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CHAPTER 1

Zoey

A baby!?

When I rolled off Matt’s couch this morning to take my hungover ass home, I did not expect to see a baby sitting outside his front door. I close the door quickly before opening it again to see if my hungover brain is making things up. Nope, the baby is still there.

“Matt,” I call.

The baby, who doesn’t look any older than three or four months, sucks on a pacifier as they watch me through barely open eyes. I don’t hear any noise coming from Matt’s bedroom, so I yell, “Matthew James Carter!”

Shuffling comes from the other side of the apartment, and then Matt steps out wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts that hang off his hips, showing off his stomach that’s not quite abs but fit, as he rubs his eyes. His brown hair is unruly, only confirming he just rolled out of bed. I take in every inch of him and shake my head, reminding myself that now is not the time to be ogling my best friend’s brother, no matter how good he looks first thing in the morning.

“What’s with the yelling, Zo?” His voice is groggy as he makes his way towards me.

I turn and fully face him, needing to see his reaction. “Oh, maybe the fact there’s a baby outside your front door.”

He stops in his tracks as his deep-brown eyes that match his sister Liv’s meet mine. “You mean Liv dropped off Cate?”

I shake my head. “No, I mean, a baby I’ve never seen before is sitting in a car seat with a diaper bag outside your door.”

Even at six-foot-two, he slides around me with graceful ease. When he finally sees what I’m talking about, his jaw drops. “Whose baby is it?” he asks.

“How am I supposed to know? I opened the door to leave and almost tripped over the damn car seat.”

He stares at me, dumbfounded.

I sigh. “Is there a note, Matthew?”

He side-eyes me at the use of his full name, but it always seems to come out when I’m frustrated with him. Years of spending time with him can do that.

“I don’t know, Zoey, I haven’t had time to really comprehend the fact that I’m staring at a baby that’s been left outside my place.”

I roll my eyes. Fine, I’ll give him that. He checks the car seat first before he moves on to the diaper bag. The baby starts to fuss, and I place a hand on Matt’s shoulder.

“Why don’t we move inside?” I ask.

He looks at the baby and then back at me before nodding. I grab the bag from him while he grabs the car seat and takes it inside to the dining table. He attempts to soothe the fussy baby by rocking the car seat while I search for a note. I find one tucked in the outside pocket of the bag. We both stare at the folded paper, knowing whatever’s written on it is going to change both Matt’s and this baby’s life.

I hand him the paper, and he takes it hesitantly while I take over soothing. He reads it silently before collapsing in a chair. I watch his eyes as he reads it again before he drops his hand with the paper between his legs.

“He’s mine,” he whispers. His voice is mixed with confusion and hurt. When his eyes meet mine, there are so many emotions swirling around them.

“He’s yours?”

He nods and hands me the paper, and I also have to read it twice for it to really sink in.

Matt,

I tried to do this, but I couldn’t. I never wanted to be a mother, but thought I’d change my mind after Jayden was born. I couldn’t. Jayden is yours. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier, but I didn’t know how you’d feel about having a kid. I now know he’s better off with you than me. I’ve left his birth certificate and medical information in the diaper bag along with documents signing away my parental rights. I’m flying home to Winnipeg tonight. I can’t stay in Vancouver any longer. Please take care of our boy.

Hazel

Holy shit. Matt has a baby. Matt, the playboy, knocked a woman up, and I’m not entirely sure how to process it. I’ve known for years he got around, but that he actually got someone pregnant is a different story. I have no idea who this woman is. I’ve never heard her name before, so she must be one of Matt’s many casual flings or a one-night stand. If she had been a serious girlfriend, I would have heard about her from his sister.

The baby’s eyes match Matt and Liv’s. I don’t know what his mother looks like, so he could have gotten those from her, even if it’s unlikely. I’m too hungover and not fully awake to process or try to make sense of this all right now. I need sugar and a shower.

“At least she didn’t give him a horrible name,” I say, trying to bring some levity to the situation.

Matt looks at me unimpressed.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to say or do right now.”

We both sit and stare at the beautiful baby boy sitting in front of us. He starts to fuss again, and I get up, grab some formula and a bottle out of his bag, and begin making it. Matt’s still in shock. He hasn’t moved one bit since handing me the letter, and I don’t blame him. Having a baby randomly dropped on your doorstep and being told they’re yours is huge.

I hold the finished bottle out for Matt. He stares at it, and I give it a little shake. “You should feed him. Use it to try and bond.”

He takes it from me before grabbing Jayden and getting settled on the couch. It takes a minute, but Jayden eventually accepts the bottle. Matt watches him with rapt attention.

“I know nothing about him,” Matt says, his voice soft as he stares at Jayden.

“Well, you’ll get to know him. You’re good with kids. You’ve got this.”

“I’m fun Uncle Matt, Zo.” He looks at me and shakes his head before looking back at Jayden. “I’m able to borrow my niece for a bit and then return her to her parents. I wasn’t planning on kids for a while. I’m single, for God’s sake. How am I supposed to do this on my own? I still have to work. How can I be sure he’s even mine? If he is, I’ve got to figure out child care, make sure he’s got all his vaccines. I need to learn if he has allergies, and I need to figure out where he’s going to be sleeping. On top of all that, I have to tell my family.”

When Jayden finishes, Matt burps him like a pro.

Stress and anxiety radiate off Matt. I know telling his family is probably the most difficult thing on his list. His family has always been the supportive type, but finding out Matt has a child no one knew about won’t be easy news to hear.

“Why don’t we tackle the first concern first. I’m sure there’s somewhere in town we can get a paternity test run,” I say.

He nods. I grab my phone and do a quick search, finding a place nearby, and text the information to Matt.

“I’ve just sent you a place in town that does them. I’ve got to head out, but I’ll see you later,” I say and move towards the front door.

Matt very deftly gets off the couch while still holding Jayden. “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Where are you going? You can’t leave me here with a baby. I have nothing to take care of him.”

I stop in my tracks and face him. “Matthew, you’re not useless. You take care of Cate no problem and have since she was born. You can take care of your son.”

The deer in headlights look he gives me and the soft spot I’ve slowly developed for Matt recently have my shoulders slumping. This better not bite me in the ass.

“Fine,” I sigh. “Let me go home, shower and change, and then I’ll come back so we can get you stuff to get him settled.”

He relaxes. “Thanks, Zo.”

I nod. “Of course.”

As I pull open the front door, Matt stops me. “Hey, Zo? I’d appreciate it if you don’t say anything to my sister or anyone before I get a chance to.” He worries his bottom lip between his teeth, much in the same way Olivia does when she’s worried. Liv’s my best friend, and I tell her everything, or I guess almost everything, since I haven’t told her how close Matt and I have grown over the last year and a half. Matt’s no longer just my best friend’s brother. He’s my friend, too. So, what’s one more secret?

“Not a word,” I say before closing the door behind me.