by G. Bailey
I shake my head and look down at the note, the address is for a house in Escrickwell. I quickly Google the address on my phone and find it's only twenty minutes away. There aren’t many pictures of the village online and it looks like a sleepy village with a large road going through it.
"I guess I'm going to Escrickwell." I say and Liz nods.
"Do you want me to come with you?" She asks me with a worried expression.
"No, not this time. This is something I need to do alone," I say and she hugs me briefly.
"Here are my keys. I will get a cab," she says and presses her keys into my hand.
"You don't have to," I get out and she shakes her head.
"I do and I will have chocolate, Chinese food and hugs waiting for you in case this goes bad. I will also be keeping a copy of that address, just in case I need to go and kick this guy’s firm butt," she says making me laugh.
"It was firm," I say and she chuckles.
"Good luck, El," she says and pulls me into a bigger hug. I break away and raise my head.
I can do this. I need to do this for my baby and well, because it's the right thing to do.
I glance down at the note in my hand.
I need to find Andre Courture.
Chapter Four
Ellie
Liz's old Kia Picanto was not designed for the old country roads I have to drive down as I follow Google maps to Andre's address. I forgot how bad the roads can get outside the city, some of them are alright, but these are not.
The roads just keep getting smaller until I pull into what I think is the main part of the village. There are several shops and a small garage I spot as I drive through the village. I think the house is on the outskirts, which in some ways is a good thing. If he kicks me out, at least there will be no one around to hear the nasty words I have planned for him. The downside is that there is no one around if Andre goes mad. I finally find the house I'm looking for and I turn off my phone. It has its own driveway and it is the largest house on the street. The red brick walls match the others on the street but with a garage separated from the house at the side. The house has two white pillars by the white front door.
Overall it looks like my babies’ father has money and a lot of it. I bet he won't even remember me and I was one of literally dozens of one- night- stands.
The urge to turn around and run fills me but I pull the keys out of the car. It takes me a few times to unclip my seat belt with shaky hands.
"I can do this," I mumble to myself as I open my door and get out of the car. There's a similar house on the other side of the road but everything is quiet. I don’t think there is anyone around and all I can hear is the sound of birds chirping. I really didn't think about it but he might be at work, it is a Friday. I glance my phone to see it's only one in the afternoon.
I'm going to have a long wait if he isn't in.
I smooth down my jeans and pull my cream coat closer around myself. It's bloody cold today and I can feel my cheeks going red.
I feel way too much sickness in my throat as I walk up to the front door. How crazy was I to think I didn't need Liz here? What the hell am I going to say?
I try to think what Liz would do if she was here, I bet she would knock the door loudly and just walk in if no one answered. If it was locked she would try all the neighbors until she found someone with a spare key. I bet she could convince some random stranger to give her the key, as well.
I stop outside the massive white door. It looms over me and makes me feel like running back into my car and never coming back.
I have to do this.
I take a deep breath and knock on the door a few times. The minutes before I hear a key turning feel like the longest of my life.
The door is pulled open and the first thing I see is a naked man’s chest.
Holy ducks, this guy is hot.
"Wow, you- you’re hot," I stutter out, and his laugh draws my eyes up from his chest. Did I really just call a stranger hot instead of saying hello?
The man has messy brown hair and black glasses. He is just wearing a black dressing gown that is spilt down the middle so I can see his chest and his bare legs.
I think I woke him up.
"Not that I mind a gorgeous girl waking me up but can I help you?" The man asks once he stops laughing. I force myself to close my mouth from the gaping and answer him.
"I-I need to see Andre." I manage to get out. My god, I have seen hot guys before but this one is something else. But, Andre was something else as well. I remember his toned chest and the tattoos that he had all over it.
"He isn't in, who are you?" The man asks as he crosses his arms and glares at me. I can't say I'm not intimated because I really, really am.
"My name is Ellie," I say.
"Well Ellie, Andre didn't mention you. So, unless it's important, I think you should leave," he says and goes to shut the door.
"I'm pregnant!" I shout just as he shuts the door. The door is quickly pulled open and the man is stood watching me closely.
I don't move or say another word as his mouth opens and closes a few times.
He looks completely speechless as his eyes widen.
"It's Andre's?" He asks me and I nod. The man stares at me for well over a minute and then steps back, holding the door open wider.
"You best come in then, Ellie,"
Chapter Five
Ellie
"Would you like a drink?" The man says as he closes the front door behind me. The room is wide for an entrance hall, with square- shaped wooden stairs and two double wooden doors on each side. There is little character or personality in the room, brown walls and light wooden floors. The stairs have cream carpet but that is all there is to see. There are piles of men's shoes in the corner by the door. There are dozens of them and they look like have just been kicked over there. I want to ask if I should take my shoes off but I decide against it. Andre could take one look at me in his house and kick me out, thinking I’m some kind of crazy one- night- stand that has managed to find his home. I can’t even say I’m not any of those things, who knew the second guy I ever slept with I could manage to get pregnant from? That’s just my luck.
"Yes, I would. What's your name?" I ask the man who smiles slightly at me as he runs his hands though his hair. The man is very tall, much taller than my five-seven height. I have to angle my head up a little to catch his brown eyes. How can Andre happen to live with someone just as hot as he is?
"Maybe we should leave the talk until Andre gets back. He only went to the store," he says.
"Holy ducks, that is not fair. You know my name and that I'm pregnant. Shouldn't I know yours?" I ask and his lips twitch a little.
“Holy ducks?” he asks with a small smile, a smile that shows off the dimples he has. My god, this man is hard to look away from, I’m sure he has been the star of a lot of women’s dreams. I’m sure he will star in a few of mine, too.
“Oh, you know how autocorrect on phones changes fuck to duck?” I ask him because this is never going to make sense if he doesn’t know that. I’m a little relieved when he nods and I continue.
“Well it kept doing it every time I wrote holy fucks, and somewhere along the line I just started letting it say holy ducks. Then I started saying it out loud. It’s just an ongoing thing now,” I say and blush a little when I realize how crazy that sounds.
The man just opens and closes his mouth, he looks speechless again.
“Well that’s two things you have said since we met, that I don’t know how to respond to,” he says, reminding me that I talk too much. I’m making a big mess of this.
“I’m sorry…I just,” I get out as I look down at the floor and he steps closer, so close that I can see his bare feet. Even his feet look attractive, how is that fair?
I blink when I feel his warm finger lift my chin up until I’m staring into his brown eyes behind his glasses. Now that we are closer I can see how dark they are, they bounce off his dark brown hair.
"You never need to say sorry to me, especially not for making me speechless. I'm Dominic Gagne, but you can call me Dom." He says and this time he leaves me speechless as he lets go. I watch as he walks over and opens the doors to the right.
"This is the kitchen, help yourself to anything you’d like, while I go and put some clothes on." He says making my eyes dip to the amount of skin he is showing. How could I forget that? I pull my eyes up and say,
"Sorry if I woke you up."
"No problem," he smiles as he looks me over and clears his throat. I watch as he walks past me and runs up the stairs. I walk into the kitchen which is modern and fitted with black and white units. There is a large breakfast table in the middle with six stools placed around it. Again, there isn’t anything personal, nothing other than a few bills on the counter and a basket of fruit. There is a large coffee maker, one of those expensive ones you can add shots too. I pull myself into a seat just as I hear the sound of a door opening.
A man walks into the kitchen, a man I have never seen and stops dead in his tracks as he sees me.
"Whoa, didn't expect to see you there, little missy," the man says with a slight Welsh accent coming through his words.
The man is extremely good looking with a large chest dipping into a small toned waist. He can only be a bit taller than me I would guess. He has a ton of wavy blonde hair that gelled to the side to show off his green eyes. The man has on a tight grey shirt and jeans that show me how impressive his body is. Whereas Dom looked a little older than me, I would guess this guy is around my age. So, Andre lives with not one but two hot guys? Where did he find his roommates?
TotalHottiesForRoomates.com?
"Hi," I wave and he smiles as he cocks his head to the side. The man has a freshly shaven jaw and its clear he looks after himself from the clean clear skin he has. The man has tanned skin as well, its fake or he spends a lot of time away from here. You don’t get a tan like his in York.
"Not that you're not welcome, because you really, really are," he stops as he looks me over and then grins.
"Women are not allowed in the house, it's the only rule we have. So, who are you?" He asks as he leans against the door frame.
"I'm here to see Andre, and Dom let me in," I say and his eyes widen slightly before he recovers quickly.
"He let you call him Dom?" He asks and I nod.
"Bloody hell, that’s impressive," the man says and takes a few steps closer to me. What is with him and Dom standing so close? Why do they both have look far more attractive up close as well? I can see this man has a thin line of freckles over his nose and cheeks that is really cute. He has a slight scar near his left eyebrow but other than that he has a perfect face.
"What's your name, little missy?" He asks me slowly as his eyes run all over my face. I don’t know what he is looking for but his expression seems to soften at what he finds.
"It's Ellie," Dom says in a sharp voice behind the man, and he turns to look at him. His hand brushes mine before he takes a step away.
"So, you let a girl in here?" The man asks, his voice has a note of humor in it.
"Long story but you’re going to want to stay around to hear it," Dom pats the man on the shoulder as he walks to the fridge. I watch as he gets out a bottle of water, holding the fridge open as he looks inside. I can’t look away as he opens the bottle, as his shoulder holds the fridge door open, and he drinks a long gulp. Dom’s eyes meet mine as he lowers the bottle. The little drops of water on his lips just make him look more attractive. I seriously must be going mad if I’m thinking little drops of water on some guy’s lips are attractive. I’m blaming it on the hormones.
"Whatever, dude," the man says snapping my attention away from Dom, who is staring at me. The man takes the seat right next to me, close enough that his thigh is pressed against mine. There are five seats to choose from and he picks the only one that means he can be close to me.
"I'm Kaiden," the man says as he stares at me. The name suits him; I don’t know why exactly but it sounds playful which is exactly what I think Kaiden is like. I really like his green eyes, I’m such an eye girl when it comes to men. My ex-husband had blue ones, they looked like ice and he was just as cold in his heart. It just a shame I had to waste so long with him before I figured that out. No, Kaiden’s eyes are bright yet deep, they make you want to sink into them. The sound of Dom shutting the fridge makes me look away from Kaiden’s deep green eyes.
"Nice to meet you," I say but I don't look at him. I keep forgetting the reason I’m here, and it’s not to drool over my baby’s father’s roommates. I’m sure he will stop wanting to be near me when he hears I’m pregnant and his roommate is the father. That’s a turn off for anyone, right?
No, I have to accept that I have to put my baby first now. No more dating until I have a job and a place to live. Not that I’m in any league with these guys. I still have no idea why someone who looked like Andre would even look my way.
"So why are you looking for Andre?" Kaiden asks me as I move my leg away from his. I can’t be touching him as I tell him this. His eyes narrow on my leg but he thankfully doesn’t say anything about me moving away.
"Because I'm pregnant with his baby," I say and a loud bang makes me jump and look behind me.
Andre is stood there, his jaw tight and bags of shopping are all over the floor.
Whoops.
That is not how I wanted to tell him and his shocked face tells me this was not a good idea. Holy ducks, I knew I should have sent him a letter.
Chapter Six
Ellie
"You're pregnant?" Andre asks. I’m a little taken aback that he looks amazing, like the first time we met. Andre’s short blonde hair is slightly spiky and his fringe hangs over his forehead a little. My cheeks blush as I look over his massive body, remembering our night together. The black shirt he is wearing shows off his tattooed arms and I know the tattoos meet in the middle of his firm chest. I also know he has a cross tattoo right the middle of his chest and I have spent many nights dreaming about our night together. The black jeans are tight in the right places and do nothing to make me forget what he looks like with no clothes on. I don’t think I could ever forget that night if I tried.
"Yes," I say and he still just stands there. The angry look he gives me is a little worrying but I keep my eyes connected with his blue ones. They watch me closely, until he pulls his gaze away and looks over my body. I don’t dare look at anyone else in the room as we all wait for his reaction. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous before, okay, maybe the time I told my ex-husband that I was kicking him out was worrying. Even then it wasn’t this bad, this makes me want to pee myself. Okay, maybe that’s because I’m pregnant and peeing all the time is apparently the thing to do.
"Fucking hell," he finally pants out and links his hands behind his head as he looks up at the ceiling. The room is silent for a long time and I end up looking down at my hands in my lap. Why do I have the feeling he is going to flip out?
I guess it’s not every day your one-night- stand turns up and says she is pregnant. We don’t even know each other.
"Didn't you use protection? I thought you were smarter than this shit," Dom says behind me. I manage to swallow the hurt and just let my anger out. How dare he? This is nothing to do with him. When Andre doesn’t say a word, I stand up off the stool. When I turn to glare at him, he seems a little shocked. Like it’s normal to be so rude to people you don’t know.
"This shit?" I say and he has the decency to at least wince at me.
“Ellie,” Andre says my name gently behind me but I’m too angry to stop my rant from spilling out.
"We did use protection but it clearly didn't work. You know what?” Dom goes to say something but I interrupt him.
“I have no idea why I'm telling you this, I only came to tell Andre. Not all his rude friends," I say. Dom gives me another speechless look and I turn to look at Andre who is smiling a little at me as he moves his eyes between Dom and m
e.
“This is a shock, but I’m happy to see you again,” Andre finally says.
“I’m sorry to just turn up like this, but I had planned a nice way to tell you. I didn’t expect to have you overhear me telling your roommates,” I say and he nods as he runs a hand over his jaw. It is slightly unshaven and I notice he has a large silver ring on his finger. Thankfully not his wedding finger, that would have been weird. I wonder if he has a girlfriend? It has been three months since we slept together and even if I was never with anyone else, he could have been.
"You ran out," he says and I blush a little. When I woke up the hotel room after our long night, it was to hear Andre in the shower. I didn’t know what to do so I left before he came out. I thought it would be easier and less, I don’t know, awkward. As much as we had a good night, I thought it would be easier to avoid the fake smiles and fake ‘we should do this again sometime’ that Liz told me usually happens after a one-night stand.
"Not exactly, you were in the shower and I walked out." I say and he laughs. I guess I’m glad he finds it funny. Andre has a really deep laugh that matches his deep voice. I find myself thinking what our baby will look like. Will our baby have my brown hair or his blonde? Boy or girl? My brown eyes or his warm blue ones?
I never wanted children with my ex-husband. I know he wanted them and asked me all the time but I just couldn’t have a child with someone like him. I knew I would be alone, as he worked all hours and I knew there would be a chance my baby could be as cruel as he was.
Except now I’m in a worse position, with no house, no job and only a little money. I don’t know anything about Andre other than he is good in bed.
That’s not going to help me bring up a child.
"Are you keeping my baby?" He asks, all the laughter has gone and he is deadly serious now. The pressure of his gaze is a lot to handle and I’m sure I am shaking as I answer him,
"Yes, and I get it if you don't want to be involved. I’m not expecting anything from you but every child deserves to know who their father is. So, if you don’t want to be involved, I would want a photo or something to show the baby one day, that’s all I want," I say and he shakes his head as he steps over the shopping bags and stops in front of me.
