Bette snorted out a laugh and lightly slapped Kerrie's belly. She rolled her eyes. "A potential suitor? What are we in the 1920s?"
Kerrie held her hands up in mock surrender. "Hey now, I think I would look good in some of those sharp suits they used to wear back then. I'd definitely sweep you off your feet in one of those." She winked at Bette.
Pulse quickening, Bette smirked. "You seem awfully sure of yourself."
"I'm just putting it out there so hopefully I can manifest it."
"Well, I think you're doing a pretty good job right now without the suit."
"So what I'm hearing is you want to see me naked." Her face was completely straight.
Bette gasped, her heart now beating near the speed of light. She slapped at Kerrie's belly again, eyes wide, but she couldn't repress the smile taking over her face. "You are being bad."
"Maybe, but it was worth it to see the look on your face."
Photos were a little different than the ones of the past. Normally, it would just be the three of them, and Missy would instruct them on how to sit and position themselves and that sort. But when Jen started stepping into the pictures, irritation on a whole new level overcame Bette. She was not her child's mother. She wasn't even her stepmother, but she was pushing her way into the pictures as if she had been a part of the family since Zoe's birth. She could understand a few pictures, but most should be of the three of them. They had raised the young woman who they were celebrating that day together, and Jen knew that.
"Can we get pictures of just Zoe, Shelly, and me?" inquired Bette. Her voice suggested it was not a question.
Jen stepped out in front of Bette, hands on her hips. "I'm just as much a part of this family as you are. Actually, I'm probably more of a part of this family, because I am not divorced from Shelly."
Bette's eyes widened at the gall. Bette stepped forward, fist clenched. She had a condescending smile on her face. "You don't have the last name, and you don't have the marriage certificate. You didn't give birth, nor did you raise Zoe. You've been in some of the photos, and now we're going to take pictures of just the parents and the graduate. Do you understand me?"
Shelly stepped forward, trying to put herself between the two, but she looked unsure of what she needed to do. Neither one of them was listening to her while she was trying to get their attention.
"You don't get to tell me what to do. Who do you think you are coming into my home and telling me what I can do in my yard?" Squealed Jen.
Bette let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Are you serious? Your name isn't on the deed. You're lucky you are even allowed to store your shit here. Do you not realize that once the novelty of you wears off, she's just going to ship you off like she does everything else that is no longer useful to her?"
"How dare you—" Shelly was interrupted.
Chapter 22
Kerrie's loud, authoritative voice smothered any more words. "Ladies, ladies. I think we're forgetting the point. This day is for Zoe, who looks like she's about to crawl under the gazebo." They all glanced over at the young woman, who appeared distressed and was hugging Remington's arm. "Why don't we let Zoe have pictures with just the moms? Jen, you can come over here with me and Remington. We love the company of a pretty lady, don't we, Remington?"
It took a second for Remington to register Kerrie's tactic, but then he nodded swiftly. "Yeah, definitely. We'll be their cheering section."
That seemed to appease the young woman enough. She reluctantly stalked over to them as the moms and Zoe moved to where Missy told them to stand.
Taking what Remington said as a way to break up the tension further, Kerrie whistled. "Looking good, ladies. Vogue's got nothing on you, Zoe."
Forced smiles turned to real ones, littered with held-back laughs.
Remington joined her, hooting out loud with a fist in the air. "That's my girlfriend right there!"
Zoe broke out into a fit of laughter.
Not wanting Jen to feel left out, Kerrie leaned down a little to the short blonde and said, "See, if we had you in the picture, it would have just been too overpowering—blinding by all the good-looking ladies."
Jen, who had been frowning, shook her head at Kerrie and broke out into her own laughter. "You're nothing but a big flirt."
"Guilty as charged,"shrugged Kerrie.
Jen decided to join in on the cheering and yelled, "Looking good, Shel!"
The rest of the photo shoot went much smoother, but the moment they were finished, Bette and Kerrie bid everybody goodbye.
Kerrie slid into her truck seat and let out a slow breath. Her shoulders were tense, and her mind was exhausted.
