Chapter 38
“Daddy! Daddy! Get up! Get up!”
I’m dreaming.
I must be.
A little boy tugging at my arm, her arm slung over my chest, her scent invading my nostrils, her moan stiffening my—
“Daddy!”
My eyes shoot open. Fuck. Not a dream.
I look at Rune, who is trying desperately to move me from the bed, then look to my right to see Leo softly snoring, her curls covering her eyes and a small amount of drool pooling on the sheets.
Her head isn’t even on a pillow, and her arm is slung over my chest while she sleeps deeply on her stomach.
“I’m up! Let me just—” I realize at this moment that I am naked and so is Leo.
Damn, we are going to need to find a solution to this.
Leo needs to sleep naked. There’s no other option when she is in our bed, but if Rune is going to be making early morning wake-up calls, then something’s got to give. Maybe a lock on the door…
“Uhh, can you…” I need an excuse to get him out of the room without hurting his feelings or getting his brilliant brain to question why Leo and I are naked in bed. “Go put on your favorite TV show. I’ll be right out, and we can make breakfast together, yeah?”
“Okay! That's why I wanted to wake you up! You said we could cook together!”
“I remember, little bird.” The nickname that Leo gave him is perfect and has started to stick with me.
She’s my pretty bird; he’s my little bird.
He dashes out of our room, and I get up, a slight groan coming from Leo as I brush her curls from her face and kiss her cheek.
“Come find me in the kitchen, pretty bird. I’ll be waiting,” I whisper, not sure she even heard me.
When I make it out to the kitchen, Rune has pulled up a chair to the counter and has eggs, bread, and ketchup pulled out.
“Okay, first lesson, young one. Ketchup does not belong on anything that isn’t a burger, a hot dog, or fries.”
“Uh, you are actually wrong, Dad. It belongs on everything!” He raises his hands over his head in excitement, and I shake my head.
“Okay, you psychopath. But this morning we are making mommy’s favorite, eggs benedict. And it most definitely doesn’t belong on that.”
I pull all the ingredients down and ask my Alexa to play classic rock so we can jam out to Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses, amongst the other greats that Leo and I used to listen to.
I begin teaching Rune to make Leo’s favorite, having him help where he can but also making sure it still comes out edible.
The one thing I have learned during this lesson is that it takes considerably more time to cook with a seven-year-old. Between having to explain things, having to re-do some things, and the occasional rock ‘n’ roll air guitar breaks, we eventually plate our perfect eggs benedict.
“Well, bud, we might have to put it aside for now and warm it up when your mom wakes.”
Rune just shakes his head. “Now it’s my turn to teach you something. Watch this.”
The little genius goes to the coffeepot, places a K-Cup into the single-cup coffeemaker, and presses Brew.
I stare at him, confused.
He crosses his arms, very proud that he knows something I don’t. “Just wait.”
And as soon as the coffee is done, the aroma filling the air, our bedroom door opens.
A groggy, messy-haired Leo drags her feet and rubs at her eyes, yawning and staring at us with one eye open.
“Coffee always wakes the sleepy mommy monster.”
I raise my eyebrow at him and give him a nod that says I am highly impressed.
“Good morning, my beautiful mommy monster.” I go to her and wrap my arms around her waist then go to kiss her, but she pushes me away.
“Don’t touch me or talk to me till I have my first sip of coffee.”
Rune stands next to me and pats as high on my back as he can reach, which is my lower back, and says, “That's why I call her mommy monster in the mornings. Trust me, Dad. You’re going to want to let her get about halfway through that cup before you try to talk to her.”
“Well, how do you get away with it? You told me she pulls you into bed for morning snuggles and tickle fights. I want that mommy.”
Rune just giggles. “If you want that one, you have to let her stay in bed and bring coffee to her.”
“You are wise, young one.”
He just shrugs, walks away casually, and says with more confidence than a seven-year-old should have, “I know.”
As we eat our eggs benedict and Leo makes delicious moans that have my dick hardening, requiring me to adjust multiple times, a knock sounds on the door.
“It’s probably Gage. He wanted to stop by today—”
Before I can get my sentence out fully, Rune is bounding toward the door. “I’ll get it! Uncle Gage!”
I make a mental note to talk with Rune about opening the door, that it should always be an adult, just in case, but I’m right behind him, so I let him do it this time.
Rune stops in his tracks, his decision to throw himself at Gage changing suddenly. “You’re not Uncle Gage.”
“Hi. Huh. Do I have the wrong—”
I come around to see who it is, and my heart drops in my chest. Fuck.
“Natasha.”
“Natasha?” Leo whips her head around and practically runs toward the door, tucking Rune behind her. Lioness mama is out on the prowl. I think I would rather have the morning mommy monster back.
“What the hell is she doing at your door, Everett?” Shit. I’m Everett again.
“I-I don’t know,” I stutter out, because I actually have no fucking clue. I was pretty clear when I spoke to her last time.
“What am I doing here? Really, Leora, you think after you left him, he wouldn’t move on? Who do you think has been warming his bed for the last eight years?”
“Six,” I correct but realize when I look at Leo that it really doesn’t fucking matter.
Her eyes are glassy, her teeth are clenched, and she is holding her breath. Fuck. “Leo. Breathe, baby. I can explain. I promise.”
I reach toward her like I’m trying to catch a wild animal, and honestly, I just might be.
“Rune. Go get your shoes on.”
“What? Why? I want to stay with Daddy.” He tries to come toward me, but Leo grabs him around the shoulders.
No.
No.
No.
She can’t keep him from me. She is going to run.
“Leo. Pleas–”
“Daddy?” Nat’s voice interrupts my attempts to calm Leo.
“Yeah, he’s my daddy. And this is my mommy.” Rune’s so fucking innocent, it hurts.
I take a deep breath. I need to get control of this situation immediately. I treat this exactly how it feels, like a level-one trauma rolling through my ER doors.
“Natasha, go outside and wait in your car. I will be there in a minute. Rune and Leo, go into the living room. We need to talk.”
“I’m not leaving. If Rune is your son, what I have to say concerns him and Leo.”
We all look at her a little confused now.
Leo still has her arms wrapped protectively around Rune, and all I want to do is wrap my arms around her, hold her to me so she can’t flee.
Leo finally breaks the silence, her tone vicious when she says, “What the fuck are you talking about?” Nowhere in her posture or eyes is my sweet Leo.
This woman in front of me was birthed from the trauma she experienced because of my mother and from raising Rune on her own.
This woman is fierce, strong, vicious, and I fucking love it.
“Rune is going to have a sibling.” Nat’s words draw my attention back to her, her hands lying over her flat stomach.
“What the fuck?” I’m shaking. No. She told me she was on the shot.
I look at Leo, and she is vibrating with anger, and when she turns her eyes to me, I realize it’s not anger at Nat but me.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No.
“Leo—” I reach out to her, taking a step in her direction. Her eyes widen, and she takes a step back with Rune in her grasp.
“Phoenix.”
I’m struck in the chest by that one word.
Her eyes never leave mine as she backs into the kitchen, grabs her keys out of the little bowl on my island, and then walks toward the front door.
Before she leaves, I give her a warning. “Leo, I will find you.”
She scoots past Nat with her eyes on Rune, who looks more scared than I have ever seen him.
“Well, that was interesting.” Nat’s tone is boastful, and I hate it. She walks in and takes a seat at the island, her long leg crossing over her other one, her black, red-bottom heel dangling.
“What the fuck, Nat? You’re pregnant? How do you even know it’s mine?”
She rolls her eyes. “Please, Everett, don’t offend me. You’re the only one I have sex with. And I’m about twelve weeks. It lines up perfectly with the last time we had sex.”
I hate to even ask, but fate can’t be this cruel, can it? “Do you have proof?”
She looks hurt by my accusation, but based on the paper she is pulling from her Chanel purse, it seems like she was expecting it. “Here.”
I take the paper and find an ultrasound report and picture. The little black and white blip mocks me.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” My eyes don’t leave the little blip. That's my little blip. And as much as this revelation hurts because I know it’s hurting Leo, that’s still my baby.
“I have been trying to call for weeks now. You didn’t answer.”
I run my hand down my face. “Fuck.” She’s right. I thought she was just trying to get back into my life, I never thought…
“Wait. You said you were on the shot.”
She looks down, like she is ashamed, but that can’t be right. “I might have missed my last appointment.”
I want to scream. She did this on purpose.
“That’s a really important appointment to miss, Nat. Also would have been nice to know so I could have pulled out!”
“You always wore a condom! I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal!”
“Yeah, well, accidents fucking happen, Nat.” I go and fall onto my couch. What a cluster fuck.
“She isn’t an accident, Everett. Don’t call her that.”
“She?” My head lifts from my hands. I’m going to have a daughter, Rune, a little sister.
“I had blood work done. They told me it was a girl.”
My heart warms in my chest. God, I fucking love Rune so much it hurts. What the fuck am I going to do with a daughter? She is literally going to kill me. I can’t be a girl dad. I will fucking kill anyone who hurts her, looks at her, fucking breathes on her.
“What are you going to do about Leora?” Her tone is suggestive that Leo is a problem to deal with, like I missed trash day or something.
“Her name is Leo now, and what do you mean, what am I going to do about her?”
Natash scoffs. “Well you can’t expect me to raise this baby as a single mother, can you? I will need you every night, Everett, and during the day. You can’t possibly expect her to be okay with you being with me? She was always the jealous type.”
I feel the anger rising in my chest. She will not force an ultimatum on me. “I’m not going to be with you, Nat. Not in that way. I’ll be a present father, we can work out a custody arrangement, but we will not be together. I’m with Leo. Now and forever.”
Nat stands and heads for the door. “If she will even want you anymore. Doesn’t seem like you have been forthcoming with who has been in your bed the last six years. Good luck, Everett. I’ll be in touch.”
She slams the door, and my head falls into my hands as I sit on my couch.
How in the hell did things get so fucked? One moment I’m snuggling the love of my life, making breakfast with my son, and now my pretty bird has run from me…again.
But one thing I know? Leo is mine. No matter what. Things just got a fuck ton more complicated, but that will always remain true.
I pick up the phone and call her. Forwarded. I try six more times and get forwarded six more times.
Then I call Gage.
When he picks up, I tell him everything that just happened, and he works his magic, confirming that the document I was given was real and not fabricated. I don’t know how he can tell, but he is confident that Nat is actually pregnant.
“I need you to track Leo’s phone. She is going to run, Gage, and I’m not losing her this time.”
“I won’t let her,” he growls into the phone.
And despite all that’s happened between us, this I know he means because he loves Leo just as much as I do, just in a different way.