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“Well, it’s not me. It’s not the kind of thing a guy would make up. Have you contacted the other man?” I asked.
“His name’s Dave and he’s married. Said they weren’t going to have any more children and that’s why he’d had the operation. I know it was wrong when we had sex, but they were on the rocks anyway.”
The guy sounded like a dick.
“I read somewhere guys still have to take precautions for three months after having the snip. Maybe he hadn’t waited long enough.”
“Shit. I’m so stupid. I should have known he was fibbing. One of his mates cracked a joke once that Dave had needed to sit on a cushion over Christmas because his privates were sore. I thought once you had them snipped, that was it.”
“Look, I can see you’re in a state, but I’m obviously not going to pay to look after someone else’s kid. But I don’t like to see anyone chucked out on the street either. Have you got somewhere you can stay?” I hoped she did because I didn’t want her to come home with me, even temporarily.
“My sister lives in Sydney, but we haven’t talked for two years.”
“I suggest you need some family about you for now. When you’re a bit more settled, you can make the decision to call the father or not.”
She reached into her purse and grabbed her cell phone. “Will you stay with me while I talk to her?”
“Of course.” Chris might have been a one-night stand, but she was still someone who was frightened. Damn! If I was going to have a kid on my own, I knew I would have been scared shitless.
Five minutes later, she had finished talking.
“She told me to go to her. Said she would never forgive herself if something happened to me. Maybe this baby will pull us back together.” Chris even managed a weak smile.
“This situation will have a silver lining after all.”
I followed her out to her car, which was old and full of rust. I was surprised the thing had lasted all the way from Melbourne. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out two fifty-dollar notes. “Use this to get some petrol and buy some food to take to your sister’s.”
“Thank you. You seem like a good guy. I’m sorry you can’t have kids.”
“I’ve accepted it.”
I had, but would Autumn?
It didn’t matter.
We were just ‘friends with benefits’.
“Look after yourself and think about contacting the dad. If you had some money coming in from him you might be better off.”
She drove away, and I headed home. No kids for me. It was one of the reasons it would never work with Autumn. She deserved to be a mom, and I could not give her that.
As I pulled into my street toward the cottages, someone came out of Autumn’s place. I didn’t recognize the man. She was free to have whoever she wanted visiting, but then again, who was it? I wanted to be exclusive, but she hadn’t said the same. My heart was getting messed up, good and proper. If there was to be any type of future with Autumn, I should explain about Chris anyway. I didn’t want secrets between us. I had also said I would protect her. If this guy was causing her trouble, I would sort him out.
I went to my place and fed Bluey and then headed around. It was best to knock and not just let myself in.
Autumn opened the door. “I told you to go. I never want to see you again,” she yelled.
“Whoa. Sorry. What did I do?” I held my hands up. Whoever the guy had been, she was clearly glad he was gone, and that suited me perfectly.
“Ryan. I didn’t think it was you.”
“I’m happy about that. Would it have been the guy I just saw drive off like a nut down the street?”
Autumn headed back inside, and I followed her. There were two wine glasses on the coffee table.
“That was my ex-husband, Jonathan.” She said the words with enough venom for a poisonous snake.
“Wow. That’s not what I expected.”
