Page 6 of The Forbidden Sitter
“I have a two-year-old son. His name is Braiden Michael.” I got up and walked over to the minifridge to grab myself a bottle of something with alcohol in it. Picking out a bottle of beer, I tossed it to Brad then got myselfone.
Brad just looked at his without opening it. “You know it’s like nine in the morning,right?”
Twisting the metal top off the bottle, I nodded. “And your point is?” I looked at him with no expression at all on myface.
With a shrug, he opened his bottle and took a swig. “So day-drinking it is, then.” He went back to sit in his chair, looking as if he was as lost in thought as I was. “Who’s themother?”
“A redhead from a strip club who I don’t remember in the slightest. If DNA hadn’t confirmed the evidence, I wouldn’t believeit.”
“So, what?” he asked, taking a long pull of the cold brew. “She hitting you hard for custody andcash?”
“No,actually.”
I made my way to the sofa. I needed to lie down for a minute. Let my body catch up to my scattered mind. “I’m takinghim.”
“What?” Brad spun around in the chair to face me as I plopped down on the overstuffed black leather. “You can’t just take him away from his mother,Gannon!”
Pressing my forehead to the cold beer, I shook my head. “She doesn’t want him. She was going to give the kid away if I didn’t take him.” I looked over athim.
Brad’s face went from stunned to horrified. “Shewhat?”
“She’s a real bitch, Brad. Like the meanest woman I’ve ever met. And somehow, I don’t know how—I don’t know what got into me about three years ago—but I fucked her without using a condom, apparently.” More beer went down my throat as I tried to drown the anxieties that were bubbling up inside of me. “Brad, I need help. Like permanent help,dude.”
“Do you really not remember sleeping with thiswoman?”
“Not at all.” I jerked my head toward the paper on the desk. “But I had a DNA test done, and the boy is definitelymine.”
Brad walked over to the desk and picked up the paper, staring at it as he spoke. “Well, at least you did the smart thing and had that done, instead of taking this woman’s word for it. So whatnow?”
I took another chug, “As soon as my lawyer calls to let me know the documents I need are ready, I’ll go get him.” I closed my eyes. “Brad, what am I going to do? I don’t know the first thing about raising a kid. I don’t know how to take care of one. Like what do two-year-olds eat? Drink? Do? Can they bathe themselves? Can they dress themselves? Cause I don’t know how to do that forhim.”
“You need a nanny,Gannon.”
“And fast,” I agreed. I put the bottle to my lips but found it was empty. “Fuck!”
Brad reached out, taking the bottle away from me. “Fathers don’t day drink. I don’t think they do, anyway. Not the first day they’re meeting theirkid.”
“I met him already,” I informed him. “A few days back. She treated him like a dog toy. He was a really nice little boy, Brad. Quiet. Calm. Friendly. No tantrums or anything. But … he wasn’t my son, then. Oh, and he can’t talk, she says. Can’t two-year-olds, I don’t know, babble orsomething?”
He shrugged. “No idea, man. None whatsoever. But if you make me a promise, I think I can help youout.”
I cracked an eye and watched as he hauled up a chair and sat down beside me. “Yeah?How?”
“You have to mean what you promise me, Gannon. I’m dead serious about this. Lethallyserious.”
“Anything.” I sat up and rubbed the back of my neck. “What do I have topromise?”
His light blond brows scrunched together. “You remember my babysister?”
I knew of her in passing, even though we’d never met. “Yeah?
“She’sin her second year of college, majoring in early childhood development. She was just asking me about possible jobs she could take to pay bills and practice what she’s learning in theory, since the school won’t let them handle actual small humans yet. She’d jump at the chance to take care of this kid foryou.”
My eyes popped.“Brad, that would befantast—”
“Hold on there, Gannon.” He leaned in close, eyes flashing. “If I do this for you, I don’t want you to so much as lay one finger onEmily.”
I started to protest, and he cut me off. “Because if you do, then I’ll have to reach into your chest.” He pounded his fist on my chest just once. “And I will pull your beating heart out and feast on the fucking thing. You got me,bro?”
