Talia swirls her wineglass around, the ruby liquid close to sloshing over the edge. “Do we like him or not?”
“Not,” Parker barks as I say, “We don’t hate him.”
“It’s crazy how you bumped into each other. What are the chances?” Margot adds. “Do you know why he lied about his job?”
I pop a plain tortilla chip in my mouth before responding, jealous of the spicy enchiladas the girls are eating. They smell delicious, but I’m not chancing anything.
“He said discussing his job with strangers makes him uncomfortable. I’ve moved past it, and my only concern now is the future and the part he plays.”
Noting the skepticism in my voice, Talia nudges me with her elbow. “You don’t think he’s going to stick around?”
“I don’t know him well enough to make an assumption.” Suddenly feeling overheated, I push away from the table and fan myself with a napkin. “I made it clear he’s either in or out—no in between. I’m not explaining to my child in ten years’ time why Daddy isn’t in their life.”
Parker grins at me proudly. “Good girl. You’re the one in charge. Everything needs to be on your terms.”
I digest her words and find it unlikely Warren will try any games or drag me through a custody battle. Unlikely, but not impossible, because at the end of the day, we’re strangers who happened to spend one night together.
“Are you attracted to him?” Our heads whip in Margot’s direction.
“What? No. Of course not.” A bald-faced lie. “Why would you ask that?”
“You’re about to spend a lot of time together, sharing intimate moments and potentially some difficult conversations. I’m not judging you if you are, but the last thing you want is to overcomplicate an already complex relationship with”—her eyes dart left and right—“sex.”
Parker snorts. “Okay, prude. Willow isn’t around, and I’m sure she knows what sex is.” She turns to me. “Warren would be lucky to get a crumb of your attention, and while I rarely agree with Mother Theresa, she’s right. Not to say you shouldn’t see to your needs. Let me get you a discount code for a new vibe.”
I barely hear Parker’s recommendations for a Clit Stimulator 2.0 as their words sink in. They’re right. If this is going to work, expectations need to be set and boundaries need to be drawn. Yes, he’s attractive, and he once found me so; the evidence is causing my bras to go up a cup size.
“This union is purely platonic.” It has to be. “He was married before, and from the sound of it, a relationship isn’t on his bingo card.”
“Crazy ex?” Talia asks.
“Maybe, or a messy divorce. I didn’t ask him to clarify.” Snatching up another chip, I wave it in the air, addressing them all. “Do you think it’s strange he didn’t want a copy of the scan? I said he could keep it, but he handed it back to me.”
Parker and Talia wear matching scowls and keep quiet. It’s Margot who offers advice. “I wouldn’t look too much into it. He’d just found out he’s going to be a dad. He was probably shell-shocked and wasn’t thinking straight.”
She always tries to see the best in people, and I decide to give Warren the benefit of the doubt.
Margot checks the time on her phone and winces. “Sorry to do this. I need to get home to relieve the sitter.”
Parker pokes me lightly in the belly. “Are you driving baby mama home? It’s past her bedtime.”
“Har. Har.” I slap her hand away. “I fell asleep before seven p.m.once.”
She deadpans. “We were at work.”
“Irrelevant.”
After accepting the leftovers from Talia, we say goodbye and climb into Margot’s car.
I’m close to all of my friends for different reasons. Parker was the first person I met in town, got me a job at the distillery, and isn’t afraid to show her claws. Talia is my voice of reason, no nonsense, and would go to the ends of the Earth to help her loved ones. Margot is my gentle, caring friend, and as a mom herself, she’s the one I’ve turned to for advice recently.
Pregnancy can be lonely, especially with my sister halfway across the country, so having her answering all my random and grotesque questions calms my anxious thoughts.
Point proven when she reaches over the console and squeezes my hand. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Stunned but okay.” I slump into the heated seat. “My brain needs a few days to reboot before I talk to Warren again. My brother-in-law has a great co-parenting relationship with his daughter’s mom, and I want to replicate that. They were never together either.”
“That’s a really great mindset to have, Harry.”
