spreads to Eve, she’ll go straight to them first.”
Keegan sighed. “I was hopin’ to wait until we saw the sonogram. Figured we could give the details. You know Mom’s gonna ask.”
Yes, she would. She would want to know the expected due date, the sex of the baby. All that good stuff. Just thinking about it had Kaden’s chest warming. They were having a baby with Bristol. It was probably stupid, but the idea of it made him hopeful.
“We have to go talk to her,” Kaden decided.
“Then what’re we waitin’ for?”
Twenty minutes later, Kaden pulled his truck into Bristol’s driveway directly behind Keegan’s. Bristol was still driving it because they hadn’t gotten around to fixing her car yet, although the parts had come in midweek. It was on his list of things to do, but he’d been caught up in other things this week. Like work, renovations, his overwhelming thoughts about their shaky relationship with Bristol. He’d procrastinated because he knew her car gave him an excuse to talk to her if it came down to it.
Kaden hoped like hell it didn’t come to that.
He wasted no time getting out of the truck, heading for her porch. Keegan stared up at the burned-out light bulb while Kaden knocked on the door.
“I just changed that,” Keegan muttered. “I think she’s got a loose wire.”
Probably. The entire house needed work.
When he heard the deadbolt unlock, Kaden took a single step back, waited until Bristol opened the door.
He didn’t give her a chance to greet them or to send them away before he said, “Can we come in?”
She looked like she’d been crying, but he pretended not to notice, walking inside when she gave them room.
“Were you asleep?” Keegan asked, closing the door behind him.
Kaden wasn’t normally rude, but right now, he wasn’t interested in making small talk. He was still trying to pick himself up off the floor after she’d blasted him with her phone call.
“Why do you think someone’s spreadin’ the news about the baby?” Kaden asked, turning to face her.
Bristol was fidgeting with the hem of her oversized sweatshirt. “Bianca told me. She came over. She’s really mad at me.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “Not that I blame her. I didn’t tell her because I wasn’t ready to deal with it. Once she knows, it makes it more real.”
“You understand it’s real regardless of who knows.”
“Yes,” she said sharply. “Of course I know that.”
Well, the tears dried up fast.
Planting his hands on his hips, Kaden faced off with her. “What exactly do you want from us?”
Confusion wrinkled her forehead. “What do you mean?”
“Are we in a relationship? Or is this just sex for you?”
“You know what?” Keegan cleared his throat. “While y’all hash this out, I’m gonna get another light bulb.”
Kaden never took his eyes off Bristol, ignoring his brother as he made a beeline for the kitchen.
“It’s not just sex, Kaden. I don’t operate that way. That’s your MO.”
Ah. So she was insecure about them. Made sense. But he knew that was only part of the problem.
“Not since you,” he told her.
“Right.”
Now she was accusing him of what? Messing around with other women?
“I get that you’re insecure, but Bristol, there’s no reason for that.” He took a step toward her. “We’re committed, have been all along.”
“You have, maybe,” she said, her eyes cutting to the kitchen. “But you can’t claim we on that one. We were all there that night.”
Yes, they were. And he was well aware of what happened.
“That’s in the past.” And it needed to stay there.
“And what if I can’t get over it?”
Kaden stared at her, shocked by that statement. “You’ve seemed pretty damn over it up to this point.” Taking another step closer, he kept his eyes on hers. “Or was that your way of placating us?”
Her eyebrows lowered.
“What were you gonna do? Keep up the ruse until the baby was born?”
“It wasn’t a ruse,” she said softly, her head tilting back to maintain eye contact.
“A distraction, then?”
“No.”
He closed the remaining distance between them, leaned his head toward hers.
“Then let’s quit playin’ this game, Bristol. It’s time to move forward. To deal with the future. Move in with us.”
Bristol’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open. “What?”
“I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But that’s not news to you, is it?”
She didn’t answer, so he continued, “Do you love us, Bristol?”
“Kaden…”
Pulling back, he met her gaze.
It was in those light blue eyes that he saw both confusion and remorse.