Mister Big Stuff: A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel

by Parker, Weston

  Allison folded her arms and stuck out her hip. “Hold on a minute. The only reason I got back with him was because you up and ran off to the Air Force again and didn’t even bother to call me and say goodbye.”

  I threw my hands up in frustration. “You’re the one who kept spouting off about friendship the whole time we were together at the dance. If I had known you wanted me for more, I’d have asked you to wait for me!”

  “I can’t believe you,” she said. “You’re the one who said you loved me and then left!”

  “Yeah, because you didn’t say it back.” It had been the worst slap in the face. To say it and hope she’d say it back, only to be disappointed when she closed her eyes and stayed silent.

  “I was scared. I was graduating, and you were already enlisted.”

  “Fuck that. It’s in the past.” I wanted to focus on the future, and all I cared about at that moment was if that little girl belonged to the two of us. “What I want to know is, how long after I left was it before you found out you were pregnant?”

  I was in her face now and demanding answers like I had a right. I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her until we melded into one being. But I had to know the answer.

  “You need to leave,” she said. “I can’t believe you’d come here and make this kind of accusation.”

  “It’s not an accusation. I just need to know. How long was it? I’m not leaving until you answer me.” I took her arm to pull her close, but she pushed me away, then turned and walked into the house. She left me standing there in the fucking yard like the asshole I felt like.

  As I went to get in the car, Sierra ran out, and Allison was on her heels, but only to pull her back.

  “Don’t leave, David! Mama, why’s he leaving?” She covered her little face with her hands, and my fucking heart broke into a million pieces.

  Allison pulled her back into the house as I turned out of the driveway and headed home. I punched my dash and shook out my hand. I wasn’t trying to fight with Allison, and I had not wanted things to end that way. Fuck! I’d been a fool. I should have used more tact, but instead, I’d gone total fucking caveman on her. Like she didn’t get enough of that shit from Doug.

  I’d have to make it right, but for now, before I made it worse, I’d just keep driving. Things couldn’t have been any worse if I’d punched Doug in the teeth, and I wished I had.

  Chapter 24

  Allison

  I wiped my eyes at the bathroom mirror and tried to compose myself before going back out to talk to my mother.

  “Your father is tucking Sierra in for a nap. She was so upset he left and said she hates Doug for ruining her life.” She naturally would blame her father, and I wouldn’t be able to defend him since he had started the drama that led to David leaving. Not that he deserved to be defended.

  “She’ll be okay,” my mother said.

  “I’m not so sure. She loves David, and he’s always been so good to her. I shouldn’t have lashed out at him, but I can’t believe what happened.”

  “You didn’t want to see him attack Sierra’s father. It’s perfectly natural.”

  “What? No.” I realized my mother hadn’t seen or heard what went down, and I debated on saying anything.

  “Then what happened?” She took some of the dishes from the drying rack and put them away.

  I was unable to think of a good excuse, so I knew the truth was the way to go, even if it shed a bad light on me for my previous actions. “He had the nerve to suggest Sierra is his daughter.”

  My mother’s eyes widened. “Allison! Is that possible?”

  I knew my mother didn’t want to think that I’d slept around, or that it was possible I wouldn’t be positive who Sierra’s father was, but then, who tells their mother about their sex lives at eighteen?

  “We were together prom night.” She gave me a scolding glare. “Oh, please, Mom. What were you doing with Dad on prom night?”

  Her face turned red, but she held out her hand as if to calm me down. “Allison, that’s right around the time you conceived Sierra! He’s not being unreasonable. Have you ever considered it?”

  “I had my cycle the week after, and I wasn’t late until I’d been with Doug.” There was no way. I would have known.

  “You can’t go by that. Did the two of you use protection?” It seemed my mother was hopeful.

  I let out a sigh and plopped down into my chair. “No, we never have.”

  “Never have?” My mother crossed her arms and leaned against the counter.

  “Newsflash, Mom. We’ve been together a few times. He was my first love. Who else was I going to give my firsts to?”

  Before my mother could react, the doorbell rang. “Maybe it’s him.”

  “If it is, tell him to go away. I’m too shaken up to deal with him.” A moment later, I heard Katrina’s voice and let out a sigh of relief.

  “Hey, did I come at a bad time?” Katrina looked around like a bomb was about to go off.

  “No, and yes,” I said. “It’s never a bad time for you, but you did miss all of the excitement.”

  “That’s me. The story of my life, starring Katrina Maxwell. You can watch it for free.” She hung her bag on the chair next to me and sat down. “So, tell me!”

  “Doug showed up to give Sierra her bag, and David was here.”

  “Did they get in a fight? Please don’t tell me I missed the chance to see Doug bleeding.”

  “No, they didn’t. Doug actually threw a punch, but David pulled some military move on him, caught his fist and twisted it around behind his back. It brought him to his knees, which was really nice.”

  “So, what’s with the gloomy face, and where’s Sierra?” Katrina glanced around to the living room and shrugged. “Did she go with her dad?”

  “No. David lashed out at me. Said Doug was an asshole and wanted to know if Sierra was his daughter and I just kept it a secret from him.”

  “I told you! Oh man!” She looked to my mother, who took out a few plates and brought them to the table. “I told her he was the father.”

  “Mom’s kind of the last to know about prom night.”

  “Don’t tell your father,” she mumbled as she sliced the pumpkin pie and served us each a slice. “It will upset him, and he really thinks the world of David.”

  “Who just snapped my head off and accused me of knowing Sierra was his. Like I’d choose Doug over him.”

  “You already did in a way, I suppose.” Katrina sliced through her pie and took a bite. “Mmm. This is so good. Thanks, Mrs. B.”

  Mom gave her a half-hearted smile and took her own bite. “You need to get a test done, Allison. I guess we should have a long time ago.”

  “I was with Doug two weeks after David went back to the Air Force. I had my period. I had no symptoms. With Doug, I knew right away. It was like a week later, and I was already starting to get sick. It has to be his.”

  Mom let out a sigh. “Sounds to me like you were already pregnant when you were with Doug.”

  Katrina nodded in agreement, still shoving her face with pie.

  “I just can’t believe it,” I said.

  “If I had known all of this, you’d have gotten a test done,” my mother said. “I should have been a better mother and known something was off. Then you wouldn’t have gotten mixed up with that asshole.”

  I’d never heard my mother say ugly words, but her frustration was apparent. Katrina glanced at me and then looked down at her plate.

  “How could I be so stupid? How come the doctors didn’t say something? Don’t they know these things?” This couldn’t all be on me.

  “No, because it’s not an exact thing. Each woman carries their children differently. Did you tell the doctor you’d been with multiple people?”

  “Jesus, Mom. It was David and then Doug, not both of them and a roomful of men. I didn’t think it was David’s, so I didn’t mention it. We went off the date we thought I conceived with Doug and
that was that.”

  “Sierra was born a week early. You could have carried her longer than term, most women do on their first babies.” She looked up and met my eyes. “Get a test.”

  “I will, Mom.”

  Katrina picked at her crust. “What are you going to do if it’s his?”

  “I don’t know. He’s so mad at me. I didn’t expect him to lash out that way.”

  “He must see himself in her. It’s the eyes.” Katrina reached out and touched my hand, squeezing it. “He probably just feels like he missed out. I’m sure he’s just upset in general, not mad at you.”

  “He has missed out. If she’s his, he’s missed six years. Not only her birth but her first steps, her first tooth, crawling, bottles, diapers. I think of all the time Doug wouldn’t help me with her, but I know if David had been around, he would have. He would have been there for her first Christmas and birthday; all of them. He would have read her bedtime stories and spoiled her rotten.” I shook my head and scrubbed my face.

  Mom cleared her throat and got up to get a glass of cider. “I think what you need to worry about is the legal ramifications. Doug could sue you. He’s been an asshole, sure, but he’s paid child support. He married you, supported you. You could say all because of the baby. You two wouldn’t have ended up together otherwise, and you know it.”

  I hadn’t thought of that, but I wouldn’t put it past Doug to do something so dirty.

  Katrina’s mouth hung open with shock. “Do you think he’d do that?”

  “If her father is a DeVant, you can bet your sweet ass he’d do it.” My mom had a point. Being a DeVant would impact things in a big way. To us, the DeVants were just the people across the street, but to the rest of New York City and across the world, they were money.

  “David would take care of her,” I said.

  “He’d take care of you both,” Mom said. “He’s in love with you. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you.”

  “You didn’t see how upset he was. This is unforgivable.”

  Katrina held up her finger. “You didn’t do it on purpose, Allison. If you’ve even done it at all. You can’t be sure until you take that test, and then if he’s the dad, you’ll deal with it. I bet he’ll marry you, and you’ll be a perfect little family.” She seemed so sure of it, but I wasn’t.

  “Even if he doesn’t want to be with me, he’ll want to see Sierra. I’ll have to share her with him and send her off with him like I do now with Doug.”

  “At least you’d know she’s in better hands,” my mother said. “It makes me cringe to see her going off with Doug. And the more she grows and looks like her mother, the resentment will grow, too.”

  “That’s already happening. She was upset the other day because Cindy and her father said something about my looks; that I was ugly. And since she’s always hearing how much she looks like me and is like me, she put the two together.”

  I hadn’t told my mother the details, but she knew it had gotten worse.

  “I hope David is her father,” she said. “You’ll both be better off.”

  “I’m not so sure. What if he resents the time lost and takes her from me?”

  “No court would do that,” my mother said. “You know David wouldn’t. But I tell you what she would have. Missy would be her aunt, and she’d have a nice little family with cousins and a father who cares about her and her mother. That one has always loved you.”

  I knew she was right. I needed to talk to David, but I needed to think some more and figure out how to tell him that he might be right and to apologize to him for not thinking it possible sooner. I had to let him know that I would have preferred him to Doug and to the life I’d had with him. Surely, he couldn’t feel like I’d have rather had all the pain and misery over him.

  Katrina finished up her pie, and we chatted for a little while longer. My father had gone down to his chair sometime during our conversation and left Sierra upstairs in my bed to take her nap. Tired from a long, emotional day, I went upstairs to lay beside her, and when I walked into the room and saw her lying there, the covers pulled up to her little chin, where one little hand rested, and the other was high above her head stretched across the pillow, I couldn’t help but see the resemblance. Her deep, soulful eyes, though lidded, where the exact color and shape of David’s. The soft, roundness of her cheeks was pure DeVant, as well as her ears. How could I have not seen them before? They must have been glaringly obvious to David, and it was no wonder he’d gotten emotional. Seeing firsthand how Doug had no regard for Sierra, it was human instinct to be protective of your child, and even your child’s mother.

  The minute Sierra met him, she was in love. She’d taken to him, perhaps by sheer instinct, and the two of them were already joined at the hip. I had to wonder if that’s why he’d been so quick to agree to Career Day. He’d wanted to get to know her, probably having his suspicions all along.

  I’d thought the bond had formed quickly because of David’s charm, but now, I knew it had to be more.

  I climbed into bed with her and tucked her close against me. She rested her hand on my arm. “Is it time to trim the tree, Mama?” she asked with sleepy eyes, eyes that were so much like David’s when she was tired that I knew exactly what the test would say.

  “Not yet. Let’s rest a little longer.”

  Without another word, she snuggled closer and put her little hand on my arm. I didn’t know how I was going to tell her, but I knew it wouldn’t be anytime soon, not until after the test confirmed things. Despite Doug being a hard person for me to deal with, he had been good to Sierra in many ways, and many children, no matter how many troubles they had with their real fathers, still loved them, deep down. Sierra wasn’t capable of true hate.

  Either way, with all of this going down, my little girl would be affected, and it was all my fault.

  Chapter 25

  David

  Waking up alone hadn’t been my plan, and I’d known the day before that I wanted to end up with Allison in my bed. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off, but I’d hoped to work it out somehow. But then, Doug had shown up, and things had gone to shit really fast.

  Now my aching cock had no one else to give it release, and since I was pissed off at myself for being such a dick to Allison, I wasn’t going to do myself any favors. Self-deprivation was a bit extreme, but I deserved it.

  I got out of bed and decided to head over to Missy’s house, hoping to find at least a slice of pie left that my brother hadn’t eaten, and see if she’d gotten him back to the facility.

  I was shocked to see him still there when he answered the door. “What are you doing here?” I looked around to see the twins on the floor with a game of Candy Land.

  “I’m currently stuck in the Molasses Swamp.” He patted my back and then walked over to lay on the floor beside Tiffany.

  “Hi, Uncle David!” The twins spoke in unison.

  Blaine smiled. “Yeah, it was late, and so Missy called the center to see if I could spend the night. She’ll bring me back tomorrow. It’s good to have some time with the girls, you know?”

  I knew how much fun the kids were, and it only reminded me of Sierra. “Yeah, I know. They’re pretty amazing, huh?”

  We exchanged a smile, and I headed over to the kitchen to find an entire pie that was untouched. I wasn’t sure if I should cut it or not.

  “I see you found your pie.” Missy came into the room, still wearing her bathrobe with her hair bunched up in a towel. “I thought I heard someone. How are you?”

  “Did you say this entire pie is mine?”

  She nodded. “Yes. The whole thing.”

  “Then I’m doing better than I was a minute ago.” I grabbed a fork and turned to see Missy holding out a can of whipped cream. “You’re the absolute best sister a guy could have.”

  “I know. You’d both do well to remember that. That’s Mrs. Beall’s recipe. Mom’s was too complicated.”

  I avoided a response by shaking th
e can and applying it to the top of my pie.

  “So, how’d dinner go?” she asked. “Did you have turkey or ham? Did you tell Allison you’re crazy for her?”

  “No, but I did show her I’m a total hotheaded, crazy man.”

  “What does that mean? Did you two have a fight?” She gave me a narrowed glare and let out a sigh like I’d just screwed up everything. “What did you do?”

  “I might have suggested that I thought that Sierra might be my child.”

  “What? And you think this, why? Because you had a good time at Career Day? Jesus, David.” She took the towel off her head and let her damp hair fall to her shoulders.

  “The timeline makes sense, and I’m not just saying it to hurt anyone. I can’t help but feel it in my bones. Every time the kid looks at me, it’s like my own eyes are looking back at me.”

  Missy’s expression turned thoughtful. “I didn’t want to suggest anything the other day, but I kind of saw the resemblance, too. She reminds me a lot of Blaine when he was younger, but the eye color. You’re the only person I know who has that dark shade of blue eyes.”

  “I know. That was my clue. But I should have been more tactful and used a freaking softer touch when I brought it up. I practically snapped Allison’s head off, and I was a bit too accusing.”

  “You think she knew?” Missy put her hands on her hips, and I could tell she wasn’t going to be happy with Allison if that were the case.

  “No, I don’t think that at all. Doug Simon is a real jackass, and no one would put up with his bullshit unless they thought they had to.”

  “So, what did she say?”

  “She told me to leave.” I pushed the pie away and scrubbed my face with my palms. “I hate that she’s mad at me.”

  “If her past is any indication, she’s over it already. You should call her.”

  “Not yet. I don’t know what to say, but I’m not giving up until I get proof. She wouldn’t tell me how long it was before she found out she was pregnant.”

  “If my memory serves me right, it was still June that year. I’d gone over to borrow Mrs. Beall’s tea server set for a party I was throwing. The thing was gorgeous, and I’ve tried to find one like it, but it’s impossible. But anyway, that was for my friend, Sarah’s, bridal shower, and her wedding was August first. The shower was in June. Late June.”