Chapter Six
Brady
I couldn’t be a father. I wasn’t prepared to be a dad. Allegra had asked me, and she had every right to. Worse, she was one hundred percent right.
I was going to need to read a manual, preferably one titled Being the World’s Greatest Dad 101 . And if that didn’t exist, then someone should really tap into that because it was genius and would be helpful for the schmucks like me out there who needed all the help they could get.
Sex ed, by the way—a waste. They needed to have an advanced class. Something like part two to talk about what you needed to know when you screwed up and still got the girl pregnant. Like what came next—the whole being a dad part.
Shit, I was going to screw this up, wasn’t I? This kid was so screwed.
But only with me.
Allegra, on the other hand, was going to be a natural. She was going to be a great mom. I just knew it. That was the one good thing about this—if it was going to happen with anyone, I was lucky it was with Allegra. That was pretty damn amazing.
Not that any of that changed the way I felt. To sum it up, I was afraid. Scared shitless, to be exact.
I would’ve shared my fear of being a shitty father with Allegra, but I didn’t need to be a wiz to know that she needed to stay calm, which meant the last thing she needed was to hear my spiral. That was why I had left and went to my pub.
Two good things were at this pub—scotch and Jack (my brother, not the drink).
I clenched my teeth, the scotch burning my throat as it went down. After Allegra dropped the bomb of a lifetime in my lap, I deserved a stiff one. If only I could find Jack so we could talk. Our talks were special. Usually, they went something like this: I said something, he said something asinine, and I was left to resolve it on my own. It wasn’t great, but it worked, and it was to be expected since he was my goofball kid brother.
Anyway, where was he? I’d texted him before I’d left the apartment and asked him to meet me here. He’d told me he wasn’t home but would be in a minute. This was no minute. This was like fifteen minutes—too much time for me to be alone with my thoughts about how I could mess this all up, if you asked me.
I swirled my drink in the glass before putting it down on the table and leaning back in my seat. I scanned the pub and sighed when my eyes landed on Jack. I raised a hand, and he walked over. “Where have you been? I’ve been sitting here like an idiot.”
Jack harrumphed as he slid in the seat across from me. “Hate to be the one to say this, but you are an idiot, big bro.” He lifted the bottle of beer I had waiting for him on the table and took a swig.
I looked down at my glass and practically mumbled, “Usually I’d refute that, but I think I might actually be an idiot.”
He obviously heard me because he cocked a brow. “What are you talking about?” Then he looked around before his eyes landed back on me. “And why are we at our own establishment? Even on your day off you can’t stay away.”
He should have only known it was never my intention to spend my day off this way. Need I remind you about my sub?
“What can I say? I like to support my own business,” I finally answered.
He brought a hand to his chin and scratched, shaking his head. “You’re messed up.”
He should only know. I brought the scotch to my lips. How did I tell Jack I’d knocked up a woman? Did I just come right out and say it? Then I could tack on the end, oh, and I think I’m going to suck at parenting . “What do you think about babies?” I asked, putting down my drink.
“How much have you had to drink?” he deadpanned.
I scrubbed my hand down my face, frustrated. “This is my first and only drink. Just answer the question.”
He shrugged. “They’re cute. I’ve heard the top of their heads smell good. Why?” His eyes widened and he leaned forward, his elbows coming to rest on the wooden table. “Do you know something about my wife?”
He thought I was talking about Quinn? “What?” I shook my head. “No.”
He leaned back, crossed his arms, and furrowed his brows. “So Quinn’s not pregnant?”
I shook my head. “Not that I know of.” We were getting off track, so I decided to just come out with it—“Allegra’s pregnant.”
He choked. “Your roommate is pregnant?”
“Do you know another Allegra?” I asked, looking around at the patrons.
“Sorry, it’s just. . . Allie’s pregnant?” He let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s got to be rough. You’re going to be out of a place to live. Again. Well, you could always move back in with me and Quinn. We wouldn’t mind.”
“Why?” I shook my head, confused.
“Why not?”
I supposed it made sense he’d think that since he was missing a vital piece of information. “It’s mine.”
Jack inhaled and ran a hand through his mess of brown hair. “Come again?”
“Mine. It’s mine. Allegra is pregnant with my baby.”
He cleared his throat. “I didn’t even know you two slept together. I mean, I know you have a crush on her, but I didn’t know you got to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
There was something wrong with just about everything he’d just said, but I decided to address one problem in particular—“It’s not a crush.”
“It’s a crush.” He smirked.
I wanted to wipe that look off his face. “Piss off.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of a little thing called condoms? Did Pa not tell you about them?”
Oh, man, I didn’t know what I’d do without Jack. A condom! Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I gritted my teeth at the insinuation that I’d be so reckless as to not use a condom. “Of course we used one. But those things aren’t exactly foolproof.” Which they were not. You know, just to spell it out for you in case you skipped sex ed or didn’t read the back of box. You’re welcome, by the way. I just saved you from having to shop for strollers and car seats.
“I’ve never gotten anyone pregnant,” Jack countered. “At least, not that I know of.”
Told you—he’s an idiot. Too bad I love my brother even knowing this. “Good for you. I’ll print out an achievement certificate online for you. Does that make you happy? It can read Jack Moore Has Earned This Achievement for Never Getting a Girl Pregnant .”
“Yes, I would like that very much.” Figures .
We were once again getting off track, though. I was still freaking out about this whole thing. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this, man. I can’t be a dad. Not a good one at least.”
He brought his brows together, looking confused. “What makes you say that? Pa was a good role model, so just follow everything he did.”
I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy. “I own a pub with you, dumbass. It doesn’t exactly scream father of the year. It’s certainly not a place I could bring my child.”
“Do children go to work with their parents often?”
I shook my head. Jack wasn’t getting it. I moved on, saying, “Allegra and I aren’t even together. What will that mean for our child?”
“It won’t matter. Two loving parents, that’s all a kid needs.”
I picked up my scotch and stared at the liquid in the glass. It didn’t have the answers, but I wished it did.
“Listen, Brady, you’ll be a good dad,” Jack said, turning serious. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was nice. “I’m sure of it. There’s no one way to be a dad, and you’ll find your rhythm. You only just found out she’s pregnant. You’ve got like, what, nine months?”
“Less than eight.”
“Woah, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could’ve thrown you a baby shower.”
And moment of seriousness over. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a jackass?”
“Only you,” he said, batting his eyelashes and angling his head like a pretty little girl.
Stifling a laugh, I quipped, “Shame, because you are.”
“So you two getting together now? Making your little fantasies come true?”
Ha! If only. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Will you believe it if I said she never once asked for anything from me? Just dropped the bomb in my lap. That was it. Not that I didn’t promise her I’d be there for it all, because I did. And I will be. But she didn’t seem to care one way or the other.”
Jack whistled low, then laughed. “Brother, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
He was telling me.