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

head back home to Richmond. I can’t live in a foreign bubble with her forever. We’ll have to figure out a real plan so I can see the baby once the time comes. That is if her job doesn’t make her move back to Richmond like Allyson worries they might. Selfishly, that would be the best solution, but I don’t want her to give all this up if it’s what she truly wants.

We make it to her apartment building, and I walk her up to her place. Allyson turns with a smile when we reach her door.

“Thank you for today. It was exactly what I needed. Easton will come around. I’ll make sure of it.” A sad smile lifts the corners of her lips.

“He will,” I agree, even if I don’t fully believe it myself. I don’t want to disappoint her.

“I’ll talk to him,” she nods.

“Give him some time to process,” I suggest. “He may just need a day or two to fully understand.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Lord knows his lawyer’s mind is working overtime.” Allyson means this as a joke, but my heart stops.

I take a step toward her, closing the gap between us and reaching for her hands. “We can work out a plan without having to get into all that. We don’t need a lawyer, which is probably a good thing since we share the same one,” I throw in to lighten the mood, but I don’t want her to think we’ll have to get legal advice.

“I want this to work, and I’ll do anything you ask. Just let me be a father to this child.”

Allyson’s chest rises with a deep breath, and her eyes mist over. “This is all new to me, but I’ve known you long enough to know you won’t take this child away from me.” My eyes follow her hand that falls to her stomach.

“I promise,” I whisper.

Allyson nods silently, and my lips touch her forehead, lingering longer than necessary. When I stare down into her eyes, I see an array of emotions swimming in those big, green eyes. I take a step back to give us both some space to think clearly.

“Here you go.” She shrugs out of my jacket and hands it over.

“It looked good on you,” I wink, which causes her to shake her head while she bites down her smile. I reach for her trapped lip and tug it away from her teeth with my thumb.

“We’ll talk later. Get some rest. I know you’re dying for a nap.”

Allyson chuckles and nods. “I’m so tired.”

I nod and rub her belly. “Bye, baby boy.” I speak to her stomach before looking back at her. “Bye, Kiwi.” I kiss her cheek and walk to the elevator, putting my jacket on. Her sweet scent immediately envelops me, as if she were still walking beside me.

I have no idea how I’m going to leave her when the time comes to fly back home, and I don’t see any option that will allow me to stay here throughout the entire pregnancy since I’m not a Spanish resident or citizen. Ninety days isn’t nearly enough, though.

chapter 18

Allyson

Today has been surreal. Nothing could’ve prepared me for Camden and his presence in my life. I grab the onesie from the bag and shake it open. A smile takes over my face as my eyes mist over. I was surprised when he pulled me into the store, and my heart stopped when he said he was buying this for the baby. I had never experienced overwhelming emotion than I did at that moment, and I did my best to swallow it down and not cry like a baby in the middle of the shop.

I hold the onesie to my chest. My life right now is tilted, everything in an unfamiliar perspective. I’m not sure if I’m standing upright or lying down. It’s scary to feel as if you’re not in control of your own feet, as if you can’t stand firm. However, today everything seems all right. The choking panic subsided as I walked with Camden, teasing him, being around him.

I see him in a different light, and it’s scary because eventually he’ll leave, and I’ll stay. And while we’ll have a child that bonds us, that’s not the sole reason to be with someone. So much more goes into a relationship, and two people shouldn’t jump into one just because they’re having a child together.

But maybe that child could be the reason that brings them together to form a deeper relationship.

I shake my head and walk into my room, folding the onesie and placing it in the empty drawer in my dresser. I started reorganizing and clearing out things I no longer wear so that I can have room for this baby. It may not be the ideal home, but we’ll make do with the space we have.

I don’t expect Camden to get down on one knee and ask me to marry him because I got pregnant, but I always imagined this part of my life to be full of crazy, can’t-live-without-you love, and a home shared with someone. I never imagined I’d be a single mom, and while Camden is here, at the end of the day, I’ll be alone.

I bite down my lip and blink away the tears starting to cloud my vision. Lying down on my bed, I grab one of the extra pillows and clutch it to my chest. The reality of this pregnancy hits me in spurts, taking me down a whirlwind of emotions where I can’t figure out what’s up and what’s down.

As much as I try to distract myself and pretend I’m okay, the deep-seated fear of what’s going to become of my life is ever-present. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point in my life and career, and the sudden possibility that I could lose it all makes my heart accelerate faster than a race car flying down the track in Daytona.

That’s not to mention