Chapter 70 (1/2)

“What is it?” I ask, Zed’s face surfacing in my demented thoughts. “Tell me, please.”

“It’s Karen.” She rolls onto her side, and I force my eyes away from her perfect tits on display.

Why the hell are we discussing Karen while naked? “Okay . . . what about her?”

“She’s . . . well . . .” Tessa stops for a moment, and my chest fills with an unexpected panic for the woman, for Ken, too.

“She’s what?”

“She’s pregnant.”

What? The fuck? “By who?”

This obliviousness amuses Tessa, and she laughs. “Your father,” she says, but quickly corrects herself, “by Ken. Who else?”

I don’t know what I was expecting to hear, but Karen’s being pregnant was sure as hell not it. “What?”

“I know it’s a little surprising, but they’re very happy about it.”

A little surprising? This is more than a little fucking surprising.

“Ken and Karen are having a baby?” I speak the ridiculous words.

“Yes.” Tessa eyes me carefully. “How do you feel about it?”

How do I feel about it? I don’t fucking know. I barely know the man, we are just starting to build something here, and now he’s having a baby? Another kid he’ll actually be sticking around to help raise.

“I guess it doesn’t matter how I feel, does it?” I say in a vain attempt to shut both of us up. I lie on my back and close my eyes.

“Yes, it does. It matters to them. They want you to know that the baby won’t change anything, Hardin. They want you to be part of the family. You’ll be a big brother again.”

A big brother?

Smith and his weird, adultlike personality come to mind, and I feel nauseated. This is too much for anyone to handle, and it’s sure as hell too much for someone as fucked-up as me.

“Hardin, I know it’s hard to wrap your head around, but I think—”

“I’m fine. I need a shower.” I climb out of the bed and grab the shorts from the floor.