Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
B
"Shut up! He does not!" Fia just about knocks her drink over as a result of her shock.
Iris, with her big green eyes, stares at me like she just found out Santa isn't real. "And you had no clue?"
"That he had a daughter? No, I didn't have a fucking clue."
"That's wild." Lou has been quietly observing me as I tell them the details about my encounter with Kass earlier today. Even now, I'm having a hard time reading her.
Before I get a chance to ask her what she really means by that, Evie returns from the bathroom. "What did I miss?"
"Only the story of the giant fucking bomb that landed in B's lap today!" Iris lets out a quick breath that results in a whistle as she shakes her head in disbelief.
"Not fair. You guys know I don't have control over my bladder after having Briar. Start over!" Evie takes her seat next to Lou at the end of the high top and starts sipping on her drink.
"I thought you were not supposed to drink when you're breastfeeding?"
"It's called a pump and dumb. As long as I'm not giving her any of the contaminated milk, it's fine. And tonight is Momma’s night out, so I'm taking full advantage. Now spill the tea, B. I know you're dying to tell it again."
Everyone looks at me, expectantly. "There really isn't much to tell. It's not like it changes anything."
"How could it not change things?" Iris's eyebrows scrunch together as she interrogates me.
"Because I'm not dating him. I don't even know if I want to see him again." I look down at my drink, avoiding everyone’s stares.
"And why wouldn't you? You had a good time with him, didn't you? Fia said you told her it was some of the best sex of your life."
I glare up at Lou. So now she chooses to speak. "Shut up. It was good sex, but we all know I don't do committed relationships. I don't think I need to explain that to any of you."
"Can someone please tell me what's going on? I still don't know what the big bomb was."
I turn to Evie before anyone else has the chance to say their version of my story. "Long story short, Kass, the guy Fia and I slept with, has a kid."
Her eyes get big, but in an excited way, not in a shocked, disgusted way. "Single dad? How old is his kid? And how did you find out?"
"She was a student in Liam's class. Just found out today when he came for the last show-and-tell. I think she's eight?" I explain.
"That is such a fun age! Awww, I can't wait until Briar is eight. But at the same time, I want her to stay a little chubby carrot forever." Evie flashes us her lock screen, a picture of Briar with her bright orange hair. Everyone oohs and ahhs the way people do when they see a cute baby.
"My niece is pretty freaking cute." Iris sticks out her lower lip and makes that face people make when they coo over a cute baby.
"Like I said, it really doesn't matter to me because I'm not looking to be anyone's step-mommy." I down the rest of my drink, hoping to use my empty glass as an excuse to get away from the table and this interrogation for a bit. This was not the reaction I was expecting from any of them.
"Looks like you need a new drink, B. I'll go to the bar with you." Fia rattles the ice in her empty glass and steps off her stool.
As she walks by me, she links her arm with mine, not giving me the option to run off on my own like she knows I want to.
When we’re out of earshot from the table, she leans over, arm still linked with mine. "I could tell you wanted that conversation to be over."
"Ya think."
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not ready to drop it."
"Noooo." I stop in my tracks and attempt to pull away from her.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this." She tightens her grip on my arm and trudges forward, toward the bar. "Remember, we have a rule that as long as we're sleeping together, we have open and honest communication."
I groan and roll my eyes at the reminder.
I usually love open and honest communication because it always involves me telling people I don't want anything serious, and that's that.
No one ever pushes me for more. With Fia, our check-ins are always lighthearted and well-intentioned.
Our priority as friends is to never let our physical relationship get in the way of our friendship, and it never has.
"Fine. Let's talk. Tell me what you think I need to hear.
Tell me how I'm broken and how I need to give him a chance. "
"Is that what you want me to say?"
"No. But I know it's what everyone else wants to say."
She slows our pace and tugs my arms so I'm facing her. "Have I ever had the same opinion as everyone else?"
My chest shakes as I suppress a laugh. "No." That's one thing I love about Fia, we're both a little rebellious and hate being like everyone else, including how we think.
"Okay, so I need you to trust that what I want to say to you is in your best interest."
"Alright. I'm listening."
We continue walking and belly up to the bar when we get there. As we wait for the bartender to wait on us, she leans into me. "Were you shocked when you saw him today?"
"Duh. He was literally the last person I was expecting to see at my class." I correct myself, "Liam's class."
"You were a little excited to see him, though, weren't you?"
"Excited isn't the word I'd use, but I definitely felt something. Nausea, maybe?"
She nudges me with her elbow, calling my bluff. "Yeah, whatever."
"He makes me kind of nervous, which I hate."
"I could tell."
"You thought I seemed nervous when it was the three of us?"
"Well, you definitely weren't nauseous, I can tell you that."
Now it's my turn to nudge her. "Shut up."
"I mean, you didn't choke at all when you sucked his big, beautiful, fat—"
I throw my hand over her mouth just as the bartender approaches us. He looks between the two of us, seeming unsure whether he should tend to us or choose someone else.
"We'll have two gin and tonics with lime, please."
She licks my palm that's covering her mouth, and I remove it with a gasp. The bartender nods and walks away to prepare our drinks. He likely could have made them here in front of us, but if I were him, I wouldn't want to stand by us either.
Fia lowers her voice, which is a big improvement from the last time she opened her mouth.
"What I'm trying to get at is that you clearly react differently to him than you do most people you sleep with.
I've been around you pretty much every day for about a year now, and I've never seen you act this weird about anyone.
Maybe it means something? Plus, the way he looks at you is so grossly adorable, I almost let the two of you have the room to yourselves at a few points throughout the night. " She shrugs and leaves it at that.
"Actually," I get the bartender’s attention, "could I also get a glass of tequila?"
"A shot?"
"Yeah. A shot of tequila...in a glass...with two other shots in it."
He gives me a look, but I ignore it.
"Thank you."
The bartender brings our drinks over, and Fia tells him to add them to her tab. Then she turns to me, lifting her cocktail. "Cheers."
"Cheers."
I move to clink my glass with hers, but she pulls away. "To being nervous and kind of liking it."
"And to not choking on big, beautiful, fat cock," I add.
She purses her lips together, trying not to give me the satisfaction of a smile as she taps her glass to mine and takes a sip. I'm pretty sure I saw the bartender shake his head in my peripheral vision, but I remind myself that I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks.
"So, why didn't you go back to that girl’s place with Fia?"
I shrug in the passenger seat of Lou's car as she drives Iris and me home while I scroll through my social media. "Didn't feel like it."
I stop scrolling when I get to a picture on the tattoo shop's profile featuring Kass, Raina, and two small girls.
I can't believe I didn't notice it before when I was stalking him.
But to be fair, I wasn't looking for it back then.
One of the girls is a replica of Raina, and the other is Clover.
She's a few years younger, but still recognizable.
God, that girl is going to have people in the palm of her hands with those dimples and that adorable face.
"Is that them?"
"Huh?"
Lou leans over slightly to glance at my phone, which I'm sure she already did. "Is that Kass and his daughter?"
"Yeah, these two on the right. The other two are his coworker and her daughter. She's the one who was supposed to do my tattoo, but she was getting surgery that day, so I had to switch to Kass."
Iris leans forward from the back seat to look at the picture on my phone. "That seems kind of weird that they would make you go to a different artist. Wasn't that kind of stressful being with someone new for a piece so big?"
"I mean, they gave me the choice to reschedule with Raina for a few months later if I wanted to, but Kass does really great work, so I wasn't worried."
"And he's nice to look at," Iris adds.
"Yeah, that too." I stare at the picture for a moment longer, then take a screenshot before closing my phone.
Why I did that, I have no clue. Maybe a small part of me wants to look at it later.
It might be easier to wrap my head around everything by looking at the two of them next to each other, by blending those two separate parts of my life into one.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I can totally see Clover being raised by Kass. But who's her mom? The better question is, why do I care who she is?
I notice Lou is being quiet again.
"What's wrong?"
She shakes her head and says in a timid voice, "Nothing."
"Come on, say what you've been dying to say all night."
"After thinking about it, it really isn't applicable."
My sister is closing off on me, and my patience is starting to wear thin. "Lou! Just fucking say it."
"Can we talk real for a second without you shutting down?"
"Of course."