Page 50 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad

I dug the heels of my hands into my eyeballs, willing all this to stop.

"Does she know how you feel?"

I made an attempt to roll my eyes except it made my stomach heave. "No. And it wouldn't matter if I did. She's totally, completely, one hundred percent off limits. And besides, she's clearly moved on. I initiated her into the pleasures of the flesh, and now she's off sharing herself with other men."

Dunk arched a brow. "You think she was a virgin?" Dawning came to his face. "It's that woman you met before Christmas, isn’t it?"

I tapped the end of my nose to let him know he’d guessed right.

"After one night, you fell head over heels for her?" His voice was incredulous.

"It wasn't one night. More like three or four. And no, I'm not head over heels." I didn't know what the fuck I was feeling, but it couldn't be that.

Dunk was quiet for a moment, and I was hoping that now that he knew my secret, or at least some of it, he’d leave me to suffer alone.

"If she was a virgin, how can you be sure you're not the father of her baby?"

"The timing. She says she's only six weeks along. But I was with her just before Christmas and—" I bit down on my tongue as I realized I was about to tell him about New Year's Eve.

Dunk was smart, and he might put two and two together and suspect it was Miranda.

"Well, I don't know a lot about women's bodies or pregnancy, but I do know that women, like men, aren't beyond telling mistruths. Maybe she just said that so you wouldn't think it was your baby."

His words sent the most interesting terror and hope through me. Had Miranda lied to Lindsay, knowing that Lindsay would tell me she was pregnant? That would mean Miranda didn’t want me to know about the baby. That pissed me off.

"I can see that you’re thinking it’s a possibility." Dunk was quiet again, and when I finally looked at him, he was studying his fidgeting hands, a sure sign that there was something he wanted to say or ask. He lifted his head. "Does this have anything to do with Lindsay's roommate, Miranda?"

"What the fuck, Dunk?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "As Lindsay's godfather, she and I are in contact a lot. So I know that she didn't make it to the cabin over Christmas, but her friend did. I also know how upset she was that her friend disappeared all of a sudden and that now, that friend is pregnant."

I could only stare at him. I probably looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

"Wow, Brett."

Rage erupted in me. "I don't want any lectures from you, Dunk. Just leave me the fuck alone." I winced as I realized those were the last words I'd said to Miranda.

Dunk rose from the couch, holding his hands out to his sides in surrender. "I'm not going to lecture you, Brett. You’re both consenting adults. But—"

"I said no lectures."

"But if you're the father of that girl's baby, you have to do the right thing. At least you have to find out the truth. Get a paternity test. And also, if you don't think Lindsay can figure this out, then you're dumber than the women you normally fuck."

I shot up from the couch, but the room began to spin and I ended up popping back down on my ass.

"Do yourself a favor and just stay there for the rest of the night. Take the water and pills. And with that, I leave you."

After the door shut behind him, I wallowed in my anger. I took the pills and downed the water and immediately began to think about getting more booze. But the more I sat, the more I stewed, the more I needed to see Miranda and find out the truth once and for all.

Somehow, I managed to pull out my phone and order a rideshare. It pulled up in front of my place just as I managed to get out of my house. I gave him the address, and when we arrived at Miranda’s father’s house, I told the driver to wait, offering him an extra hundred dollars if he did.

I made my way up toward the tired-looking house, wondering if Miranda was playing a game with me. I could be her ticket out of living paycheck to paycheck. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that didn't make sense because clearly, she was trying to hide her pregnancy. But booze and anger swirled and I decided to lead with the anger.

I pounded on the door. It was several minutes later before it opened. Miranda stood in front of me, wearing dark leggings and an oversized faded sweatshirt with her hair messily pulled back in a bun on her head. How was it that looking like this, she was more beautiful than Naomi?

"Brett?"

Remembering why I was there, I straightened, rising to my full height, wanting to look intimidating. "Are you a gold digger or just a fucking liar?”

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