West
So much shit had gone down in the past twenty-four hours, I needed to vent to someone who would understand why I was having such a hard time wrapping my head around it. After my shower, I passed by the club, hoping to catch my kid brother alone.
“Hey, man,” Ty said, looking up from the bar where he was stacking cash. “How’d your date go last night? I was expecting a text letting me know it had been a bust.”
“You’re not gonna believe it,” I said, going behind the bar to grab a bottle of water. “It was Shani.”
His jaw dropped as he slammed a wad of bills on the bar. “Shut the fuck up!”
I chuckled. “I’m serious, man.”
“Why would she wanna hook up with you again?” He raised a hand. “No offense, but when you guys broke up, it seemed like she was done with you.”
I rounded the bar and sat my ass in a leather club chair at one of many round tables. Everything about the club was upscale, including the décor. When we built the place, we knew if we wanted to attract the right crowd, we had to make them feel at home. That meant the right furniture, booze, cigars, and women.
“I guess I’ve got something she needs now.” I uncapped the water and brought it to my lips, thinking about how much I wanted to give her what she needed. A baby. Jesus, it was still hard to believe we could have made a baby last night.
“Uh oh,” Ty said, looking at me over his shoulder. “You’re not the type to let a woman use you. And come to think of it, Shani’s never been a user. So what gives?”
“She wants a baby.”
He turned around so fast, cash went flying in all directions, but he didn’t seem to notice. “She what?”
“You heard me.” I tipped the water back, watching him process my news. He looked as shocked as I’d been when she propositioned me. “And she asked me to… help her out.”
“Please tell me you said no.” He groaned when I didn’t respond. “You said yes? You haven’t nailed her already, have you?”
I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Unlike me, Ty had no interest in being tied down. He loved the single life and questioned why anyone would willingly be with one person for the rest of their lives.
“I went back to her place last night. Let’s just say the timing was perfect.”
“Shit, West! What have you done?” He grabbed his head. “There must be some way to undo this. Were you drunk? Of course you were. Why else would you have agreed to this?”
“I want this.” I let that sink in before I said, “I’m serious, Ty. I’m ready to be a father. And who better to do this with than Shani? You know she was the only one who ever really did it for me.”
“Yeah, but she’s your ex! Have you forgotten that? You guys haven’t been together in what? Four years?” After I nodded, he continued. “That’s a hell of a long time. People change.”
“Sometimes for the better.” I considered how much I’d learned about her in the twelve hours we’d spent together. Some of it she hadn’t even been willing to share when we’d been a couple. “She’s not a cop anymore.”
“Seriously?” He leaned back against the bar, crossing his arms. “What happened?”
“Got shot again.” My stomach still flipped every time I thought about how close she’d come to losing her life. Even though I hadn’t seen her in a long time prior to last night, it was tough to imagine a world without Shani in it. “Force wanted her to get counseling, sit behind a desk ‘til she did. So she walked.”
“She’s that afraid of shrinks? She’d give up a career she loved just ‘cause she didn’t want someone poking around inside her head? That doesn’t worry you?”
“You know the deal with her family. Can you blame her?”
“I guess not.” He sighed. “So, what’s she doing now?”
“Private investigator. Works with women trying to nail their cheating partners.”
He laughed. “That’s perfect for her. I’m glad she figured things out. Even though she loved to bust our balls about this place, I always liked that girl.”
“Yeah, I know.” My family had all loved Shani. They thought she was the only one who could keep me in line. “Seems she’s doing well now. Successful business, good friends. I guess the only thing missing is a baby.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Ty said, looking thoughtful, “but I thought she didn’t wanna do the whole marriage and kids thing. That was one thing we used to agree on.”
“She wants the kid. Still not interested in marriage.”
“Huh.” He looked at me a long time before he said, “She hasn’t been serious with anyone since you two split?”
“No.” Which made me a hell of a lot happier than it should have. “I guess that’s why she came to me. She has more history with me than with anyone else. She trusts me. She knew I wouldn’t let her down.”
“Still, this is huge. Why didn’t you tell her you needed time to think about it?”
“Because I don’t.”
“You’re that sure?” he asked, an eyebrow raised skeptically.
“Yup.”
He started collecting the scattered cash. “As long as you’re sure you know what you’re doing.” He grinned as he stood. “So you gonna try to get her back or what?”
A slow smile spread as I nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“How’d I know you had a plan?”
“I usually do.” I’d known as soon as we made love last night that I couldn’t let my baby, and the only woman I’d ever loved, cast me aside. Whether she knew it or not, Shani needed me. And not just to father her child.
“So how you gonna manage that?”
“For starters, I’m gonna be helping her with her business for the next few months.”
“No shit?” Ty chuckled. “How’d you get her to agree to that?”
“I told her I’m between opportunities right now, and she asked if I could help her out for a bit since I have a lot more business experience than she does. Apparently things are a bit of a mess because she prefers the fieldwork.”
“So what? You’re going to prove to her that you’re indispensable?”
“Something like that.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket when it buzzed. It was a text from Shani asking if we could push our meeting back an hour. She said she had something to take care of first. I told her to take her time and I’d see her later.
“You sure this won’t backfire?” Ty asked. “You two working together? You’re both pretty opinionated and you’ve got hot tempers. How do you know it won’t remind her of all the reasons she dumped you?”
“I plan to be on my best behavior.”
Ty laughed. “Yeah, right. You couldn’t tone it down if you tried.”
“With the right incentive, I could.” We exchanged a serious look before I said, “I want Shani back, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. If she’s having my baby, there’s no way I’m gonna let her do this alone.”
I thought of our deal, but I knew a few days a month wouldn’t be enough to satisfy me. She was willing to let me be a part-time dad, but I wanted more than that. I wanted to be her man again. With or without the rings, I wanted us to be a couple.
“You know I’ll support you whatever you decide.”
I stood and pulled him in for a half-hug. “Thanks, Ty. I guess I just needed to get it out there, you know? Talk it out. Get clear about what I want.”
“And now you know what you want?”
“Oh yeah. I know.”
***