As they pulled away from the stop sign, a woman walking down Main Street caught AJ’s attention. She was absolutely stunning with long, thick auburn hair, a perfect hourglass figure, gorgeous green eyes, and full lips. But what stood out to AJ was the distinctive tattoo on her shoulder of a butterfly mandala with shaky, uneven line weights that was placed off-center on her body. Mandalas were meant to be perfectly symmetrical, andthe line work had to be impeccable, neither was achieved in that attempt.
“Why is Gianna here?” AJ asked his brother.
“What?” Niko turned his head to AJ. “She’s not.”
“Yes. She is.” AJ pointed to the woman heading into Brewed Awakenings Coffee Shop, her back now to them.
As if she sensed their gaze at that exact moment, she glanced over her shoulder, giving them a full view of her face, perfectly spotlighted by a ray of sunshine as if God himself was her lighting tech.
“What thefuck?” Niko cursed.
“Is she here for you?”
Niko and Gianna had been on and off again since their freshman year of college. Every few years, she would show up in Niko’s life, they would get back together swearing things would be different, and then six months to a year later, it would go up in flames. She was the definition of toxic.
AJ always felt her tattoo was the perfect representation of her as a person. From a distance or at first glance to most people, or people who didn’t know what to look for, Gianna was beautiful, just like her tattoo, but if you looked closely, the lines were crooked, they were uneven, and it was off-center, just like the woman herself.
“Fuck no. She’s probably just here on vacation.” Niko shook his head, dismissing his ex’s sudden appearance in their grandparent’s hometown as they drove past the local coffee shop and turned the subject back to AJ’s situation. “I know that you two crazy kids didn’t really date, but did you guys talk about wanting kids before you knocked her up?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her I never wanted to have children.”
“You did?” Niko’s face scrunched up.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t.”
“Fuck me,” he whispered under his breath as he ran his hands through his hair. “Has that changed?”
“No,” AJ answered honestly.
Niko pulled the car over and turned to him. “So you don’t want to be involved in the baby’s life?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“So youdowant to be involved in the baby’s life?”
“Yes.”
“But you just said you don’t want kids.”
“I don’t.” AJ wasn’t sure why that was confusing. To him the distinction was perfectly clear. He did not want some abstract idea of children, but the baby that Poppy was carrying, his baby, their baby, it was Dylan. Of course he wanted Dylan.
“AJ, ifI’mconfused, and I’m your brother who has known you your entire life—literally, we were conceived at the same exact time. I can’t imagine how this poor woman who has only known you a few months must feel.” Niko shook his head and spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. “Do you know what you want?”
“Yes.” AJ knew exactly what he wanted, but she hadn’t asked him what he wanted.
“Then tell her. Tell her what you want for your life, for her life, and for the baby’s life. And do it today. Do not make that girl have to go to bed one more night questioning what is going on in your head.”
AJ nodded.
Niko let go of the steering wheel for two seconds, lifting his hands in frustration as he asked the universe at large, “And what thefuckis Gianna doing here?!”
