Frowning, he nodded slowly. “Sure, let’s go up to the office. Jarrod had to go home to check on Katy, so we’ll have some privacy.”
I should have known that wasn’t going to be the case. See, Townsends were like sharks with blood in the water. The second you needed privacy to talk to one, or you did something stupid, they smelled it in the air, and all started circling.
I could only be grateful that today only one shark was there as we walked up the stairs—Cole.
“S’up?” he called, then stopped when he saw my face. “Ah hell, what did he do this time? Grams kept telling us being mayor would be good for him, and he’d grow up with the responsibility, but I’m thinking it was for her own sake.”
I was facing him on the stairs, so I didn’t see Ren’s expression. Whatever it was, his shoulders slumped immediately, and he blew out a breath, then perked up at something. “Wait, Grams has been a feisty little one recently. Was it her? I knew I should have—”
“Not her, either.”
“Mom?”
“No.”
“Ah, shit. It’s Tom, isn’t it?”
Tipping my head back in frustration, seeing as how there were roughly a thousand Townsends he could go through, I muttered, “Just ask him to join us, will you?”
“Logan needs to talk, Cole. We’re headed into the office if you want to join.”
Sure enough, the nosy bastard walked in behind us into the office, closing the door loudly.
Squatting in front of the small fridge, Ren pulled out a bottle. “Want a beer?”
My reply was instant. “Yes.”
“Jesus,” Cole mumbled. “Want a whiskey?”
“Fuck yes.”
Dropping my face into my hands, I waited until they sat in the other chairs around the small coffee table, hearing the thud of bottles on the wood in front of me.
“There’s one of both.”
Reaching out blindly, I grabbed the small glass my hand hit first and tipped the contents in it back in one. Usually, whiskey wasn’t a favorite of mine, but on this occasion, I needed it.
“Need another?”
Picking up the beer, I shook my head, already feeling the comfort of the burn from the liquor in my stomach. “I’ll stick with this for now.”
There was an awkward silence as the two brothers picked up their bottles and took a mouthful, but patience wasn’t something Cole was known for—which was one of the reasons I’d gone to Ren for this.
“For fuck’s sake, man. Just spit it out before your head explodes.”
“Bexley’s pregnant,” I rasped, my throat dry even though it shouldn’t be.
“That’s great news!” Cole shouted, getting up and picking up the bottle of whiskey. “Celebration time, my dude.”
“Congratulations, fella.” Ren clasped my shoulder and shook it. “The best part of life— Wait, why aren’t you smiling?”
Cole stopped mid-step and frowned at me. “What’s wrong?”
I was going to sound like the world’s biggest asshole, but it was tearing me up inside. “It’s a girl. We only found out last week she was pregnant, then we found out how pregnant, and now—” I gulped, struggling with the weight of it all.
Cole frowned, but his brother winced, totally understanding the dilemma of having a female child first.
“Shit, man. I get it.”
Slamming the bottle onto the coffee table, Cole snapped, “Okay, you fuckers need to get some shit straight. Having a girl is a gift. Don’t you love Crystal?” he asked, glaring at Ren. “She’s your shadow, and you spoil her to death. Is that fake?”
Slumping into his chair, Ren glared right back at him. “You don’t get it, Cole. It’s not that having a girl isn’t a gift. Fuck, I adore my baby girl more than the oxygen my lungs need, but the weight of knowing you have to keep her safe from everything and everyone… That’s fucking tough.
“Plus, I’m a man, I had no idea what to do with a baby girl, to begin with. All that is what’s going through this loser's head right now.” He jerked his thumb at me.
“I don’t know how to look after a baby, let alone a baby girl. And what if a baby boy starts flirting with her? What do I do? And when she’s older, I’m going to end up having to arrest myself for murder.”
“I’m fairly certain that’s not allowed,” Cole pointed out. “But kudos on being honest about potentially breaking the law.”
“I get it,” Ren sighed, lifting his beer again. “Having a boy first is better because he can help watch out for his sister. When it’s the girl first, you’ve got double duty between her and her mom.”
Realizing he had all of this, Cole winced and sat back down. “I get what you mean now.”
“Plus, when you have a boy, you only have to worry about one penis—his. When it’s a girl, you have every penis in the world to worry about.”
Glaring at Ren, I snapped, “You’re not helping.”
Shifting slightly in his seat, Cole echoed what I’d said. “What part of you thought that was a good thing to say? Think about your daughter when you come out with that shit.”
Ren’s expression went from sympathetic to murderous. “My baby is an angel who’ll stay an angel for the rest of her life.”
Rolling his eyes at me, Cole gestured to his brother with his beer. “Think you’ll be locking him up way before yourself, man. He’s unhinged when it comes to his baby girl.”
This I knew. It’d taken Ren a long time to get over the fear of having a daughter and the responsibility it came with. That’s why I’d chosen him to talk to, hoping he could give me some pointers and advice to calm me down from the impending freak out I could feel coming.
There was a long silence, then Ren said, “You know, having a daughter first is a beautiful thing. Being a dad and Maya are the best things to ever happen to me, but the moment I was passed my baby girl? Fuck, there’s
