Page 83 of Together

But I’m also so incredibly sad. How did she think I was going to take that? Why would she think I’m incapable of being a good — actually any type of — mother?

I’m not sure that anybody is truly ready to become a parent until the baby comes into their lives, but I know I’ll be a better mother than Grace ever could be. First of all, she never once mentioned love. She’ll buy the babythings. That’s all. If that’s her idea of being a good parent, I’m scared for when it does happen for her.

One thing I know for certain, though, is that she won’t become a parent because of this baby. I’ll be hard pressed to let her near him, even.

My phone rings and I take a deep breath before looking to see who it is.

With a shaky hand, I reach into my purse and pull it out, releasing a deep sigh when I see it’s Nik.

“Hey,” I answer.

“You alright?”

I’ve kept my tears held back until hearing his voice. Two words. That’s all I had to hear and my eyes are leaking like a damn sieve. “How’d you know?”

“Lucy texted me. Or, actually, Grant did. We exchanged numbers, you know? Lucy texted him and told him I needed to check on you immediately.”

“That was nice of her,” I mumble. It would have been nicer if she would have spoken up while Grace was being a monumental bitch earlier, but I guess better late than never.

“What happened?” he asks gently.

I swallow down my tears, not wanting my sisters to walk out of the restaurant and see me sitting here crying. I want to leave this parking lot with what’s left of my dignity intact and that won’t happen if I’m blubbering like an idiot. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe you need to.”

I shake my head and start up my new SUV, cranking the air conditioning even though the temperature outside isn’t that bad. Still, though, I feel like I’m overheating. Likely because of the emotional turmoil I just suffered. The motor purrs as it sits idling. I have to give Nik credit. When he not-so-gently suggested this vehicle for me, he knew what he was talking about. I feel safe and secure and I know it will be much safer for the baby, too.

“Hang on a second.” I switch the phone over to hands-free quickly, one of my favorite features that I didn’t have on my old car. “Okay, I’m back.”

“Tell me what went down, Ash. I’m getting a little worried because I know Grace can be a bitch but usually Lucy just keeps her mouth shut, you know? If Lucy brought it up to Grant, that’s not good.”

I shift the car into reverse, look in my rearview back-up camera, and reverse out of the parking spot before heading down the road.

“Honestly? It wasn’t good. It was actually really bad. I’ve never heard Grace talk like that. She wasn’t just condescending like normal, which she used to not be anyway. But this was so much worse.”

“Worse how?”

I see the sign for one of my favorite fast food restaurants and pull in to go through the drive-thru because I might not have had an appetite to eat with Grace and Lucy, but I’m hungry now.

“Worse in that she told me I was an unfit mother, for one.”

He’s quiet on the other end of the line and I wonder if the call was dropped even though it didn’t beep at me to alert me that it was dropped.

“She said what?” he asks in a low and, quite frankly, scary voice.

“Yup,” I say, letting the P pop at the end. “I’m grabbing some food. I didn’t stay to eat my dinner. Want anything?”

“Where are you getting food from?”

“Take a guess,” I say, smiling. He knows my food obsessions well at this point.

“Figured. If you get something for me, too, does that mean you’re coming over?”

It takes me a second to realize that’s where I was headed and when it clicks, I don’t know how I feel about it.

“By your silence I’m going to guess that you’re having a little internal meltdown right now but shut it off and come back to reality. Yes, I definitely want you to come over and I’m glad you planned on it without thinking it through. Yes, get me some food. I’m starving. If you’ll get me a chicken sandwich, macaroni and cheese, and one of their cookies, I’d be forever grateful.”

He’s so unbelievably sweet. He could have made me feel awkward about assuming that I would be going to his place, but he rolled with it like the kickass guy he is. I’m falling so hard and fast for this man and nothing seems to be able to slow it down.

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