“Sis, if you’d just shut up, he’ll tell us.” Cam sounded pissed.
“Maybe you should shut up, dumbass,” Becca snapped back.
“I’m gonna be a dad,” Logan said, more to stop their sniping than anything else.
Cam started to laugh. “That’s a good one. But seriously, what’s this really about?”
Logan said nothing for a moment. All four of them stared back at him. Gray swallowed hard, lifting his eyebrows.
“Are you serious?” Tanner asked. “You’re not serious, right?”
“I’m serious.” Logan nodded. “Baby’s due next year.”
“Oh. My. God.” Becca’s face lit up, a huge grin lifting her lips. “Congratulations. I’m going to be an aunt again!!”
A voice echoed on Cam’s speaker. He let out a grunt of frustration. “Shit, man, I gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay?” His video disappeared before Logan could say anything else.
“Tell me everything!” Becca squeaked. “When is it due? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? Tell me everything.”
Tanner shook his head. “You just shattered my eardrums. Can you take it down an octave or two? I think I heard some dogs howling over your way.”
“Shut up.” Becca shook her head. “I’m just asking so you don’t have to.”
A baby started to cry. Gray’s video shifted as he hitched Presley up against his chest. “Sorry, guys, I gotta go. This kid just did a diaper filler.”
Logan smiled. “Sounds like a good time to end this call.”
“No, don’t go!” Becca begged. “You haven’t answered my questions.”
“How about you put them in writing,” Logan suggested. “I’ll answer them offline.”
She looked slightly mollified. “Okay.”
“I’ll call you later,” Tanner said. “Let you beg my forgiveness for not telling me first.”
“He should have told Cam first,” Becca pointed out. “He’s Logan’s twin.”
“Cam probably already sensed it,” Tanner said, grinning. He lifted his hand up, wiggling his fingers, pretending to be mystical. “All that twin connection stuff.”
Logan shook his head. “Goodbye, guys.”
“We’ll speak soon,” Becca said quickly. “And congratulations.”
Tanner and Gray echoed the same sentiments, then Logan ended the call, shaking his head at his siblings’ antics. He was almost certain that Becca was already typing her questions out. Tanner was probably on the phone to Van, giving her the news.
It was strange how real it felt now. Telling people made it that way. Tonight he’d call his dad and Aunt Gina and tell them as well. But right now he had one more person to tell. He stood and pushed open the door to the restaurant office.
“Hey.” Paris looked up from the laptop she was working on. They shared this space – whoever was here first got the desk, the loser got a table in the corner. “You okay? I was worried when I got your message.”
“I’m good.” Logan leaned on the wall, running his hand through his thick dark hair. “I just wanted to give you the heads up about something.”
Paris frowned. “Is your family okay? Is it your dad?”
“My family’s fine.” He bit down a smile thinking about that damn call. “But I’ve got some news. I’m having a baby.”
Paris blinked, but no other part of her moved. After what seemed like five minutes, she finally let out a sigh. “Oh god, Logan. Who is she? Are you sure it’s yours?”
“I’m sure. And I’m happy about it. No need to look so worried.”
Her eyes moved from side to side, as though she was thinking his words through. “Is it someone I know?”
“No. She lives back home.” He shrugged. “I just wanted to warn you that I’ll be flying back for the appointments. And once the baby’s here I’ll need to take a look at my commitments.”
“You want out of the business?” Her eyes widened with alarm.
“I didn’t say that.” He kept his voice patient. “But if I have joint custody I’ll need to lighten my workload. We may need to look at employing some more managers.”
“We can’t afford more managers.” Her brows knitted together.
“Of course we can. Our cash flow is steady, and getting help was always in the plan. We’ll just do it a little earlier than we’d anticipated.”
She shook her head. “You’ve thought it all through, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t had much choice.”
“Shame you didn’t think so hard about contraception.” She gave him a sour smile. “This is a mess, Logan. I didn’t even know you had someone back home. How the hell are you gonna manage a baby and the hours we work?”
“The same way everybody else does.” He shrugged. “I’ll make it work.”
“Ughhh.” She gritted her teeth together. “I can’t believe this is happening now. We’re busier than ever. Don’t you know that?”
He stared at her for a moment. “I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me,” he said, his voice low. “My private life is exactly that. I’ll make sure the business doesn’t suffer.”
Her angry gaze met his. “You’re a damn fool if you think you can handle this. You should just pay her off and walk away.”
“That’s the mother of my child you’re talking about,” he told her, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll thank you to be more respectful.”
Paris blew out a mouthful of air. “I need to get out of here,” she said, grabbing her designer purse and sliding it over her shoulder. “Before I say something I regret.”
“You do that.” He watched as she stalked across the room, yanking the door open and stepping out of the office. As soon as she was gone he shook his head and walked over to the table where his laptop was sitting, opening it up and relaxing into the chair.
He had work to do if he wanted to get back to Hartson’s Creek for Courtney’s next check up. And he was determined he would.
Paris would get used to it. She didn’t have a choice. He was going to be a dad, and that was more important than anything else.
Taking a deep breath, Courtney pressed on the buzzer next to Carl’s name. He’d lived in this apartment for the past
