Page 162 of Ink Me Three Times
And for once, there’s no ache in my chest. No doubt clawing at my ribs.
Only this deep, aching certainty that I am exactly where I belong.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Freddie
The door slamsopen before I even hear the truck. That’s Jesse for you, always making an entrance, always dragging the storm with him.
But of course, I know why today.
The very reason I’ve been avoiding my best friend.
Not something I can do forever in a small town like this, so it shouldn’t be a surprise… yet it is.
I’m elbows deep in some half-finished sketches when I look up and see him standing in the doorway, face red, eyes as if he’s been chewing on broken glass. And then he’s holding up a damn ultrasound photo high.
I feel my stomach drop to my shoes.
"Freddie," he spits, like the word’s a curse. "You’re gonna tell me the truth now, right? Are you the father? I have beenwaiting, trying to calm myself down, thinkingyouwould man up and come to me about this, but I can’t hold back any longer. You have to tell me.”
I push back from the counter, trying to keep my breathing steady. My hands are still shaking from the last couple of days, and now this… this unexpected confrontation.
"What the hell, Jesse?" I rub a hand through my hair, the words stuck in my throat. "I don’t know what to say…”
His jaw locks, and he takes a step forward, anger turning his face into a hard mask. "What do you mean you don’t know what to say? Does that mean youcouldbe the father? Because I got my sister a job with you to help you both out. Not so you could betray me by fucking her!”
Shit.
I’m caught in a mess of my own making. It’s not like I expected this to stay a secret. It’s not as if I thought I could get away with pretending everything was clean, neat, and tidy. But Jesse’s reaction? That’s a gut punch. I can already see the betrayal in his eyes.
This is my best friend.
Ihaveto tell him the truth. I mean, it can’t get any worse, can it? He’s going to find outeventually.
I just wish I’d been more prepared for this moment.
I take a breath, trying to stay calm. "You know what, Jesse? I’m not gonna lie to you. It could be me, it could be Mitchell, it could be Timothy. Hell, I don’t even think Ivy knows yet. I’m not about to stand here and pretend I’ve got all the answers. I don’t."
I watch as his face goes from red to white, like he’s been sucker punched in the stomach. His fist tightens around the ultrasound photo, crumpling it slightly. But I don’t look away.
“Allof you?” he gasps. “Youandthe twins? That is… fucked up. Is that why they were fighting the other day?” He rakes his fingers through his hair. "You all think this is some...game?"
I watch Jesse, a man who’s always been my rock, unravel in front of me. His fists are clenched, and I can see the anger radiating off him, pushing out any semblance of calm he might have had before he walked in here. His breath is sharp, coming in shallow gasps, he’s holding himself back from throwing a punch, either at me or himself.
The accusation stings. It cuts deeper than I want to admit.
He’s right. It is fucked up. Hell, I don’t even know how we got here, where everything started to blur into something too messy to untangle. But I’m not gonna lie to him. Not now. Not when everything’s already spilling out. It’s too late for secrets.
Jesse snaps, shaking his head, like he can’t even believe it’s come to this. "You’re all sleeping with her, there are babies involved, and now you’re just gonna leave her hanging like this? She’s not some... some fucking toy!"
Jesse starts to move toward the door. He’s done with this conversation, he’s not even hearing me anymore. But something snaps inside me. I can’t let him walk away thinking the worst of this.
"Jesse, wait." I step forward, my heart pounding in my chest, and suddenly I feel the weight of every word that’s coming next. "You need to understand something. This isn’t just about sleeping with her. It’s not like we’re each taking turns and it’s some... fucking game."
He stops dead in his tracks, and for the first time, maybe he’s actually listening.
I swallow hard, but I’m not backing down now. I can’t.
