“I’m completely serious,” I say with a cajoling smile. “It was red velvet cake. We all put on hats and sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ Except Margaret—she wore a tiara.”
Anger flares in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re jerking me around right now.”
“I’m not jerking you around,” I say. “I’m telling you exactly what happened, and hoping to lighten things up a little.” I used to be able to do that.
“I’m not in the mood for trivia or levity. What happened with Lily?”
I blow out a sigh. “She got all excited when she realized she was going to be a big sister. She’d been too distracted by the news that I was her father to grasp that Quinn is having a baby.”
“Does she know it’s your baby?” Her eyes fill with tears.
“I’m not sure.”
“She must, if she’s excited about being a sister.”
I lift my shoulders. “Quinn is her mother figure, so maybe that’s the reason.”
Jess rises and gets a paper towel. She dabs at her face. “I can’t believe this is happening. You had no clue Quinn was pregnant?”
I shake my head. “No. Looking back, there were a few things I maybe should have picked up on. She got nauseated a couple of times and treated it by eating something, but she said it was low blood sugar.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“Yeah, well, there was a lot going on.”
“How do you feel about it?” Jessica asks.
“I’m in shock.”
“That’s all you have to say?” She looks at me with affronted eyes, as if I’m offering her a piece of celery while I’m wolfing down a cheeseburger.
I struggle to come up with something she wants to hear. “I—I wish it were you.”
This earns me a tremulous smile. “Me, too. This is probably the most awful thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I don’t think you should look at a child coming into the world as an awful thing,” I say.
Her eyes flash. “I’m feeling what I’m feeling. Sorry if it’s not PC enough for you.”
A muscle jerks in my jaw. I tip back my beer and swallow about a half dozen biting retorts.
“Did you talk to Quinn?” she asks. “Do you have any idea what kind of role she wants you to have with Lily and the baby?”
“We talked a little. She made a point of mentioning that the donor agreement is in effect with the baby.”
“What else did she say?”
“That’s about it. We’re going to talk more tomorrow when Lily’s not around.”
“I thought about this while I was on the treadmill. I realize it’s unlikely a judge is going to take a baby away from its mother, but we could still try to get guardianship of Lily.”
I can’t believe she’s bringing this up again. “Jess, that’s not going to happen. It’s not right, and it’s not in Lily’s best interests. Quinn’s baby doesn’t change that. The baby will be Lily’s sibling, and they belong together.”
“Half sibling,” Jessica corrects. “If we have a child, he or she will be Lily’s half sibling, too.”
“That’s not part of this equation.”
“Not yet. But hopefully it will be.”
