13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ireceived a text after I got home from visiting my mother.

Brax:Did you get the flowers?

Me:Oh, I’m so sorry. It was a crazy day and I didn’t even think to send a thank you message.

Brax:No thanks needed. Just wanted to make sure it was actually you who signed for them.

Me:Yes, they’re lovely. I have them sitting right beside me.

Brax:You’re not still at the office, are you?

I chuckled and dialed his number. He picked up immediately.

“No, I’m not still at the office. After our meeting this morning, my boss told me to take the day off.”

“Was that a good or bad thing?”

“Do you have time for a short story or a long one?” I asked in a teasing tone.

“Better give me all the details,” he insisted. “I didn’t get to see my stories today.”

“Your stories?”

“That’s what my grandma used to call her soap operas”

“You watch soaps?”

“Only with my favorite people. So, tell me about your day.”

I unloaded every detail of what happened that day on Braxton and while it felt better to get it off my chest, and have someone finally understand just how bad it had been for me, I felt a little shitty for placing the burden of my troubles on his shoulder.

“You should really contact Hollywood and have them tell your story. It’s way better than my stories.” We both chuckled at his obvious attempt to relieve the tension. “Seriously, I’m so sorry that happened today. All of it, from the bitch who pushed you, to being put on the spot, to having to deal with Rich being an idiot. I’m sorry.”

“Why haven’t you asked me what I ever saw in him?”

“I don’t have to. Rich can be a decent guy when he isn’t putting himself first. He definitely knows how to put on the charm and make people see the good in him rather than his flaws.”

“Sounds like personal experience speaking. Don’t tell me he had you fooled once upon a time,” I teased.

Brax hesitated a moment and then sighed. “Actually, that’s the truth. He had me fooled for years. I thought he was just as much my friend as Mel was for a long time. Turns out, it was all bullshit. In his mind, he was keeping his enemy close because I posed a threat to his relationship with his wife.”

“How in the world did the bubble burst on that one?”

“Back just before I moved here, I was out with friends and noticed Rich at the same bar. He had his back to me, and didn’t see when I walked up. The guy he was with made a crack about Rich being out for a guy’s night because Mel was probably shacked up with her boyfriend.”

“You,” I guessed.

“Me,” he agreed. "Anyway, that set Rich off and he went on a fucking tirade about me and how he would sooner get rid of me, but that his wife had what amounted to childhood nostalgia and pity for me, so she kept me around. He made sure to reiterate that Mel had no romantic interest in me at all, but Rich didn’t stop there. The asshole ranted for a solid ten minutes about what a piece of shit human being I was.”

“Did his friend know you were standing there?”

“Yep,” he said quickly. “I guess he thought he was doing Rich a favor and figured it would scare me off, so I wouldn’t hang around anymore. Shit, he was basically getting his wish since I was already set to move out here the following week.”

“Wait, you moved out here before you and Mel slept together?”

Brax groaned. “Honestly, I will love that baby she’s carrying, no matter if I’m the father or not, but I hope it’s not mine. I love Mel, but I love her as a friend. That night… It wasn’t that long after hearing Rich’s real opinion of me, so that was fresh in my mind still, and then listening to Mel break down about all the proof she found that he was cheating-”

“I get it. It was more like you guys came together in a stupid act of revenge that would have never happened except under those dire circumstances.”

“Exactly.”

“No offense, but for Mel’s sake and the child she’s carrying, I kind of hope her baby is yours.”

“Seriously?” He asked, shocked by my take on things.

“Yeah, seriously. I watched you with her children and they not only love you but they respect you as well. The way you handled them with a mixture of tough love and kids’ gloves was awe-inspiring, to be honest. They’re not even your biological kids or blood relatives. I think Mel and her baby could do a lot worse than to have you in their lives in the capacity of biological dad to one of her children.”

“Yeah, I guess I see your point.” He sighed. “Wouldn’t other women, the one I might date in the future, be turned off by that dynamic, though?”

“I don’t see why. Any woman who was turned off by you being a good father and a friend is too insecure to have a happy relationship anyway.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Would you date me, knowing what you know?”

“If I wasn’t pregnant with your best friend’s husband’s child, then I’d jump at the chance to date you despite the fact that Mel might be pregnant with your baby.”

“Why the ‘if I wasn’t’ clause in that statement?”

“Because it’s messy.”

“You don’t mind my part in the mess, why should I mind yours?” He asked and that time he didn’t sound like he was teasing me or making light of the situation anymore.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Brax stated. “I’m serious. If I asked you out, what would you say?”

“I’m pregnant and due in September.”

“Okay, so we won’t schedule any dates or getaways for September,” his teasing tone was back.

“Aren’t you worried that I’ll fall back into things with Rich because of the baby?”

He laughed at that question. “God, no.”

“Why not?”

“He proved himself to be an idiot and a complete jackass. You would have to be the most insecure woman ever to go there again. I can already tell from what I’ve seen that you are far from that.”

“You’re right. My mom asked me that question tonight and I thought she was crazy. She just wanted to see my reaction when she asked me if I should try to work things out with him.”

“Ultimately, you’re the only one who has to be happy with your choice,” Brax confided. “Well, you and your daughter. I don’t see you being content with Rich after everything, let alone happy.”

“You’re right.”

“So, would you go out with me?”

“On a dinner date?”

“It doesn’t have to be dinner. You let me know when you have some free time, and we’ll schedule something. Even if we decide that too much is going on to make dating possible, I’d still like to get to know you better. We can call it a ‘test the waters’ outing if you’d like. Spending a little more time getting to know you, without the distraction of Mel and her kids in the way, is the goal. If, after we do that, you decide that you want to friend zone me or never see my face again, I’ll live with your decision. Hopefully, that’s not your decision because I already like enough about you that I know which way I want this to go.”

“Same,” I said without thinking. It was meant to be a thought, not spoken, but there were no take-backs once he heard it. It was crazy to even think about dating someone else while I was pregnant, wasn’t it? “We need to-”

“We won’t rush things,” he quickly suggested after cutting me off in his excitement.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” I couldn’t fight the grin that pulled my mouth up at the corners for the rest of our phone call. We decided a time that would work for both of us and worked out some details. I was pregnant and about to go out with a man who might have fathered my brand-new friend’s baby. The same friend whose husband was the father of my unborn child. Sure, it was messy, but our whole dynamic was already so intertwined with one another that a little more chaos couldn’t possibly hurt. At least that’s what I hoped as sleep finally claimed me that evening.