Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Sitting on this park bench had, in fact, done nothing to clear my head. Instead, my mind was working overtime.
My eyes wandered over to a little boy chasing some pigeons. His dad was only a few steps behind, smiling from ear to ear as his giggling son had the time of his life.
Would that be me in four years?
The hardest part was not knowing. I couldn’t acclimate to the idea of becoming a father because I was afraid when I managed to get used to it, the truth would rip the rug out from under me. I had to prepare for both the best and worst-case scenarios at the same time.
The little boy I’d been watching suddenly tripped and fell. My stomach dropped. He’d been running so fast and not paying attention to where he was going. I stood up instinctively, wanting to help him, but his dad seemed to have everything covered. Sitting back down, I watched as his father bent to comfort him, checking the kid’s legs for cuts and bruises, kissing his knee. Life for that little boy had gone from joyous to painful in a millisecond. But his tears eventually stopped, and the next thing I knew, he had a smile on his face again as he and his dad walked away hand in hand. I decided maybe the guy had offered to take his son for ice cream to make everything better. At least, that might’ve been what I would’ve done. Would I spoil my kid? He? She?
It might not be yours, Owen.
Snap out of it.
Man, could I relate to that little kid who fell. In two minutes, he’d gone from laughing to crying to smiling again. That felt like me lately. But ups and downs were a part of life; all you could control was whether you stayed down or got up and brushed yourself off. I guess I was at the same point now as that little kid when he fell flat on his face. It was up to me what to do next.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.
It was Billie.
That’s odd. She normally doesn’t call me.
“Hey, Billie. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah…just, um…calling to see how you’re doing.” She paused. “I had lunch with Devyn yesterday, and she ended up telling me about the pregnancy.”
My mouth fell open. “Exactly how much do you know?”
“I know it might not be yours.”
“Wow. Okay. I’m surprised she said anything. I didn’t think—”
“She wasn’t planning to, but she got pretty emotional, and it sort of came out.” She paused. “Don’t worry. I haven’t told Colby or anyone else and don’t plan to.”
Phew. Because if Colby knew, the other guys would inevitably find out.
“How are you holding up?” she asked.
Billie wasn’t someone to beat around the bush.
“Not good.” I sighed. “I’m like an oscillating fan. My brain keeps moving from side to side—one second I’m angry and jealous that she could be carrying some other guy’s baby, and the next, I’m hoping it could be mine.” I stared over at an old woman peeling an orange on the bench across from me. “But I’m also scared, Billie. Because I don’t know shit about babies, and I’m not ready for this. On the other hand, I’m also not ready to lose Devyn.” I stared up at the sky. “It’s just…a lot.”
“You have every right to be confused and scared, Owen. It’s not an easy situation. I mainly called because I wanted to let you know I’m here if you want to talk. Like I said, I won’t say anything to Colby until you and Devyn tell me to. It’s not my news to share. I assume you might want to wait until you know whether it’s yours.”
The idea of having to tell the guys Devyn was pregnant with someone else’s baby made me nauseous. Fucking Brayden would continue to try to guess who “the actor” was. And I’d want to punch him.
“Thank you, Billie. I appreciate your discretion, and I have no idea when I plan to tell anyone. I haven’t thought it through. I’m trying to grasp the magnitude of this myself before I begin letting other people’s opinions in on the matter.”
“I hear you.” She sighed. “Life is funny, Owen. We don’t always know why certain things happen. Sometimes you have to go along for the ride and see where it leads.”
I shut my eyes for a moment. “How was she—Devyn—at lunch? You said she was emotional?”
“She’s stressed to the max. She feels terrible for putting you in this position.”
I shook my head. “She shouldn’t. It takes two to tango. This is as much my responsibility as it is hers.” An urgency to see her grew in my chest. “I’m glad you called. I’ve been trying to give her space, but now that I know she opened up to you, I feel better.”