Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Who did care was a woman that was coming in the door as Lottie and I were getting ready to leave.
I had no clue who she was, but she narrowed her eyes as she looked from me to Lottie, who was sitting on the bench three rows away from me, and back.
I didn’t like the way that she was looking at me, so I walked to Lottie and picked her up, wanting to make sure that she didn’t go and reach for my girl and run out with her.
The way she was staring was unnerving.
“Who’s this?”
I smiled and shifted the girl on my hip, making her giggle.
“This little girl,” I said as I tickled her tummy. “Is my best friend ever.”
“No, but really. Who is that?”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Who are you?”
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and said, “I’m not sure that you need my name.”
“And I don’t think you need ours,” I said. “Have a nice day.”
The woman didn’t take the hint, but the funeral director came in and said, “Ma’am, can I help you?”
“I’m here to pay for a funeral.”
The funeral director gave her most winning smile and said, “That’s great. Follow me and I can get you the help that you need.”
I waved at her, letting her know that I was mostly finished, and she nodded her head at me in response.
I took Lottie with me to the table I was using to hold my stuff and said, “You about ready to go, Beanie?”
“Yeah,” she said in her cute little cherubic voice. “I’m hungry!”
I smiled.
That didn’t surprise me any.
“Your daddy is always hungry, too,” I teased. “You want to get lunch and go see him?”
“Yeah!” she chirped.
I picked up my box with my free hand and headed out of the door, unsurprised to find the woman from earlier outside by my vehicle.
There was something about her that made me uncomfortable, and I despised feeling this way.
“Hey,” she said as I got closer. “Can we talk?”
I ignored her and said, “Back up, please, so I can put her in her seat.”
The woman backed up, and I put her in her seat and started the car up before turning her movie on for her.
She reached for her uneaten pancake from earlier and I gently closed the door before facing the woman.
“You don’t know me.”
“No,” I said. “I don’t.”
She grimaced. “I’m Jackson’s fiancée.”
My brows rose. “You are?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “Yes, and we want to have a baby.”
Ahh, I knew where this was going.
“You want to have my baby,” I pointed out. “Because his sperm and my eggs were fertilized before they were stored. And I hate to be this person, but I’m not going to give you my eggs. I just won’t.”
Her frown was ferocious. “That’s the only way that I’m going to have a child with him, though!”
I was already shaking my head. “That’s not going to happen. I’m sorry.”
She stomped her foot in frustration. “This is utterly ridiculous.”
“What’s utterly ridiculous is you thinking that I would be okay with this. I’m sorry, but it’s not happening.”
She hissed at me, “We’re going to take this to court.”
“Then take it to court,” I said. “The only thing that I got in the divorce was that. No house. No car. No compensation for him ruining my face. No nothing. That’s the only thing I got, and I’m not giving it up.”
She didn’t like my answer.
I could tell.
But I wasn’t going to budge on this.
There was no way in hell that I was going to let her have my egg that was fertilized by Jackson’s sperm.
Luckily she didn’t push the issue and instead chose to stomp away toward her car—which I noted was my old car.
Jesus fucking Christ.
When we got to Chick-fil-A, because I’m sorry but when a three-year-old demands that for lunch, I’m not going to fight her on it, I texted Gunner to find out where he was at.
He sent me back his location, and I texted back letting him know we’d be there soon.
He met us outside when we pulled into the same school as last time.
“Hey there, ladies,” he said as he took Lottie out of her car seat. “What’s this going on with your hair?”
I smiled. “She was a bit of a wild mess, and I was in a hurry. I had two clients today. We thought we’d bring you by some lunch, then we’re going to go pick up some new running shoes.”
“Take my card,” he suggested. “There’s no way she’s going to let you walk out of there without some for her, too.”
I snorted and followed him inside. “I agree. She walks out with pens, notebooks, and anything else that the funeral directors can give her when we go to my jobs. She’s like a magician. No one can say no to her.”