What kind of father would the Collier be?
Roxie sat back, out of Jane’s view, shaking her head like maybe she’d hit a nerve.
“No, because I want to do it right.”
“And Knox is doing it wrong?”Rourke asked on a snicker.“Don’t worry, dude, I’ll draw you a diagram and explain it real slow.”
“Who are you kidding?”she asked.“You don’t do anything slow, two-pump chump.”
“Yet you get yours every time.I’m irresistible, baby.”
“Knox is an amazing lover.The best lover I have ever had,” Jane said, raising a defiant chin.“I wouldn’t change anything, not a single thing about how we make love.And we’ve talked about it.”About sex or babies?“Yes, we had a sticky moment, and I hurt his feelings.I’ll always be sorry about that.”
“Blossom, you don’t owe anyone anything.”
“But we are, aren’t we?”Jane asked, her eyes round in innocence.“You said we would have babies one day.Is that still true?”
“Anything you want, Blossom, you get.You know that, baby.”
“And if it happens by accident…”
“Nothing happens by accident,” Roxie said.
“Oh, yes, it does,” Lilya said, a hand on her bump as she went to Kintyre’s side to put his on it too.“This kid wasn’t planned, he’s a sucker punch.”
“Good name choice,” Rourke said, earning himself a sharp elbow in the ribs.
“Just because we didn’t plan him doesn’t mean we don’t want him.”Lilya wasn’t offended, she was adamant.“He knew it was the right time and who he wanted his daddy to be.Babies pick their parents, not the other way around.”
“Now there’s an existential discussion,” Rourke said, laying an arm across her shoulders.“Whether we’re religious, whether there’s a higher power, does karma exist?Are we all on a pre-destined path?Is the future fate or free will?Do we choose, or are we blindly following a path we have no control over?”
“Blindly following a path we have no control over?”she repeated the words.“Yes, I am blindly following a path I have no control over.That’s not my fault.It’s yours.”
“You blame me for everything.”
“Only things that are your fault.I had no free will when you made this real world.”
“I owned that decision then.I own it now.”
“I don’t think you’re fate.You’re arrogant.You have manipulated and contorted everything these past few weeks.We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your choices.”
“You stayed,” he said.“I offered you a contract in California.You could’ve said no.”
“And ruin my career?”
“Your career is what you make it.If you didn’t want Mosaic and Huddle Hope, and everything that was on offer, you would’ve turned and ran to find another way.Roux Radley does not need anyone’s permission for anything.Might be why she screws up so much.”
“I don’t screw up,” she said, pushing away from his arm to put a few inches between them.“Unless you call falling into bed with you a screw up.Yeah, that maybe was a mistake.”
“Haven’t we just decided that sometimes the mistakes, the accidents, the unforeseen consequences actually become a blessing we didn’t expect?”
“This means the press will camp outside.”
That didn’t worry Roxie.“No one has anything to hide.”
“Except Roux’s brush with Diva.”
“The cops will leak that anyway; we knew that would happen.Knox can only do so much, and we’ve got the routine down.They report it, we no comment, and then we change the subject with something juicier.”
