King's Ranch Series Book 2: Bumpy Ride

POV: RIVER

I stand in front of Anna, and my brain needs a hard reset. What the hell just happened? Ashton proposed to my sister, Sydnee, after the ride of his life. I had my epiphany that Candace is my future, and then Anna drops this on me.

​DEFCON mode activated. This chaos can’t be happening to me. I can’t be a father. Shit, I finally decided to commit to Candace, and now that’s gone. She would never accept being my girlfriend now. Hell, let’s not even get into being ready; I’m not even responsible enough to be a father.

It’s not adding up. My brain is trying to add one plus one and is getting fifty-three. How the hell could she have gotten pregnant? We were only together once. True, I was a little drunk, but I wasn’t that drunk. I pulled a condom from my own stash. That lesson I learned from my father’s past: never use or rely on someone else’s protection. Only trust yourself, or you might end up with twins. God, twins… Please tell me she doesn’t have twins. I know the condom wasn’t broken; I checked. If it had been, that would have been an accident, and I would have encouraged her to take the morning-after pill. That might make me seem like an ass, but hell no, am I ready for a baby? Especially with a woman I barely know and had one unmemorable night with.

​“What do you mean by ‘accidents happen,’ Anna?” I ask, my jaw tight. Anna gulps and steps backward. I must have fire in my eyes from her response. I’m pissed, but I need to take it down a notch if I’m going to get to the bottom of this.

​“I didn’t know you were this dense, River. What do you think could happen if we had sex? We fucked; 12 weeks later, I learned I was pregnant, and here I’m standing in front of you with your kid growing in my belly.” Anna’s voice stays calm. News flash… IT’S A BIG DEAL!

​I step back, needing a big gulp of air and trying to calm myself down. I imagine my meditation routine for pre-ride prep. I need to find my center. I can do this; I can have this infuriating conversation with this woman. I will try again, even though I’m still rattled.

​“Anna, this is a big accident, and we used my protection; I’m sure of it. I put it on myself. Hell, you assured me you were on birth control while you tried to convince me not to wrap my dick up. With double the protection, how did you get pregnant?” I say, still proud of always wrapping it up, let alone being sober enough to remember. I guess she was trying to rope me into a kid with her.

​She fidgets with her hands, looking down, toeing at something imaginary on the ground. Then, like a light switch, she straightens up, chin jutting out in a power pose. “I don’t know what to tell you on how besides you’re the one that stuck your dick in me... poof baby.” If I’m the only one who stuck my dick in this woman, then she’s acting like it means something. Her whole persona feels guarded.

​Then it hits me: “Were you trying for me to get you pregnant?” I ask, hard and direct.

​“No, River. You think I want to be tied to you for the rest of my life? Hell no. I told you because this child deserves more than silence. You would bring trouble, but the baby should know her father.” Her anger is clear, though something in her eyes tells a different story, and that contradiction throws me off. Huh…

​I’m getting nowhere with this maddening woman. I need to get to the bottom of this quickly and get away fast to think it through. I fire off my next question, hoping for answers: “If you learned 12 weeks into the pregnancy, why am I just learning of this now?” As I wave my hand over her, I notice that she’s obviously further along now. She’s starting to crack with her nonchalant attitude. She’s nervous and lashing out.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I would ever tell you, River. You’re not exactly father material, being the Captain of the ‘Fuck and Run Squad’ and all; however, in recent months, you appear to be calming down. It might be best for the baby to let you know and be an active part of their life.”

​She wasn’t going to tell me. Seriously?! That’s her answer. I feel volcanic, the burn of anger across my skin. I have never been this mad in my life. Who does she think she is to tell me I’m not father material?! Sure, I might think that because I’m panicking, but she doesn’t have the right to withhold a baby from any father, let alone judge me.

​Additionally, she’s not showing much responsibility now, nor is she likely to in the future. I’m gasping for air like it’s my last breath, and my heart is pounding through my chest. Closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, “I want a paternity test, Anna. As you say, if I’m not father material, we should be extra confident that the baby is mine.” I blast my response at her. She takes another step back as if I had given her a verbal blow. Hell, she’s the one who gave me a verbal blow first. She wants to throw the gauntlet; I will be more than happy to pick it up.

​“The paternity test is not necessary; the baby is yours!” Anna practically shrieks at me.

​“Oh, it’s fucking necessary. You call me the Captain of the Fuck and Runs; well, you’re the Semen Connoisseur of the Rodeo Circuit. You will ride any cowboy with a chance at a buckle.” Anna wobbles her lower lip as if she’s going to cry at my insult. “Tears aren’t going to help you, sweetheart. You’re playing dirty, and that’s unfair.”

​She shifts like the wind again. “Do you realize that people just tolerate you? You’re a giant ass whose ego couldn’t fit the arena.”

​“Ego… really? If I wanted to kill myself, I’d climb to your ego and jump to your IQ.”

​I stare at the ceiling, huffing, and ask for help from the divine. Dear Lord, please give me the strength to deal with this woman. I need to get out of here, regroup, and figure out what to do next. Wait a second. She must want something if she’s telling me this now.

​“Three months before the baby is due, you come to me at a PBR event and tell me you’re pregnant with my child. I have seen you over the past six months, grasping at the attention of any straight male here. Why are you coming at me now? What is it you want from me?” I ask, wanting answers more than another fight.

​She squares her shoulders again, like she’s preparing for battle, and replies, “As I said, you must be a part of this child’s life. That includes support—emotional, financial, and physical. This child deserves to know her father, and you will support her and me.”

​“Her?” I asked, stunned. My world turned on its axis again. I was having a baby girl, and the thought landed hard.

​“Yes, the baby is a girl. I found out the sex of the child not long ago,” she says, her nonchalant attitude fully masked.

​“You come to me practically popping this kid out, not thinking about me supporting this child throughout the pregnancy, but just when there is another mouth to feed? As I have said, I have seen you around since that night. Even though we never exchanged numbers, you had ways to contact me. I don’t even know where you’re from. Hell, I don’t even know anything about you.” I pause to calm myself as my voice rises with every word. She handed me a piece of paper with her name and phone number, along with someone else’s, and it only made me more frustrated.

​“What is this?” I ask, looking down at the scrap of paper in my hand.

​“It’s my contact information as well as my attorney,” she says in a blunt voice. Damn, she’s difficult. For someone fighting me on paternity, she sure had that prepared. “If you insist on proceeding with this test, you will need that information.”

​I take a big breath and say, “I will contact my lawyer and find a trusted medical facility to process results for our review,” pausing to see her reaction as she tightens up. Her nervous eyes give her away. “Once the facility confirms the identity of the father and whether the child is truly mine, we will proceed to discuss placement and support of the child.” She performs well, but her eyes reveal all, making the doubts about whether this child is mine even more pronounced.

​“What the hell does that mean, River?!” she shouts, her mask cracking open. “You think you’re going to take my child away from me; you have another thing coming. I will fight you in court, and you will be lucky to have visitation with the attitude you have.” Her anger makes it clear she feels threatened.

​“I will have my lawyers contact you. Clearly, you and I should go through our lawyers at this stage,” I say firmly as I turn around and storm off toward my family.

​All I wanted was to race to the hotel and call Candace, but now I don’t even know what to say. Will Candace run from all of my drama, as I would have? Did I lose her already? The fear hits harder than the argument.