Page 17 of Keeping Promises

Ireturn to the town house to find my brother now in the kitchen. Thankfully, Lexi’s car is still gone. I can’t face her right now. There is no way she didn’t know. How could she keep this from me? How could she keep this from Ben? I know he wasn’t lying when he said she told him that they didn’t know who the father was.

If I’ve learned one thing about Hadley, Lexi, and Brynn, it’s that they have no secrets between them. Now knowing it was the night at the wine bar, the jaded looks make a lot more sense.

“Where have you been?” Ben asks when I sulk into the barstool at the counter but ignore his question. “Asher?”

When I finally find the strength to look at him, my eyes are laced with tears.

“I, uh.” There’s no point in trying to hide it anymore. Ben knows that she is pregnant; it’s only a matter of time or, well, months before he figures out that I’m the dad. Is this baby going to look like me when it’s born? Won’t that be a dead giveaway? I can already hear his disappointment in my head after hearing him talk about how the father wasn’t in the picture. “I went to see Hadley.”

Ben places his hands on the island and stares at me. “Why would you go—” His brows scrunch as he searches my face, and I observe him and wait for the moment he puts the puzzle pieces together.

In three… two… one…

Ben pinches the bridge of his nose before blowing out a long breath. “Asher,” he warns.

I hang my head in my hands. I can hear his words ringing in my head that my actions would catch up to me one day. It looks like that day is today, or really the night of the engagement party when I got Hadley pregnant.

Ben groans as he exhales a loud breath. I glance up to find his arms stretched out in front of him and his head down, similar to a cat stretching. “Did I not tell you last year that Lexi’s friends were off-limits? Seriously, Ash, what the fuck.”

I open and close my mouth several times while I try to find the words to say. I bite my tongue to keep from retorting that he, of all people, should know that sometimes promises are meant to be ruined, but that may just fuel his anger.

“And you seriously weren’t going to be involved in your child’s life? I know I raised you better than that. I knowDad and Momraised you better than that.” My parents died when I was only ten; I know he doesn’t mean it, but his words cut deep. They didn’t teach me much about what to expect when I’m a father, but I know what he is trying to say. And it’s true.

“I didn’t fucking know, Ben. I didn’t know.” My voice catches. Before I have a chance to continue, the garage door chimes, followed by footsteps up the stairs.

“Baby, Brynn just about killed me in Pilates, and I’d love for you to work my muscles with your—” Lexi stops talking, adjusts her top that she was in the process of taking off, and freezes in the entryway to the kitchen.

“Oh, Asher, hi.” Her cheeks redden, and if it wasn’t an already awkward situation, I might have laughed and cracked a joke or two.

Her eyes bounce back and forth between Ben and me. His eyes are full of rage; I’m unsure whether it’s at me or the situation in general. At the same time, mine sport anger, hurt, confusion, just about any and every emotion I could possibly feel in this moment.

“Oh fuck,” she mumbles, breaking the silence of the room.

“Ya think?” I sarcastically ask. “Did you know?”

When Lexi doesn’t answer, I slap my hand on the counter, causing her to jump and yell again, this time louder. “Did you know?”

She nods shyly, the complete opposite of the woman who was ready to fuck my brother in this very kitchen just moments ago.

“I need to hear you say it,” I growl.

“Of course I knew it. I was there when she took the tests.”

“How could you keep this from me?”

“Asher, don’t yell at my fiancée.”

She smiles softly at him. “Thank you, Ben.”

Ben holds up his hand to stop her from talking further. “Oh no, I’m pissed at you, too. You lied to my face; you both did.” I assume he is referring to Hadley and her, or maybe me, since I said that I would stay away from her friends.Who the hell knows anymore?“But he’s not allowed to talk to you like that.” Her shoulders slump, and she heavily sighs.

“We said no secrets. You and I are supposed to be a team, Lex. Why did you keep that from me, too? You made me believe it was nothing more than a one-night stand, that the father didn’t want to be involved when in reality he lives under my roof and shares my DNA.” Hurt crosses his features.

Lexi begins to close the distance between them. She cups his cheek. “Baby, it wasn’t my story to tell.” She turns to me, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Hadley asked me not to tell you. That she would figure out a way to tell you.”

“Yeah, well, a lot of good that did me. What if Ben hadn’t slipped up about it and I put two and two together. She would have, what exactly—not told me until she shows up with a baby on her hip that looks just like me?”

A small giggle leaves her lips, and she quickly covers her mouth with her palm.

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