“Nothing,” Willow says firmly, pulling my hands down. “You’re going to do nothing. You don’t owe that witch or her family anything. If Baron, for some crazy reason, thinks thebaby is his, he can reach out. But didn’t you tell me you two hadn’t had sex in months? He’s not an idiot, he can do the math. Don’t let her ruin your vibe, girlfriend.”
I pull her in for a hug. “Thank you for having my back and being amazing friends. This baby is going to have the best aunties ever.”
“You’ll have a built-in babysitter in a few years when Peyton’s older.” Willow smiles. “On that note, I better get back to the office. When will you two be announcing this to the team officially?”
“After the home opener.”
Willow flashes me a thumbs-up. “Got it. My lips are sealed until then. Girl code.”
“I won’t tell Maverick anything, either.” Sadie hugs me. “But I’m also really happy for you. Monty will be a wonderful dad, he’s got such a good heart.”
We say our goodbyes and I make my way home. It’s difficult to say where feels more like that nowadays. Half of my things are at my apartment and half at Dan’s. We do need to sort out our living situation. But now, with the season starting, who knows when we’ll have time for house hunting if we decide to buy somewhere new. The easiest thing would be to just get rid of one of our apartments and move into the other. But which one?
I ponder that question the entire drive back to my apartment. When I open the door and let myself in, I look around with fresh eyes, trying to envision both of us living here, and maybe even a baby.
It’s smaller than Dan’s place, yet filled with light, and the view of the city is wonderful. As I stand in the living room,looking around, I reflect back on when Baron and I got engaged. I didn’t want to leave my apartment and move into his. I hated his apartment; it felt cold and sterile.
But when I think about moving into Dan’s, I’m filled with happiness. His spare bedroom would make a good nursery, and being so close to the stadium would be convenient. It all clicks in that moment. I want to move into his place until we decide on a long-term plan. Now I just have to wait for him to get back from the stadium so I can tell him.
To occupy my time, I start searching for moving companies. Even though I’m sure the guys would help, they’re going to be a little busy starting tomorrow. So am I, for that matter, with today being a rare day off for me.
In the middle of reading reviews for one company, my phone rings. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see Baron’s name, but I am a little disappointed. Obviously, Cordelia wasted no time in contacting her son about my news.
“Hello,” I say coolly. It might not be fair to be mad at him when his mother is the overbearing cunt.
“Hey Lark, how are you?” He doesn’t sound freaked out or worried, giving me hope that he’s using some common sense.
“I’m fine, thank you. I’m guessing your mother called you.” I jump straight to the point, not wanting to be on the phone with my ex-fiancé any longer than necessary.
Baron clears his throat. “Ah, yeah, she did. I tried to tell her I was certain it wasn’t mine, but you know how she is.”
Yeah. A freaking steamroller.
“Mm-hmm. Well, it’s not yours.”
“Cool. Yeah. I figured, seeing as we…”
Good grief, he sounds uncomfortable. And weirdly, it makes me happy. For a man who always seemed unruffled, it’s gratifying to hear him squirm a little.
“Seeing as we didn’t have sex for, oh, what, six or seven months before we broke up? Not even the night we got engaged. Yeah, it would be tricky for you to be the father of this baby.”
“Right.”
There’s a pause, and I wonder if he’s going to ask me whoisthe father. Assuming he even wants to know. I don’t care either way, but I do want him to know one thing.
“I never cheated on you, Baron. The baby was conceived on New Year’s Eve.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me,” he says stiffly. I hear him exhale. “I feel like an idiot even asking this, but is it him? That baseball player?”
This time, the pause is mine.
“Yes.”
Another sigh. “How long have you loved him?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I never thought about him that way because I was with you. But he…”
“He’s better for you than I ever was,” Baron finishes my thought.
