Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Sure, he did, Tripp thought, leaning against the counter and attempting to tamp down his annoyance. He knew damn well if things hadn’t turned out well with Skye, Hudson would have wanted her number. His intentions wouldn’t be for more than a fling but that wasn’t the point.
“Yes, we had a great evening together, and she spent the night.”
“Bummer for me,” Hudson joked, confirming Tripp’s suspicions.
But Hudson wasn’t an issue. His and Skye’s unexpected morning after conversation was. Her desire to have a child had definitely thrown him, though he had no regrets about offering to be her baby daddy. But in all honesty, Tripp was harboring a bit of anxiety that she’d reject his offer and decide to go through the process without his involvement. That decision would fucking kill him as it meant he’d lose her for good. Not to mention, watching her belly swell with another man’s baby, a stranger’s baby, when he was willing to give her everything she dreamed of, would gut him.
“Are you going to see her again?” Hudson asked.
“Yes.” He glanced at his friends, knowing he needed someone to talk to—because this wasn’t a topic he was ready to discuss with his brothers. It would freak them the fuck out, then his mother would sniff out that something was wrong and press them for information, and Tripp didn’t want her involved, either. Not unless Skye agreed to his proposal.
So he had no choice but to toss out the bombshell to Hudson and Brett. “And I might have offered to get her pregnant.”
“You what?” Hudson asked, eyes wide.
Brett, meanwhile, rubbed his fingers against his temple. “You both are making my head spin. I feel like I’m missing a crucial piece of this conversation.”
Hudson chuckled. “You’re not alone. When I left Tripp and Skye at the bar, there was no mention of knocking her up.”
Hudson was such a wise-ass, but at least the other man was able to interject some humor into the situation, and Tripp appreciated the levity.
Since their time was limited before patients started arriving, Tripp gave them a quick rundown of the conversation he’d had with Skye yesterday, along with some background about their past. And because he still had strong feelings for her, that as soon as she’d mentioned insemination, there had been no doubt he wanted this to be their baby.
“Are you sure this isn’t just a way to get back into her good graces?” Hudson asked, his tone skeptical.
“Definitely not.” Tripp wasn’t surprised by the question considering his friend’s feelings on committed relationships after being burned by his ex-wife. Not that Hudson was painting Skye with that same brush, but no way would he understand Tripp’s sudden need to be the man to make Skye’s dream become a reality.
“So, what is this going to be . . . a business transaction?” Hudson asked as he braced his backside against the counter. “A wham, bam, thank you for your sperm, now let’s go live our separate lives while raising a child together?”
Tripp hated how impersonal that sounded, considering his feelings for Skye were anything but. “Honestly, that’s not my end goal. I want this baby, and I want Skye, too. There’s no one else I’d want to build a life and a family with. For me, they’d be a package deal.”
Not that he’d told Skye as much, because if she were aware of his intentions, he knew it would be a deal breaker. From what he’d noticed, and all she’d told him, she wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready for a committed relationship after her ex. And she would certainly have reservations about trusting the guy who’d walked away once before.
Those regrets would always haunt him, and there was nothing he could do to change the past, but he couldn’t convince her of that in the short window he had before she went through with the insemination. His only chance was to convince her he was her ideal baby daddy. Once she was pregnant, he’d have time to step up and prove he was the right man for her, too.
Brett took a drink of his coffee, considering everything Tripp had just said before replying. “I take it she’s not on board with your idea?”
“Not yet,” he admitted. “She’s been through some shit with her ex and is very guarded.”
Brett nodded. The more thoughtful of the trio, he would be the one to understand Skye’s reservations. He had married his high school sweetheart, and they’d been blissfully, happily married, until she’d died from ovarian cancer almost seven years ago, devastating him. He was raising his teenage daughter alone, had yet to date anyone seriously, and swore he’d never get married again.
The sounds of female chatter and laughter drifted from the reception area, telling Tripp the front end staff had arrived. It was time for them to get to work.