sighed. “What did you do?”
“What did I do?” Reid thumped his chest. “How in God’s name do you think this is my fault?”
“Because when you left here, you’d finally pulled your head out of your ass and were running like a man possessed to the woman you love. A woman who just happens to be carrying your baby. So excuse me while I try to figure out what has you in such a tizz.” Jess searched his face. “Is it because she didn’t tell you? Because she had her reasons, you know.”
“Oh yeah, she told me some of those reasons .” Finally running out of steam, Reid sat next to Jess. “She threw the possibility of a relationship back in my face. Said she didn’t want a part-time dad for the kid, a dad who’d keep the kid secret because of his job, even after I told her I’d leave politics.”
A frown creased Jess’s brow. “Really? Because the reason Del didn’t tell you about the baby was to protect you from making a choice. The baby or your job.” Jess tapped her temple. “And if she thinks the way I do, like any woman does, she wouldn’t want you sticking around her out of obligation.”
“It wasn’t like that.” But as his sister’s words sunk in, a sliver of remorse pierced Reid’s stubbornness.
Jess made sense. If that’s what Adele thought, that he wanted a relationship because of the baby, no great surprise she didn’t want a bar of him. Adele was a savvy, intelligent, independent woman who didn’t need a guy in her life. He could imagine her being a brilliant mom too, without help from anyone.
Jess’s eyes narrowed. “You did mention you wanted a real relationship and were leaving politics before you found out about the baby, right?”
Reid’s heart sank. “Well, no. We kinda got sidetracked when I arrived. Then she didn’t tell me about the baby, I guessed. The rest turned to shit after that.”
“You’re a moron.” Jess made loopy circles at her temple. “Don’t you get it? You’ve given her no reason to want to be with you.” Jess rolled her eyes. “She thinks you want to be with her because of the baby, not because you love her. Which I assume you’ve told her?”
Reid pinched the bridge of his nose, understanding why he’d avoided commitment all these years. He was clueless when it came to deciphering the inner sanctum of the female psyche. Love was a bitch.
“Uh…no. She threw my offer back in my face so we didn’t get to the declaring undying love stage.”
Jess stood, one hand on her hip, the other pointed at the door. “You need to go back there and fix this.”
“I can’t.” He looked away, focusing on the flat screen TV hanging on the wall, rather than see the pity in his sister’s eyes when he told her the rest. “One thing she made perfectly clear? She doesn’t feel anything for me.”
Jess snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“It’s true, that’s what she said.”
“So let me guess. Your pride took a massive hit and you stormed out of their in a huff, blaming everything on her.”
Reid eyeballed Jess when he heard her audible amusement. “You think this is a frigging joke?”
Some of the teasing sparkle in Jess’s eyes faded. “No, but I know you, bro. You’ve never had a committed relationship in your life so you have no idea how to go about it.”
“Like you and Jack were any better,” he muttered, sounding like a sulky child.
Jess grinned. “Exactly. We were a couple of clueless clowns too, stumbling around, not admitting the truth to ourselves let alone each other. I think you and Del are the same.”
He shook his head. “But there’s a baby involved and she didn’t tell me…”
“Get over it. You know now.” She made a shooing gesture toward the door. “Go do something about it.”
He winced, not proud of his parting shot. “I may have inferred I’d fight her for the baby when I left.”
Jess bent down and punched him in the arm. “All the more reason to head back there and start groveling,
“What did I do?” Reid thumped his chest. “How in God’s name do you think this is my fault?”
“Because when you left here, you’d finally pulled your head out of your ass and were running like a man possessed to the woman you love. A woman who just happens to be carrying your baby. So excuse me while I try to figure out what has you in such a tizz.” Jess searched his face. “Is it because she didn’t tell you? Because she had her reasons, you know.”
“Oh yeah, she told me some of those reasons .” Finally running out of steam, Reid sat next to Jess. “She threw the possibility of a relationship back in my face. Said she didn’t want a part-time dad for the kid, a dad who’d keep the kid secret because of his job, even after I told her I’d leave politics.”
A frown creased Jess’s brow. “Really? Because the reason Del didn’t tell you about the baby was to protect you from making a choice. The baby or your job.” Jess tapped her temple. “And if she thinks the way I do, like any woman does, she wouldn’t want you sticking around her out of obligation.”
“It wasn’t like that.” But as his sister’s words sunk in, a sliver of remorse pierced Reid’s stubbornness.
Jess made sense. If that’s what Adele thought, that he wanted a relationship because of the baby, no great surprise she didn’t want a bar of him. Adele was a savvy, intelligent, independent woman who didn’t need a guy in her life. He could imagine her being a brilliant mom too, without help from anyone.
Jess’s eyes narrowed. “You did mention you wanted a real relationship and were leaving politics before you found out about the baby, right?”
Reid’s heart sank. “Well, no. We kinda got sidetracked when I arrived. Then she didn’t tell me about the baby, I guessed. The rest turned to shit after that.”
“You’re a moron.” Jess made loopy circles at her temple. “Don’t you get it? You’ve given her no reason to want to be with you.” Jess rolled her eyes. “She thinks you want to be with her because of the baby, not because you love her. Which I assume you’ve told her?”
Reid pinched the bridge of his nose, understanding why he’d avoided commitment all these years. He was clueless when it came to deciphering the inner sanctum of the female psyche. Love was a bitch.
“Uh…no. She threw my offer back in my face so we didn’t get to the declaring undying love stage.”
Jess stood, one hand on her hip, the other pointed at the door. “You need to go back there and fix this.”
“I can’t.” He looked away, focusing on the flat screen TV hanging on the wall, rather than see the pity in his sister’s eyes when he told her the rest. “One thing she made perfectly clear? She doesn’t feel anything for me.”
Jess snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“It’s true, that’s what she said.”
“So let me guess. Your pride took a massive hit and you stormed out of their in a huff, blaming everything on her.”
Reid eyeballed Jess when he heard her audible amusement. “You think this is a frigging joke?”
Some of the teasing sparkle in Jess’s eyes faded. “No, but I know you, bro. You’ve never had a committed relationship in your life so you have no idea how to go about it.”
“Like you and Jack were any better,” he muttered, sounding like a sulky child.
Jess grinned. “Exactly. We were a couple of clueless clowns too, stumbling around, not admitting the truth to ourselves let alone each other. I think you and Del are the same.”
He shook his head. “But there’s a baby involved and she didn’t tell me…”
“Get over it. You know now.” She made a shooing gesture toward the door. “Go do something about it.”
He winced, not proud of his parting shot. “I may have inferred I’d fight her for the baby when I left.”
Jess bent down and punched him in the arm. “All the more reason to head back there and start groveling,
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