Page 39 of Summer Nights

Shep sighed. "I want Dad to give me more responsibility."

"You want to manage a project?" I asked him.

"I think I can do it, but Dad seems to think I need a babysitter."

Dad needed me to keep Shep in check. "You think he should give you a chance?"

"Yeah, if he asks you about it, can you put in a good word?"

"Shep—" I couldn't even say how many times he'd come into work late or left early. He'd get distracted and not stay on task.

"I'm going to prove to everyone that I can handle it."

"Shep—" I sighed as he stalked out of the room. He was pissed at me, which wasn't new. I was usually honest with him. And I wanted him to do better, be more responsible.

I was screwing up with everyone it seemed. I'd knocked Ivy up when she wasn't ready to be a mother. And now, I was telling Shep he wasn't good enough for more responsibility at work.

I wasn't sure how to fix things with either of them.

I needed to talk to someone, and there was only one person I trusted. Hudson. As the eldest brother, he was the one I went to for advice, especially now that Marshall was gone most of the time.

I texted him to see if he wanted to hang out after work. He was quick to invite me to dinner. I hoped we'd get a chance to talk alone. I wasn't sure if Elena knew I was the father. Ivy was so private; I had a feeling she didn't even tell her. Probably giving me an out if I didn't want to be involved. But Ivy was going to find out I was a lot harder to run off than that.

I had no intentions of giving this baby up. Or Ivy, for that matter.

I ran home to shower before heading over to Hudson's place. The lack of communication with Ivy was starting to drive me a little crazy. If I didn't hear from her by tomorrow, I'd text or stop by to see how she was doing.

I rang the doorbell, and Elena opened it. "Cooper, it's so good to see you." She enveloped me in a hug.

"Thanks for having me over."

"That was Hudson, but you're always welcome here."

I stepped inside, seeing how much Elena had put her touch on the place without officially moving in with my brother yet. She'd hung family photos in the foyer, and there were extra throw pillows and blankets on the couch.

"Hudson is outside at the grill if you wanted to talk to him."

"I do, actually. Thank you."

She returned to the kitchen, and I didn't get the impression she knew anything about me being Ivy's baby's father. Outside, Hudson stood by the grill. "You wanted to talk about something?"

I rolled my shoulders back as I joined him. "You probably already know."

He frowned. "Know what?"

I sighed. "Ivy's pregnant."

He arched a brow and stilled. "Wow."

"Elena knows about the pregnancy, so I assumed she told you."

"We tell each other a lot, but if Ivy told her to keep it quiet, she'd respect that." Hudson glanced over at me. "I'm surprised that Ivy is pregnant though."

"Yeah, she's always been so independent."

He turned his attention back to the grill. "Do we know who the dad is?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm the dad. But don't say anything. Ivy wants to keep the baby a secret, and probably me too."

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