“I haven’t been there in six years,” I reminded her as I went back to packing. “I can’t send someone in there without seeing it first. It’d be irresponsible.”
That… and I desperately needed the vacation from her.
“This is an inconvenient time for you to be leaving,” she replied. She grabbed a shirt out of my suitcase with a disgusted sound and refolded it. “I’ve shown you how to fold this damn thing more times than I can count. How dumb can you be?”
“If I remember correctly, they’re my clothes, not yours,” I told her. “As for the timing, I won’t be gone long.”
“Long enough thatIhave to deal with the surrogate.”
“She has a name.”
“I don’t care what her name is,” she snarled. “I care about the fact that you picked theonewoman I didn’t want and went over my head to choose her.”
There was a quiet satisfaction in that. I didn’t want to have a child with Vivienne, but it was the logical course of action, considering the time we’d been together. And everyone was expecting it. It was just time. Thankfully, Vivienne wouldn’t be caught dead pregnant—and I couldn’t handle her pregnant—which meant surrogacy was the only option.
The agency she picked gave us a list of women available to be our surrogate. Holly was the only one who stuck out to me. She was younger than most, at barely twenty-two, and didn’t have her own kids like the others. She’d had one child that she’d given up for adoption to a gay couple in Manhattan. When I’d talked to them, they’d had nothing but wonderful things to say about Holly and the gift she’d given them.
That stuck out to me more than any other candidate.
“She’s going to ruin our child before it’s ever born. Just look at her!”
A ghost of a smile touched my lips, but I buried it quickly to make sure she didn’t notice. Holly was covered in tattoos, had colored hair, and had far too many piercings for Vivienne’s liking. I didn’t mind. I was drawn to her confidence in self-expression and kindness.
“You do realize that what she looks like will have no bearing on our child,” I replied.
“I don’t care about that.”Of course, she didn’t.“I care about how it looks to everyone else.”
“Well, I don’t.” Picking a surrogate was supposed to be about the person, not about the way others viewed her. “She’s not a showpony for you to show off to your friends. And you’ll treat her with respect while I’m gone. The transfer is scheduled—”
“I’m aware of the schedule,” Vivienne cut me off.
“—for four weeks from now,” I continued as if I hadn’t heard her. I knew where Vivienne’s priorities were. Holly would be a fast victim to that in my absence. “Make sure you accompany her to all her tests, cover her medication costs and other expenses, and overall, be a pleasant and present human being for her, please. And after as well for the two-week wait.”
She drew in a deep breath, her lips pursing together because, even though I’d added apleasein there for good measure, it was still an order, and she didn’t take orders from me. Ever.
“So help me, Lee,” she began, her tone dark, “if you aren’t back to handle all of this, you and I are going to have problems.”
We already had problems.So many problems.
“I will do my best,” I said. “But if my conversation with Sheriff Kramer was any indication of the condition my mother’s house is in, it might be a while.”
“Then tear the damn thing down!” Vivienne exclaimed. “It’s just a house!”
“And it makes more sense to fix the house than to just try to get rid of the property as is,” I replied. “I’m going, Vivienne. I’ll do my best to get back as quickly as possible.”
She let out a loud huff of anger as she stormed from the room. I didn’t call out or go after her—didn’t try to fix it. I had no desire to try to smooth things over with her. It wouldn’t work anyway. This was the endless cycle we were stuck in, and I was used to it by now.
CHAPTER 46
harley
Before leaving town, I went across the hall to check on Holly. I owned the two condos on the floor. Vivienne had insisted we needed both, though I wasn’t sure why. It had sat empty for years. When I’d discovered that Holly was living with nine other people in an apartment questionably meant for five at most, I’d insisted she take the condo.
I’d also made that decision without Vivienne’s permission as well.She wasn’t thrilled, but it was just something she had tolearn to live with. If Holly was going to be our surrogate, she deserved to be taken care of.
“The door’s open!” Holly yelled when I knocked. I frowned as my hand fell to the doorknob and turned it. Sure enough, it was unlocked.
“Holly, why are you leaving your door unlocked?” I asked, letting myself in. I stopped in the entryway as I caught sight of her balanced on the back of the couch with a paintbrush in her hand. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a messy tail, and she wore a shirt so baggy that I almost missed the shorts she had underneath it.
