Breaking Shaun (51 page)

We’d spent all day Saturday surfing together at Asia and Marcus’s house. Natalie was getting better at it, and seeing her riding my board in the water had done things to me I couldn’t explain. That woman owned me, and I wanted her to.

I had my appointment with John tomorrow. Before meeting with him, I decided I needed to finally tell my family what was going on. Marcus and Asia had flown back from their honeymoon last night, and Rob and Alexis were still in town on vacation. I’d asked my dad to have another barbeque, so I could talk to all of them. I should’ve been nervous, but having Natalie beside me made everything easier.

“Mmm…” Natalie hummed as she rolled onto her side and draped her arm across my stomach.

I lifted my hand and traced her skin with the tips of my fingers.

“Good morning,” she murmured, lifting her head from my pillow to give me a sleepy smile.

“Mornin’, Killer.”

“You okay?”

I leaned over and kissed her. “I’m better than okay.”

She grinned and moved to snuggle against my chest. “Good.”

We were quiet for a few minutes before she spoke again, “My car is ready. Would you mind taking me to pick it up before we go to your dad’s?”

“Why don’t we take it to Dad’s and leave it there, so I can start working on it? I don’t mind driving you around.”

Natalie’s head came up from my chest, and her eyes studied mine for a second before she grinned. “Okay.”

“That’s it? Okay? You’re not going to rub your lips together and think about it some more first?”

Her mouth fell open, and she smacked me on the arm. “I don’t do that.” She could barely finish her sentence before laughing.

“Now, you know that’s bullshit. I know you better than you think I do, Killer.”

Her laughter faded as she rested her chin on my chest. “You always have.”

Natalie was following me to Dad’s in her Mustang, and I felt my nerves starting to flare when I saw everyone’s cars parked outside of his house. Telling everyone would make it real, and I was worried about how that might change things. I also wasn’t looking forward to the lecture I would likely receive from my father once he found out.

After parking near the curb, I got out and waited for Natalie to come and stand beside me. She put her arm through mine, and I instantly started to relax.

“You ready?” she asked, peering up at me.

I sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

When we walked into the house, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” was playing on my dad’s stereo, and I laughed to myself when I remembered all the times I’d sung along to that song, convinced it had been written specifically for me.

How things have changed.

When I closed the front door behind me, Rob came walking down the stairs, and he paused when he saw Natalie’s arm linked with mine. He got a cocky grin on his face as his green eyes sparked with mischief.

“Hey,” he said as he continued walking down the stairs.

“Hey. Where is everyone?” I asked, ignoring his teasing look.

“Out back. Dad just started the grill.”

I nodded as I took Natalie’s hand in mine, and I led her toward the back of the house. When I opened the back door, Rob walked out behind us, and he took his seat next to Alexis. I could see Asia smiling when she saw Natalie’s hand in mine, and her eyes cut to Alexis, who was also grinning.

I needed to tell them now. I couldn’t stand the weight of my secret any longer, and there was no way I would get through an entire meal without anyone noticing something was wrong.

“Hey, guys. I have something important I need to tell you. Actually, I have a couple of things I need to tell you,” I said.

I peered down at Natalie, and she gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“What’s up?” my dad asked. He took his beer off of the table and went to lean on the railing of the deck.

After taking a deep breath, I blew it out before running my free hand through my hair. “Well…” I let my head drop, and I stared at my feet as I sighed. “Shit. This is harder than I thought.”

I seemed to have everyone’s attention then. Rob moved forward to rest his elbows on the table, and Asia’s back straightened as she glanced at Marcus sitting next to her.

“First of all, I’m in love with Natalie, and we’re in a relationship now.” I turned my head to grin at her.

Asia said, “It’s about fucking time.”

I watched as Natalie’s cheeks began turning pink.

The tension in the air faded, and everyone started relaxing in their seats.

I continued, “That’s not all.”

I moved my eyes back to my family, and I looked at all of them as I tried to find the best way to explain the rest. “I also found out…I’m going to be a father.”

Jaws dropped and backs went straight as everything was silent. I glanced at my dad, and I saw him watching me. He wasn’t scowling or glaring. He was just watching.

“Oh my God, Natalie. Congra—” Asia started.

Then, I realized my mistake. “Natalie’s not pregnant,” I said, cutting Asia off.

Now, eyebrows were furrowing, and confused glances were being exchanged.

“I got someone else pregnant, someone I barely know. Her name is Rachel, and she just told me about a week ago. She wasn’t planning on telling me at all. She was going to give the baby up for adoption.”

I felt the tension thicken the air again.

My dad pushed himself away from the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. “What?”

“I told her that I couldn’t let her do that. I know you might think I’m stupid for doing this, but I said that I wanted it. I’m going to raise that baby without her.”

I could see the wheels turning in everyone’s heads as they digested everything I’d said.

“She wasn’t going to tell you? Who is this girl? How could she—” Asia’s temper was flaring as she voiced her questions.

Marcus put his hand on her shoulder, calming her.

“Don’t get mad at her, Ais. She’s just scared. Her parents threatened to disown her if she kept the baby, and she said she couldn’t take care of it. I told her that we could have joint custody, and I’d help as much as she needed me to, but she wouldn’t budge. She’s cooperating with me though. She said she’d be willing to give me full custody if that’s what I want. And it is…what I want.”

My eyes kept going to my dad’s as I waited to see what he would say. As much as I’d denied it, his opinion meant the most to me, and I needed his support now, more than ever.

Alexis straightened her back, getting my attention. “I think what you’re doing is amazing, Shaun, really,” she said, giving me her bright smile.

“Yeah, man. I’m proud of you,” Rob added.

I nodded, and my eyes moved back to my dad.

He finally said, “You’re not doing this alone, son. We’re all family, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your child, my grandchild, has the life it deserves. You’re doing the right thing.”

I blew out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, and I felt my shoulders relax as Natalie squeezed my hand in hers.

“Thanks,” I said.

“And, Natalie…” My dad’s eyes were on her.

I watched as she lifted her gaze to his.

“It takes a special kind of woman to do what you’re doing. Shaun is lucky to have you in his life.”

Her eyes started to water as she gave him a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“I can’t believe Shaun is going to be a father,” Asia said.

We were sitting in her dad’s kitchen with Alexis and little Serena. We’d just finished cleaning up after our lunch, and the guys were out in the garage with my car.

“He’ll be a great dad,” Alexis said as she held Serena in her arms.

“How are you doing with all of this?” Asia asked me before taking a sip from her beer.

I shrugged. “It’s not easy for either of us, especially since we haven’t been together long. He’s worried that I’m gonna leave, and I’m worried that he won’t have room for me in his life once the baby is here.”

Asia blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair. “I can only imagine. It’s hard enough to admit that you love someone without the added pressure of a baby coming. You just have to communicate with each other. Let him know when he’s fucking up. Trust me, he’s gonna fuck up. This is Shaun we’re talking about.”

We all laughed, even Serena.

“We’re here for you, too, Natalie. If you ever need to talk…” Alexis said, putting her hand on mine.

“That’s right. With you and Samantha in the picture, the women in this family will finally outnumber the men.”

“How’s that?” Alexis asked.

“That little woman in your lap gives us the upper hand. Now, there are five of us and only four of them,” Asia said, making a funny face at her niece.

Just then, the door to the garage opened, and Marcus and Shaun walked in. Shaun’s eyes immediately found mine, and he gave me his lopsided grin when he saw me smiling.

“What are you girls talking about in here?” Marcus asked as he walked over to kiss Asia.

“Oh, nothing,” she said.

Shaun came to stand behind me, and he rested his hands on my shoulders. “Well, I hate to break up the fun, but I’ve got to take Natalie home, so she can get ready for work. You ready, Killer?”

I’d almost forgotten. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Asia and Alexis both stood up and offered me a hug before I left. Shaun gave his niece a kiss on the cheek, and then he said his good-byes before leading me toward the front door.

Shaun’s demeanor felt lighter now that he’d told his family what was going on. I was sure that having their support meant a lot to him. He held my hand as we made our way toward his car, and before I could open my door, he turned me around, pinning my back against it. The sun lit up his light green eyes as he stood there, looking down at me. His perfect lips tipped up at the corners with a hint of his smile.

“I love you, Killer.”

“I love you, too.”

Leaning down until his mouth was only an inch from mine, Shaun and I stared into each other’s eyes.

“We’ve got this,” he whispered.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

I stayed at Shaun’s apartment again that night, and on Monday morning, we were both up early. His appointment wasn’t until ten, but we were both anxious to hear what John had to say.

“Let’s go get some food,” Shaun suggested as he watched me brushing my hair in his bathroom.