Page 31 of Brendan (The Doherty Mafia)
“Just stay in here. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear. I don’t want my son interacting with you.”
“Because you think I’m going to disappoint him?” I asked, still confused.
She didn’t bother explaining it to me, but quickly left the room.
I sank back in the bed, rubbing a hand over my face. This was not how I expected the morning to go. How the hell had I landed myself in this pile of crap?
Seventeen
Rosalie
“Is everything okay, honey? You look a bit…tired,” Mom said when I emerged from the bedroom.
Davey sat at the kitchen table playing with the bowl of cereal in front of him. He wasn’t interested in it, and when he saw me, he came running into my arms.
I picked him up and gave him a kiss. I’d missed him.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired. You know, work,” I replied to my mother.
“I’m sorry, honey. I got a call from work and they want me to come in early or else I would have taken Davey to kindergarten.”
“It’s okay, Mom. You can go now. I’ve got it from here,” I said. Davey clung to my neck lovingly and I smiled at him.
I was self conscious of the fact that there was a man in my bedroom while the rest of my family stood in the kitchen completely unaware of this fact. More importantly, the man in my bed right then was the father of my son. Neither Davey nor my mom were aware of it.
“Yeah, I’m going to make myself a coffee first,” Mom said.
“You can get a coffee on the way, can’t you?”
She looked at me with a scrunched up face.
“I could…do you want me to leave?”
I felt bad when she looked disappointed.
“No Mom, that isn’t what I meant. I have to get ready and get Davey ready for school.”
“I’ve got him ready. Cleaned and brushed and changed.” Mom gave Davey a wink and he giggled back at her.
I ran out of excuses to get my mother to leave. The longer she stood there, the more guilty I felt.
“Good morning.” I heard Brendan’s voice behind me and my heart stopped. Mom stared past me at the kitchen door and Davey looked curiously over my shoulder. Slowly, I turned around to face him.
I’d told him specifically to stay in the room until the coast was clear.
He did this on purpose. He wanted to defy my wishes. He wanted to prove to me that I could never tell him what to do.
“Oh. Hi?” Mom looked completely shocked. She had never seen a man in my apartment. She was quickly putting two-and-two together. She knew I had spent the night with him.
“Hello Davey,” Brendan said to my son. I held him tighter and closer. I was suddenly very afraid that everything would unravel. That everyone in the room would find out the truth about Davey’s paternity.
“You’re Mommy’s friend,” Davey said.
That made Brendan smile and he nodded.
“A friend? Well, we haven’t been introduced yet.” Mom went up to him, sticking a hand out. I could see her visibly gushing. Brendan had that effect on women of all ages, clearly. “I’m Carmen, Rosa’s mother.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Carmen. I’m Brendan. I’m sorry to impose on family time but I was just going to leave and I thought it would be rude to do that without saying goodbye.”
My heart still felt like it had stopped in my chest. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t say a word.
“Mommy make pancakes!” Davey squealed, turning to me. “We will all have pancakes,” he declared.
I had no choice but to make the damned pancakes.
Thankfully, Mom said that she was going to leave. I guessed it was because she had no choice since she was expected at her workplace. What she really wanted to do was spend some time with Brendan and figure out all the details of our relationship as she could.
She even winked at me as she was leaving. I was blushing a bright pink. Especially because of the fact that Davey and Brendan seemed to be getting along very well.
They chatted non-stop while I made the pancakes. Davey helped Brendan find all the toppings we were going to have with the pancakes. Then they cut up some fruit together. I watched with bated breath as I witnessed Brendan being as gentle with Davey as he could be.
I had goosebumps seeing them together—knowing that they were father and son. The fact that they didn’t know the truth was sad and scary.
I didn’t know what would happen if Brendan found out. He would lose his shit. He would blame me. And then, inevitably, he would leave. He wouldn’t want the responsibility of a son on his shoulders. It was all fun and games now when he knew he wouldn’t have to deal with a kid when he left my apartment.
