Page 88 of Detention with Daddies

Our gazes lock, and her shoulders drop.

“Locate Angelica, Britney, and Jeremy. I want them in my office two minutes ago.”

OLIVIA

Shawna has a calming effect on me, and I finally feel more stable by the time I head home to talk to my mom, because Shawna convinced me that she is far more knowledgeable about all things babies than my bestie is.

Besides the fact that my mom is going to be over the moon. She’s been bugging me about grandbabies since I turned eighteen. Literally.

I wish I could give them to her with better circumstances though. Like not living in her house. Having a husband and traditional home. A typical relationship.

I repeat the mantra Shawna gave me:Normal is not for everyone. As long as I’m happy, other people’s opinions don’t matter.

It’s an updated version from the one when we were teens and I wasn’t confident in my body and what others told me it should look like.

I take a deep breath.

Okay. Time to talk to Mom.

It might not be fair to the men to talk to my mom first, but as Shawna reminded me, my mom has a level head about these things. And she’ll help me figure out what to do here.

When I make it home, I’ve rescheduled my clinics, eaten something small and settling, and it’s almost evening. Mom is waiting for me on the porch.

Did Shawna text or call her while I drove home?

Mom meets me at the step to the porch, her hands sweeping across my shoulders and down my arms. “We need to have a little talk before we go inside.”

I slump a little even though I intend to talk to her. I was just hoping to pull her into my room for a private chat where I can curl up on my bed and cry a little without my dad or brother seeing. “Mom, I’m exhausted. Can this wait?”

“No. I don’t think so. Come sit, baby.” She’s got her I’ll-win-this-fight-if-you-push-it look on her face.

I sigh and plant my ass on the front porch swing, and Mom sits beside me. It’s a little cool as the sun hangs low in the sky.

Her rough hand grabs mine, and she holds on tight. “I know I told you to go get a man to make me grandbabies, but I did not know you would take me so seriously.”

“What?”

Her mom smile—you know, the all-knowing one—swings my way, and her face is a bit whimsical. “Well, we’ve gotten some visitors today. I just didn’t want you to walk into an ambush, baby.”

This time when she squeezes my hand, I squeeze back.

“Although, I have to admit, if anyone was pretty enough and smart enough to nab three high-profile, good-looking men, it would be my baby. They’re all a bit older than I expected though.”

Panic settles in my chest. My heart starts pumping hard.

I need more time. I don’t know how to tell them. How to address this. And they’ve met my parents already? Is my brother home to witness the mess I’ve let my life devolve into?

Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God…

“Breathe, baby.”

I suck in a long breath and let it out slowly, counting to four like Waylen taught me. “They’re here?”

“Inside with your father. They seem like good men. My only question for you is, are you happy?”

“Yes. They make me very happy. Is Dad losing his shit?” He must be. As stoic as he can be, I’ve accidentally witnessed him threatening my prom date by referencing how he keeps a shotgun by the bedside table and won’t mind going back to jail one bit.

My dad’s never been to jail, but the double threat worked its magic. I was home at midnight on the dot, and I got the barest kiss before Joel fled.

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