Three Little Words (#dirtysexygeeks Book 4) Page 6

  Ashley had told him he was going to be a good father. But when? On the weekend? Three days out of the week? Alternating holidays?

  All because he saw Iris in the tight-fitting bridesmaid dress, with legs he wanted to wrap around his shoulders. All because a small part of him saw Iris and thought why fucking not? For a millisecond he’d thought maybe Ashley would get mad at him, and he’d feel vindicated. He’d be right. Bile rose to the back of his throat. The ugly thought hadn’t lasted long, but long enough he should have given Iris wide berth.

  He hadn’t.

  And here they fucking were.

  Porter brought his hands back up to his face. “I don't think the bottle I have at home is big enough.”

  “I'll stop at the store, and then you're going to tell me everything. I don't care how ugly.”

  *****

  “You're going to sit here and tell me that all that happened is the condom broke? And her birth control failed?” Victor scoffed at him. The light from the kitchen threw shadows in the room. “I saw you guys during the reception. It's why I didn't think too much about it when you disappeared. She was gone, too.”

  They hadn’t been discreet, but they also hadn’t been obvious when they left the banquet hall. “Of course you’d noticed.”

  Victor snorted. “Only because Ashley wondered where Iris went off to.”

  “You didn't tell her?”

  “Let’s see,” Victor said, “I think your brother is fucking your friend—more cake? No. Also, it wasn't my business to tell her.” His mouth kicked up in a smile. “I’ve learned the hard way to stay out of your fucked up relationship with your sister.”

  Porter poured his friend another glass. “I’m not sure what else there is to add. No. There is nothing more to add. We had a one-night stand after your wedding. End of story.”

  Victor glared at him. “Okay.”

  He pushed the gallon of whiskey back into the middle of the glass table. “What else am I supposed to say?”

  Victor shrugged with one shoulder. “Do you want to be with her?”

  “No.” The word came out more adamantly than he'd intended. He could poke at the emotions bubbling up, but he knew where they came from. His parents hadn’t exactly lived happily ever after.

  That might have soured him on more than a few things. Yet he’d wanted to get married, have children and live the dream.

  “I don’t even know her. I have impressions of who I think she is.”

  Victor's brows rose. “And that is?”

  “Smart, sexy, funny.”

  “And you don’t want to be with a woman who is smart, sexy and funny?”

  “Being with her, and being with her when we’re going to have a kid is a different can of worms.”

  “Okay.”

  Porter added, “Being with her just because we have a kid coming seems...I don't know. My parents did that. Or at least my mama sucked it up for us. I don't want that for myself. Hell, for Iris.”

  “But don't you think you should at least get to know her? Shit, meet her mama.”

  He took another drink. “I still have to tell mine.”

  A moment of quiet and then both men said, “Ashley will tell her first.”

  They laughed. Porter said, “I should call her now to see if I can beat her to the punch.”

  “Warn off Ashley or tell your mom?”

  “Tell my mom.” He didn't want to though. She was going to be so fucking disappointed. How many speeches had she'd given him about being careful? How many times did she say ‘know the person you're laying down with, you never know what could happen?’

  He'd brushed her warnings aside. Science had dealt a big blow against unplanned pregnancies. His background might be in engineering, but chemistry wasn't foreign. Neither was biology. He'd used a condom. He had no reason to doubt Iris was on birth control. The only other option to avoid having a child with her was walking away with his dick untouched. Neither of them had thought about that for a second.

  “My mother-in-law is still a mother,” Victor said. “She’ll be happy to have a grandchild. Believe me. She makes hints all the time now that Ash and I are married.” Victor checked his phone and began to text. Porter hadn’t heard it vibrate, but it was probably his sister checking up on them.

  “I’ve noticed,” Porter said.

  “She’s not subtle about it.”

  And because Porter felt exposed and a little stupid, he joked, “And when are you going to give me a niece or nephew?”

  Victor shrugged. “Whenever Ashley wants one, and at the rate all my friends are impregnating women...”

  Porter tried that thought on for size—Ashley, a mother. He could see it. His sister didn’t love anyone halfway. He poured himself another glass and didn’t let the alcohol linger in it.

  Victor stuffed his phone in his pocket. “You're fine alone?”

  “Should be.”

  Victor nodded then rose. “One last thing.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Try to be her friend at least. You guys are going to have to be a team from now until forever.”

  “You're full of sage advice. It's appreciated.”

  Victor shrugged again. “I'm just imagining what you would tell me if I were in your shoes.”

  Victor walked to the counter then back to the table. He held up the ultrasound in front of Porter. “He's got your head.”

  Porter looked at the picture. The baby currently looked like alien with a huge head and dark hollows for eyes. “I should have called Wade.”

  Victor put the picture down in front of Porter. “Try not to drink too much. No one is here to hold your hair when you start puking.”

  Porter snorted. “Get the fuck out of here.”

  Victor took a few steps then stopped. “Hey.”

  He swiveled his head to meet his friend’s gaze. “Yeah?”

  “Congratulations.”

  Porter nodded as the word settled on him. His stare tracked back to the ultrasound. The longer he looked at the small bean-shaped human that was somehow his, the more Porter couldn’t quite catch his breath. His chest kept getting tighter and tighter.

  Father.

  Him.

  He was going to be someone’s father. He was going to raise a child with a woman who didn’t really think much of him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wasn’t supposed to be anything like his dad. His father only had his master’s. That’s why Porter had gone for a PhD. His father had worked for the same company all his life. Porter freelanced.

  Yet here Porter was, walking in the same footsteps anyway. His life was broken, but when shit broke, people called him to work out why and how. They called him to prevent it from happening again and fix it.

  Porter took out his phone and hit send on his mother’s contact information. After that conversation, he'd think of something else to do to assemble his life into something he recognized.

  Damon + Elena

  Ashley stopped right outside their office building and turned to Iris. “You know I said I wouldn't get in the middle.”

  Iris laughed and shook her head. “And I didn't believe you then.”

  Her friend smiled. “I'm trying, but things keep coming up, and then I have to wedge myself in.”

  Iris crossed her hands over her middle. “What is it now?”

  “My brother likes to stew. Don't let him. If you let him, he gets on a soapbox and there’s self-righteous preaching. Sometimes he’s right. Sometimes he’s wrong.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s always insufferable. But overall, he's a good guy with a big heart.”

  “Ashley...” she murmured but then stopped, unsure what to add.

  Maybe their child had been conceived during a one-night stand, but Porter hadn't been a dick about it. Though she hadn’t given him much of a chance. She’d crept out the hotel room, leaving a note. Even after their argument a few days ago, she didn't think he was the scourge of the earth. She didn’t think her dad was, either, but he got self-righteou
s too.

  “This sounds like things my mother told me whenever my father fell into a fervor.”

  Ashley made a face. “There’s really no way I can argue on my brother’s behalf without being a little shitty to your father.”

  “Don’t be. I still love him.”

  Ashley sighed. “I know.”

  “Is this the point in the conversation where I mention Freud?”

  “I can promise you Porter is nothing like your dad. He’s just not. They might share a few unsavory traits, but—”

  “He’s your brother and you love him. You’re biased.”

  What Iris didn’t add was that Porter had one last chance to prove he wasn't everything she suspected him to be. She refused to spend the rest of her life walking on eggshells. She'd done it growing up and swore never again. Shit, she still tip-toed, tap-danced and edged the line with half-truths. She’d told Porter of his pending fatherhood, and yet she hadn’t picked up her phone to talk to her sister and father to tell them. Jessie couldn’t hold water if it saved her life. And her father…

  She wasn’t ready. She hated that feeling, and the longer she waited, the harder it would be to come clean.

  Not her worry at the moment. She had a Netflix watch list waiting for her, possibly a burger and fries in her future, and growing an eyeball or something for her baby while she did it.

  She took in Ashley, who wore a worried expression, and sighed. Iris didn't know how much to reveal and how much to keep to herself when it came to her Porter situation. “He's not perfect,” Iris settled on.

  “I would never tell that lie, but the important point is, he'll try to make amends when he fucks up. He’ll do that, and never do it again. That’s the key.”

  Iris waited for more and there was nothing. “So, he’ll be an epic douche, he’ll learn not to be that specific douche again, and all is well in the world?”

  “When you say the words like that it does sound bad, but speaking from experience, a teachable man is a keepable man.”

  Iris stared at her friend. “I love you.”

  Her friend laughed. “You usually say that when you are at a loss for words. My point is my brother isn’t half bad.” She notched her head toward Iris's car.

  Her heart skipped when she followed Ashley’s gaze. Porter leaned against her car with his thick arms crossed. Sunglasses hid most of his expression, but Iris had no doubt she had his attention. Before she’d missed her first period, she’d thought of the night they’d spent together often. Way too much. Usually with her hand down her panties.

  “God, don't look at him like that.”

  Iris slid her gaze to her friend. “Ashley, you're going to have to come to terms with the fact people have had sex with your brother. He's so not a virgin.”

  “Just for that, I'm leaving you to deal with him by yourself.”

  “You're going to sit in your car and rubberneck.”

  “Normally I would, but I have a date with Vic that I’m not going to miss. Not even for my brother’s drama.”

  “Drama?”

  “I say those words with love. Also, keep your blood pressure down. It’s bad for my future niece or nephew.”

  “Ashley!”

  “Gotta go.” Her friend blew an air kiss to her brother and made her way across the lot to her car.

  With no reason left to delay a face to face with Porter, Iris hitched up her purse and went to him. The low burn of attraction still warmed her gut so she glared at him as a way of acknowledging his existence.

  A corner of his lip twitched like he knew the truth. “Iris.”

  “Porter.”

  He gestured across the parking lot to Ashley’s car. “What did you say to my sister?”

  “I let her know you've had sex before.”

  His lip twitched again. “Is that all it took?”

  “Plus a date with her husband she needed to get to.”

  His shoulders went up, but eventually he nodded. “First, I'm sorry about the other day. My temper got the better of me. I’m working on that.”

  “Are you?”

  His jaw flexed. “I am a work in progress.”

  She wanted to believe that. “Fine. As long as it doesn't happen again, all is forgiven.”

  His second nod was slower. “I can agree to that. I only have one more set of spare keys.”

  Shit. She'd forgotten that. He wasn’t the only one who had a problem with their temper. “So we're agreed—no more over-the-top dramatics?”

  Porter scratched at his beard then smiled. “Yeah. I think I can get on board with that.”

  He crossed his arms again, flexing the band of muscles along his forearms. His veins and ink drew her attention. Her breath hitched at the sudden hit of arousal.

  What the fuck was wrong with her? It's not like she'd never seen a man before. Or Porter, for that matter. She cleared her throat and made promises to keep her gaze on his face. Not that that was any better, but apparently looking at his arms made her stupid.

  She said, “I’m guessing you didn’t hunt me down just to apologize. What else did you need?”

  “A couple of things.” He swept his hand in the air to indicate the parking lot. “Do you feel more comfortable talking here, or we can go somewhere to eat?”

  Given she was having a mental pep talk to not objectify the man who impregnated her? “Here is good.”

  “My mother would like to meet you. I told her to give you some time or just wait until the baby is born.”

  She tried to roll with the conversation. “I've met your mother.”

  “As Ashley's friend. Not as the woman carrying her first grandchild. Apparently it's different. If you don't want to, that's fine. I'll head her off, but I can't promise she won't hunt for you. My mother...was surprisingly excited.”

  “Surprisingly?”

  He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I thought she'd be disappointed in me.”

  “Disappointed?” Iris wouldn’t say she had a close relationship with Mrs. Hicks, she only knew the woman remained proud of her children.

  “Anyway...” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. “I've set up a registry at Babies R Us.”

  So personal shit was off-limits. Noted. “Back up. You did what?”

  He pushed the paper into her hands. “Let me know if you have any of this stuff or you want it. I'm eyeing the video monitor but that'll be for me. If you want one, I'll get you one.”

  “Porter, I'm three months pregnant,” she said slowly so that maybe the fact would penetrate.

  “Exactly,” he said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  Since she had no reply to that, she glanced at the list. At least in his favor nothing was blue or pink. Everything, down to hangers were unisex colors.

  But.

  “Porter...”

  “Good list, huh?”

  She narrowed her eyes on him to see if he was pulling her leg. “Blackout blinds?”

  “Makes sense, right? Babies need to sleep a lot, and sometimes, during the day.”

  She made a noise that was caught between disbelief and confusion. “And the teddy bear that makes womb sounds?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “You don't think a list is a good idea?”

  Even if she was two weeks away from giving birth, there was never any excuse to buy a baby diaper poop alarm. “It's a bit early to have one is all I'm thinking.”

  His excited expression fell and so did her heart. Ashley had told her the gist of the kind of father they'd had—absent—after years of being a vital component in their upbringing. It made sense Porter would want to be a good one, and right now this was his way.

  She scaled back her reaction. “Have you set up a room in your house? Where are you going to put all this stuff?”

  “I have my office, and that stuff can't be moved, but the shit in my junk room can go. It’s where most of my hobbies go to die.”

  He had a house. That thought hadn’t settled on her before. She
’d gone to tell him she was pregnant—his décor hadn’t exactly registered until she thought about his three rooms to her single one.

  He was ready for a child, and she was…

  Iris shook her head. “So hold off on some of this until you get the room together. My place is too small for half of this.”

  “Too small?”

  “I live in a one-bedroom apartment.” It was all she’d needed. Had. She swallowed.

  “Huh.” He frowned. “What's your last name?”

  The question hit her right in the stomach. She folded the paper, taking any excuse to break his stare. “My last name is Bellamy. It was on the ultrasound I gave to you.”

  “Ah. I guess I was distracted by something else on the ultrasound.”

  Yeah. She stuffed the paper into her purse. He dropped his arms to his side, dragging her attention to him. Could he not look so comfortable when she wanted to get in her car and go? Didn’t matter where she ended up, but for five minutes she’d enjoy not having to remember how fucked up their situation was.

  “You look shell-shocked,” he said. “I'm going to leave it at that.”

  “I...” She met his gaze. Understanding reflected back. It didn’t seem scary to admit one fear out loud. “I didn't think of that. I know enough about you, you don't feel like a complete stranger to me.”

  “What do you know about me?”

  “You’re an engineer. You have a group of friends who are sometimes rowdy.” His laugh made her warm. His anger could cut as deep as a knife. “Not nearly enough.”

  And that could easily explain her reticence around him. They'd taken every precaution to avoid this exact situation, but that still left an intimate knowledge of him, but not of him. “Maybe we should have dinner,” she offered.

  He perked up. “Yeah?”

  “Nothing with fish. I tried that two weeks ago, and I do not want a repeat.”

  The smile was slow and heart melting. “We should take separate cars in case one of us loses our temper.”

  She chuckled at his dig. “Things I now know about Porter Hicks: He's a smart ass.”

  He pushed off her car. “You pick the place. I'll follow you.”