Page 48 of This Baby Business
“What?” Levi finally asked.
“You know what,” she said.
Matt appeared behind her. “You’reengaged?”
Crap. Levi slid a hand down his face. “Where did you hear that?”
“Mrs. Lane told anyone who would listen. Everyone in my line wanted their dog washed and the scoop on whether you’ll be registered at Target or someplace else.”
“What the hell?”
“That’s right,” Matt said. “What the hell, Levi? I saved your butt so many times I lost count. You’re going to get engaged and not tellme? Your compadre? Your bud?”
“Please, Matt,” Sarah said. “If anyone should be upset, it should be me. I could tell them all the best places in the area to register. We just did.”
Levi closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t need any help registering. There’s no wedding.”
“Well, that was quick,” Matt said. “You’re a little too fickle, dude.”
“Oh, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Watching me squirm.”
“Definitely not true,” Matt said with one of the widest grins Levi had ever seen on him. “I’m here for you. Nasty breakups are no fun.”
Levi groaned. “Everyone’s a comedian. Not. Getting. Married.”
“Then why does Mrs. Lane think you’re engaged?” Sarah asked.
“That’s because…shethinks we are.”
Matt nodded. “Sure, sure. That makes about as much sense as anything else.”
“Look, Carly’s just going through some…hard stuff right now, and it made sense,” Levi said. “What Mrs. Lane doesn’t know won’t hurt her. She seems to like Carly, and that sort of helps me, too. By association.”
“About that,” Matt said. “Sarah told me something about an emergency screening you almost lost your cookies over?”
Levi glared at Sarah.
“Hey, I sleep with him. What do you want from me?” Sarah excused herself and shut the door to the office, leaving Levi alone with Matt.
“I didn’t want you and Stone to worry about me. I’ve got it covered.”
Matt shut the door. “Yeah, I know. You don’t need anyone’s help. You’re fine on your own. You can do it all. Super Dad. I know.”
“Never said that. Anyway, the whole thing’s been scrapped. Thanks to Carly.”
“Yeah, so here’s the thing. You might have wanted to swing this one by me. A noncustodial grandparent has few rights in California. It’s not like I was married to her, and Joanne never had to take me to court over anything, but you know my dad. He wanted to make sure. So he researched the crap out of custody law. And unless it’s changed a lot in the last fifteen years, I don’t see how the Lanes could have requested an emergency screening. There has to be a mistake.”
That didn’t exactly compute. Mrs. Lane had seemed sincere enough at the park. Unless the person behind the scenes and causing all the angst was the one person he hadn’t spoken to yet.
Mr. Lane.
No doubt about it. He and Mr. Lane were going to have to sit down and have a talk. Man to man.
“Somehow I doubt it’s a mistake.” Levi shoved past Matt, nearly shoulder checking him when he did.
“Right behind you,” Matt said.
Levi had enough of this. He’d been deceived first by Sandy, when she’d never bothered to tell him he would be a father. Now Sandy’s father had it in for him, obviously trying his damnedest to destroy whatever slice of peace Levi could grasp. Hold on to for a minute. No. This had to stop, and he’d be the one to stop it.
