Zip, Zero, Zilch
Page 21
“Does Andrew know?”
“No. Not yet, and I don’t want him to find out.”
“He’s going to be a father, and you don’t want him to know?”
She fidgets and I brace myself.
“Well, since the tabloids are already saying it’s yours, I thought maybe you could…just…not un-say it. Not quite yet. And I’ll get it taken care of.”
I shake my head firmly. “I am not going to be your baby-daddy. No way in hell. No fucking way. Absolutely not.” Okay, I probably could have just said no.
“Seriously, you’re not going to help me? You used to love me.”
No, I didn’t. I liked her, right up to the minute I found out she was fucking Andrew Tetra. “We broke up. You cheated.”
She jumps to her feet and puts her hands on her hips. “You asked me to marry you!” she cries.
“Fuck, no, I did not!” I get up and jam my crutches under my arms.
“Yes, you did! At the hospital, after your accident. I came to see you and you asked me to marry you.”
No, I didn’t. “You really need to stop smoking the crazy shit while you’re pregnant,” I tell her. I know she doesn’t get high but, right now, she’s acting like she just smoked a big one.
“That is not amusing.” She lays a hand over her belly. “You did ask me.” She lifts her nose in the air, sniffs, and stares me down.
I think back to my hospital stay. I remember seeing my brothers and their wives. And Peck. And that’s it. They told me afterward that Amanda was there, but I don’t even remember it. “I did not.” I point toward the door and hobble over to it, jerking it wide. “You should go.” I step back out of her way. “Out.”
“I’m not going to deny it when they ask me.” She stares me in the eye. “I just want you to know that.”
“I’ll deny it enough for both of us.” I point to the door again.
“Are you seriously going to do this to me?” She folds her arms beneath her breasts.
“I didn’t do anything to you,” I tell her. “Andrew did. Go see him.”
“I don’t want Andrew!” she cries.
Peck’s door opens and she stands in the opening, staring at the two of us. “Everything okay?” She taps her hand on the doorjamb.
“Mind your own business!” Amanda shrieks.
I stick a finger in my ear and wiggle it around. I didn’t know that decibel level existed. Hell, Logan, my deaf brother, could have heard that.
Peck glowers at her and points toward the door. “Need some help?”
“Bitch, just try it,” Amanda taunts.
Peck starts toward her, and I have to reach and grab her or there’s going to be a lot of hair-pulling and scratching. And I’m out of Band-Aids. I drop one of my crutches and hook my arm around Peck’s waist. “Whoa!” I shout. I pull her back and put my body between them. Peck pushes to get around me, and almost knocks me off my feet. “Would you stop it?” I hiss. “She’s pregnant. You can’t hit her.” No matter how much I want you to.
Peck freezes. “She’s p-p-pregnant?”
“Yes, I’m p-p-pregnant,” Amanda mocks.
“That’s enough. Get out,” I say. The words drop in the room like pebbles on a pond. I can almost see them ripple across the room toward her. They finally hit Amanda and she knows I’m serious. She turns on her heel and leaves. I slam the door behind her.
“She’s pregnant?” Peck whispers, her hand tapping the counter.
I nod. “I’m sorry she picked on your stutter.” I watch her face.
She slices a hand through the air. “I don’t give a shit.” I think I hear her say “about that,” but I’m not completely sure. “How far along is she?”
“I have no idea.”
She nods. “What are you going to do about it?”
I lay a hand on my chest. “I’m not going to do anything about it.”
She scowls. “Seriously?”
“It’s not mine.”
She freezes. I see a sudden glimmer in her eye. “Really?” She takes a deep breath.
“Really. That’s why she was here. She wanted me to pretend like it is so the father won’t know.”
“And you said no?”
I scoff. “Of course I said no. Do I look stupid?”
“Well…” She grins and it’s so damn cute that I want to kiss her. Right now.
“Amanda’s not being very smart about the whole thing.”
“If she were any dumber, you’d have to water her.”
I laugh. Because that shit’s funny. She grins, too. “What were you going to do to her? Before I pulled you back? Yank her hair? You could have broken a nail.”
She blows out a breath. “I grew up in foster care. I know how to slap a bitch and make it count.”
I grin. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“I didn’t. I came out to tell you…” She winces. “Never mind.”
“What?”
She looks into my eyes. “You did ask her to marry you. I was there. I heard you.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
I throw my hands up. “Why would I do that?”
“For the same reason you asked me, I’d guess.” Her cheeks redden.
“No. Not yet, and I don’t want him to find out.”
“He’s going to be a father, and you don’t want him to know?”
She fidgets and I brace myself.
“Well, since the tabloids are already saying it’s yours, I thought maybe you could…just…not un-say it. Not quite yet. And I’ll get it taken care of.”
I shake my head firmly. “I am not going to be your baby-daddy. No way in hell. No fucking way. Absolutely not.” Okay, I probably could have just said no.
“Seriously, you’re not going to help me? You used to love me.”
No, I didn’t. I liked her, right up to the minute I found out she was fucking Andrew Tetra. “We broke up. You cheated.”
She jumps to her feet and puts her hands on her hips. “You asked me to marry you!” she cries.
“Fuck, no, I did not!” I get up and jam my crutches under my arms.
“Yes, you did! At the hospital, after your accident. I came to see you and you asked me to marry you.”
No, I didn’t. “You really need to stop smoking the crazy shit while you’re pregnant,” I tell her. I know she doesn’t get high but, right now, she’s acting like she just smoked a big one.
“That is not amusing.” She lays a hand over her belly. “You did ask me.” She lifts her nose in the air, sniffs, and stares me down.
I think back to my hospital stay. I remember seeing my brothers and their wives. And Peck. And that’s it. They told me afterward that Amanda was there, but I don’t even remember it. “I did not.” I point toward the door and hobble over to it, jerking it wide. “You should go.” I step back out of her way. “Out.”
“I’m not going to deny it when they ask me.” She stares me in the eye. “I just want you to know that.”
“I’ll deny it enough for both of us.” I point to the door again.
“Are you seriously going to do this to me?” She folds her arms beneath her breasts.
“I didn’t do anything to you,” I tell her. “Andrew did. Go see him.”
“I don’t want Andrew!” she cries.
Peck’s door opens and she stands in the opening, staring at the two of us. “Everything okay?” She taps her hand on the doorjamb.
“Mind your own business!” Amanda shrieks.
I stick a finger in my ear and wiggle it around. I didn’t know that decibel level existed. Hell, Logan, my deaf brother, could have heard that.
Peck glowers at her and points toward the door. “Need some help?”
“Bitch, just try it,” Amanda taunts.
Peck starts toward her, and I have to reach and grab her or there’s going to be a lot of hair-pulling and scratching. And I’m out of Band-Aids. I drop one of my crutches and hook my arm around Peck’s waist. “Whoa!” I shout. I pull her back and put my body between them. Peck pushes to get around me, and almost knocks me off my feet. “Would you stop it?” I hiss. “She’s pregnant. You can’t hit her.” No matter how much I want you to.
Peck freezes. “She’s p-p-pregnant?”
“Yes, I’m p-p-pregnant,” Amanda mocks.
“That’s enough. Get out,” I say. The words drop in the room like pebbles on a pond. I can almost see them ripple across the room toward her. They finally hit Amanda and she knows I’m serious. She turns on her heel and leaves. I slam the door behind her.
“She’s pregnant?” Peck whispers, her hand tapping the counter.
I nod. “I’m sorry she picked on your stutter.” I watch her face.
She slices a hand through the air. “I don’t give a shit.” I think I hear her say “about that,” but I’m not completely sure. “How far along is she?”
“I have no idea.”
She nods. “What are you going to do about it?”
I lay a hand on my chest. “I’m not going to do anything about it.”
She scowls. “Seriously?”
“It’s not mine.”
She freezes. I see a sudden glimmer in her eye. “Really?” She takes a deep breath.
“Really. That’s why she was here. She wanted me to pretend like it is so the father won’t know.”
“And you said no?”
I scoff. “Of course I said no. Do I look stupid?”
“Well…” She grins and it’s so damn cute that I want to kiss her. Right now.
“Amanda’s not being very smart about the whole thing.”
“If she were any dumber, you’d have to water her.”
I laugh. Because that shit’s funny. She grins, too. “What were you going to do to her? Before I pulled you back? Yank her hair? You could have broken a nail.”
She blows out a breath. “I grew up in foster care. I know how to slap a bitch and make it count.”
I grin. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“I didn’t. I came out to tell you…” She winces. “Never mind.”
“What?”
She looks into my eyes. “You did ask her to marry you. I was there. I heard you.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
I throw my hands up. “Why would I do that?”
“For the same reason you asked me, I’d guess.” Her cheeks redden.
