“I was out for a run, and she was just leaving her photo shoot,” he tells the woman. “Ains, this is Tawny and Jack. Jack and Tawny, Ainsley.” He nods back and forth between us as he makes the introductions. “Ains, I know this is nuts, but I just found out I have a son about forty-five minutes ago. Tawny is, uh…heading away for a while, and she’s leaving Jack with me. Can you help me out for a few days until I figure out a more permanent solution?”
My eyes grow even wider. Like, we’re at the point where they may actually just pop out. I mean…yeah, I was interested in early childhood education, but that’s a little different than actually caring for a baby. And hisgirlfriend? I’m still not over that.
I pull it together. For whatever reason, he wants her to think we’re together, and he just grabbed me legitimately off the street to help me out, so I play along.
I fold my arms over my chest as I think through how to play this in the span of a single second. A girlfriend wouldn’t exactly be calm to find out her boyfriend had a baby with another woman, right?
“You have a baby?” I demand.
“He’s six months old, and I was with Tawny long before you and I got together,” he says, and there’s a begging quality to his voice.
“We’ll talk about this later,” I huff. I stride down the hall and search for Dex’s bedroom. A girlfriend would know where his bedroom is, right? I end up in a bathroom.
He follows me.
Can I help him?
Probably. I have experience with babies despite my choice of profession. I come from a rather large family, just like Dex does, but I’m the oldest of five siblings. I took care of my littlest brother when he was born and I was twelve, so it’s not like I’ve never changed a diaper or fed a baby.
My parents are both teachers, and they make very little money. We just barely scraped by each month, and it’s why I chose a different path when I chose a major. I wanted to be a teacher, too, but I thought there’d be more money in communications. But when you’re a communications major and you end up as a data analyst for an insurance company, you start out pretty much on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.
It’s a fairly large regret of mine. I sort of wish I would’ve just gone into teaching from the start.
I wasn’t leaving all that much behind by going onSpeed to the Altar.Ivy, yes—she’s my best friend, but with me out of college and her still in it, we have different schedules. And my family, of course. I’m close with my parents and my four siblings, but I’m not supposed to talk to any of them about this until the show airs.
I guess I just liked the idea of having the chance to find a happy ending the nontraditional way. Instead, I just met another dead end.
But since I have nothing to return to and I need to lay low for a while, helping my best friend’s older brother in his penthouse overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard seems about as good an opportunity as I’ll come across.
“Down the hall,” he says, and I walk down to what must be his room.
He walks in behind me and shuts the door. “I’m sorry.”
I blow out a breath. This is nuts. Bananas. Totally over the top.
But the truth is, it’s also an opportunity.
I need somewhere to hide, and that may be all he needs from me.
“I can help you. But I need help, too. I need to get my suitcase from my hotel so I can change out of this nonsense.” I sweep my hand down the dress production chose for me. Next time I’m at the altar, I’d love to choose my own gear. If there everisa next time.
“Oh, Milton can help with that,” Dex says.
“Milton?” I ask.
“The doorman.”
I nod. “Great. I, uh…don’t have my phone, though. They’ll want the dress back before they’ll return anything.”
Dex nods. “I’ll grab you something to wear, and we’ll get you your shit back. It might be a little big on you, though. Give me a minute.”
He disappears, and I head back out to the woman with the baby in her arms.
“So where are you headed?” I ask brightly, trying to make conversation.
She bursts into tears again. “Jail.”
Oh, jeez. What the hell am I getting myself into here?
