“I’ve already told you that I’d prefer a girl, but this one is a boy.”
“Maybe you can get Elle drunk again and make a girl in the future.”
His comment nearly made me slug him. “I didn’t want this kid. Why would I purposely make another one?”
“But you want it now.”
“Yeah, but I’m a man who accepts what’s in front of me rather than crying over bullshit I can’t control.”
“Fair enough.”
My phone rang, and the ID read “Clint Reed.” Putting him on speaker, I asked, “Spit out what we all know.”
“The boy is yours.”
“Can I hound your sister now?”
“No, wait for me to get there. I’m on my way.”
“Why tell me the results now if I have to wait?”
I got my answer when the results showed up in a text from the clinic. Clint knew his time to get ahead of things had run out.
“Just wait for Ivy and me to get there,” Clint insisted. “We’ll have a nice dinner. There’s no reason for drama.”
“Sure. I’ll wait,” I said and hung up.
Exile smirked. “Clint should have planned out this situation better.”
“Romance has polished his brain smooth,” I agreed and headed for the door. “Now, I’m off to put Elle in a secure little box.”
Walking over to the Reed house, I had no particular words in mind for when I faced Elle with the proof of what we already knew. What I said wouldn’t be nearly as important as her inability to run away this time.
ELLE
No more running. The results were due today. We already planned to have Zodiac over for dinner. Shay and I worked on a shrimp and steak dinner to celebrate. I spent most of the early afternoon chopping veggies and prepping the sauces.
“Zodiac has been to the house before,” Sutter said while sitting at the kitchen counter and watching me prep. “Why is today a big deal?”
“He knows about the baby, so he might act differently.”
“He tried to talk to me once. I shut that down quickly. I’m not looking to make friends with strange adults.”
Snickering, I reached over and stroked his thick brown hair. “Men think playing the dad role will get them in good with single moms.”
“Well, tell him that I don’t want a dad. I have Clint and Grandpa.”
After studying Sutter, I gave my bump a little snuggle. “Will you be jealous if this baby has an involved dad?”
“No.”
“If Wilbur and Zodiac do fun stuff, do you want to do it with them?”
“Fun stuff like visiting the museum?”
I tried to imagine Zodiac walking around a museum with little Wilbur. The idea wasn’t that far-fetched. He wasn’t a dumb man. He might like learning.
“What if they were going to the museum?”
