“Is there anything else I can get you gentlemen?
“No thanks,” Kevin said.
The second she was out of hearing range, he wanted to know. “Whose kid is it?”
Kevin was aware Nick never wanted children. Damn, I thought Summer was one of the good girls.”
“She says it’s mine.” “Daaayum. Man, are you sure it’s yours?”
“Yeah, man, most likely. She says she just turned seven months. If that’s the case, it’s my kid.” Nick grimaced as he let the strong liquor slide down his throat.
“Get the hell out of here man! Summer’s seven months pregnant and you’re just finding out about it.” Deep.
“Yep, just found out tonight. That’s why I had to see you. I needed to bounce this off of you.”
“Well how’d it go?” Kevin raised his hand and signaled for the waitress to bring him another drink and Nick one too. This was going to be a long night.
“Man, you know I lost it.”
Kevin nodded his head. When out of control Nick’s temper was beyond nasty.
“Bro, there’s only one other time I wanted to put my hands on a woman.”
Kevin sat erect, stared at his friend bug eyed as he groaned, “Tell me you didn’t, Nick.”
Offended his closest friend would think such a thing of him, he said through clenched teeth, “I said I wanted to. I would never hurt Summer, though I wanted to shake the mess out of her.”
Easing back into his chair, “So what are you going to do?” Kevin inquired as he took a large gulp of his drink.
Nick never batted an eye when he said, “I’m going to get custody of my kid.”
“Nick, come on man. What are you going to do with a kid, an infant at that?”
Nick became irritated with Kevin. He always defended Summer.
“Summer should have told me she was pregnant. Instead of doing that, she hid it from me. What was her motive?”
Trying to reason with him, Kevin pleaded, “Come on man, even you yourself said Summer was the best thing that ever happened to you. Maybe she had a good reason for not telling you.”
“Like what Kev?” Nick challenged. “I’ve been trying to figure that one out.”
Letting out a deep breath, continuing his defense, “Man, I don’t know. All I’m saying is that you should talk to the girl again. Summer is a sweetheart and you know it.”
“Whatever, man. All I’m saying is that she should’ve told me. I’m not letting some scheming, lying, whore, raise my child. If it’s even my kid. She’s probably just having it to try to get money out of me. All females are just a like, greedy, little tramps.”
Kevin shook his head in disbelief. “Nick, dude, you know you’re wrong as hell. That girl is nothing like Veronica or the other women you traipsed around with for that matter.”
Kevin didn’t often get angry with Nick, but he bordered on it as he locked eyes with him in a primal stare down. “You can’t even compare the two. Summer wasn’t some gold digging, hoochie with her hands in your pockets every time you turned around, let alone a whore. That girl loved you. Was heartbroken when you broke things off with her. I told you how shook up the girl looked when I saw her downtown the week after you left for Canada. What you need to do is give her a break and stop threatening to take her baby. Excuse me, your baby.
“Remember, you’re the one who dumped her with that lame excuse of not wanting to be in a long distance relationship. And you’re the one who said you didn’t want any kids. You should be glad she didn’t tell you. Maybe she didn’t want to put you on some guilt trip about running off to conquer the damn world.”
Nick sat seething. If it had been anyone else ripping into him, he would’ve given them an uppercut. Kevin had given him much food for thought with his brutal honesty. However, that didn’t change his position on the paternity test. He didn’t care what Kevin said, he was getting a paternity test and do what he had to do, even if it meant getting custody of the kid.
So what, he didn’t want to be a father. It didn’t matter now, did it? Regardless whether he wanted to or not, it didn’t change the fact he was going to be one. And it was all Summer’s fault. Whatever her reasoning, Nick didn’t care. All he knew was she would pay one way or another.
“Listen, Kev, I know I’m not straight about this situation. You know how I get when someone I’ve trusted lies to me. I hear everything you’re saying, but I gotta do what I gotta do man. You feel me?”
Kevin nodded his head. He felt Nick all right; he just prayed Nick would remember how special Summer had been to him. If he did, maybe he would have some mercy on the poor girl.