From Best Friend to Daddy

by Jules Bennett

  He crossed the room and took her shoulders, forcing her to face him. “What the hell are you talking about? Is this because I asked you to marry me?”

  Her eyes swam with unshed tears and he wished like hell he knew why she was this upset.

  “Do you love me, Gray?”

  “What?” Her question stunned him. “Of course I love you. I’ve loved you since the seventh grade. What kind of a question is that?”

  She blinked, causing a tear to spill down her cheek. He swiped the pad of his thumb over her creamy skin. His heart ached at seeing her hurt, but hell if he knew how to fix this.

  “It’s a legitimate question, considering you proposed,” she said, her voice soft, sad. “This isn’t working for me anymore.”

  Kate shrugged from his arms and stepped back. She tilted her chin and squared her shoulders as if going into warrior mode before his eyes.

  “You want freedom?” she asked. “Then go. Take that fat check, sell the bar and just go.”

  “What the hell are you so angry about?” he asked...well, more like yelled, because damn it, he could not figure her out.

  “I never thought you’d use me or consider me plan B for your life.” She swatted at another tear that streaked down her cheek. “You’re only asking me to marry you to pacify your father. That man would do anything for you and he’s all you have left. Do you know how lucky you are? Do you understand that if I had a parent in my life, I’d do anything to make them proud of me?”

  Now he was pissed. Gray fisted his hands at his sides and towered over her as he took a step forward. “You think my father isn’t proud of me? Of what I’ve done here? You know I’m sorry about your parents, but damn it, Kate, you can’t always throw that in my face.”

  She recoiled as if he’d hit her. Gray muttered a string of curses beneath his breath as he raked a hand through his hair.

  “That’s not what I meant,” he said.

  She held up her hands. “You said exactly what you meant. We don’t see eye to eye on things anymore. Just another reason why I need to go and this...all of it has to stop.”

  His heart clenched. “What do you mean, ‘all of it’?”

  “I knew we couldn’t keep our friendship and sex separate,” she cried. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she didn’t even bother swiping them away. “Then you throw out an engagement like it’s a simple fix to your problems. Did you ever think that maybe I’d want to marry someone who actually loves me? That I don’t just want to settle?”

  “I said I loved you,” he practically shouted. “What more do you want?”

  The brief smile that flashed amid the tears nearly gutted him. Pain radiated from her and if he knew what he’d done to crush her, he’d fix it.

  “You don’t mean it,” she whispered. “Not in the way I need you to.”

  A rumble of thunder and a quick flash of lightning interrupted the tense moment. Within seconds, rain pelted the windows. Kate stared at him another second before she turned away and headed toward the door. Gray had a sinking feeling that if she walked out that door, she might never come back...not even as his friend.

  “Don’t go, Kate. Not like this.”

  She stilled, but didn’t face him.

  “We can work this out.”

  “I think we’ve said enough,” she replied.

  He took a step toward her, but didn’t reach for her like he desperately wanted to. “At least let me drive you home. You’re upset and it’s starting to storm.”

  Those bright blue eyes shining with tears peered over her shoulder. “I’d rather take my chances with the storm outside than the one surrounding us.”

  And then she was gone.

  Gray stared at the spot where she’d just stood, then he glanced to the empty glasses, the rumpled sheets.

  What the hell had just happened here?

  Well, there was the proposal that had taken them both by surprise. But in his defense, the moment the words were out of his mouth, he hadn’t regretted them.

  He did love her. They’d been friends forever, so what kind of question was that? And what did she mean by saying he didn’t love her the way she needed him to? He’d always been there for her, hadn’t he?

  Gray turned from the bedroom. He couldn’t stay in there, not when the sheets smelled like her, not when just the sight of that bed had him recalling how perfect she’d looked lying there.

  He stalked down the hall and into the living room. The storm grew closer as the thunder and lightning hit simultaneously. The electricity flickered once, twice, then went out.

  Perfect. Pitch black to match his mood.

  Gray went to the window and looked down into the parking lot beside the bar. Kate’s car still sat there.

  Without thinking, he fumbled his way through the dark to throw on a pair of jeans, not bothering with shoes. He raced down the back steps and out the rear entrance.

  Instantly he was soaked, but he didn’t care. If Kate was still here, she was sitting in her car, upset. He knew that as well as he knew his name.

  He tapped on the driver’s window. Kate started the car and slid the window down a sliver.

  “Get out of the storm,” she yelled.

  “I will when I know you’re all right.”

  The damn street lights were out so he couldn’t see her face, but he saw enough shimmer in her eyes to know she wasn’t fine, not at all.

  “You’re soaked. Go inside, Gray. We’re done.”

  He jerked open her door, propping one arm up on the car, and leaned down to get right in her face. “We’re not done, Kate. You can’t brush me aside.”

  The lights from her dash lit up her face. She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

  “I’m going home. I need some space.”

  He knew what that was code for. She wanted to push him away and try to figure everything out herself. Hell no. Yes, he’d upset her, but he wasn’t backing down. This was bigger than selling the bar, pleasing his father or some lame marriage proposal.

  Kate had legitimately been hurt by their conversation. She’d opened herself and came to his room. He could only imagine the courage that had taken.

  “You can have your space,” he told her, swiping the rain from his eyes. “But know that you can’t keep me away. I’m not going anywhere, Kate.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to reply. Gray gripped the back of her head and covered her mouth with his. Quick, fierce, impossible to forget, that’s the kiss he delivered before he stepped back and closed her car door.

  The window slid up as she put the car in Drive and pulled out of the lot. He stood in the midst of the storm, watching her taillights disappear into the dark night.

  The thunder continued to rumble and a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Gray rubbed his chest as he headed back inside. He’d always ached for her when she’d gotten upset. But this was different.

  Somehow with that surprise proposal, he’d severed something they shared. He’d tainted their friendship and put a dark cloud over their lives. All he’d wanted to do was make his father happy and somehow that had blown up in his face.

  Gray knew sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon, so he started plotting. If the damn electricity would come back on, he could put his plan into motion and maybe salvage some semblance of this friendship.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kate clicked Send on her blog and sat back to admire the new layout she’d implemented on her site. Thanks to sleepless nights, she’d had plenty of time to work on cleaning up her pages a bit. She now had everything organized and easier to maneuver.

  But she was in no mood to celebrate. For the past two mornings she’d been sick as a dog. She’d also missed her period and there was a home pregnancy test in her bathroom that mocked her every time she went in. There was no need to take it. She knew. />
  The birth control she’d switched from pill to patch had come during their camping trip, there was no questioning how this happened.

  She hadn’t heard from Gray in two weeks. The deadline had passed for him to make a decision on the bar, but he hadn’t told her anything. He hadn’t texted, hadn’t called. He’d warned her he’d give her space and he’d kept his word.

  Damn it, why did she have to miss him so much? What was he going to say when she told him about the baby? Most likely he’d take that Neanderthal attitude and try to convince her to marry him.

  Kate glanced at the clock. She really needed to get some lunch. The crackers and ginger ale this morning had worn off. Well, they hadn’t stayed down, so they’d worn off immediately.

  She scrolled through her newly uploaded blog discussing why organization made for a better attitude. People in general were calmer if the world around them was in order so they didn’t feel as if they were living in chaos. She’d even added a new buy button to the site, along with a note stating that all first-time clients would receive a 10 percent discount.

  Her newsletter was set to go out this evening, so the timing of this post was perfect. Of course, she’d planned it that way.

  Kate pushed her chair back and came to her feet. A slight wave of dizziness overcame her. Gripping the edge of her desk, she closed her eyes and waited for it to pass.

  What would Lucy and Tara say? They didn’t even know she and Gray had been intimate. They would be hurt that she hadn’t confided in them, but she just hadn’t been ready and then she thought things were going to go back to normal and now...well, this was her new normal.

  Kate’s cell buzzed and vibrated on her desk top. She sank back into her chair and stared at the screen, not recognizing the number. New clients contacted her all the time, so ignoring the call wasn’t an option.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. McCoy?”

  She didn’t recognize the male voice on the other end. “Yes.”

  “My name is Steven Sanders. I’m with a group out of Nashville called Lost and Found Family.”

  Intrigued, Kate eased back in her seat and kept her eyes shut. The room had stopped spinning, but she wasn’t taking any chances right now.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. Sanders?”

  “Actually, it’s what I can do for you,” he countered. “I was given your contact information by Gray Gallagher. He wanted me to talk with you about tracing your family and finding your heritage. Is this a good time to talk?”

  So many things swirled around in her mind. Gray had called someone to help her find her family? But he hadn’t talked to her or even texted. Why hadn’t he told her about this? Why was he being so nice when she’d turned him down and left in the midst of a storm?

  “Sure,” she replied. “Um...sorry. This is all just a bit of a surprise.”

  The man chuckled on the other end of the line. “Gray was adamant I call you as soon as I could, but I was trying to get another case wrapped up before contacting you. He made me vow to give your case special attention.”

  Something warmed inside her, something that brought tears to her eyes. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk.

  “Well, I appreciate that,” she replied. “But I understand I’m probably not your only client. What information do you need from me?”

  Steven went on to explain the information Gray had already delivered to him. He asked her about her mother’s maiden name, her skin color, eye color, hair color. He went through her father’s description. Then he asked for birthdays, where they were born and any grandparents’ names she might know.

  “This gives me a bit to go on to get started,” Steven said after about a half hour of gathering information. “Should I call or email you when I have more questions?”

  “I’m fine with either,” she replied. “I can’t thank you enough. I never knew really who to call to get started on this. You can bill me through email and I’ll—”

  “Oh, no, ma’am. Mr. Gallagher already took care of the bill, and any further charges will be sent to him.”

  Kate wasn’t going to get into an argument with this guy. He had no clue about the whirlwind of emotions that continued to swirl around her and Gray. The poor guy was just doing his job.

  “Thanks so much for taking on this case,” she replied. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  She disconnected the call and stood back up, thankfully no longer dizzy. As she made her way toward the kitchen, she went over in her mind what she wanted to say to Gray. He’d already helped her by tracking down someone who could research her ancestry. He didn’t need to pay for it, too. And he’d done all of this after they’d stopped speaking.

  The idea that he’d started working on a portion of her life list had tears burning her eyes. No matter what had transpired between them, he was still determined to be there for her.

  Kate made a quick peanut butter sandwich and grabbed a bottle of water and a banana before heading back to her office. There was no dodging Gray anymore. She needed to thank him for hiring the genealogy investigator, plus tell him about the baby.

  If she thought their dynamics had been changed before with just sex, this would certainly alter everything they’d ever known. She had to be positive before going to him and she had to know exactly what to say.

  Kate would definitely take the test to be sure, but he deserved to know. This was definitely something they needed to work on together.

  Looked like she wasn’t going to be putting him in that friend category anymore. She wasn’t ready to put him in the husband category, either. He’d honestly hurt her when he’d said why he wanted to marry her.

  How could he be so blind? How could he not see that she wanted someone who genuinely loved her? Like in love with her?

  She’d been on the verge of telling him she was falling for him when he blurted out the proposal, destroying any hope she might have had that their bond could go deeper than friendship. And now she was carrying his child. If this wasn’t the most warped situation ever, she didn’t know what was.

  Ladies’ Night was tonight and in their group texts, Lucy and Tara had already been vocal about wanting to go. Kate figured now would be as good a time as any to go out, try to have fun and not freak out about her entire life getting turned upside down.

  Because as scared, nervous and anxious as she was about this child—along with a gamut of other emotions—the truth of the matter was...she was happy. She had no family, but she was creating her very own. No, this was definitely not planned and, surprisingly, she was okay.

  This wasn’t a schedule or a job. This was a child. Her child.

  Would Gray still want to take the money from the sale of the bar? She couldn’t stand the thought of him leaving, but he needed to be aware of just how much their lives were about to change.

  Tonight. She’d go tonight and thank him for the genealogy specialist. Then, once the bar closed, she’d take him upstairs and tell him about the baby.

  First, though, she had a test to take.

  * * *

  As Wednesday nights went, the bar was crazier than usual. He’d begged one of his waitresses to come in on her night off. He never begged. He’d even offered her an extra paid day off if she just came in for a few hours to help bartend. Jacob was in the kitchen filling in for the cook, who’d come down with some cold or whatever.

  It was just a crazy, messed up day.

  And Kate had strolled in with her friends and hadn’t come up to the bar once to speak to him. In the two weeks he’d given her space, he’d damn near lost his mind.

  More orders flooded the system and Gray didn’t slow down or stop. If Kate was here, then she was here to talk. She’d missed Ladies’ Night last week and, like a fool, he’d watched the door. But he’d been so busy over the past fo
urteen days trying to get this place ready to sell that he’d let himself get wrapped up in the business.

  He still hadn’t made up his mind, but he had texted the guy and bought more time. Gray was inching closer to realizing he might never get a chance like this again. If he ever wanted to get out and see what he’d been missing in his life, now was the time.

  What seemed like an eternity later, the crowd started winding down. Gray had caught glimpses of Kate, Lucy and Tara dancing, but now he only saw Kate in the corner booth alone and looking at something on her phone.

  He left the bar to his employee and promised to be away only two minutes. Now that things weren’t so insane, he wanted to talk to Kate.

  As he crossed the bar, weaving through the tables and the stragglers who were still hanging out, Kate looked up and caught his gaze. Her eyes widened and with her tense shoulders and tight smile, Gray knew something was up.

  Without asking, he slid into the booth across from her. “Didn’t expect you to show up tonight.”

  She laid her phone in front of her and shrugged. “I needed to get out of the house. Plus, I needed to thank you for having Steven Sanders call me.”

  Gray eased back in the seat. “So he’s on it. Good. I was giving him two more days to contact you before I called him again.”

  “He has other clients, you know.”

  Gray didn’t care. What he cared about was helping Kate with her list and finding some sort of family for her to call her own.

  “I hope he can find what you need,” Gray replied.

  Silence settled between them as she glanced down at her hands. She’d laced her fingers together and the way her knuckles were turning white made him wonder what was really on her mind.

  “You’re upset that I contacted him?” he guessed.

  “No, no. I’m surprised and thankful,” she corrected him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, leaning forward. “Lucy and Tara took off a while ago but you’re still here.”

  Her eyes darted to the dancing women on the dance floor.

  “Kate.”

  She turned her focus to him, but that didn’t last long. Her gaze dropped once again to her clasped hands. “We need to talk. Can I wait until you’re closed?”