Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,390

be the time.”

Obviously it was. Fucking surgery anesthetic couldn’t get the thought out of his head.

“It’s okay. I just wanna talk to him.”

Elle squeezed my hand, and they left us in peace. Bast looked exhausted, and his hospital gown was about six sizes too big, but I’d never been so proud of him in my life.

“You did good,” I said. “You took the surgery better than me. I was a wreck.”

“Why?”

“Because I was worried about you. I kinda like ya, Bast.”

“I kinda like you too.”

That was a relief. “Look, I want you to know…I love you. I’ve always loved you, even when you were a little stinky whining baby that looked all goofy.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And…I wasn’t going to tell you until you were older, but…” I puffed my breath out. “Bast, when I was younger. In school. There was…” A girl. A mistake. A broken condom. Jesus, everything sounded so terrible for ending up with such a great kid. “A stork mix-up.”

“A stork?”

“Yeah. It’s a bird. It delivers babies.”

“I thought doctors delivered babies.”

“Well, yeah…” I delayed as best I could. “But the babies…are carried in the stork’s mouth. And the doctors gotta get them out.”

“Of their mouth?”

“Yeah. Like that creepy bird we saw at the zoo.”

“That’s a pelican.”

Goddamn it. Thanks Sesame Street. “That’s right. Pelicans bring babies.”

Bast tilted his head. “But they live on the beach.”

“How did you learn this much about pelicans without knowing that they bring babies?”

He wasn’t buying it. “Elle had a baby in her tummy.”

It wasn’t the first time Nicky sold me out during his first year of life, and it wouldn’t be the last. “Well. There’s a simple answer to that.”

Bast waited. Patiently.

Damn it.

“The doctor takes the baby from the pelican, and…and…” Fuck. “Elle swallowed the baby. And it grew in her tummy.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

A valid question which still had no answer. “Well, the pelican that carried you…came a couple years too early. He gave you to me when I was still in high school.”

“You swallowed me?”

This kid would eventually need therapy. “No. The pelican got it wrong. He handed you to another girl at the time, but she wasn’t right for me. She wasn’t Elle. So, because I was so young, and we were close in age like brothers…the pelican came back. He decided that he would give you to Mom. And we worked it out that way. Had a lawyer and everything. Pelicans are very litigious.”

“What’s that?”

“Means they keep the paperwork in order. Ours was a very weird case.”

“Oh,” he said.

“Understand?”

“No.”

Neither did I. “That’s okay. The only thing you need to realize is how much we all love you. Mom, me, Elle, and Nicky? We’re all a family. A family means we’re gonna love you forever. It doesn’t matter who is a brother or who is a father, because our love is unconditional. Okay?”

The kid was exhausted. He nestled into the pillow. “Okay.”

“Don’t you worry about this. It doesn’t change anything.”

“Good. I don’t want anything to change.”

“Me too, little man.”

Mom knocked on the door. She and Elle returned, but Bast was about ready to sleep. A nurse came to check on him, but he grinned at Elle.

“You swallowed a pelican and got a baby in your belly,” he said.

Elle hesitated. “Okay. That’s one explanation.”

Bast drifted to sleep, and Elle pulled me from the room.

“Come on. You’re exhausted. Let’s go get you something to eat and check on Nicky.”

I left only once I was absolutely certain Bast was out and wouldn’t miss me. Elle took me to the elevator, but she kissed me the instant the doors closed.

“You are so that little boy’s father,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if he calls you Daddy or Lachlan. Don’t ever doubt it. He is lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have him.”

“What exactly did you tell him?”

“I don’t know, Red. Pelicans were involved.”

“Peli—” Elle knew not to argue. “It’s okay. He probably won’t remember much from today.”

“I don’t think he will.”

“If he doesn’t…”

“He’s gotta find out sometime. I’ll make sure he knows the truth.”

“Then I trust you,” she said. “You know what’s best for him, even if it’s confusing and painful.”

“Nothing’s painful about this family.” I brushed a hand through her hair. “Not Bast. Not Nick. Not you. I can’t imagine living without you guys. If the hardest thing in my life is reconciling how much I love my sons, then I’m doing something right.”

Elle kissed me, her smile sweet. “And that’s why I love you, Charming.”

“You also think I’m cute.”

“Yeah.” She leaned