Page 140 of Kaden & Keegan
Chapter Twenty-Two
After leaving Bristol’s, Keegan headed for Moonshiners. It was the one place he knew his brother would go for an escape and it was exactly where he found him.
The place was packed, half a dozen cowboys playing pool in the back, the stools lining the bar all filled. Rafe was behind the bar tonight, working to fill orders, giving Mack a rare night off.
To his surprise, rather than sidled up to the bar, Kaden was sitting in a booth in the back, alone, nursing a beer. From where he stood, it appeared his twin was intensely focused on the woodgrain in the tabletop. Keegan knew that wasn’t the case. More than likely, Kaden was lost somewhere in his head, probably coming to understand Keegan’s reasons for avoiding relationships for so long.
They never worked out.
Keegan sympathized with his brother. To a degree, anyway. However, he could also see the rationality behind Bristol’s response. Kaden had clearly surprised her with his proposition, and she hadn’t been able to process in time to mask her initial reaction. It happened.
Wow. Look at him being all rational and shit. Someone should probably write down the date because it didn’t happen often.
As he approached Kaden’s table, Keegan waved off the waitress. He wasn’t going to stay long, and he wasn’t in the mood to drink tonight. He was exhausted, both body and mind. So much had transpired in the past week and the upcoming ones didn’t show signs of slowing down. For now, he wanted to keep a clear head.
And wasn’t that an interesting turn of events? Rational and level-headed. He had to smile because seriously. They must’ve been in some sort of alternate universe.
Kaden looked up, glanced around, then looked at him again. “Where’s Bristol?”
“I left her at home,” he said as he eased into the booth across from Kaden. “I don’t think she’s feelin’ well.”
Kaden frowned, concern making his brow furrow. “What’s wrong with her?”
Keegan shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Probably just a bit overwhelmed.”
“I didn’t mean to say it.”
He didn’t have to ask whatitwas.
“No?” Keegan wasn’t sure he bought that. In fact, he was pretty sure his brother had been holding that in for a while. Anyone who knew Kaden knew he was ready to settle down, had been for a long time.
Kaden glared back at him. “What? Did you think I was out to sabotage this?”
He chuckled. “Of course not. That’s my job. But you sprung it on her pretty fast, don’t you think?”
“No,” Kaden grumbled. “I don’t.”
He wouldn’t. Because in Kaden’s mind, they’d been with Bristol since the night at Alluring Indulgence nearly a year ago. That had been when the dance officially started. The past year had merely been them two-stepping in the right direction. And yes, that included the frequent steps back they continued to take.
“You’re tellin’ me that’s not where we were headed?”
Keegan leaned back in the booth, considered it.
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Kaden said, evidently not needing Keegan’s response. “We’ll have to figure out where to go from here.”
Because Bristol was pregnant. He knew that was what Kaden was referring to. And that would mean Bristol would be part of their lives indefinitely, if for no other reason than because they weren’t going tonotbe part of their child’s life. No, they hadn’t planned this, and no, it wasn’t how Keegan had seen it going, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy about the idea of becoming a father. Hell, he’d honestly never thought they’d get to this point.
“Are you sayin’ it’s over completely?” Keegan prompted, wanting to ensure they were on the same page because he got the feeling this was just Kaden being ornery, something Keegan had mastered.
Kaden cast him a shuttered look. “It was bound to happen,” he said softly, once again peering down at the table. “Too much is goin’ right in our world.”
And there was another twist. Unlike Keegan, Kaden was the glass-half-full sort. Always looking on the bright side while Keegan was the one waiting for the other shoe to drop. And while Keegan had gotten good at pretending he didn’t have a care in the world, they both wore their emotions on their sleeves. Kaden was merely good at not blurting it out at the slightest provocation.
Until tonight.
“I won’t apologize,” Kaden grumbled.
“I’m not expectin’ you to,” Keegan told his brother. “We were gonna have to address it sooner or later.”
