Page 35 of Through the Storm

He’s one of my best friends from college.

And one of the guys I slept with.

Lena and her big mouth.

We’re all part of the same friend group, so I knew there was a chance one of the girls would tell them. I just didn’t expect it to happen this fast.

And I definitely wasn’t ready for this conversation.

“Hey,” he says when I stop halfway up the steps. “Can we talk for a second?”

I hesitate. “About what?”

He swallows. “Lena told me.”

My stomach drops. “Logan…”

“Are you sure it’s Ben’s?” He winces. “I don’t mean to disrespect you. I just...” He rubs the back of his neck. “How far along are you?”

The air tightens around us.

“Actually, I’m not sure yet,” I say, my voice sharper than I intend.

His eyebrows lift.

“We won’t know for sure until the baby’s born.”

Logan goes still. “Oh.”

A beat passes.

“Wait. So there’s... a chance?”

Heat crawls up my neck.

“Yes,” I say quickly. “There’s a chance.”

His expression shifts, surprise giving way to something I can’t quite read.

“But I’m not asking anything from you,” I add immediately. “You don’t need to worry. I’m handling it.”

Logan swallows, nodding once. “Okay. I just...”

He looks nervous. Not rejected-nervous. Guilty-nervous.

“I’ve been trying to piece it together, and I don’t know if we used protection that night.” His voice cracks. “I was drunk. Way too drunk. I wasn’t myself, and I’m sorry, Katy. I never should’ve let it happen like that.”

My arms cross on instinct. “I was drunk too.”

“I know. Which makes it worse.” He exhales slowly. “I should’ve been the one to stop it.” He takes a breath, steadying himself. “If this baby is mine, I want you to know that I’ll take full responsibility. I’m not trying to force anything. I just want to be there. For both of you. I didn’t have a dad growing up, and I promised myself I’d never make a kid feel that. I wanted you to know that.”

The sincerity in his voice knocks the air out of me.

“Logan, you didn’t do anything wrong.” I meet his eyes. “I wanted it. And I’m sorry I didn’t make sure we used something. I… wasn’t very experienced.”

“It’s not on you,” he insists. Then he hesitates. “I hope this isn’t crossing a line, but… the other guys heard you’re pregnant too. I talked to them. It’s handled.” He scratches the back of his neck. “They wanted to know if it’s okay to text you. Just to check in. They’re all worried about you.”

“Oh God.” I sigh. “That’s…. nice of them. Yeah, they can text me. Thank you for handling that conversation.”