Page 31 of Solid Ground

I don’t have an issue with him wanting to be a part of the baby’s life, but realistically, is this going to stick? Will we just be a novelty and disposable, or is he going to commit to eighteen years of co-parenting?

If only I knew him well enough to work that out.

I guess if this is a novelty to him, he’ll lose interest before the baby’s old enough to miss him.

Maybe.

It’s so hard to know what to do.

When he didn’t call me, and then when he was taken aback by my lack of demands, I’d thought that was the last I’d see of him.

His interest in the baby has caught me by surprise.

It scares me a little. He has the ability to really mess with me if things go bad. I might have the money for lawyers, but so does he. And the last thing I need is any kind of custody battle. It was hard enough thinking about what I needed to do when my contract finished, let alone the added complication of my baby-daddy wanting to be involved.

Although the thought of spending more time with Declan intrigues me.

When he didn’t contact me after Las Vegas, I’d thought it was pretty clear that he didn’t want anything more with me, and maybe he still doesn’t. But I’m still as drawn to him now as I was that night, and if the chemistry between us is still the same, who knows what will happen?

If things were different, then maybe I might think that we could form a relationship out of this—some kind of mutual understanding based on being parents. But I know his reputation and even though he talked about making a fresh start and retiring from acting, how easy would it be for him to slip back into old habits?

It’ll be hard to resist him if we see each other often.

I need to keep my wits about me. But I also can’t find a way to justify not including him when he wants to be involved in this pregnancy.

My phone buzzes.

Caitlin:Can I video call you? I feel like we need to catch up.

Me:I would love that. I need to talk.

I go to my desk and open my laptop. Within seconds, I’vegot a call request coming through, and I breathe a sigh of relief as Caitlin comes into focus. She’s my person.

“Hey,” she says. “Are you okay?”

“Declan’s here.”

Her mouth falls open. “Where? At your apartment?”

“Not now, but he was.”

Her brows knit. “What’s going on, Zoe? Do we need to find a lawyer? What does he want?”

“He wants to be a part of his child’s life. He’s suggesting we spend time together so he can share the pregnancy with me.”

“Oh my god.” She gapes at me.

“What’s going on?” Brandon’s voice echoes in the background. “Is that Zoe? Is she okay? Do I have to kick someone’s ass?”

I laugh. Even though they’re more than two thousand miles away, they’re still protective of me.

“She’s fine, but Declan wants to be there for her and the baby.” Caitlin claps her hands like a performing seal.

“Baby? What baby?”

I freeze. Caitlin’s so bad at keeping secrets when it comes to Brandon. I guess this one is no exception.

“Zoe’s pregnant,” she says.

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