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He nodded. “Okay. The baby’s mine, though.”
I gripped my doorknob and rolled my eyes at him. “Night, Jake.”
“Sweet dreams, angel.”
15
***Fiona***
Iheld Avery’s hand as we waited on Jake to come out with tickets for us. Mallory was doing a headstand on the brick wall beside us, her skirt up around her waist and her comic book character underwear on display. We were waiting in the back parking lot of a studio in downtown Austin, where Ryder was supposed to be judging a cooking show. I wasn’t sure anything that I was doing was a good idea. Bringing Avery along brought everything into focus. I was on a scavenger hunt with my kid to find the possible dad of the other kid growing in my belly. I felt like a jumble of nerves and the toast I’d eaten for breakfast that morning was lodged somewhere just south of my throat and I felt like it might come up at any moment.
“Aunt Mal, people can see your underwear.” Avery looked up at me. “Even the girls in my grade at school know that you’re not supposed to show your underwear.”
I forced a smile. “It’s fine. If Aunt Mal wants to show her underwear, she can show them.”
“So, if I want to show mine, I can?” Avery gripped his pants and started working them down his legs.
I inwardly swore at his babysitter for bailing last minute. “No, sir. You’re not an adult yet, so you have to keep your underwear a secret.”
“That’s not fair.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at me. He looked identical to his father, a fact his father refused to ever acknowledge when I was still trying to get him to be a part of Avery’s life. With his big hazel eyes and crooked smile, he was a beautiful kid and when he pouted at me, sometimes it was hard to stay strong.
Fortunately, keeping his pants on wasn’t something I had any trouble being firm about. “When you’re an adult, you can do whatever you want, within the law.”
“Fine.” He stared at me for a few more seconds and then wrapped his arms around my waist. He was big for his age and I constantly thought about just how fast he was growing and would continue to grow. Shoes cost me more than rent with the way he outgrew them.
“Stop stressing, Fifi. You’re getting your bad vibes all over me.” Mallory came down from the wall and swayed as the blood rejoined the rest of her body. “What are you so worried about?”
I stroked Avery’s head and frowned. “Everything?”
The back door swung open and Jake stepped out with a grin on his face. “Ladies and Avery, follow me.”
Avery had taken an instant liking to Jake. On the ride from our apartment to the studio, he’d asked Jake a hundred questions and then decided that he would be a drummer when he grew up. His smile stretched extra wide as he grabbed Jake’s hand. “Did you know that Mom won’t let me show my underwear?”
Jake tossed a grin over his shoulder at me. “Wow. I didn’t know that. Talk me through this, though. How are you wanting to show your underwear?”
“Just like Aunt Mal.”
Mallory scoffed. “Don’t turn this around on me, kid.”
A stressed-out man wearing a headset spotted us and rushed us forward. “Hurry! We’re live in three minutes. If you’re not in your seat and quiet in the next one minute, I’ll be forced to throw you out myself.”
Jake frowned but kept quiet as we were all led into the front row of a full audience. Just in front of us was a stage and on that stage sat Ryder, his eyes wide as he spotted us. I raised my hand in an awkward wave and he stood up.
The stressed guy waved his hands at Ryder, but Ryder ignored him and walked off the stage. He glanced around at the audience before kneeling in front of me and lightly stroking his index finger over my exposed ankle where no one else would notice. “This is a surprise. What’s up?”
Jake cleared his throat, pointed at me, and then circled his hand from his chest to his lap, indicating a big belly. I watched, holding my breath, as Ryder pieced it together and swung his gaze back to me. I was afraid he’d be angry or instantly shut down, but instead, he just looked surprised.
“Really?” His green eyes crinkled at the corners and he smiled. “It’s definitely mine. I mean…I’m a virile guy.”
Jake snorted. “No way, bud. That’s all me.”
Mallory clapped her hands loud enough to have the stressed guy tensing and glaring at her. Not that she noticed. “This is great. Everyone wants to be the daddy.”
Avery climbed into my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck. “Mom?”
I hugged him tight and gently rocked him, worried he was upset. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I need to poop.”
