keeping it a secret.”
“You’re right,” she agrees, blinking back tears. “I didn’t even think about work. Hopefully they can make an exception. If not, I can always find another job.”
I rub her arms. “We’ll figure that out if we need to, okay?”
“Okay.” She doesn’t step away and I have to force myself to be the one to move away first. A small smile lifts her lips, and she turns to let herself into her apartment building. “Goodnight, Theo.”
“Goodnight, Freckles.”
She walks inside, the glass doors shutting behind her. She says something to the doorman and turns to look at me, giving me a little wave before she heads toward the elevators on the other end of the lobby.
The muscles in my legs fire on autopilot as I stride back to my car, not taking a breath until I slip into the front seat. I drop my head into my hand, pressing my fingers into my forehead.
I’m supposed to keep her safe, but how the hell do I do that when it’s something beyond my control?