“Somonumental.” She stabbed her plastic fork into the food without eating it. I made a mental note to DoorDash pastries to her house. She couldn’t resist pastries, and I wanted her to eat something she liked. “I’m already a changed woman, and the little peanut is not even the size of a fingernail. No orange juice, no sushi, no cold meats—youknowI love my meats.”
We both laughed.
“Have you booked your first ultrasound appointment yet?” I didn’t want to be overbearing, but I wanted to be there. I wanted to be there forallthe little moments. The big ones too.
“I did, actually. The ob-gyn’s office is literally next door. I think she delivers babies here in Boll—”
“Hey! Did you get my email?” A hip leaned against our table. I looked up to find Jessica beaming down at me, holding coconut water and an energy bar. “About the property tour in Rochester? It’s two weeks away.”
Jessica’s field was pediatric oncology, and though she hadn’t formally accepted a position at the Mayo Clinic, she’d taken on a role as a quality control physician for the Cancer Committee there, which meant she was going to divide her time between Minnesota and New York.
Which reminded me,Istill had to move to another state. An idea that suddenly felt two lifetimes away from my current self.
“Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t see you.” Jessica waved at Layla, oblivious to the situation she’d just walked in on. “I’m Jessica.” She thrust her hand in my baby momma’s direction.
“Layla. Nice to meet you.” They exchanged handshakes and smiles. I could tell Jessica was wondering who this green-haired girl was and how she fit into my impeccable, studious life.
“Are you Grant’s ...?” Jessica left the question hanging. I watched Layla intently. Layla, who always insisted we stay casual. Layla, who didn’t care whenever Chase tried to play matchmaker and introduce me to other women.
“No. He can’t afford me,” Layla said, cracking a joke. “Maybe as a rental.”
“I was going to sayfriend.” Jessica’s smile turned tight. “A few weeks ago, he said he had a female friend in distress that he had to help out while we were grabbing some food and drinks.”
“Oh, yeah. I was that mess.” Layla raised her hand guiltily. “Sorry for pulling him out of your date.”
“Nonsense! The whole reason I like Grant in the first place is because he takes such good care of his friends.”
“He’s a great friend,” Layla said softly, offering me a smile. “That, I wholeheartedly agree with.”
Shame. I wanted you to relate to the “liking me” part.
“Well?” Jessica turned to me again. “Have you booked your flight yet? Thought we could do it like last time, get the same hotel, taxis, et cetera. Be on our own little field trip.”
I hadn’t booked my flight yet.
I couldn’t even think past the ultrasound Layla had scheduled.
And I wasn’t sure why Jessica was insinuating we were seeing each other, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Not yet.”
“Do you want me to ask Chelsea, my new assistant, to book us—”
“Actually, Jess, I’ll talk to you later, okay?” I shot her a smile. “We’re in the middle of something here.”
“Oh. Of course.” She nodded with a sweet expression. “Sorry, I can get pretty carried away. Speak later.”
I searched Layla’s face for signs of jealousy or discomfort, and found neither.
The rest of the lunch was spent talking about our baby and our plans for it.
Fine. Maybe she wasn’t ready to give me a chance, but I knew our child was a brilliant idea.
I was going to prove to Layla that she was doing the right thing by keeping it.
If it was the last thing I did.
Chapter Eight
