Baby Daddies - Tara Brown Page 0,51

took them at my place.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Sami shouts.

“Because you’ve been nuts with these weddings and your hormones have been messed up from that stupid pill you and Nat took to stop your monthly things, which the doctor did warn you about.” Matt waves her off. “Everyone has been walking on eggshells with you for months. And it ends here. Your own friend didn’t tell you she was pregnant. That should be a sign you’ve taken this all too far.”

Rich gives me a slight head nod, indicating his choice is to run.

I lift my gaze to upstairs.

I move for the staircase as Sami shouts back, “It was stressful, planning two weddings and running the company and being a new mom. Speaking of which, I bet our son is waking up from his nap.” She turns on her heel and stomps to the stairs.

Matt sighs loudly, closing his eyes.

Nat enters the house a moment later and slams the door, startling poor Sorel who’s visibly confused. She storms up the stairs and slams another door a few minutes later.

Carson looks at Rich who remains sort of paused at the base of the stairs. “I love you. I know we haven’t said that yet. But I do.”

Rich beams back. “I love you too.”

“Seriously?” Matt mumbles as Carson and Rich hug, kissing and walking away, though not going up the stairs where all the crazy females lurk.

Through the doors to the back garden, I see Brady pacing on the grass and walk that way.

“You okay?” I ask as I get outside.

“No, man. She flung that at me and then got mad that I thought she was pranking. How was I supposed to react to that news?” I haven’t seen him this upset since Nat made him choose between Matt and her.

“I think they have some expectation we’re supposed to be excited about it, like dudes in a movie are.”

“But not one of us has found out that way. They want a romantic response but throw us to the sharks as a way of telling us.” I commiserate and pace with him. “At least you guys are married and have been together for a while.”

“We weren’t together when I found out either.” Matt points out. “It was awful. And she was so angry at how I reacted.”

“But you knew you loved her. That was never in question. We’re still getting to know each other.”

Brady scowls at us. “Can you two go cry somewhere else?”

“No!” Matt points at the second story of the house. “You need to go up there and apologize and act excited, for fuck’s sake! Stop being a little bitch about it. It’s a baby, not testicular cancer or a death sentence. And try to focus on how she’s feeling. Probably alone.”

Brady parts his lips to yell back, but he has nothing to say that will defend his actions. And for the second time, I watch as he takes a short journey through his thoughts. Unfortunately, I relate to this one as well.

Matt’s words hit harder than I think he intends.

Brady turns and walks inside.

Matt glances at me, lifting an eyebrow as if he might begin lecturing me.

“Don’t give me that dad eyebrow. You need to go and find Sami and apologize for letting your inside thoughts outside.”

He thinks for a second and nods, muttering, “Carson and Rich are onto something.”

I laugh as he leaves.

19

Inspiring

Jenny

I’m midway through getting ready for dinner when I hear a voice call my name, “Jenny?”

“In here!”

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday,” Nat says before she rounds the corner to the bathroom.

“It’s me who should apologize. I left before the wedding. I’m so sorry. I panicked.”

“Oh damn, it’s nice in here. This is impressive.” She comes right into the room and stares, forgetting our conversation.

“You haven’t seen it before?” I turn and sigh in disbelief that I’m here at all. “It’s the nicest house I’ve been in.”

“No, they’re rich. They don’t do the house tour thing. As you pass by a room, they say offhand things like”—she changes her tone to the uppity one Matt’s mom has—“darling, you’ve seen the parlor since we had the curtains redone? The fabric is imported from Singapore and made from the tears of orphans and tattered clothes stolen from the displaced refugees. Very rare.”

We laugh.

“That’s not how it sounds,” Lori says, making us both jump in surprise. “It’s more like this.” He changes his voice too, “You know that spotted cat born in the wild, said to be the