Page 40 of Can't Win 'Em All
“Oh, I can take care of him.” Ruby was grim and determined.
“I’ll be back,” I insisted firmly. I wasn’t messing around. “Just … try not do anything crazy to your father until I get back, huh?”
“I’ll be fine.” Her smile was small but sweet. “As for your parents, don’t let them get a foothold in the argument. Take the offensive right from the start.”
“Is that what you do?”
She nodded. “If I always have control of the conversation then they can never get solid footing. It’s a tried-and-true practice for a reason.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
MY PARENTS DIDN’T SAY ANYTHINGfor the ride down in the elevator. They waited until we got to the parking garage, which was a deliberate choice on their part.
“So … you’re going to be a father, huh?” Dad’s expression was impossible to read. The way he looked me up and down made me feel itchy.
“I guess I am.” Now that I’d had a bit of time to sit with the information, the panic had eased. Some. I was still frightened—who thought it was a good idea to allow Ruby and me to try keeping a human being alive for crying out loud?—but the baby wasn’t what was fueling it. No, it was the practicalities freaking me out now.
“Were you really considering not taking responsibility?” My father’s tone was grave.
I hated disappointing him, but this was about more than that. “No. It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d immediately gotten it together anyway. Ruby demanded that I think about it. She didn’t want any nonsense.”
“Do you blame her?” Mom asked. “I mean … going in and out of a child’s life is not a good thing.”
“I was never going to do that.” I dragged a hand through my hair and sighed. “I was surprised when she told me. When it happened—the sex I mean—we both kind of brushed it off.”
“And why is that?” Mom acted as if she was a psychologist trying to get to the root of some deep-seated issue.
I shrugged. “I mean … she’s Zach’s sister.”
“And Zach is married to your sister.”
“Yes, which actually makes it weirder when you really think about it.”
Mom pursed her lips, considering, then nodded. “I guess I can kind of see that.”
“Besides, Ruby has always been self-sufficient. She cut herself off from actual relationships because of Ryder. We all know how I treat relationships. It was never even a consideration that it would be more than it was.”
“And yet you proposed,” Dad pointed out.
“Yes, but I only did that because I thought that’s what I should do.”
“Maybe it is what you should do.”
I would’ve been lying if I said that thought wasn’t still floating around inside my head. “Ruby thinks it will be better if we forge a strong friendship.”
“And what do you think?”
I shrugged. “I think, with everything that’s going on with the Stone family right now and this being so new, that maybe we should go with Ruby’s plan.” I had to think hard to come up with the right words. “Forcing a relationship when this is so new means that there will never be a chance down the line.”
“That’s smart.” Dad took me by surprise with his easygoing demeanor. “You’re right. This might not be the correct time to even try dating. A friendship is a good foundation, and if down the line you guys realize you’re more than friends, you’ll be in a better place to take advantage of the opening.”
“That’s the key word,” Mom interjected. “You guys need totalkabout whatever it is you plan to do. You’ve seen what happens when you’re impulsive.”
My shoulders sank under the heavy weight of my mother’s stare. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Ruby was on the birth control shot. I still don’t know how this became a thing.”
Amusement had her lips curving. “What’s that movie you loved as a kid?Jurassic Park, right?”
I frowned. What didJurassic Parkhave to do with my current predicament? We weren’t having a baby dinosaur. “Um…”
