Page 59 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
Landon
“Oh,lookatthisone! It’s a little bear costume! The baby could have a little tail and ears.” My mom holds up the outfit and coos.
Victoria has told my mother that she’s pregnant and effectively ruined my life. I’ve been running over possibilities and scenarios for the past week now, trying to figure out exactly what kind of game she could be playing at. What does she get out of this?
Hailey came home two days ago. We had a heart to heart, where she told me that she believed me. Words couldn’t even convey how thankful I was to hear her say that. It was painful being here with her gone.
You never quite realize how much someone’s presence has left their mark on your home until they’re gone. I suddenly had a renewed sense of pity for divorcées and widows. I couldn’t go a day without waking up and smelling Hailey on the pillows. I found strands of long, red hair in every corner of the house. The bathroom smelled of the banana shampoo she diligently uses every morning.
I was just so glad to have her home. The first thing we did was have make-up sex, which is, in my opinion, the second best kind of sex. Right after fun sex. The second thing we did was make a roast together. Hailey proclaimed that she didn’t want her mother’s roast recipe to be tainted with the memory of that evening, so she insisted that we remake it and associate good memories with it.
I chopped the carrots while she seasoned the meat. She threw in some baby potatoes and put the pan in the oven. She insisted that I make my peach dessert, which I happily did. While the roast was cooking, we had sex again before putting on some music, the soothing sounds of Frank Sinatra emanating through the penthouse. Overall, it was one of the best days we had spent together.
Now, though, I’m enduring the worst kind of torture that can be put upon a man: shopping with Eleanor Gould.
My mother’s love of babies is unmatched, and the prospect of a grandchild has flooded her mind with so much dopamine that she would fail a drug test if they tested for that sort of thing.
“Landon! Pay attention, I’m looking for outfits for your baby,” she says, snapping her fingers in my face.
I roll my eyes. She knows that I hate it when she does that.
“Mom, I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you a million times. That’s not my baby. I haven’t seen Victoria in forever. There’s no way that she’s pregnant with my child.” My eyes bore into hers, trying to drive home the point I am trying to make.
“Landon, it’s perfectly fine that you two had a fling that resulted in this. No one will judge you.” My eyes bulge out at her and she corrects herself. “Well, the people that matter will not judge you. Besides, you can still have a thriving relationship with Hailey and be a co-parent to your daughter with Victoria.”
A shudder rolls through my body at the idea of raising a child with Victoria. The woman couldn’t even keep a house plant alive the entire time we were together. She would need a full team of nannies to manage an infant.
“I feel that this is a good time to tell you something,” my mom says, hanging the bear outfit over the side of her shopping basket and turning to me.
The look on her face is serious. “I’ve invited Victoria to live with me.”
“YOU WHAT?!” I shout.
“Landon!” my mother chastises.
Various people in the store swivel their heads our way, their attention called by my outburst.
“You what?!” I repeat, still incredulous, but at a more appropriate volume.
“It was the right thing to do. She’s heavily pregnant, and you know what her family is like. She needs people to look after her right now, to make sure she’s eating right and staying off her feet. I happily volunteered to be the one to do that.” She smiles at me.
I bite my lips in irritation, contemplating what I’m going to be saying next.
“Mother,” I start, my voice low.
Anger seeps through, and my mother’s facial expression leaks disappointment. “Please don’t get involved in this situation with Victoria. Not only is it going to hurt Hailey, but it will hurt you when you learn that that is not your grandchild growing in her womb.”
My mother sniffs, insulted at what I’ve said. She turns and strolls to the register, avoiding acknowledging me completely. I roll my eyes and slowly start after her.
“SHEWHAT?!”Haileyshoutsas I break the news to her.
“I know, I’m sorry. I told her not to, but she refuses to listen. Her excitement for a grandchild is over-riding her common sense at this point.”
I shake my head and Hailey begins to pace the penthouse floor.
“Oh my god. Oh my god, this is such a mess. Does your mom even like me? Why would she do this? What’s going to happen to us?” She’s running her hands through her hair so often that I’m convinced she’ll go bald.
I get up off the couch and gently grab her hand, turning her chin to look at me.
