She waved her hand in the air. “Not good for my career.”
Billy was recently cast in a movie about a mother who dies of a drug overdose, as the stepmother to two teenagers. The movie would open with her marrying their pilot father, and I knew it brought Billy to tears, reminding her of what she had yet to have. The book was written by a popular romance author, and it had the stink of a blockbuster all over it, which was something Billy’d had several times over.
I knew it was going to hit big, especially since Ford was producing it. He’d decided to get out of superhero movies and do a few dramas. He liked the feeling his life had taken on and wanted to bring emotion to the big screen. His words, of course.
I went back to Billy’s predicament. “You have time. Look at me. Forty-six and a new mom.”
“Well, we’ll see. Mom would freak the heck out. By the way, she’s on her way here. Steven called me earlier. She was finishing up at some society dinner and then coming.”
Things with Beatrice were still tense, but for Ford’s sake I’d let most of it go. He’d had a lifetime of responsibility on his back. He didn’t need me complaining. Beatrice was Beatrice, and as far as I was concerned, I’d won—I got Ford. She was never going to be the one to initiate anything more than a publicity truce, but I was a better person.
“Darlings…” Speaking of the devil incarnate, she floated into the room in a red ball gown, Steven on her heels carrying a giant teddy bear.
“Hi, Mom,” Billy said, before saying, “I’ll be back.”
“Going to the delivery floor, by chance?” I asked, and she gave me the stink eye.
Hmmmm.
“Is this my darling granddaughter?” Beatrice hung over the bassinet. “She has Ford’s nose.”
Ford strolled in and added, “And my wife’s gorgeous hair color and perfect skin.”
“It may darken. Her hair.”
“Nah.” Ford argued like he knew with certainty. “She’s my tiny Red. I got myself two gingers, both with silver eyes.” He picked Laurel up and held her close to his chest.
“They could change…” Leave it to Beatrice to counter.
Ford simply ignored her. As usual, he also ignored Steven, who was making notes about all the cards accompanying the flowers and balloons. Probably to debrief Beatrice, who was standing next to Ford, smiling at Laurel in his arms. She might be mad that the baby looked like me, but she was happy for another heir.
We took a few pictures and listened to a few more political niceties before Ford said, “Okay, thanks for coming by.” He started shooing his mom out the door suddenly.
Steven followed along on her coattails, saying she’d be by when we went back to my old place in two days.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ford was rather impatient to get rid of them. When they were gone, he settled on the bed next to me, Laurel still in his arms. “You know what the best thing about having a surrogate is?”
“Dare I ask?” He handed me our daughter, and I snuggled her to my chest, breathing in her scent.
“No six-week waiting period for me to get back to making you orgasm.”
“I’m pretty sure a screaming baby negates that theory.”
This had him howling, and I had to shush him. “The baby…”
“Look at her. She wants us to have orgasms. She’s a sleeper.”
“Oh we’ll see.”
I’d read enough books and knew from Val’s nieces and nephews that wasn’t usually how it worked.
Kissing my cheek, Ford whispered, “The best back nine, Fireball. The best.”
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Want to know what happens with Billy and the sexy Dr. Rand? Read a preview of their story,The Second Half.
Billy
