Chapter 19 #2
Max blinked at his mom. “What do you mean what the fuck do I think I was doing?”
Annette’s eyes went wide and her hand popped out, and she swatted him on the arm. “Watch your mouth.”
“I told you I was bringing her,” Max said.
“You told me you were hanging out with your friend Brett. That is way different than I’m sleeping around with my girlfriend Brett.”
Max sighed. “Look, I’m—”
“You’re what? You’re about to become a father. You have your classes, you have the team; what are you doing? You couldn’t keep it in your pants for three whole months?”
Bobby opened his mouth, and Annette gave him a glare that shut him up immediately.
“Let me tell you something: I have never once in my entire life been ashamed of you —up to and including getting a girl pregnant before you got out of high school—but I’m ashamed of you now. You knew she was going to be here. How did you think she would feel?”
“We’re not dating! We’re not together!”
“I don’t care. How do you think Brett feels?
Did you tell her your baby mama was coming?
Did you tell her she was eight months along carrying your daughter?
” Annette was going full-steam now, and Evan was impressed.
“You kept the fact that Brett was a girl from me, because I would have told you I didn’t want her to come. ”
To Max’s credit, he blushed dark, and Evan knew Annette had scored a point.
“That’s right.” Bobby glared at Max. “Lying by omission is still lying, bud. That was selfish as fuck. You hurt both of those girls. What the hell?”
“I—I just wanted something normal.”
Evan was going to lose his shit.
Just absolutely have a motherfucking meltdown.
So, he turned his back and headed out to see Sam and Hil. What he found was Brett sitting on the sofa.
“Hey, uh, Brett. How are you holding up?” He tugged his phone out, trying not to be obvious that he was checking his texts.
“This is embarrassing.”
“Can I get you something to drink? A Coke?”
“Do you mind?”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
Evan went into the kitchen, and Hil’s purse was sitting there. Weird.
Where did you guys go?
Hillary wanted to leave. We’re heading back to your place
Without her purse? He checked the coat closet. Without their coats?
Dammit.
I’ll be there soon. I’m hashing things out with Max. Light the fireplace and I’ll order a supper.
He didn’t get a reply, but he was sure Sam was dealing with a teary Hils and a freaked-out ride share driver.
He grabbed a Coke to take out to Brett, but then he was going back to tell Bobby and Annette he was heading home.
He’d have to find a way to get supper to Sam and Hils and make it something good.
Annette looked up as he walked in. “Is Hillary all right?”
“She and Sam grabbed an Uber. They’re heading to my place.”
Max groaned, Bobby rubbed his forehead, and Annette slammed her hand down on the table. “Are you happy now?”
“No! Of course not.” Max sighed. “I wasn’t trying to be evil.”
“No, you just didn’t care, and that makes it worse.
That young lady is working two jobs, going to school, helping her dad on the ranch, and having a damn baby!
” Evan thundered. “What the hell have you done to lift a goddamn finger to help?” He glanced at Annette.
“I’m going to go get something delivered for supper and spend the rest of the day with them. They don’t know anyone else here.”
“Of course. I’m so sorry, Evan. I’ll come see her tomorrow and see if she’ll go to lunch, okay? Do you want…I can send some—”
His phone dinged, and he grabbed it, blinking at the words on the screen. They seemed to swim a little bit, and he read them again.
“Evan? Dude? What’s wrong, man?” Bobby caught his elbow as he swayed.
“It’s Hillary. They’re on the way to the hospital. Her water broke.”
He tried to call Sam right back, and the connection went straight to voicemail.
All right, he understood. If they were at the hospital right now, then Sam was really busy.
All the noise from the house stopped. Everyone looked at him. That was when Annette caught his eye.
“You should go. We’ll get everything organized once you tell us what they need, and then we can come up, but you should go now.”
“Do you think they’re going to let her go home?”
Annette snorted at him and shook her head. “Oh, honey, you are stupidly optimistic. No, this means the baby has to be here in twenty-four hours, so we’re going to have a November baby. That’s great, right?”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t have any of her things—her bag, her stuff for the baby. I mean, she’s got a weekend suitcase.”
“You don’t worry about that. You worry about getting up there and being supportive and giving us information.”
“What about me?” Max asked.
Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his son. “You’re going to sit here and take care of your siblings. Unless she asks you to come up until the baby gets here, your ass can just stay here. Once your daughter gets here, you can see her.”
“But I’m her father!”
“Right now, you’re her sperm donor. I haven’t seen anything that tells me you know how to be a father.” Bobby was going to boil right over.
Evan didn’t have time for this crap. They could work out all their family shit on their own.
He grabbed Hillary’s purse, then went to get coats.
“I’m headed out. I’ll text when I know what we need.”
Evan texted Sam again as soon as he got in his car.
OMW. Bringing her purse. Need anything?
There were three dots for a long time, then —
It’s Thanksgiving, man. World’s closed.
I can make shit happen. But I’ll be there in half an hour
Thank God the hospital was close to his place, if not Bobby and Annette’s. That way he could bounce to the house as needed and bring shit to the hospital.
K. See you soon
That was something, at least. Sam wasn’t telling him to go to Hell.
He stuffed the coats and Hils’s purse in the passenger seat and drove, and if he hit the highway like he was playing hockey, so be it.