The Right Kind of Wrong: A Brother's Best Friend Romance by Fabiola Francisco (open ebook .TXT) 📗

“He’ll come around,” he says, although he doesn’t sound convinced.

“I’ll never forgive myself if you two are at odds because of this.”

“Hey.” Camden holds my face. “This isn’t your fault. I refuse for you to carry this weight. We made choices, and they have consequences.” He smiles sadly, and I nod. Camden may be putting on a brave face, but I see the worry marking his face.

“Let’s go for a walk.” He stands, reaching his hand out. “Fresh air will help break up this funk.”

“Okay.” I reach for his hand and stand. “Thank you,” I hug him quickly before heading to my room to put on my shoes.

When I get back, Camden is by the door, ready to head out. “Why don’t you show me that park Easton and Faith went to?” He talks about Parque de El Retiro.

“That’d be fun,” I smile up at him, locking up and heading down to the street. The mood is heavy as we walk, but with each breath I take, the more I begin to relax.

After a few minutes, I receive a text message from Faith. Opening it, I read it aloud.

Faith: HOLY MOLY! Your brother just told me the news. Congrats! I think. You are happy about this right? I can’t believe Camden is going to be a dad

“I feel like I should be offended by the amount of people that doubt my ability at fatherhood.”

“I mean, you are the most unlikely person. It’s kinda a shock,” I shrug.

“I can’t wait to prove everyone wrong,” he says, his shoulders squaring in determination.

“You’ve already started to prove me wrong,” I admit. That catches his attention, and the smile he gives me awakens the butterflies in my belly.

I write back to Faith, quickly letting her know I’m okay and getting used to the idea. I make sure to tell her Camden has been great so far, and we’re working through a plan.

I pocket my phone and continue walking in the direction of the park when Camden tugs my hand and drags me into a store.

“What the…” The rest of the phrase trails off when he holds up a onesie.

“Isn’t this the soccer team logo?” The Real Madrid logo with the initials in a circle and the crown on the top stares back at me.

“Yes.”

“I’m getting it. My boy is going to end up being a soccer fan if he’s raised here, but I’ll still teach him about American football.” Camden wears a proud smile as he reads the size and walks to the register to pay. I stand in awe, my eyes watering. When he turns around after he’s paid, his eyes soften as a smile paints his lips.

I get myself under control with a deep breath and a quick wipe of my fingers under my eyes. “If this baby is a girl, she’s going to be a sports fan no matter what,” I joke.

“It’s a boy,” he says with conviction.

He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and his other hand lands on my stomach. The feel of his touch makes my heart gallop like a wild horse in the Wyoming mountains. A sense of home comes over me as I smile at the thought of my hometown—a place I left behind years ago, yet lives inside of me.

“When will you start showing?” he asks, his hand moving in circles.

“I don’t know. I read on the internet that it would be after the first trimester, so I still have a few weeks, although I feel swollen.”

“You look beautiful to me.” Camden continues walking as if his comment were the most natural thing in the world, but to me, it’s still a shock to hear him talk to me in that way. It makes my heart leap.

I may be scared about having this baby and the uncertainty about my job and living situation if they ask me to move back to Richmond, but having Camden near me has made me feel like I can do this. It’s not so scary when you’ve got someone by your side, encouraging you. I have no idea what will happen when he returns back home, but I know that I’ll miss him.

chapter 17

Camden

Allyson has me wrapped around her pretty, little finger, keeping me hooked, and I doubt she’s even aware of it. Spending time alone with her has allowed me to get to know her on a different level, learn her quirks, what gets her fired up, and what makes her laugh. I’ve learned that she chews on the inside of her cheek when she’s watching TV and that she picks her nail polish without realizing it.

She may have been burning a hole in my memory since that fateful night, but this week that I’ve spent with her, she’s started to sear her name on my heart. I’ve known her for years, and I’ve never taken the time to truly get to know her, which is a shame because she’s one hell of a woman.

Allyson is strong, determined, and beautiful, but above all, she’s caring. The way she reached over to comfort me today when we told Easton what was going on—when she must’ve been as stressed if not more than me—spoke volumes. I didn’t expect Easton to jump for joy and send us a congratulatory gift basket, but I was optimistic, so I wouldn’t chicken out.

This isn’t something I can take back because he doesn’t want it to happen. And now that I’m here in my life, on the road to fatherhood, I don’t want to walk away. I’ve never been the kind of guy to visualize a wife, kid, and a whole happy family. I thought one day it could happen, but it wasn’t something I was searching for. I guess it’s true what they say; things come when you aren’t looking for them. Because Allyson and I just became an instant family without either one imagining this could happen.

“Are you