Epilogue
EPILOGUE
JASPER - 3 WEEKS LATER
“Hey, Conner. What? Calm down. What’s happened?” I looked to Finn and Travis, who were unpacking boxes in our new rental. We landed in Ecuador a couple of days ago after spending a few weeks with my family and then Travis’. We’d miss them, but it was nice to be home.
I smiled at them both, but then Conner’s rambling drew my attention back to him.
“Con, you’re making no sense. What do you mean someone left you a kid? Like a baby goat.”
“No, you idiot. Stop being loved up and happy and listen. Someone left me a kid. Like a kid. My kid apparently. Jas, someone left a baby on my doorstep. I have a kid. What the hell do I know about babies? I can’t be someone’s dad.”
I could hear the panic in his voice now that I was fully paying attention.
“You have a baby?” My eyebrows arched. Conner taking care of anyone else but himself was almost comical at this point.
“I have a baby.” This time his voice was barely a whisper and I could almost imagine him sitting down and rubbing his hand over his face as the news sank in.
“Boy, girl? Do they have a name? Who is the mother?”
“Rose. Girl obviously. And I have no clue. She’s tiny. She was outside in a basket with a note saying she couldn’t cope with her, and I needed to step up. Jas, I don’t know how to change a nappy. What do I feed her? I don’t have clothes, nappies. Where do they sleep? I mean, she’d fit in a drawer. I’ve seen people do that. Can she sleep in a drawer?”
I laughed, instantly feeling bad, as he was obviously having a meltdown. “No, Conner, you can’t put her in a drawer. Have you told Ma?”
He tutted. “No. She’ll get all excited about grandkids and make me keep her.”
“Conner, she’s your kid. Of course you’re keeping her.” My tone was stern. “Call Ma, get her to help, then call me later and let me know you’re all settled and got everything you need. Do you need me to come home?”
There was a pause. “You’d do that?”
“Yes, Con, I’d do that because I’m family and that’s what families do.”
“I don’t think I can do this. I’m not built like you. I…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
“Conner?”
Sniffing, his voice regained its casual, carefree tone. “Nope, I’m fine. Go back to your threesome, big brother. I’ll be fine.”
A baby’s shrieking cry exploded down the line, and then Conner muttered something I didn’t hear before he hung up.
Shit.
“Everything okay? Travis asked.
I shook my head, staring down at my phone.
“No, not really. Looks like my baby brother just became a single daddy.”