Chapter 33
Quinn
A baby. Jesus.
I’m quietly freaking out as I knock on Reed’s front door. I need to talk to someone about all this because pacing around my apartment like a caged animal did nothing to settle my crazed mind.
Reed throws open his apartment door, and simultaneously says, “Hey, what’s up, ass-hat?”
Like he knew it was me. Weird .
I don’t even acknowledge him. Instead, I bowl through the door and charge across the room, tossing myself down on the couch.
“No, please, come in…” Sarcasm drips from Reed’s voice as he shuts the door and then turns to look at me. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? You’re pale as fuck and sweating bullets. You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. ”
“Is Brinley home?” I look all around what appears to be an otherwise empty apartment.
I’m not ready for an audience. Not yet. I like Brinley well enough, she’s nice, and she’s really good for Reed. He fucking adores her. But the girl’s a little chatty for my liking. And I’m not in the mood for chatty. All I want to do is spend some quality time with my best friend and maybe get a little drunk.
Or a combination of the two, that’d also work.
“No, she’s out,” he says, grabbing two cold beers from the fridge, like he can read my mind. He walks back into the living room and hands me one. “She signed up with a talent agent a few weeks back. They called her into the office to go over some stuff, sign paperwork, talk tactics. You know the drill.”
“Oh, yeah?” Popping the cap, I lift the bottle to my lips, guzzling down half of it in one go. “Who’d she end up going with?”
“Ambassador Talent.”
Tightening my grip around the bottle, I nod. “I’ve heard good things about them.”
Reed flops down on the couch beside me, laughing as he takes a quick sip of his own beer. “Dude, you didn’t come all the way over here, looking like death, just to powwow about Brinley’s up-and-coming career.” He takes another quick sip, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Spill your guts.”
“I, uh—”
The apartment is suddenly so silent I feel the weight of it bearing down on my shoulders like heavy chains. I feel like I’m in church or in the middle of an empty field somewhere.
“Cassie’s pregnant.”
There’s a long moment of silence, so long in fact I wonder if he actually heard me or not. I wonder if I should say it again. But I don’t say it again, because I know Reed heard me. I can see the intently focused expression on his face, and I know for a fact he’s desperately trying to figure out who the fuck Cassie is and why the hell I’m telling him about her current reproductive situation.
He tilts his head slightly. “Cassie…the waitress? From Leon’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Jeremy’s Cassie?”
I tighten my grip around my beer bottle. No. Not Jeremy’s Cassie. My Cassie. The thought strikes my chest so sharply it feels like heartburn, clawing its way up under my skin. I swallow, trying desperately to choke down the bitter taste of frustration in my throat.
I’m sick of this.
I’m so fucking sick of this shit.
I don’t want Cassie to be Jeremy’s Cassie. I don’t want her to be Nick’s Cassie or even Leon’s Cassie. I don’t want her to be anyone’s Cassie for that matter either.
I want her to be my Cassie.
And I don’t even care anymore who knows. I want Reed to know. I want the goddamn world to know.
“We’ve been seeing each other.”
The long exhale of air that pushes through my lips takes away some of the tightness in my chest. It feels good. Really good. Like I can actually breathe again. It feels like the chains are slowly being winched away.
Reed’s eyes widen. He sits forward on the couch, turning to face me head on. “You’ve been what ?”
“You heard me.”
“Since when?”
“A while.” His narrowed eyes tell me he doesn’t like my response. “About six months, I guess, to varying degrees.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” A flash of hurt sweeps through Reed’s eyes. “We tell each other everything. We’ve been friends our entire lives. How could you keep something like this a secret from me?”
“Nick would have found out, couldn’t risk that happening.”
“Fuck off!” Reed suddenly shouts, shoving my shoulder with his fist. “I take offense to that shit, man. I would never have told him if you’d asked me to keep it quiet. I wouldn’t have said a damn word to anyone. Not Brinley, no one. I always have your back, no matter what, you know that. I would have taken this to the grave with me if you’d asked me to.”
“I’m sorry. I know, and I really wanted to tell you about us. I wanted to tell you what was going on between us. I almost did, twice in fact.”
“So, why didn’t you?”
“At first it was fun sneaking around, and then things started to get more serious. I really like her, I mean…no, it’s more than that. Oh, I don’t even fucking know anymore, my head’s all messed up.”
“Have you told her how you feel? ”
“No.”
“And she’s pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s definitely yours?”
My teeth grind together. I don’t usually lose my cool with Reed, but he’s treading on dangerously thin ice asking me that question. “Yes, it’s mine. Ask me that question again, and I’ll beat you senseless. Got it?”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay, I’m sorry. I was just making sure. Won’t bring it up again.”
“Good.”
“And she’s keeping it?”
I nod.
“I’ve heard pregnancy hormones are a real bitch to deal with.”
“I guess, I…”
“Has she been puking her guts up? Generally feeling like crap?”
I shrug.
“They say chick’s boobs get really sensitive, too. Their feet swell, their backs ache, and they get tired real easily. Oh, and they cry a lot over absolutely nothing.”
I stare at him. How does he know all this stuff?
“Has she seen an OB-GYN?” Reed gives me some weird kind of side-eye action that makes me think he already knows the answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He raises his voice. “How are you in a relationship with this girl, and yet you know nothing about what’s been going on in her life.”
“I literally just found out. ”
Reed snorts. “So, let me get this straight…Cassie tells you she’s knocked up, and you, what…you bolt, leaving her to deal with everything by herself?”
Shit. I hang my head.
Reed’s right. He’s absolutely right.
I was totally being a selfish asshole. I was shocked and confused. But why didn’t it cross my mind that Cassie would be feeling the exact same way? More so, if anything. She’s the one who’s got to go through all the hard stuff.
“I asked her to leave my apartment,” I grumble under my breath. “Ah, man, I actually asked her to leave my apartment. She tells me she’s pregnant, and I…I’ve fucked this up big time, haven’t I?”
“Think you might be right there.”
“She’s going to be pissed.”
“Hurt more like it.”
“What should I do? How do I fix this? I know we haven’t been together long, but I lo—I really like Cassie. I care about her.” I correct myself before I say something to Reed that I haven’t even said to her yet. “Tell me what to do, Reed. Please tell me what to do.”
Reed lifts one heavily tattooed arm and plants it firmly on my shoulder. “First, calm your tits, this isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s actually pretty fucking awesome, if you ask me. I’m going to be an uncle, that’s cool. I’m gonna make a kick-ass uncle, too. Second, this is what we’re going to do…” He stands, and skulks back across the living room into the kitchen, and then he opens the refrigerator door. Taking out another two beers, he holds them up. “We’re going to drink a few more of these, and you’re going to tell me everything, right from the very be ginning. I don’t care how long it takes. You’re going to tell me every last fucking detail. We’ll get this sorted. Don’t stress, okay?”
I nod slowly.
Because honestly, I don’t know what else to do.