Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

Garrett

Pregnant. Harper was pregnant.

I stood in my living room, staring at nothing, while those words ran through my head. I repeated them, over and over, as if I needed the repetition to wrap my mind around what she’d said.

How the fuck had that happened?

Obviously I knew exactly how it had happened. But I still couldn’t believe it. Having a baby hadn’t been anywhere near my radar. It had been clear my ex didn’t want more kids, and I hadn’t pushed it with her. After my divorce, I’d convinced myself I didn’t want another relationship, so a bigger family was out of the question. I hadn’t even thought about it.

The conversation with Jack had left me reeling, but this was on another level. I was so shocked, it was hard to think straight.

I shouldn’t have let her leave.

She hadn’t seemed angry. It wasn’t as if she’d stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Her willingness to give me what she thought I needed—space to process this news—hit me square in the chest. That had been a sacrifice on her part. A big one.

Shaking myself out of my stupor, I went to the kitchen to grab my phone and called her.

Straight to voicemail. She must have turned it off.

Damn it.

Maybe she was right. Maybe I needed time to process this. If she’d answered, what would I have said?

I didn’t know what to say. What to think. How to react.

The walls felt like they were closing in on me. I raked a hand through my hair and, without really thinking about it, grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

The next ten or fifteen minutes were something of a blur. I drove by Harper’s house, but her car wasn’t there. After that, I found myself at the Timberbeast Tavern without any clear memory of how I’d gotten there. Autopilot, apparently.

I got out of my car, wandered inside, and parked myself at the bar.

Rocco came over, drawing his thick eyebrows together. “Hey, Garrett. You all right?”

“Not really.”

He grunted and poured me a bourbon. He wasn’t the type of bartender to listen to your problems, but he was the type who remembered your drink of choice. I appreciated that.

“Thanks.”

It was early evening and there were only a handful of people in the bar. Classic rock played low in the background and Rocco disappeared into the back. I took a sip of my drink and set it down, hunching over my glass like the grizzled old-timer down the bar from me.

Pregnant. Harper was pregnant.

My phone buzzed and I almost fumbled it onto the floor. But it wasn’t her. It was my brother, Luke.

Luke: Dropping off Owen at home. Where are you?

Me: Timberbeast

Luke: He just said that tracks. What’s going on?

Me: Long story

Luke: He says he’s fine by himself. Going to do homework. Good with you?

Me: Yeah, that’s fine. Tell him I’ll be home in a little bit. He can text me if he needs anything.

Luke: Got it.