Page 87 of Surprise Mother Pucker

Eli snorted. “You don’t think he would see through that right away?”

Charlie shrugged. “He may, but the girls are here, and one cuddle from them, and he would forget he was ever angry.” He turned to me. “You guys are my secret weapon. You weather the Storm!”

I laughed. “How long have you been waiting to use that line?”

“Far, far too long!”

The second period was just as speedy and hard to track as the first, but I was getting better at spotting Storm.

When the second break came along, Eli and Charlie went to get more drinks and go to the bathroom, leaving me andCharlotte with Micha, who was standing up and talking to someone behind us he shared a class with while I cuddled my sweet girl. He had offered to carry her for me, but I enjoyed having her on my lap at times like this.

As she was starting to fuss ever so slightly, I reached down into the bag, looking for the teething biscuits for Charlotte. They weren’t actual cookies that contained sugar; they were more like a bland cookie that babies could chew on as they figured out the whole solid food thing. My girl loved making a mess with them, and they could keep her distracted for ages.

As I grasped the biscuits, the conversation from the girls down the row drifted to me. The music had been turned down somewhat, so the sound of their gossiping carried.

“I heard she lied to get Storm’s attention. What a whore. Did she really think he would play Daddy to her brat?”

“She’s not even good looking. She’s clearly had a child, all frumpy and boring. There’s no way he would pick someone like her, when he has the opportunity to be with girls like us.”

“It’s sad, really. Still, we all know what he’s like. There’s no way she can keep his attention. He and I connected last year, and it was magical.”

I stilled, still bent over, looking for the damn cookies.

They were talking about me.

And they were talking about my child.

I glanced up at Micha, who was no longer talking to his friend. Instead, he was shooting the girls a furious glare they were totally oblivious to.

He had heard them as well.

I was sitting in between him and the girls, and when he went to take a step forward, I sat up and held my hand out to stop him.

“No, don’t,” I muttered quietly.

“They’re talking about you.”

I shrugged. “They didn't really say anything about me that wasn't true.”

Micha’s eyes widened. “Yes, they fucking did!” he hissed.

“They’re not worth it,” I murmured.

Micha looked like he wanted to go scorched earth on those girls. His entire body was tense as he glowered in their direction.

I knew that Storm had a past, but this felt a bit too close for comfort. My stomach was rolling, but I was fairly sure it wasn’t because of the pregnancy sickness.

“I think it would be fucking worth it,” Micha said, taking the seat next to me and plucking Charlotte out of my arms. The cookie was in my hand, so he took that and handed it to my baby.

“It’s okay…honestly,” I insisted.

Luckily, I was saved from having to convince Micha because Charlie and Eli returned, handing me popcorn and another soda.

“Hey, princess, I got grape soda. Is that okay? They were out of strawberry.”

“This is perfect.” I smiled up at Charlie, but it didn’t quite reach my eyes.

He paused for a second and opened his mouth, like was going to say something, before thinking better of it and sinking into the chair next to me.

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