Page 12 of Summer Nights (The Kingston Brothers #3)

Chapter Ten

Cooper

I was still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being a father. Ivy had mentioned not telling our friends and family, but I needed to talk to someone.

Instead, I buried myself in work, hoping the physical exertion would make me so exhausted at night, I'd sleep. Instead, I lay awake, stressed about how my life would play out.

Would Ivy stay in her condo and raise the baby there alone? Would she let me visit or help with the baby at nighttime?

I had a feeling she was going to push me away. Unlike Oakley, she didn't want anything from me. She hadn't asked for anything the other night. And I had the distinct feeling that she expected me to leave. She'd steeled herself for the possibility.

It was hard not to take that personally. I wasn't her father. But she seemed to judge everyone the same.

Oakley made a million demands of Dalton, but Ivy hadn't even called since I found out she was pregnant. I thought she'd reach out to tell me about the doctor's appointment, but she hadn't.

I wanted to give her space, but my patience was wearing thin. And I didn't want her to think I was just like her father. That I was going to ignore her and what she needed.

I was going to be there for her whether she liked it or not.

"You coming out with us tonight?" Shep ducked his head into the room I'd been working on.

"No." That wasn't even a question. I didn't think Ivy would be there either.

"What's gotten into you? You never want to hang out anymore."

"I've been out a few times." Mainly because I knew Ivy would be there. But now I suspected she'd withdraw from our friend group. She wouldn't want anyone worrying about her.

"It's not like before."

I used to feel like I needed to watch out for Shep, but I was tired of being his babysitter. I was going to be a father. Shep was going to have to figure things out on his own. "I'm not interested in the bar scene or picking up women."

Shep just stared at me. "Are you dating someone?"

My mind flashed to fucking Ivy against the wall. "No."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe it, because it's true." I had a feeling the baby news had stopped whatever might have naturally progressed between us. Ivy had shifted gears and wasn't interested in anything physical anymore.

"You'll get bored hanging out at home."

I might, because so far Ivy hadn't reached out to me. She wasn't talking to me about how she was feeling. Maybe I should show up and see for myself. Satisfied with that plan, I turned away from Shepard.

"Can you help with my house this weekend? I want to tear more stuff out."

"Sure." As long as Ivy didn't need me. But I had a feeling she would continue to push me away. I wasn't sure if it was a self-fulfilling-prophecy kind of thing or she really didn't expect anything from me. A lesser man would have been relieved, but I was irritated.

"Kinsley said she might be able to help with a design."

"I didn't realize she was into that kind of thing," I said, my mind still on Ivy.

"Yeah, but she took the office job for stability for her daughter."

How did Shep know more about our front-office worker than I did? "I thought she didn't like you."

"I think she needs the money," Shep said softly.

I gave him a look. "Don't take advantage of her."

Irritation flashed in his eyes. "Why would you think so little of me?"

I raised a brow.

"I'm not as big of an asshole as you think."

"Kinsley's a single mother. I wouldn't mess with her." I didn't know what his endgame was with her. But I thought he saw her as a challenge. She didn't want him, so that made him desire her more. But in reality, he had no intention of more than a one-night stand.

"I wouldn't hurt Kinsley or her daughter."

There was a bite in his tone when he mentioned her daughter "Her daughter's a cutie."

"Yeah, she's the best."

If he wanted to help Kinsley and her daughter by giving her a job, I'd support that. He had good intentions. But he didn't see the string of broken hearts he left in his wake. I didn't want Kinsley to be the next one.

"Hopefully she can help with colors and patterns. I'm hopeless when it comes to this stuff."

"Even though you've worked around this your whole life?" I asked him, wondering if it was that he didn't trust himself, not so much that he couldn't figure it out.

"I need a woman's touch," Shep said in a lighter tone.

"Sure, you do," I said, wondering when he was going to grow up.

"Seriously though. It's been too long."

I paused, letting my screwdriver fall to my side. "Are you saying that you haven't been with a woman in a while?"

Shep gave me a look. "Don't let it get around. I'm telling you because you're my brother."

"Why would you want everyone to think you're a playboy when you're not?"

He shrugged. "I do whatever people expect."

That was probably the only honest thing Shep had ever told me. "What do you want?"

"If I don't hit the bars so many times a week or bring home a woman every now and then, I'm going to lose my reputation."

I raised a brow. "Honestly? You could probably stand to lose it."

"I'm not like you. I'm not a good guy. No one expects much from me beyond a good time."

"That's not true." But my protest was weak. I didn't expect much from him either. I was so used to covering for him, whether it was at school, work, or with our parents.

Shep sighed. "I want Dad to give me more responsibility."

"You want to manage a project?" I asked him.

"I think I can do it, but Dad seems to think I need a babysitter."

Dad needed me to keep Shep in check. "You think he should give you a chance?"

"Yeah, if he asks you about it, can you put in a good word?"

"Shep—" I couldn't even say how many times he'd come into work late or left early. He'd get distracted and not stay on task.

"I'm going to prove to everyone that I can handle it."

"Shep—" I sighed as he stalked out of the room. He was pissed at me, which wasn't new. I was usually honest with him. And I wanted him to do better, be more responsible.

I was screwing up with everyone it seemed. I'd knocked Ivy up when she wasn't ready to be a mother. And now, I was telling Shep he wasn't good enough for more responsibility at work.

I wasn't sure how to fix things with either of them.

I needed to talk to someone, and there was only one person I trusted. Hudson. As the eldest brother, he was the one I went to for advice, especially now that Marshall was gone most of the time.

I texted him to see if he wanted to hang out after work.

He was quick to invite me to dinner. I hoped we'd get a chance to talk alone.

I wasn't sure if Elena knew I was the father.

Ivy was so private; I had a feeling she didn't even tell her.

Probably giving me an out if I didn't want to be involved.

But Ivy was going to find out I was a lot harder to run off than that.

I had no intentions of giving this baby up. Or Ivy, for that matter.

I ran home to shower before heading over to Hudson's place. The lack of communication with Ivy was starting to drive me a little crazy. If I didn't hear from her by tomorrow, I'd text or stop by to see how she was doing.

I rang the doorbell, and Elena opened it. "Cooper, it's so good to see you." She enveloped me in a hug.

"Thanks for having me over."

"That was Hudson, but you're always welcome here."

I stepped inside, seeing how much Elena had put her touch on the place without officially moving in with my brother yet. She'd hung family photos in the foyer, and there were extra throw pillows and blankets on the couch.

"Hudson is outside at the grill if you wanted to talk to him."

"I do, actually. Thank you."

She returned to the kitchen, and I didn't get the impression she knew anything about me being Ivy's baby's father. Outside, Hudson stood by the grill. "You wanted to talk about something?"

I rolled my shoulders back as I joined him. "You probably already know."

He frowned. "Know what?"

I sighed. "Ivy's pregnant."

He arched a brow and stilled. "Wow."

"Elena knows about the pregnancy, so I assumed she told you."

"We tell each other a lot, but if Ivy told her to keep it quiet, she'd respect that." Hudson glanced over at me. "I'm surprised that Ivy is pregnant though."

"Yeah, she's always been so independent."

He turned his attention back to the grill. "Do we know who the dad is?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm the dad. But don't say anything. Ivy wants to keep the baby a secret, and probably me too."

His eyebrows raised. "I didn't even know you two were a thing."

The tension between my shoulders increased. "We're not. We had a fling, I guess you could say."

"Was it just the one time?"

"It was more than once but not much." I shifted on my feet, not really comfortable discussing this part of our relationship.

"Are you seeing each other?"

"Ivy didn't want anything serious."

"And now she's pregnant," Hudson said flatly.

"I need some advice."

Hudson shook his head. "I feel like I'm giving out a lot of this advice lately."

"My situation is different than Dalton's. Ivy doesn't want anything from me. If I say I don't want to be involved, I don't think she'd even tell anyone I was the dad." I couldn't imagine walking around the island pretending that her son or daughter wasn't mine too.

Hudson turned the hamburger patties over. "Are you saying that you don't want to be involved?"

"No. Of course not. But she doesn't expect anything from me. It's a little weird."

"Ivy's a tough one. She came from a difficult situation, but you'd never know it, talking to her. She's erased that part of her with the expensive clothes and that SUV."

"I wondered why she never bought a house. She's a realtor."

"She might be afraid of commitment and tying her money up in property."

"Her past shaped her into who she is today." I'd have to remember that.

"You want something with her beyond the baby?"

"I think the baby put a stop to anything going on between us. She's pushing me away, and I don't know what to do about it."