yawning and rubbing the sleep from my eyes all the while. “Wow. You look a mess.”
“Yeah,” said Ben, swaying slightly.
He stood upright mostly due to the aid of David, one big arm thrown over the other man’s shoulders. Hair hung in his face, combining with the beard for a cross between a yeti and a Cousin It kind of feel. From between the dark strands, red eyes peered out at me. Oh, and lest I forget, he also stank like he’d recently bathed in a keg of beer, using Scotch-scented soap. Lovely.
“Sorry ’bout this,” said the guitarist, half dragging Ben into my apartment. “He insisted on coming over.”
“It’s fine.”
“On the couch?” David asked, face lined with strain.
“Ah, have to be the bed, please. He’s too big to fit on the couch.”
“Serve his stupid ass right if he woke up on the floor.” David sighed.
“Let me help.” I slid beneath Ben’s other arm, trying to take some of the weight. Christ, the man could put a bear to shame in the sheer bulk department.
“Hey, sweetheart,” said the giant drunken sod.
“Hey there, Ben.” I grabbed hold of his hand, hanging on tight. “How you feeling?”
“Great.” He chuckled.
“I’ll go first,” said David, directing the three of us sideways so we’d fit through my bedroom door.
“Okay. Go slow.”
“Yep.”
Operation Haul the Drunken Baby Daddy into Bed was going well. Except when Ben kind of stumbled halfway through. He surged forward, his forehead cracking into the doorjamb. I swear I felt the building shudder. There was definitely an indent in the wooden frame.
“Ow,” he said, sort of contemplatively.
David just laughed.
“Crap. Are you all right?” I asked, trying to push the hair back from his face to see, while keeping him upright and hopefully safe from further harm. “Ben?”
“He’s fine. Dude has the hardest head I’ve ever seen. One time when we were kids we got stoned up on the roof of my house. Ben walked straight off the edge. We were all freaking out, but by the time we got down there he’d already gotten on his bike and headed home. The big idiot’s basically indestructible.” David directed us toward the side of the bed. “Okay, let him go.”
I did so, and the father of my unborn child toppled face-first onto the mattress. At least that had to be a soft landing. Still, he lay there completely unmoving, apart from the rebound of the springs. God, I hoped we hadn’t accidentally killed him. If we had, at least the neglect wasn’t willful.
I grabbed one of his sneakers and gave it a shake. “Ben, are you still breathing?”
A groan from the man on the bed. Not too bad, as signs of life went.
“Don’t worry,” said David. “He’s fine. Just let him sleep it off.”
I nodded, still frowning just the same.
“You right with him?” asked David, hands on his hips. “I can send Sam over if you like. He’s finished babysitting Mal from what I hear.”
“No need, thanks. Is he all right? Mal?”
He gaze softened. “Passed out just like this one, apparently.”
Seriously, such a mess. Anne and Mal would probably never talk to me again. Well, Anne would, but she was my sister, so she had to forgive me eventually. Mal was another situation entirely. The thought of losing his high opinion and easy affection bit deep. Consequences were a bitch. Realistically, however, I couldn’t imagine myself having done any differently even if I’d known Mal and Anne would be pissed. I mean, I’d already known that and it didn’t even make me pause. Fewer star-crossed lovers and more adults should be allowed to date who they wanted.
Maybe if I’d known the night would result in the bean … I don’t know. There was only one thing I was sure of: sex equaled nothing but chaos and confusion. It was official.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “You must hate me.”
David’s brow wrinkled up. “What? Why?”
“For causing all this trouble.” The urge to flail was huge, but I restrained it.
“Yeah,” said Ben, swaying slightly.
He stood upright mostly due to the aid of David, one big arm thrown over the other man’s shoulders. Hair hung in his face, combining with the beard for a cross between a yeti and a Cousin It kind of feel. From between the dark strands, red eyes peered out at me. Oh, and lest I forget, he also stank like he’d recently bathed in a keg of beer, using Scotch-scented soap. Lovely.
“Sorry ’bout this,” said the guitarist, half dragging Ben into my apartment. “He insisted on coming over.”
“It’s fine.”
“On the couch?” David asked, face lined with strain.
“Ah, have to be the bed, please. He’s too big to fit on the couch.”
“Serve his stupid ass right if he woke up on the floor.” David sighed.
“Let me help.” I slid beneath Ben’s other arm, trying to take some of the weight. Christ, the man could put a bear to shame in the sheer bulk department.
“Hey, sweetheart,” said the giant drunken sod.
“Hey there, Ben.” I grabbed hold of his hand, hanging on tight. “How you feeling?”
“Great.” He chuckled.
“I’ll go first,” said David, directing the three of us sideways so we’d fit through my bedroom door.
“Okay. Go slow.”
“Yep.”
Operation Haul the Drunken Baby Daddy into Bed was going well. Except when Ben kind of stumbled halfway through. He surged forward, his forehead cracking into the doorjamb. I swear I felt the building shudder. There was definitely an indent in the wooden frame.
“Ow,” he said, sort of contemplatively.
David just laughed.
“Crap. Are you all right?” I asked, trying to push the hair back from his face to see, while keeping him upright and hopefully safe from further harm. “Ben?”
“He’s fine. Dude has the hardest head I’ve ever seen. One time when we were kids we got stoned up on the roof of my house. Ben walked straight off the edge. We were all freaking out, but by the time we got down there he’d already gotten on his bike and headed home. The big idiot’s basically indestructible.” David directed us toward the side of the bed. “Okay, let him go.”
I did so, and the father of my unborn child toppled face-first onto the mattress. At least that had to be a soft landing. Still, he lay there completely unmoving, apart from the rebound of the springs. God, I hoped we hadn’t accidentally killed him. If we had, at least the neglect wasn’t willful.
I grabbed one of his sneakers and gave it a shake. “Ben, are you still breathing?”
A groan from the man on the bed. Not too bad, as signs of life went.
“Don’t worry,” said David. “He’s fine. Just let him sleep it off.”
I nodded, still frowning just the same.
“You right with him?” asked David, hands on his hips. “I can send Sam over if you like. He’s finished babysitting Mal from what I hear.”
“No need, thanks. Is he all right? Mal?”
He gaze softened. “Passed out just like this one, apparently.”
Seriously, such a mess. Anne and Mal would probably never talk to me again. Well, Anne would, but she was my sister, so she had to forgive me eventually. Mal was another situation entirely. The thought of losing his high opinion and easy affection bit deep. Consequences were a bitch. Realistically, however, I couldn’t imagine myself having done any differently even if I’d known Mal and Anne would be pissed. I mean, I’d already known that and it didn’t even make me pause. Fewer star-crossed lovers and more adults should be allowed to date who they wanted.
Maybe if I’d known the night would result in the bean … I don’t know. There was only one thing I was sure of: sex equaled nothing but chaos and confusion. It was official.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “You must hate me.”
David’s brow wrinkled up. “What? Why?”
“For causing all this trouble.” The urge to flail was huge, but I restrained it.
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