Page 10 of Sweet Thing

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t run. Let’s talk about this.”

“I-I can’t. My husband just found out that she’s not his. He said I had to give her up and you know, Lars, I’m not ready to be a mom! She’s already ruined my figure, and Brad says he wants the woman he married back.”

Okay, that was a lot.

“Your husband is making you give up your child?”

“He’s not the bad guy here! But I have to choose, and he comes first.” She glared at me. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what? Like you’ve blown up my world? Like you went months without telling me I’m a dad? Like you’ve just dropped off a baby like an Uber Eats delivery? Like that?”

More tears. “Don’t shout at me! I’ve had too many people shouting at me lately!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” That I was the one apologizing pissed me off, but I could tell she was walking a razor’s edge. “Can we go back inside and talk about it? Or go get coffee somewhere?”

“Maybe in a couple of days.” She turned to a waiting cab.

Not only had this woman dumped a kid on me and already had her getaway planned, she hadn’t shown a drop of interest about where her child was this very moment. My sympathy dried on the spot.

“Vicki, you can’t do this.” Because I was having a hard time picking the primary reason from the million reasons whyshe couldn’t do this, I added weakly, “I don’t even have your number.”

“I left it with the bag. A few days, okay?” She opened the cab’s door and clambered inside.

Before she could shut it, I yelled, “At least tell me the kid’s name.”

“Mabel.”

And then she was gone.

I’m not sure how long I stood outside, but long enough to feel a chill that couldn’t be credited to the October weather. Had I ever considered fatherhood? Sure, every guy thinks on it occasionally, maybe more than that if you’re in a serious relationship with commitment and a future on the cards. But that wasn’t me. That was never likely to be me. With my geneticsandupbringing, I wouldn’t have dreamed of inflicting that on a kid.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and my first instinct was:Adeline. When I turned, Kershaw was standing there, his eyebrow raised in semi-permanent shock.

“What the fuck just happened, dude?”

Here was the thing about Theo Kershaw. He was almost a decade older than me, a family man, the definition of responsibility, and he still sounded like a bro. It didn’t make him an idiot, but he was one of the guys and I loved him for it.

“She said that kid is mine.”

Theo blew out a breath. “That’s mighty fucked up.”

“Yep.” I had no words beyond that terse reply. What came next? I prayed my teammate and good friend would have some ideas. The man was usually full of them.

“She just skedaddled? Are you going to see her again?”

“In a few days, she said. She’s married and she’s been lying to her husband about the paternity.”

“Aw, hell, that’s not good.”

“No, it is not. How do I even know that kid is mine?”

“Well, you don’t. Not yet, but that’s easy enough to verify.” He squeezed my shoulder. “First things first.”

I eyed him expectantly.Tell me all the things, Kershaw.

“There’s a baby in that bar that could be yours, so you have to step up and take care of her, friend. But know that you’re not alone.”

It sure felt like I was. But I trusted Kershaw to have my back.

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