I shake my head once side to side. “No.” Not yet, anyhow.
“Basically, you two had a one-night stand and she accidentally got pregnant. It happens in life, but with your ex-wife? Uhm, I think that statistic is a little lower,” he states confidently before taking another sip.
“That sums it up.”
He blows out a whistle and walks to the island and leans over the counter. “She’s moving in, and then what?”
I shrug my shoulders and begin to play with the keys that were lying on the counter. “I’m not sure. She’s having a bit of a rough time with the pregnancy, just a lot of morning sickness. For now, I think priority is making sure she’s okay, and I’ll be damned if that happens while she stays with her parents.”
“Ah, right. She did that whole wanderlust travel-the-world thing for a while. But you are well aware of that, aren’t ya.” He winks, and his ability to tease me now hits a little low. Oliver grasps that, and his face turns to understanding and sincerity. “Okay, she’s taking up residence here. You think neighbors won’t notice? Hell, our parents will flip through the roof. You might actually give Mom a heart attack.”
Blowing out an exhausting breath, it reopens the list in my head of what we have to face. “Trust me, I’m well aware. We just need a little time before we brace for that storm.”
“Fine,butare you going to try and get back together?”
I smirk to myself. “I’m slightly unhinged now. The moment I found out that I’m going to be a dad, it unleashed this part of me that is a little new. Protective and possessive come to mind.”
Oliver chuckles. “That isn’t new when it involves your ex-wife. It just came out of dormancy for you. This time there is a kid involved.”
I rub my face with both hands because hearing the reality out loud is a little rough on the edges. “Priority one is this baby, alright? Everything else has to wait.”
My eyes narrow, and I glance over Oliver’s shoulder to the wide glass back doors. “Did you bring Jet over? There is a dog digging a hole in the middle of my backyard.” This dog is a menace, and I’m not a fan of his visits to my house.
“Don’t be cranky. He wanted to see you, and I was out walking him anyhow. Some people say dogs are calming, perhaps you should borrow him for a while. Your weird-looking trolls on the shelf are not relaxing. They look like little possessed toys that might kill you in your sleep. Especially that creepy ugly Scandinavian one.”
Quickly, I glance to the shelf with my bizarre collection that just somehow happened since I was in college.
“Since you’re here, can you help move some stuff from one of the spare rooms?”
He places his mug to the side. “Sure. Isn’t it a little early to already clear space for the baby’s room?”
My lips press together while I try to keep my face neutral, but it’s a fail. “It’s for Rosie. She agreed to move in as long as she gets the guest room.”
The burst of Oliver’s laugh could probably be heard down the street. It also causes Jet to race to the door and paw the glass. “Yeah, not even going to comment on that. I’m sure in the end it will only be used for her clothes and her yoga mat.”
Hopefully.
“How about you stop with the questions and comments. My mind is already about to explode.”
He claps his hands together, energized and ready. “Let’s do this then.”
Oliver and I don’t take long to flip the mattress and move some boxes to the other room. I’ll put fresh sheets on the bed next time Rosie is here. We haven’t set a date, but it will be sooner rather than later.
“Just call me if you need help when she moves. I guess you can’t ask Keats yet since he doesn’t know. The neighborhood group chat will explode with theories as to why Rosie is here, but I’m sure you two kids can come up with a good story.”
“We’ll try. It goes without saying yet again, but please keep Mom away.”
He closes the cap of the water bottle that he was drinking from and begins to stroll in the direction of the door. “I’m not made of miracles, Carter. Besides, I’m positive that dealing with your ex-wife’s dad will make Mom look like a piece of cake.”
My lips pinch. “Thanks for that reminder.”
“No problem. That’s what I’m here for. See ya.”
When the door is closed and Oliver walks away, taking Jet along with him, I pause and observe my kitchen and living room.
It’s missing a little character. Well, except for the troll with lime-green hair on my living room shelf, next to a few more traditional trolls that are really quite ugly. It’s kind of geeky, but that’s my thing.
I’m sure when Rosie moves in, in no time, there will be candles and colored pillows and blankets. She probably has a bunch of new items from her travels.
