“Why are you marrying him?” he asked her calmly and because she was still not thinking properly, she answered him honestly.

“He wants to help me with the baby,” she said simply. If she would’ve looked up and seen his face, she would’ve realized her mistake in being honest.

“You want another man to raise my child?” he asked her. She finally realized there was something wrong, by the tone of his voice. She looked up at his face and what she saw took her breath away. She could understand now how he was the business man he was. He could make all men quiver at his feet with the look of pure fury in his eyes. She stared at him with wide eyes, as she wondered what to say.

“Look, we both know the week we had was a mistake. I’m not going to punish my child by trying to pretend otherwise,” she finally said.

“Tell your friend the marriage is off because the real father will be doing the right thing,” he sneered at her.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Drew,” she snapped back.

“I’m the one being ridiculous? You were trying to keep my child from me. If I hadn’t shown up here, you would’ve never told me,” he said incredulously.

“I’m exhausted and I’m done with this conversation,” she said as she stood up. “Please lock the door behind you,” she finished and left the room. She climbed into bed and let the exhaustion take her away.

Chapter Four

Drew watched in amazement as Trinity walked away. He wasn’t used to being defied by anyone and he was certainly not used to someone dismissing him, like she’d just done. He heard the click of her bedroom door, before he thought to go after her.

He thought about breaking her door down and demanding they finish the conversation but she had looked exhausted and he was sure that wasn’t good for his son or daughter. He looked around the tiny apartment. There wasn’t any room for a baby. Hell he could barely move more than a couple of feet from wall to wall.

He didn’t think it was possible but her apartment was even smaller than the home he had grown up in. He’d been incredibly poor growing up but his family had taken good care of him. He was still closer than brothers were, with his two cousins. He couldn’t wait to tell them he was going to be a father.

He sunk down onto her couch, since his legs no longer wanted to support him. The more he sat there, the more it sunk in he’d have a child in four short months. He wasn’t ready for it but then again who was ever ready. He wished he had more time to prepare.

He noticed a weird looking picture on the coffee table and reached for it. He realized it was a picture of his child. He could see the full shape of the head and body. It had some weird numbers on it, which he didn’t understand. He stared for who knows how long, thinking his child already had his nose.

He looked down again and saw some paperwork. One was information about a three dimensional sonogram he was assuming was the picture in his hand. The other paper said his child was going to be a girl. His breath rushed out as he realized he was going to have a daughter.

He felt the smile spread as he looked at his daughter’s first picture. He could imagine her in his arms and spoiling her rotten. His cousin, who was more of a brother, Derek and his wife Jasmine, just had a baby girl a few months ago and she was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He was head over heels in love with her. If he felt that way about his niece, he couldn’t imagine how he’d feel about his own daughter.

He decided he needed to have a walk. He was far too wound up to pace her tiny apartment. He made sure the door was securely locked and headed back down the staircase. When he stepped back outside, he saw Damien leaning against a wall. He was never one to run from a confrontation, so he approached the man, who was trying to take his place.

The two alpha males glared at one another. Drew had to respect the guy was standing up for his friend but he was messing with his woman and his child.

“I’ll be marrying her,” Drew finally spoke, in a deadly calm voice.

“I figured as much,” Damien said with a cocky smile. Drew relaxed as he realized the guy wasn’t going to try and fight for her.

“Why are you still hanging around then?” Drew asked.

“I wanted to make sure Trinity was going to be okay. She has been my best friend for a lot of years and we have always taken care of each other, which is why I offered to marry her. I don’t want her to be alone,” the man replied simply.

“I can understand that. I would’ve done the same thing,” Drew replied.

“Just know if you hurt her, you’ll have to answer to me,” Damien said, as he stood to his full height. Both men were about the same size and it was obvious Damien would try to defend her honor.

“Let’s go get a drink,” Drew said. He wanted to learn more about Damien and he wanted to know what Trinity had been up to the last five months.

“I could use a beer,” Damien replied and the men walked down the street together.

“How has she been?” Drew asked as they sat down in a sparsely crowded bar.

“She’s been sad ever since she got back from her vacation. I knew something was up but at first I just assumed she was upset over her breakup with her ex-boyfriend. Soon it was obvious there was something else going on. She didn’t tell me about the pregnancy until she could no longer hide it. She has never kept anything from me, so I was even more concerned. She wouldn’t talk about you. What the hell did you do to her?” Damien finally finished and stared at Drew with suspicion.

Drew sighed and decided he may as well tell the story to her best friend. He figured the guy could be his ally in the whole mess. When he finished Damien sat back with a slight chuckle.

“You really know how to tick her off,” Damien finally managed to say.

“Yeah thanks for that,” Drew replied sarcastically. The men were both relaxed since they had a better understanding of each other.

“Just calling it how I see it,” Damien said. Damien was surprised to find he actually liked the man. He’d been pretty stupid trying to keep things from Trinity but Damien could understand why he did it. He himself was incredibly wealthy and didn’t often let people know who he was. It just tended to change how they acted around him. He wanted the same thing Drew did, which was to be loved for who he was and not for what he had.

The two men chatted for a while, then went their separate ways. Drew jumped in his vehicle, having no idea where he was headed, until he pulled up in front of his cousin’s house. He needed to talk to someone who would understand.

He entered the code to the gate and drove up the long driveway. As the huge house came into view, he felt some of the tension leave his body. The home may be an extremely large mansion but it was also homey and filled with love.

He walked through the front doors, not bothering to knock and followed the sounds of laughter. He could tell they were all out at the pool. Good, he could use a swim.

He stepped through the patio doors and spotted little Jacob in a splashing war with Derek. Jacob was the first one to spot him.

“Uncle Drew, your back,” Jacob yelled and jumped from the pool and gave him a very wet hug. He loved every second of it.

“How you doing, Squirt?” he asked his nephew.

“I’m good. I was totally beating dad,” he said with excitement.

“Hey, I was catching up,” Derek said as he stepped up beside his son and shook Drew’s hand. “You’re back in town early,” he finished with a raise of his brows. The cousins knew each other well and Derek could tell something was wrong.

“Hey Buddy, can you let your mom know Drew is here and see if she can make us something to eat?” Derek asked Jacob. He agreed with enthusiasm and ran back into the house to search for his mom. “What’s going on, Drew? You look like your world has been flipped upside down?” he asked.

“I’m going to be a father,” Drew blurted out. He didn’t need to ease into things with his cousin. It was better to just get it all out there.

“That’s great Drew, I’m really happy for you but why are you looking so stressed? Being a father is about the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Derek said.

Derek had only found out about a year and a half ago he was a father. Jasmine had been his childhood sweetheart and circumstances had kept them apart until recently. Once they’d found each other again, Derek also found out he had a nine year old son and vowed to not lose any more time with him. He’d also realized he still loved Jacob’s mother and they had married and now had a beautiful daughter added to their family. Drew wouldn’t be surprised if they had a couple more kids as well because they both loved being parents.

“I’m still in shock. You remember the girl I told you about five months ago at my resort, well I decided to pay her a visit and found her extremely pregnant. She wasn’t going to tell me and she was planning on getting married to her best friend. I want to strangle her about as badly as I want to pull her into my arms,” Drew said, as he blew out a frustrated breath.

“I understand,” Derek said as he let out a chuckle. He had dealt with every type of emotion when he and Jasmine had found each other again.

“Just be careful how you proceed, Cousin because you don’t want to spook her. That’s your baby and you’re lucky to have found her so soon. Just think, in four months you’ll be watching your son or daughter come into this world,” Derek reminded him.

“It’s a girl. I’m having a daughter,” Drew said with real excitement.

“That’s so great,” Derek said and slapped Drew on the back. Jasmine stepped through the doors, with Britney in her arms. Drew immediately held his own arms out to take his niece. She was so tiny and precious and he couldn’t get enough of cuddling with her.

“What’s so great?” Jasmine asked as she handed over the baby. Drew immediately began blowing bubbles on her little tummy, making her giggle in her tiny baby voice.

“I’m going to be a father,” Drew said as he looked up at Jasmine. She was an amazing woman and he was glad she and Derek found each other again. Hell, he hadn’t thought it was possible to find a woman as great as her until he’d met Trinity.

“That’s so great, Drew,” she said, as she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. “Why have I not met this woman?” she then questioned him, seeming a little hurt.

He explained the story to her and she seemed a bit appeased but not completely. “I insist on meeting her right away,” Jasmine said with her typical stubbornness. Drew figured it was good to have her on his side. He gave her the address of Trinity’s floral shop. He knew Jasmine would be there first thing in the morning.

“You boys watch the kids and I’ll make a celebratory dinner,” Jasmine said as she turned towards the kitchen. Drew’s mouth started to water because Jasmine was a phenomenal cook.

He sat in one of the lounge chairs, cuddling his niece close to his chest. She let out a little yawn and closed her eyes. He continued to rub along her tiny back and smiled as she let out a soft sigh. He couldn’t believe in only a few short months he’d be holding his own little girl. He never thought he’d want to be a father but knowing he was about to have a child, completely changed things. He could hardly wait.