still haven’t told Ellie about her, have you?” Ben asked.
“No.”
“Damn it, bro,” Frankie scowled. “We told you—”
“I know what you fucking told me. It just wasn’t ever the right time.”
“No.” Ben pointed at me. “You should have done it at the beginning. We warned you, and now look. And you’re sure it’s yours?”
“It has to be according to the timeline she gave me.”
“You weren’t using protection?” Frankie asked.
“We always used a condom, but there was one night we didn’t. I had been drinking—”
“Hi guys.” Ellie smiled as she walked over.
“Hi, Ellie,” Frankie signed and gave her a hug.
“You look beautiful.” Ben grinned as he hugged her.
“Thanks. What are you three talking about?” She placed her arm around my waist.
“How amazing this yacht is!” Frankie exclaimed.
I dropped Ellie off at her apartment after we got back from the Hamptons. As much as I wanted to be with her, I also needed to be alone to think. So, I used some bullshit excuse about having to go home and do some work for a meeting tomorrow. She understood and that’s what I loved about her. She never questioned me, and I felt like a bastard for lying to her. What the hell was I going to do? How was I going to tell her that my ex-fiancée whom I was still with when we met was now pregnant with my child?
Chapter 20
Henry
I’d sent Addison a text message asking her to come over because I needed to talk to her. I was home about a half hour when I heard the ding of the elevator and she stepped into the foyer.
“What is so urgent?” she asked as walked into the living room and set her purse down.
“You need to sit down.”
“Okay… You’re freaking me out,” she said as she took a seat on the couch.
“Kirsten is pregnant,” I blurted out.
“WHAT?!” She instantly stood up.
“I’m fucked, Addison. Totally fucked.”
“No. No way. You can’t trust her, Henry. Are you positive that kid is yours?”
“As far as I know. She never would have cheated on me.”
Addison placed her hand on her forehead and sat back down.
“Why the hell weren’t you using protection?” she asked.
“It was one night. The night of her parent’s anniversary party. I’d drank too much because I didn’t even want to go. When we got back to my place, I reached in my nightstand for the condoms, and they weren’t there which I thought was weird because I’d just bought a new box. She said it didn’t matter and it was safe. I was drunk and tired, so I didn’t even give it a second thought. I am so fucking stupid.”
“Have you told Ellie?”
“No. Ellie knows nothing about Kirsten period.”
“Oh my God. You never told her? Henry.”
“Don’t, Addison. I already got the third degree from Ben and Frankie. This ruins everything. My relationship with Ellie, my life. I don’t know what to do,” I said as I sat down next to her and placed my face in my hands.
She reached over and hooked her arm around me.
“You may think this ruins everything, but you can’t look at it like that because it doesn’t have to. Ellie is an amazing person and she’ll understand. Just because Kirsten is pregnant doesn’t mean shit. It only means you’re going to be a father. It’s not like you’re getting back together with her because of this. Right, Henry?”
“God no. Absolutely not.” I turned my head and looked at her.
“Okay then. You’ll still have your relationship with Ellie and you’ll be a part time father. Millions of guys do it. Once you sit Ellie down and explain everything, including the idiotic reason why you never told her about Kirsten in the first place, she’ll forgive you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. She loves you and you made a mistake. We’re all human, big brother. We all make mistakes.”
The next morning, as I was sitting at my desk, my phone rang, and my father was calling.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Hello, son. I need you to do me a favor and bring over the Hudson files this afternoon. I want to take a closer look at them.”
“Why?” I asked in confusion for that deal was already in progress.
“Because it’s my company, and I want to look at the damn files. Be here around one o’clock.”
“Okay. I’ll bring them.”
Sighing, I threw my phone down on my desk. I couldn’t concentrate on anything because my mind was nothing but a clusterfuck. It felt like my life had exploded and I had no idea how to put