“Oh, that is unusual.”
Axel and I both stiffen.
“But good. Well. I’m sorry for taking up your time. I’ll just close out the case. I had wanted to offer my services to you, but I see that is not necessary.”
“Okay. It was nice meeting you,” Axel says cheerfully.
I put my hand on his arm. “You mentioned that my sister had been working with you for nearly three years? What was that in reference to? Did she have any other legal matters I should be aware of?”
“No, we only spoke about custody of Luca.”
“Three years ago?” Axel asks.
“Oh, yes, she was concerned about custody of Luca. I advised her against telling Mr. Knight about the baby.”
I go cold. “You did? Why?”
“Normally we advise our clients to give contracts to sperm donors. Custody is something to be decided before insemination, not after. Getting pregnant via a sample in a turkey baster is incredibly irresponsible.”
I blink.
No. That can’t be right.
“But Mr. Knight and my sister slept together. There was no, um, turkey baster.”
Axel’s eyes round, then he shakes his head. “Jane is correct.”
Ice forms in my stomach, and the mattress is too soft. I sink into it, helpless, as my pulse skitters. “You didn’t sleep with my sister.”
“No,” Axel says. “No, I did not sleep with my best friend’s older sister. Bro code, babe.”
Oh, no.
“I-I thought you did,” I say.
“Well, I didn’t.” Then he stops. “You thought I slept with her.”
I give a helpless nod. “I did.”
“And then?—”
I watch the realization hit. It does so quickly—his eyes widening, his jaw going slack, his hand pulling away from mine—and shame crashes through me.
“Gaby told me the insemination was via turkey baster,” Jane says. “It’s in my notes. And I remember because it’s not a recommended method. It would have been fine if she had a contract, but?—”
“Why do you keep bringing up contracts,” I say irritatedly.
“Because contracts are important,” Jane says, speaking to me like I’m a child. “Vital to the functioning of society. Mr. Knight could have claimed custody of the child from the beginning.”
I stare.
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Axel says. “It was a favor to a friend. A not very close friend, honestly.”
I inhale. I’d only seen Gaby and Axel interact a few times before. Gaby had come to Concord for parents’ weekend, but she’d never been able to stay the entire time there, and of course, Axel had been hanging out with his parents a lot then. And he’d seen her in LA when he’d come to visit me after our teams played and a bit during the summers when we both had off and…
I close my eyes. “You were doing her a favor.”
“Gaby wanted to have a baby. She asked me. I went to the bathroom, then came back with, uh, material.”
