Page 103 of Anti-Hero

“You going out tonight?”

“Nah.”

“Lili asked if I was at Proof with you last night. Unless you snuck out after telling me you were going to bed at eleven …”

I say nothing.

“I covered for you. Said you went with Flynn.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

“So, you ready to tell me what the hell is going on with you?”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. Deliberating. If I’m going to tell someone, my brother is my best option. He’s not my boss, like Dad. He’s not connected to Collins, like Lili. He won’t get emotional, like Mom.

“I got a girl pregnant.”

It’s a sick relief to finally say the truth aloud, like pressing on a bruise. A painful release.

Bash laughs once, settling deeper into the chair. “Ha. Good one. Okay, I’m invested. What’sreallygoing on?”

“I’m fucking serious, Bash. Thatiswhat’s going on.”

The broad smile slides right off my little brother’s face.

Wordlessly, he stands and strides over to the bar cart in the corner. He fills a crystal tumbler with my favorite single-malt scotch—almost to the brim—then returns to his seat and downs a healthy amount.

“Don’t overreact,” I warn.

He makes an incredulous sound in the back of his throat between sips. “She’s keeping it?”

I nod. “She’s due May 18.”

“May 18.” Bash whistles, long and low. “Holy fuck. Who knows?”

“She told her family. You’re the first person I’ve told.”

He downs more scotch, inhaling it like oxygen.

Unease swims through my bloodstream. IfBashis reacting like this …

“Mom and Dad are gonna freak out,” he tells me. “You’re twenty-three.”

I shrug. “So? Mom was twenty-five when she had Lili. What difference does two years make?”

“Mom and Dad were also married.”

“A piece of paper doesn’t make you a better parent,” I snap.

Bash sets down his drink and holds up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. I’m just saying, that’s what other people are going to say.”

“Well, don’t.”

He crosses his ankles, studying me speculatively. “Is it the blonde from the elevator earlier? Was ‘special lady friend’ some kind of weird code between you guys?”

“No, it’s not Sadie.”

Silence.

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