Birth of a Baby Daddy

by Piper Rayne

  “You both stole the show.” She rises on her toes and kisses Calista’s forehead. “But I’m not sure you’re gonna be able to show her the carnival. She’s sound asleep.”

  “I left the stroller at Terra and Mare. Let’s go get it.”

  “Okay,” she says. We walk away from the rest of my siblings as they scatter to do whatever they want for the rest of the day now that their family obligation is over.

  We walk one block over to Terra and Mare, the grand opening sign with tomorrow’s date hanging below the awning.

  “Nervous?” she asks me as I dig my key out and hand it over to her.

  “Yeah.” That word is an understatement. I don’t think my restaurant is going to bomb, but can it sustain itself? I won’t have that answer for another six months.

  We walk in and I lower Calista into her stroller, strapping her in and reclining the back. We put the blanket stored in the bottom over top of her.

  “Come on. I have Founder’s Day to show you.”

  Harley opens the door and I push the stroller through.

  “Is it hard?” she asks on our way down the now desolate sidewalk since everyone’s down at the carnival or by the lake.

  “What?”

  “Being a Bailey in this town. You guys are like the most popular kids in this place.”

  I laugh. Being a Bailey has its perks. I’ve tested how far those perks could get me before being pushed back. But I regret that now that I’m older. It was wrong of me to take advantage.

  “After my parents died, it sucked, but that would’ve been the case if it happened to any family in this town. The mourning just never stopped. Every anniversary of their death the cemetery gets inundated with flowers. It was just one of those small-town nightmares that was felt so deeply it was hard to get over.”

  I’m trying to give her the polite answer. No one wants to hear how horrible it was during those first few years.

  “I don’t remember my parents. I was two when they gave up their rights. Well, my mom. I never knew my dad. There’s no name on my birth certificate. It’s hard to relate to you. I’ve never lost anyone I cared about, but that might be because I don’t have a lot of people I care about.”

  Her words slice me open fast and deep. Here she is divulging something so raw to me and I gave her some politically correct response about how my parents’ deaths affected this town.

  “I run.”

  “I hide,” she says.

  “As soon as I get close, I pull away.”

  “I bottle up.”

  “I disappear.”

  “I stay, but I’m not really invested. Anything’s better than being alone.”

  Well, shit, aren’t we a pair.

  We walk to the carnival, but I lead us to the path around the lake because the loud noises of the rides and the laughter will wake up Calista.

  “Being a Bailey in Lake Starlight can suck sometimes,” I answer honestly. “People used to have all these expectations. Like when Austin was in high school, they assumed he was going to go pro for baseball. Savannah would be president one day. Then my parents died, and everything just crashed. We all did, too.”

  She puts her hand on mine on top of the stroller.

  “I never thought I’d feel normal again. I did whatever I could to cause trouble to make sure this town would think I was a fuck up who didn’t deserve their sympathy. I was sick of their pitying eyes. I just rebelled.”

  “It’s understandable.”

  “Yeah well, my reputation in this town isn’t stellar.”

  “I think you’re wrong about that.” She bumps me with her shoulder.

  “Wait until you’re here longer.”

  We walk along the paved path on the lake’s edge and it’s nice to be alone with her. We’ve barely talked like this with one another.

  “Thank you,” she says after a couple minutes, breaking the silence.

  “For what?”

  “Everything. Welcoming Calista into your life when you have so much going on. Convincing your sister to let us move in with her. The bartending job. You’re a great man, Rome. That warning you’ve labeled yourself with isn’t working.” She smiles up at me and my gaze falls to her lips. I catch my neck bending, wanting to capture them, but my self-preservation kicks in right before I do.

  “I’ll disappoint you, I’m sure of it.”

  She shakes her head and stares up at me, placing her hand on the stroller and forcing me to stop. The sunset reflecting on her skin makes her look like a dream.

  “Don’t do that. Not with me. Okay? Be the man you are with Calista without any apologies. It’s okay to be a good guy and if people feel sorry because you lost your parents so young, let them. It just means they care about you.”

  I stare back at her. She really is amazing. How did I not see this that night? How was I only consumed by the curves of her tits and ass and not her kind spirit and mushy center under that hard exterior? Even after the rough life she’s had. A helluva lot rougher than mine. She never had parents to lose and that’s so much worse.

  “Okay,” I say, unsure what she expects me to say. “But you agree to do the same? Open yourself up for people to see you? This town might have its downfalls, but you can trust my family. That’s one thing I can guarantee, they’ll never disappoint you.”

  “And you?” She steps closer. “Will you disappoint me?”

  I blink a couple times and fixate on her teeth pressed down on her bottom lip.

  “I…” I should just kiss her and deal with consequences later. Maybe we can give Calista the all-American nuclear family.

  “Dada,” Calista mumbles, stirring under the blanket.

  “Saved by your daughter,” Harley says, moving away from me and picking up the blanket to reveal a smiling little girl.

  “Mama,” she says.

  Harley unbuckles her and pulls her from the stroller, bringing her to her chest. “Hey sweet girl,” she says, rocking her back and forth. “Look.” She turns around and Calista’s eyes widen.

  “Dada,” she coos but doesn’t try to leave her mommy. I don’t blame her. I’d love nothing more than to have my own head pressed up against Harley’s chest right now, too.

  “Carnival? Cotton Candy? Wee?” I ask my daughter.

  Her eyes grow bigger with each word. She starts kicking her feet to get down, but Harley carries her while I push the stroller back up toward the neon lights filling the sky of Lake Starlight as the sun descends.

  Thank God Calista woke up because I was about to do what Liam told me not to. I was going to jump with two feet into the deep end hoping Harley would jump in with me. But what if Liam’s right and I find myself swimming to shallow waters once she’s invested? I could ruin everything between us. She could uproot Calista and move back to Seattle.

  If I could trust myself, this whole situation would be a lot easier.

  Nineteen

  Harley

  Three weeks have passed, and I’ve started my class for massage therapy up in Anchorage. Dori was nice enough to let me borrow her Cadillac, though I catch Sheriff Miller double checking it’s me almost every time I cross city lines when I have class.

  Tonight, I work at Terra and Mare, which now has reservations booked for a month out. The bad part about that is, Calista and I have limited time with Rome. Luckily, it’s closed Sundays and Mondays, so we have those days. I mean, she does.

  I’m behind the bar, filling the drink orders for the early tables who are already seated when Rome steps out from the kitchen.

  He looks hot in anything he wears, but a chef’s coat is like game over, ovaries explode, heart eyes, wet panties. His name is embroidered on the top right and when he wears a bandana to keep his hair back, I want to beg him to lay me down on the bar top and take me right there.

  “How’s it going?” He casually leans along the back of the bar, looking out to his customers.

  “Good.” I place two wine glasses on the tray.

  The door opens
and a rush of air floats in. We both look up and my jaw drops as the hostess walks over to greet Shane. As in, my ex Shane.

  He’s in a suit with his tie undone and hanging around his neck. The jacket is wrinkled, and he has no luggage with him and, oh my God, what the hell is he doing here?

  “Give this guy a drink on the house, he looks like he’s run a marathon to get here.” Rome continues to lean on the counter, not noticing my freak out.

  “Um…”

  Shane and the hostess both turn in my direction and my heartbeat pounds as he smiles and approaches the bar.

  “Harley, hey,” he says.

  “Shane, what are you doing here?”

  “Shane?” Rome bolts up, crossing his arms across his chest, standing at attention like his drill sergeant just scolded him.

  “Can I talk to you?” Shane asks me.

  “I’m working,” I say.

  It’s been almost a month since I broke it off and we haven’t spoken. I can’t imagine why he’s here.

  “After work then. When do you get off?”

  “Um…” I glance back to Rome, whose eyes are on Shane. “Not until late.”

  “You can take your break,” Rome chimes in from behind me.

  Whose side is he on here?

  “I don’t have anyone to cover me,” I say, waving him off.

  “I’ll do it. Colin’s in the kitchen. He can handle it.”

  Why is he doing this?

  “Please Harley,” Shane pleads.

  I attempt to untie my apron, but the double knot grows tighter and I can’t loosen it. Rome comes up behind me, his strong chest inches away as his fingers work out the knot and graze my ass with every pull. I swallow down the saliva pooling in my mouth.

  “Take a seat at that table. I’ll be right there.” I point to a vacant table.

  Shane does as I say, turning to head over to the empty two-seaters.

  “You’re still with him?” Rome asks, his breath hot and heavy on my neck as he continues to fight with the knot.

  I never told him we broke up because it didn’t matter. Me breaking up with Shane had nothing to do with me and Rome.

  “No, we broke up almost a month ago.”

  His fingers slide the strings to get me out of the apron. They’re so close but so far away. I want them to explore me more than I want to breathe right now. His hands touch my hips, and I still. Is he feeling what I am right now? Is he ignoring the charged energy that’s constantly between us?

  “Go remind him that you’re staying in Lake Starlight,” he whispers, and a shiver runs along my spine.

  Then he steps back, crosses his arms and takes his usual casual stance along the back counter of the bar.

  I hesitate with each step but eventually slide into the chair across the table from Shane. He tries to take my hands, but I tuck them under the table.

  “I’m working,” I say.

  “I know. I’m sorry, but your boss seems cool.”

  This would be the time. The time to tell him that my boss is Rome, Calista’s father. But it’s not his business anymore.

  “I have five minutes. I can’t lose this job.”

  He nods. “You wouldn’t need the job if you’d just come home with me. I miss you. I miss Calista.”

  I glance over my shoulder to see Rome’s gaze steady on us.

  “I told you, I’m staying here. It’s important to me that Calista get to know her dad. He has a really big family and they all love her.”

  “So, you’re sacrificing the love you could have with me for her?” he asks.

  “No. But I would. In a heartbeat. I like it here and you know the way I grew up, it’s important that Calista has family surrounding her.”

  “I can be her family. Miranda told me you barely talk to her anymore.”

  “That’s not true. Obviously she’s the one who told you where I work, so…”

  I’ve caught Shane in lies before. Stupid little ones. Like he had reservations for us somewhere, but they fell through. Or that he knew some big wig before they were a big deal. When in reality they might have gone to the same school but were never in the same circle. He likes to impress people.

  “Well she said you’ve been too busy to talk much,” he amends.

  “I had to enroll in school. Get my transcripts sent over. Transfer all Calista’s medical records over. I started this job…” He leans back, unbuttoning another button on his shirt like it’s stifling hot in here. “It’s been almost four weeks since we broke up now. You’re just now missing us?”

  Something doesn’t add up here.

  “I had a big case. You know how they consume me and everything outside of the case disappears.”

  I do know. I realize now that it’s probably what made us work because I got a break from him. As soon as he’d start smothering me, something would come up at work and I’d get some relief. Which always made me feel guilty, but Shane could suffocate an affectionate puppy. Which isn’t a bad quality, but I’m not a new puppy filled with hope for an attachment. I’m the five-year-old dog that’s bounced from shelter to shelter.

  “Well, I still stand by what I said. I’m staying here which means it’s just not going to work out between us. There’s no hard feelings—” I stop when he slides out the chair and lands on bended knee beside the table digging through his pocket. “What are you doing?” Then it dawns on me. “Get up, Shane,” I whisper-shout.

  “What I should’ve done before you left to come up here. I had it all planned, but then that case landed on my desk.”

  I look around. The ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ are already starting. I can’t even look at Rome in this moment. I wonder what he’s feeling right now. He’s probably worried I’m going to accept and take Calista to Seattle.

  The better question is why do I want to look at him and see jealousy in his eyes? I shouldn’t hope for that reaction and since I doubt that’s what I would find anyway, I concentrate on the man in front of me. The man who obviously cannot take no for an answer.

  “Get up, Shane.”

  “Harley, I think we have something special here. I should have sealed this deal before I let you fly away. Will you marry me?” He opens up the box and inside rests the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen in person. It’s a large pear shape solitaire with small diamonds along the band. It’s beautiful but not at all my taste. Just another confirmation that this isn’t right.

  I finally find the nerve inside of me to look to the bar, but it’s empty and my heart cracks a little.

  What was I expecting?

  My mind works in overdrive, sorting through all of my internal struggles. I swore I wasn’t going to fall for him. It could be disastrous for Calista. Ruin everything we’re building. This co-parenting thing has been smooth, and the transition was easy. So why does my heart decide to slide in and take over? Why does it think it gets a say in this?

  You don’t, I think.

  I’m going with my brain this time around.

  “Har,” Shane says, and I look down realizing he’s still on bended knee.

  Shit.

  I sit up in the chair, taking the box from him and shutting it. “I can’t.”

  “You won’t.” He takes it off the table and tucks it back into his pocket while I ignore the blatant stares from the nearby tables.

  “Yes. I won’t.”

  “Why?” His face is red, and he takes his seat back across the table from me.

  “Because I don’t love you and you don’t love me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do and if you think really hard about it, you do, too. I think you’re probably more upset about losing in general than losing me specifically.”

  He blows out a breath. “You have no idea how good you’d have had it. I loved your daughter like my own. I was willing to give you a life, one like you’ve never had before. You’d never have to worry about money. You’d have anything you wanted.”

  Anger replaces my guilt for not acc
epting. “I don’t need a sugar daddy.”

  He stands from the table, his eyes narrowed and I’m guessing he’s going to try to cut me with his words again. I’m familiar with the look. The one of shock and surprise when I don’t want what they’re offering me. It reminds me of my foster dad at fourteen when he tried to sneak into my bedroom and told me that if I made him happy, he’d take me to the mall the next day. Yeah, I reported him the next day instead of going to school. What did I have to lose? I was used to bouncing between homes.

  “Have a nice life in this shithole town. Don’t come crawling back when you realize how big you screwed up here tonight.” He shakes his head at me like I’m an idiot then huffs and leaves.

  The sweep of fresh air that floats in after his departure feels nice.

  I sit in the chair, staring out the window for a second, absorbing what just happened. I spot Juno who hops on Colton’s back on the sidewalk, the two of them playfully messing around. They’re cute together, but I thought they were just friends?

  “Harley.” Rome’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn to face him.

  “Hey. Sorry, I’ll get back to work now.” I press my palms on the table to get up from the chair.

  “Not yet.” Rome falls to bended knee next to me. “I have no ring, but marry me instead,” he says.

  My ass falls onto the hard, wooden chair with an oomph. This time the ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ are louder.

  Of course, a Bailey just proposed. That’s big news in Lake Starlight, even if the Bailey in question is delusional.

  Twenty

  Rome

  She leans over the edge of the table and whisper-hisses, “What are you doing?”

  “Marry me. Forget him and marry me. Stay here in Lake Starlight. I know I can’t offer you what he can—the money, the big house, and I don’t even have a ring.” I shake my head. “But I’ll be good to you and Calista and I’ll make you laugh every day you’re with me. Even if it’s just me making a fool of myself.”