Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (Silence #3)(55)

Oh shit. My throat closed up. This was Brad, a mate. I wasn’t supposed to have a baby with his sister, especially not when we weren’t in a relationship.

“Good. Look, there’s something we need to talk to you about.”

He looked at Holly, who stood up.

“You okay? Is everything alright with the baby?”

“Yeah, fine,” she replied.

His attention then turned to me, frowning.

“What do you both need to talk to me about?”

“I’m the baby’s dad,” I said.

Holly gawped at me. We had discussed that we were going to explain a little better than that. Blurting it out was stupid, but there was no easy way of softening a punch like that. It just needed to be out there.

He blinked heavily. “I’m sorry, you’re what?”

I wrapped my arm around Holly, and she leant into me. her petite body fit against me as if she’d been made for me. I liked it way more than I should have.

“I’m the dad.”

He looked between us for a long time, and I had no idea what was going through his head. Different ways to castrate me, probably.

“I don’t understand. Are you together?”

“Um no,” Holly said. “It happened... about eight weeks ago now.”

He ignored Holly. “You slept with my sister.”

“Yes.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.

“Hey!” Holly shouted. “Don’t even start that sexist bullshit, Brad. I chose to go to bed with him. A few times.”

It was my turn to gawp at her. You don’t tell him that!

“Look, man, I get that you’re pissed with me-”

“Pissed with you? You used my sister and got her pregnant.”

“Oh my God, I just said drop the sexist stuff!” Holly threw her arms up in frustration. “Don’t blame him for something I entered into willingly. Hell, I even instigated one of those times.”

I turned to her. “Seriously, why do you do it?”

“How many times has it happened?” Brad snapped.

Holly blushed. “That doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that Jasper and I are having a baby together, and we’re both happy about it.”

Brad shoved his hands through his hair. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? I knew you were struggling with the break-up, but I had no idea you’d completely lost it. You’re not in the right place to have a kid. You’ve been separated from your wife for five minutes!”

“I’ve been in a place to have a kid for the last two years. My divorce won’t interfere with being a dad.”

“What about Holly?”

“What about her?”

He clenched his jaw. “You’ve screwed her life up and you-”

“Hey!” Holly snapped. “He hasn’t screwed anything up and when are you going to open your eyes and realise I’m not some helpless child? I’m twenty, almost twenty-one, Brad. I’ve been living away from home for the last three years. I’m an grown-up.”

“You’re grown up enough to have a baby?” Brad asked, almost sneering.

“Is anyone ever one hundred per cent ready? I’m going to be fine. I’m not doing this on my own.” She looked at me, although she hardly needed confirmation.

“I get why you’re worried. I’ve not exactly been the most mature person since I split with Abby, but I would never walk out and leave Holly to do this by herself. I’m going to be there every step of the way.” I looked down at Holly. “I’m here for whatever you need.”

She smiled up at me. “I know that.”

Brad cleared his throat, and we both looked at him.

“Is there something between you two?”

“Just a baby,” I replied.

The indecision in Brad’s eyes was clear. He didn’t want there to be more to it, but he also did. No one wanted to think their sister wasn’t wanted by the man that got her pregnant.

“Just a baby,” he repeated.

“Mate, like you said, I’ve only been separated from my wife for five minutes. I’d turn down Katy Perry at the minute.”

“And I’m not desperate for a relationship,” Holly said. “Women are fine to be by themselves these days, you know!”

Brad rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t being sexist. I want to know if my little sister is going to be okay.”

“I will be.”

“Uni?”

“Taking a year out.”

Brad was too calm. If we were alone, I’d have a black eye by now.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about that.”

She looked up at me with an I-dare-you-to-disagree-with-me expression.

“Hear me out.” I sat down, pulling her with me. “The baby is due in April when you’ll already be halfway through your final year. If you go back and take a few weeks off after the birth, we’ll figure out childcare.

“Jasper, missing a few weeks is huge.”

“I know.” Well I didn’t. I had no clue about university really, only what I’d looked up on her uni’s website to see if we could work it, so she didn’t have to miss a year. “But you could catch up, you’re the smartest person I know. I’ll have the baby as much as I can so you can study, and I know my mum and your parents will too.”