"Yes, and Nash had a point, too. Y'all shouldn't accept full responsibility for that child until you have confirmation that it's yours."
I don't say anything. I'm not sure how that will be received, and frankly, it kind of scares me. It makes it real. Too real. Especially for someone that doesn't make my heart go flip flop. Especially when there's someone else that is starting to make my heart go flip flop.
"You really need to talk this out with Shelly." Jade adds. "That's the only way to keep things honest. It's the only way to make sure that you put your best foot forward for you and for your unborn child."
My eyes are on a spot on the floor. "That's not it."
"What's not it?" Piper says, with her eyes scrunched together.
"Levi, you said that you were in some kind of trouble. What sort of trouble outside of this are you in?" Jade asks, hitting the nail on the head.
"I said I'm not in love with her."
They both nod their understanding. I feel like a fucking heal. I feel like I should be burned at the goddamn stake. Fed to the lions. "I think, I think I'm in falling in love with someone else."
"The girl at the photography studio?" Piper asks.
My eyes shoot to hers and then I lay my head in my hands. "Jesus Christ. Everyone fucking knows now, don't they."
"No." Piper places a hand on my shoulder. "We just knew because of the picture Billy told us about. We had no idea it was true."
I lift my head up. "What do I do? Shelly already knows about the picture. If she finds out that I've got feelings for the maker of it, she's going to flip out and deny me rights to my kid."
Jade lifts a hand. "Wait, hold on a minute. How did Shelly find out about the picture?" I explain quickly. "So, she looked at the receipt? Isn't there some unspoken code about snooping at someone else's receipt or someone else's business? What right did she have to do that?"
"It's semantics, Jade." I huff.
"No, it's not." Piper argues. "That woman knows how much you spent on that picture now, Levi. Even though it's not her business, she may put that in her toolbox, if you get my drift."
"Yeah, we're just looking out for you, doll." Jade adds. "Y'all need to talk to her."
"I don't even know where to start. What do I say?" All I can think of are words that I would say to Lennie. I'd love to tell her that she's beautiful and smart, and so talented it makes my head spin. It really does. It's very selfish and immature to say this, but I'd so much rather spend time with Lennie than with Shelly. Even if there wasn't the growing problem of a baby in the mix,either. If she wasn't with my child, I would have dumped her by now, and that's the truth, but I'm not telling the girls that. They'll think that I'm exactly that. Selfish and immature. I got us into this mess, and I'm not about to skulk my way out of it, just because I've got eyes for someone else.
"You start by asking her what she wants to do with this child." Piper states clearly.
"Yeah, and you also need to let her know that you may or may not want to stay with her, Levi. You lead her on while she's pregnant and that will be the start of fresh hell for you once that baby arrives." Jade adds.
"Exactly. And you need to let her know that you're here for her on all fronts, baby-wise, but she needs to respect your boundaries. Like no snooping at receipts or through your wallet, because that's what people that look at other people's receipts do." Piper says with a pat on my hand.
"And what do I do about Lennie? I mean, she already gave me a lecture about becoming a parent and being honest. She finds out I've got feelings for her and she's going to reject me. She'll think I'm one of those dudes that jumps from bed to bed."
"That's a tough one, I'm afraid." Piper says.
"Yeah, you might want to keep that one under your hat for now, just until things are settled with Shelly." Jade concurs.
"That won't be hard. I told her that we're just friends, anyway. I hate it that I lied to her, but I didn't really know how I felt about her until now."
"Then you didn't lie to her." Jade informs. "If you didn't know then, that is. And sometimes, especially in delicate situations like this, it's best to keep that to yourself. You don't want to shoot yourself in the foot."
I draw in a deep breath and let it out. "Maybe Shelly feels the same, you know. We're not exactly close."
"How do you mean?" Piper asks.
"Well, I stay over at her house and all, but it's like there's no connection between us. Like, when I'm with Lennie, I feel as light as air, and I feel like I can tell her anything. Plus, she's got this voice. It's so soft and honest. I could listen to her all day and night. But with Shelly, sure, in the beginning there was heat, but there was never any connection. She's very guarded and she doesn't like me knowing anything."
"You find out about that ring?" Piper asks.
"She, um, she actually put it away. So, I don't have a clue what that means."
