Chapter 36

Thirty-Six

Everett

“ C hocolate, vanilla, or swirl?” I ask Sutton, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket. His face is red and sweaty, hair sticking up in every which direction.

He taps his chin like he’s deep in thought. “Swirl!”

“That’s my favorite too.” Grinning at him, I say into the drive-thru speaker box, “I’ll take two swirl cones, please.”

“I can’t wait to tell Mom how many balls I hit,” he gushes from the back seat. The smile on my face is instant, as is the pride swelling in my chest.

Earlier this afternoon, I texted Gemma and asked if it would be okay if I took Sutton to the batting cages again after school. This time, I did a round too, and Sutton got to see just how rusty I am after not playing for so many years. Him, on the other hand? He’s kicking ass and taking names, and nothing beats watching his confidence go up each time we go. The season ends pretty soon, but he told me today that he wants to try out for the team next year too.

Asked me if I’d keep practicing with him until then.

That question had me choked up in a way I didn’t anticipate.

Getting to practice with him, cheer him on, and just be there for him is such a rewarding feeling. It’s like I get to be for him what I always wanted as a kid. What I wasn’t sure I was going to get to give as an adult.

Handing one of the cones back to Sutton, I roll up the window and head back to our houses. It’s almost dinnertime, so I probably should’ve held off on the cones until after, but it sounded too good on this hot day.

“Thanks for taking me, Everett,” Sutton calls out a few minutes into our drive.

“Anytime, bud.” I flick my gaze up to the rearview mirror. “Thanks for letting me help you practice.”

He takes a big chunk out of the top of the swirl. Kid must have teeth of steel. “I was nervous when the season started,” he admits, but doesn’t elaborate.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

Looking out the window, he says, “I haven’t played a lot, and when I did, I wasn’t very good. The other kids all have dads to practice with, and well, I don’t.”

My heart aches for him. I know he was young and probably doesn’t remember much about him, but I’d have to imagine it still affects him on some level.

“But now I have you to practice with,” he goes on. “And that’s kind of like having a dad.” I swallow around the lump in my throat, turning onto our street. “And you’re definitely more fun to play with than Mom. She kind of stinks at baseball.” Laughter spills out of me as I meet his gaze in the mirror. He chuckles and adds, “What? She does!”

“I’ll take your word for it, buddy.” I pull into my driveway, putting the car in park before taking a big lick of my quickly melting cone. This was a terrible idea. “Your mom is amazing at so many things, so I think it’s okay if she’s not the best at baseball.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Hey, look!” I turn my head, following in the direction he’s pointing. “My aunt Georgia is here!”

We climb out—him quicker than me—and make our way over to his yard where Gemma and her sister are sitting on the front steps, smiles wide on both of their faces as he approaches, showing them his ice cream cone.

Gemma’s gaze finds mine, and she wrinkles her nose before I lean in and press a kiss to her lips. “Ice cream before dinner, Mr. Windward. What am I going to do with you?”

Keeping my voice low so only she can hear me, I shrug my shoulders and say, “Punish me?”

She breathes out a laugh, rolling her eyes dramatically as I wink at her.

“Mom, Aunt Georgia asked if I could spend the night at her house tonight so we can go kiting tomorrow morning. Can I?”

Gemma rises to her feet, stretching her arms over her head as she pretends to think about it. “Well, I don’t know…” Walking inside the house, she comes back a moment later with his rolling suitcase. “I suppose that would be okay. ”

“Yay! Thank you, Mom!” Sutton climbs up the stairs, wrapping an arm around her waist, hugging her tightly.

“Let’s get going then, kid,” Georgia says, brushing her hand through the messy strands atop his head. She meets my gaze for a minute, a grin tugging on her lips before she looks back at her nephew. “I may or may not have that macaroni you like at my house.” Glancing back at her sister, she smiles. “Text me later.”

“Okay, bye, you two,” Gemma calls out, waving. “Sutton, make sure you mind your manners.”

As soon as they’re out of sight, I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into me as I press a kiss on her lips. Something I’ve been waiting to do all damn day.

“Looks like you had a change of clothes,” she murmurs as we pull apart, and she drags her gaze down to my shirt that’s not stained with chocolate before we head inside her house.

Chuckling, I say, “I didn’t, but I was able to run home quickly and grab one before class started.”

We stroll into the living room, and somewhere between the front door and her sitting down on the couch, I can tell something is off. Gemma pulls her feet up, tucking them underneath herself as she watches me sit down beside her.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, feeling the panic rise in my chest.

Her throat constricts as she swallows, and she’s fidgeting with her hands in her lap. “Well, I don’t think anything’s wrong, but I do need to talk to you about something,” she says softly.

“Gemma, what’s going on?” I grab her hand, holding it in mine. “You’re freaking me out. Are you okay? Is Sutton okay?”

Nodding, she brings her other hand up to cup my cheek. “Everett, we’re okay, I promise.” She breathes out a laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m nervous and not doing this the right way.”

My heart hammers inside my chest as my mind spins. “Doing what the right way? Are you breaking up with me?”

Her dark eyes widen as they fly to mine. “God no,” she blurts out, visibly flustered. “Everett, I’m pregnant.”

We watch each other for several long moments, my stomach clear in my throat as her words register in my head. “You’re… pregnant?”

Pressure builds behind my eyes, and I feel my hands start to tremble.

Eyes filled up with moisture, Gemma nods, a smile tugging on her lips. “I am. Are you upset?”

“Why would I be upset?” I ask, cupping her face. My heart’s beating so fast, I think it’s trying to bust out of my chest and find her.

“Because it’s been barely two weeks since we decided to be anything more than friends with benefits, and we agreed to go slow, and getting pregnant is the opposite of going slow.”

A tear spills over, rolling down her cheek. My thumb swipes it away as I rub back and forth. “Let’s set the record straight right now,” I tell her, looking her in the eye. “This was always more than friends with benefits to me. From the moment I saw you at the pier that night, I knew you were special. I knew I wanted to know more about you. You were never just my friend. And yes, this is definitely a surprise, but I’m the furthest thing from upset. Nervous? Yeah.” We both laugh. “But never upset.”

“We never talked about if you wanted kids,” she says, bottom lip quivering.

I chew the inside of my cheek for a moment, taking in the woman before me. The woman carrying my child. Our child. “To be honest, I’ve always been unsure, but not because I didn’t want them.” I let out a shaky breath. “I know that I’ve told you about my dad, and I guess in the far back of my mind, I was always worried if I had kids, I’d end up like him, and that terrified me.”

Eyebrows pinched together, Gemma shakes her head, scooting closer to me until our foreheads rest together. “Everett, you could never be like that,” she says with such conviction. “Look at what you are to Sutton. How good you are with him. Did you forget when you cheered so hard for him even though they lost? You have broken the cycle; you are not like your dad. I see it every single day with Sutton.”

Thick emotion clogs my throat as I wrap my arms around her middle, pulling her into my lap. Her lips find mine, and as my tongue slips into her mouth, pressure builds behind my eyes. I can feel her tears on my face, mixing with mine, and I can taste them as they drip into our mouths. Arms wrapped tightly around my neck, she kisses me back with just as much fervor as I do.

And so easily, we get swept up. Maybe it’s why the next words spill out of my mouth without much time for me to overthink them. Words that have been floating around in my mind for a while, but it felt too soon. Hell, maybe it’s still too soon, but I don’t care .

“I love you,” I breathe into her mouth. Her glossy eyes fly open, connecting with mine. “I know this is fast, and I don’t mean to freak you out, but I do, Gemma. I’ve fallen so hard in love with you, and with Sutton. You two have become such an important part of my life in such a short amount of time, and there is nobody I’d rather have this baby with, be a family with, than you two. And I don’t expect you to?—”

Cutting me off with a finger pressed to my lips, she smiles and says, “I love you too.” Then her mouth is on mine again, and we tell each other how much we mean those words without any words at all.

“Have you told Sutton?” I ask when we pull apart.

She shakes her head. “No, and if it’s okay, I’d like to wait until I hit the twelve-week mark. The chance of having a miscarriage greatly decreases at that point, and I just can’t stand the idea of getting his hopes up, and then something happening. He’s experienced enough loss.”

Grabbing her hand, I squeeze. “You don’t have to explain it to me. I’m here for whatever you think is best. If you’re more comfortable waiting until that point, then I am too, and I’ll be here when you’re ready to tell him.”

She huffs out a sigh. “How are you so perfect?”

I laugh, stealing her lips for another kiss.

None of this feels real.

But it is, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world.