Best Friend's Baby Read online

  Contents

  TITLE: BEST FRIEND'S BABY

  ALLISON

  MASON

  ALLISON

  MASON

  ALLISON

  MASON

  ALLISON

  MASON

  STEEL - A BAD BOY ROMANCE

  STEEL

  CONNECT

  BEST FRIEND’S BABY

  (A Bad Boy

  Romance)

  By

  Mia Carson

  COPYRIGHT © 2016

  All Rights Reserved

  ALLISON

  I lay in the hospital bed with my shirt pulled up over the gentle swelling of my belly and watched as the nurse conducting my ultrasound made sense of the static-filled picture we saw on the monitor. I had no idea what I should see, but that was the reason she had gone to nursing school. As far as I was aware, it was too early to tell much, but I still had to go in for check-ups way more than I wanted to. At least the gel on my stomach was warm. Mom, who stood next to the bed and held my hand, had told me when she was getting her ultrasounds done for my brother, Tyler, and me, that the gel had been ice-cold. Thank God for small improvements.

  “Well, everything looks good,” the nurse said and wiped my belly off gently. I pulled my shirt back down and swung my legs off the bed. “Do you have any questions? Concerns?” I shook my head and looked at Mom.

  “Nope,” Mom said. “I think we're good to go. Thank you.”

  “No problem,” the nurse replied. She gave the two of us a small smile. “Have a good day and see you soon, Allison. Keep up the good work.” I muttered a thank you and shoved my hands into my jeans pockets as Mom led me out of the room and down the hall, following the exit signs.

  “Have you made up your mind about telling him?” Mom asked.

  I sighed. She'd been asking me every week since I told her what had happened, and every week I had the same answer—I really didn’t know. That was the nicest way to say it. There were other not-so-nice ways when she asked me while my hormones were acting up. She was lucky that the warm gel, dim room, and someone stroking my belly had mellowed me.

  “I don't know, Mom,” I said. “This is enough pressure on its own without having to gauge his reaction at the same time. Besides, it's not like he'll ever know it's his otherwise. At least not for a while.”

  Mom held up her hands in surrender. “Hey, it's your decision. Your father and I will support you no matter what. I was hoping I'd get to wait a little longer before becoming a grandmother, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to leave you to work through this on your own.”

  I gave Mom an awkward hug, sliding my arms around her middle and squeezing while we kept walking. Mom kissed the side of my head. “Thank you,” I said. “I'll figure it out soon, I promise.”

  I didn't know how soon ‘soon’ was going to actually be, but I meant it. I had just been hit with a big ol' run of bad luck, but I couldn't help thinking there was something I could change if I could do everything over again. Accidents happened, and we had taken all the precautions, but even a one percent chance of something happening exists for a reason. And maybe I wouldn't change anything after all.

  I ran a hand over my belly. I wasn't really showing yet, and thankfully, a cool, early fall meant I could wear hoodies to hide the tiny swelling that had started. I still had time before the awkward questions. Time to figure out exactly how I was going to deal with Mason.

  ***

  He’d shown up at the start of the summer, mostly to visit Tyler, but the rest of the family got roped in as well. Tyler was only a year older than me, and he and Mason had been friends since kindergarten, even though Mason's family had moved around a lot during those early years. We welcomed him with open arms. He hugged Tyler first and grabbed me around the waist, lifted me up, and spun me around until I laughed and pounded on his chest.

  “I'm gonna puke!” I screamed. He put me down, and I staggered a bit and tried to stand still as I waited for my head to stop spinning. Mason said 'hi' to Mom and Dad. I was the last person to go inside the house. Everyone gathered in the kitchen, and Dad broke out a six-pack of beer. It was a little bit early, and I wasn't quite old enough to drink yet, but Dad handed me an open bottle anyway. There was a brief silence while we all drank. I tried not to screw my nose up. I didn’t like the taste of beer, but alcohol was alcohol, and I would probably stop noticing the burnt toast flavour after a few more sips.

  “So,” Dad started, leaning on the kitchen counter by the sink, “what brings you back into town, Mason? I thought you were studying in New York.”

  “I was,” Mason replied, “but I couldn't keep my housing over the summer this time, so I figured it would be a good time to visit. My friend ended up getting me a job down here, and...Well, here I am.”

  “Do you have a place to stay?” Dad asked.

  “I’m looking at a room in town… Some old lady is renting it out—”

  “Why don't you just stay here?” Mom interrupted.

  “Yeah,” Tyler chipped in, “we've got the guest room. And rent will probably be cheaper. Plus, you're practically family, man! Would you rather hang here with us or have to deal with some crotchety old lady?”

  Mason shook his head. “No, no, I couldn't do that to you guys. I don't wanna be a burden.”

  “Nonsense!” Dad said. “You know you're more than welcome here. We'd be happy to have you, wouldn't we?” The last part was addressed to the entire family. We dutifully nodded our heads. Mason looked at me like I was going to be the voice of reason. I raised my brows at him and tilted my head. He smiled and laughed.

  “I guess I lost that vote, huh?” he said. “Okay, well, if you guys really don't mind...”

  “Not at all,” Mom said. “We'll get the room cleared out for you so you can have the whole space, and we'll work out a rent agreement later. Now, how are your parents doing?”

  While Mason caught everyone up on how he'd been doing since he'd left for school, I hopped on the edge of the counter next to Dad and balanced my beer on my lap, letting my heels kick lightly against the cabinets. I hadn't seen Mason in about a year, but he didn't look much different. His hair was a little longer and the sun had streaked it with blond, but other than that, he was just the same as I remembered him. He had a scar on his mouth where a rough game of knights and bandits with my brother had ended with him getting clocked in the face—a total accident of course, but Mason had never let Tyler live it down. The scar was attractive, all things said, just a straight line that cut into his upper lip and wasn't more than an inch long. It made him look rugged, especially when it had been a couple days since he had shaved and he had a nice stubble growing. I had always liked rugged men.

  “So,” I said when there was a break in the conversation, “where are you working?”

  Mason ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, a friend of mine got me a nice office job when she heard I was coming back. It's just for the summer, but it's gonna really help when it comes time to drop another five hundred bucks on books, you know?”

  “I get it,” I said. “Who's this friend? Anyone I know?”

  Mason didn't look straight at me. He took a drink of his beer and shrugged. “Probably not. She's a bit older. Daughter of one of my mom's friends, ya know? That kind of deal.”

  I nodded. “Cool. Cool.” His awkwardness made me feel awkward, and I became very interested in my beer.

  My family picked up the conversation, pulling Mason back into the fold like he had never left. It was good having him home, like a long-lost brother finally coming back. Eventually, our little gathering dispersed. Mom and Dad went up to get the room ready, and Tyler went to watch TV while Mason grabbed his stuff from his car. I stay
ed in the kitchen, kicking my heels against the counter and finishing my beer. It still tasted like shit, but I felt obligated to drink the entire thing. After all, I still had a year to go before I could drink without my parents having to let me have something. I was still sitting there when Mason walked past the kitchen again, dragging his suitcase behind him. He gave me a look that said ‘what the hell are you still doing sitting there?’ then carried on. Blushing, I hopped off the counter and chucked my empty bottle into the recycling bin before joining my brother in the living room, where he was still flipping channels.

  “Dude, just pick something,” I said, flopping down next to him hard enough to make him bounce.

  “There's nothing on,” Tyler replied.

  “We have, like, two hundred channels. There's something on. Just put on Food Network or something.” I reached for the remote, but Tyler held it out of my reach.

  “I don't wanna watch Food Network.” He pouted.

  “Well, obviously, you don't know what you wanna watch or else you would pick something.” I tried another grab at the remote, which failed just as much as the first. I smacked Tyler's arm. I'd have to climb over him to get the controller, or stand up, and I really didn't want to do either. Instead, I settled back with my arms crossed over my chest, frowning as channel after channel went past. He was the older brother, which meant he had control while he was home.

  Mason was on my side, though. He appeared suddenly behind Tyler on the sofa and plucked the remote out of his startled hand before plopping down next to me and bringing up the cable guide. He went straight to Food Network and turned it on. He stuffed the remote down between the end cushion and the couch arm. Tyler glared at him. Mason smiled and threw his arm along the back of the sofa. I stuck out my tongue. Tyler sighed loudly and relaxed against the sofa. After a moment, his expression relaxed as well. He liked Food Network. He just didn't want people to know he liked it. I had no idea why. In my opinion, it was the best channel in existence. Who didn’t like food?

  It wasn't long before the beer started to make me feel sleepy. That always happened when I drank, unless I had so much that I turned into a giddy idiot for a few hours before crashing. I felt myself listing to the side towards Mason until I bumped into his ribs, my head landing on his shoulder. His muscles tensed as he turned his head to look down at me, but he didn't say anything or make me move. His arm slid off the back of the sofa to wrap around my shoulders. I took it as a sign to pull my legs up on the couch and stretch out with my feet across Tyler's lap. He shoved them off initially, but the second time I did it, he let them stay there. I smiled to myself. He could be an ass sometimes, but he was a good brother. Besides, he was probably tired, too. Hell, it was likely he would fall asleep before I did. He liked to brag that he could drink anyone under the table, but after one beer, he'd pass right out if he didn't have another one or get up and move around.

  Sure enough, a couple minutes later, I heard him snoring just loudly enough to let me know he had dozed off.

  Mason chuckled softly. “You guys are ridiculous,” he said. “I just got here, and you're both falling asleep. Am I that boring?”

  “You know it has nothing to do with you,” I mumbled.

  “You're just saying that to spare my feelings,” Mason replied. I hit his stomach, not hard enough to actually hurt him but enough to make him grunt and tense. “Okay, you win, you win. I forgive you for falling asleep on me. Literally.”

  “You're comfy,” I said without really moving my mouth. “Can't blame me that you’re a good pillow.”

  Mason sighed dramatically. “No, I guess I can't.” I smiled and snuggled a bit closer, relaxed, listening to the TV as I slowly drifted off. Mason spoke again when I was just on the edge of sleep. “We should go out tonight. It's been forever.”

  “You sure you don't wanna just hang with Tyler?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Mason replied. “I want you to come, too. We can go bowling or something. I haven't been bowling since we moved.”

  “You wanna go bowling? Really?”

  “What's wrong with bowling?” Mason asked. “Or are you still just as bad at it as you used to be? I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself.”

  I blushed. “Shut up, Mason,” I said. He giggled but quieted down so I could have my nap.

  MASON

  I didn't mean to fall asleep; it just kind of happened. Food Network was relaxing, except when one of the elimination cooking competitions was on, and I was tired from my drive down. It definitely didn't have anything to do with how adorable and warm Ali was next to me, all cuddled into my side with her hand on my stomach. Definitely not. Tyler was still snoring when I woke up. I loved the guy, but I wished he were somewhere else right then. I didn't even care that my arm was starting to hurt from being in the same position for so long. I'd stay there forever if it meant Ali wouldn't move. If only we were alone... Maybe I could be a bit more open with my affections without drawing any unwanted questions from her family.

  I shifted just enough to pull my phone out of my pocket without disturbing Ali and check my notifications. A quick look at Facebook revealed that her mom had taken a picture of the three of us sleeping on the sofa and had posted it online with a cute caption. I smiled as I looked at it. Tyler was ridiculous, his legs splayed out and his head tipped back, but Ali looked like the sweetest thing I had ever seen, stretched out with her legs in her brother's lap and her head on my shoulder. “The old gang together again!” the caption said. I saved it to my phone with a press of my thumb on the screen. I had too few photos of Ali and I, and even less of the three of us together. On the other hand, I was practically drowning in pictures of Tyler and me doing all sorts of shit, dating back to when we were little kids and forging our friendship. I still had a shoebox in my closet full of the copies our parents had traded over the years.

  I pushed my phone carefully back into my pocket and wriggled the remote out from where I had stuffed it to keep it away from Tyler. He had just been being a dick, like usual, and completely jokingly. Everybody loved the Food Network. Except I wasn't overly fond of whatever this show was. When I watched Food Network, I wanted to see actual cooking, not weird country tour stuff. I flipped through channels.

  At some point, Ali woke up, and when she saw what I was doing, she groaned. “Nooo, not you, too.”

  “I only just started,” I said in my defence. “Besides, it's”—I checked the time on the cable box—“almost dinner time, and I'm pretty sure your parents are taking us out. And then it's bowling time. I'm allowed to find a non-shitty show to watch in the meantime.”

  Ali sighed and sat up, stretching her arms above her head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her t-shirt pull tight against her chest and swallowed over a small lump in my throat.

  “Right, bowling,” she said mid-stretch. “I forgot. Because I'm shit at bowling. You're just doing this so you can see me throw my ball into someone else's lane, aren't you?” I let out a snort, remembering the incident she was referring to. “It was one time!” Ali said and shoved me. “And it was midnight bowling, and I was tired and tipsy because you let me have a beer!”

  “It was pretty fucking funny, though, you have to admit.”

  “It wasn't funny; it was embarrassing,” Ali grumbled, but she was smiling.

  I stopped channel surfing and let her have the remote. We ended up on cartoons. Tyler was still sleeping, but Ali elbowed him in the ribs and scolded him for snoring. He looked a bit groggy after that, but it cleared up quickly, and by the time we were being shouted at about where we wanted to go to dinner, he was wide awake and ready to go.

  As technically a guest, the final pick of the restaurant was down to me. I got to choose between Mexican, steak, and seafood, so naturally I went for the steak. Living up north had meant way too much seafood over the last few years, and as much as I loved it, I was dying for a nice, juicy cut of meat. I remembered arguing with Tyler when we were kids about what we wanted for lunch. Al
i had never really cared and often ended up getting to pick where we ate simply because she was the only one not fighting about it. Getting us all out to the car was a lot easier now, too, especially with no shotgun to call. As the youngest, if not by much, Ali was confined to the very back of the van. During the ride, she and Tyler messed around on their phones while their parents talked, and I tried not to look at Ali too much in the reflection of the rear view mirror.

  Tyler grabbed my attention by hitting my arm softly and leaning towards me so I could look at a video on his phone. It kept me amused for the rest of the ride and kept my attention off of Ali, which was the real benefit. I couldn't pinpoint when my crush on her had started, especially since we hadn't seen each other in a long time, but seeing her again made it all crash down like a ton of bricks right on my head. There was no more awkward feeling than that. I mean, she was my best friend's sister, and that kind of stuff is off-limits. Always.

  Even though we were in the middle of the dinner rush, we didn't have to wait long for our party to be seated. It was a bit cramped and loud inside the restaurant, but with hunger growing in my belly, I couldn't have cared less. We were shown to a round table, the hostess putting menus at each place as we shuffled around each other into our normal seating arrangements. The adults sat next to each other, with one child on either side, and I sat between Tyler and Ali, directly across from their parents. Dave gave me a smile before he picked up his menu to browse. I pretty much already knew what I wanted, but I looked over what was on offer anyway and ordered a beer when the waiter asked what I would like to drink.

  “I want a beer,” Ali said grumpily.

  Her mom laughed and patted her hand. “Just a few more months, hon,” Julie said.

  “I know,” Ali said with a groan. “I guess I'll just have a Coke, then, please.”