Page 27 of Solid Ground

Her hips sway as she swishes away, and I can’t take my eyes off her ass.

I’m not immune to her in any way, shape, or form.

What the hell do I do?

SEVEN

DECLAN

The next fewdays are torture.

I keep on avoiding Nikki’s calls and wallow in melancholy—not that I’m really sure why. I’ve ended my career on my terms. My life is going exactly how I want it to go.

Except for one thing.

Zoe’s on my mind.

I had fun with her that night. It was more than just the sex, although that was spectacular. And now she’s carrying my child—a child she’s happy to have with no ties to me.

That doesn’t sit well with me.

I still want her.

The one thing I’ve never had in all these years is family. Mom and Dad disowned me years ago for my bad behaviour, and my sister sided with them after I divorced my first wife. I can’t blame any of them for that, but being alone sent me into an even bigger spiral and a second misguided marriage.

I should be elated that Zoe wants to do this without me. Instead, I’m floating on a sea of uncertainty, unsure why I’m not relieved.

Despite my two marriages, I never wanted children. I’d discussed it with my first wife, but we’d both decided to wait until we were older with our careers more established. When my career took off, I quickly went off the rails, and we weren’t married much longer.

My second wife was a party girl who I married on a drunken whim. She would never have stood still long enough to have children, and I had no interest by then.

And now there’s Zoe. Zoe, who blew my mind with the one night we spent together. Zoe, who has the world at her feet.

Zoe, who didn’t even need to tell me she was pregnant.

The first thing I did when I came home from the coffee house was to search for Zoe on the Internet. It didn’t take long to find her.

She created a dating app with built-in safety check-ins. Women adored it, and it had taken off fast. So much so that a bidding war erupted before she settled for the company she felt was the best fit. It’s weird—I barely know her, but a sense of pride creeps over me as I read the stories about her.

She’s now working in San Francisco with the company that bought her app while they integrate it into their systems. Whatever that means.

Her app sold for so much that unless she eats Ferraris for breakfast, she’ll never have to worry about money ever again.

An ache sits in the pit of my stomach at the thought thatshe doesn’t need me. I’m used to being the breadwinner in the relationship, but compared to Zoe, I’m a pauper.

I have nothing to offer her.

For the first time in years I’m unsettled. I’ve always been so confident, but this has shaken me to the core.

If this had happened with nearly any other woman, I’d be able to offer to support her, but Zoe doesn’t need it. She’s made that very clear.

But I still want to.

I want to. I want this.

I want her.

It’s not just her, though. I’m going to be a father. She sounded like she was open to my involvement, but to what extent?

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