Chapter 24
Fuck.
Pregnant.
Inside I am freaking out. But I don’t want her to know that. I meant what I promised. I am not going anywhere. I am not going to let her slip away from me. She is pregnant, and sure, it may not be my baby, but it will be my baby.
My heart aches.
I always wanted to be a dad, but I never had it on my bingo card. It just didn’t seem to come, there were so many girls, some I was careful with, some I wasn’t, but they’ve never turned up at my door like ‘hey, here is your kid’.
So I am pretty sure I am off the hook until now.
Fuck.
Titus is going to kill me.
Bad enough I’ve married his daughter, but now he is going to know I’ve fucked her too. More than once actually.
Odds are definitely in my favor.
I fucked her so hard that I am sure I put a baby or two inside of her.
My cock swells in my pants.
What the fuck is wrong with me.
Her arms are locked round my neck, mine round her back and we just stand like this, in complete silence as the world continues to spin, but in this moment ours has stopped. Frozen in time almost.
We walktowards the botanical gardens of The Bellagio and Killian, Reese, Sage and Dex are already waiting for us. Sage glares at Arizona before her eyes land on me. Does she know? Did Ari confide in her before me? Not that it matters, of course it doesn’t. Girl code and all that. Her and Sage have become closer which is nice, I know she has Reese and Connie, but they’re linked to the drama that we left behind in New York, where Sage is like a breath of fresh air that we both so desperately need.
“How are our happy couple?” Killian asks, smiling at me before looking at Ari.
“We’re blissful,” I smirk, my arm linked around her back as I pull her closer towards me, my head turning as I press a kiss to the side of her head and linger for just a moment.
“Have you spoken to Titus?” He continues and I inhale heavily.
“No, have you? I’m sure you’re on his kill list as well as me, old boy.”
“Old boy? You’re older than me.” I shove Killian hard and he stumbles, losing his footing for just a moment.
“Fuck off,” I chuckle, “I may be older, but time has not been kind to you my friend,” and I watch as Reese looks up at Killian with concern on her face, her hand splayed over his heart and I want to kick myself. I know all about his health issues and now I feel like a class ‘A’ cunt for bringing it up. “Wasn’t anything personal,” I mutter and he gives me a knowing nod. I felt awful. Made my chest ache.
“I know it wasn’t, you’re a dickhead but not that much of one,” and he smiles at me, pulling Reese into him and then I focus my attention on Dex and Sage who are talking quietly among themselves.
“We were thinking, seeing as we’re talking about pricks,” She smirks and Dex chuckles.
“Not actually talking about pricks are we though…” I breathe out and Ari giggles next to me.
“I booked us an early dinner at Pricks, the restaurant. We have one in England called Karen’s and it is brutal, so thought, why the hell not.”
“This is going to be interesting,” I raise a brow and glance over towards Killian.
“Oh, it really is,” Dex nods, taking Sage’s hand in his and leads her towards the gardens, us all following like we’re following our tattooed tour guides.
Dex and Sage are beautiful. Their tattoos, their edginess, their looks… everything about them.
Next to them I look like an old worn-out boot. Slightly broken in places and definitely glued back together in some.
Arizona’s small hand tucks inside mine and we lose ourselves for just a moment as we walk through the gardens, taking everything in as Dex tells us the ins and outs of what’s what.
“When are you going to look at the club?” Arizona asks as we sit at a small table for a coffee break, well, an iced tea break for Arizona.
“Tonight, got to be there for eight. Still okay to come?” Sage looks at Arizona as she takes a sip of her milky coffee, Dex with his cortado.
“Yeah, sure, if you still want me to?”
“Of course we do, and the offer still stands. We want you as manager, if you still want it of course.” she asks, a small milk froth on her top lip that Dex wipes away with his thumb, then pops it into his mouth and cleans it off.
“Yes, yes,” she nods, a huge smile gracing her lips and Sage smiles back at her.
Quietness fills the table when Killian and Reese sit down in the two empty seats and it doesn’t take them long to pick up the tension that is brewing because of the conversation that stopped so suddenly.
Reese looks around the table, then her eyes land on Sage.
“So, how did you guys meet?” Reese asks, taking a sip of her drink. Killian sitting with his arm tucked round the back of his wife.
“Work,” Sage smiles and I see Arizona run her finger across her throat. Sage furrows her brows.
“Yes, Sage came into the hospital, and I was her intern with my attending,” Arizona pauses for a moment, eyes bugging as she waits for Sage to clock on. “We just hit it off, and yes, I know, patient-doctor confidentiality and all that, but,” she shrugs her shoulders up, “we met at the time I needed her most, things were happening with Dad, Amora was here, I felt bad making you and Connie choose who to spend your time with…”
“Ari,” Reese looks at her, hand reaching across the table. “We would never choose, you’re our friend and always will be. Yes, we have met Amora and she really is lovely. It’s nice to have a few more Brits over here and on my side…” she pauses and gives Sage a wink, “but we love you, so so much and we will be here for you through everything. And when you’re ready, we will be by your side when you want to see your dad. I know you’re not ready, and no one is going to rush you, but just remember, you only get one dad and you’re lucky enough to still have yours here and present in your life… some are not so lucky,” she rolls her lips into a thin line and I grip Arizona’s thigh under the table and give her a reassuring squeeze.
“Thank you,” is all Ari responds with and I know that sounds cold and like she didn’t give a shit what Reese said, but I know she would have taken it all in. Whether she acts upon it or not is another thing, but, baby steps.
Baby.
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the other dude and I am praying that the baby is mine, but I did mean what I said. I was going to be a part of Arizona and this baby’s life as long as they wanted me here. I made her a promise and I don’t go back on my promises.
She is my wife.
And even though I haven’t told her out loud.
I love her.
With every single fiber I have.
This isn’t the way I expected my life to go at forty-seven, but here I am, married to my best friend’s daughter and now she is pregnant.
But she is my life. Titus is going to hate me, but he would hate me even more if I kicked her to the curb and let her live out her life alone as a single mother, raising a baby by herself.
She will never be by herself.
She will always have me.
She will eventually have Titus and Amora. She has Dex and Sage, Killian and Reese, Connie and Kaleb and of course, Nate.
She doesn’t realize it yet, but she has a whole family waiting for her.
She will never be alone.
Ever.
I would make sure of that, until my last dying breath. And if, if the baby isn’t mine and the dad decides he wants to be part of his baby’s life, then she will have him too.
I won’t step aside, but I will let him be a dad.
Because the baby deserves to know it’s father.
Whether that be me or not. It’ll break my heart, but it’s the right thing.