“I can’t believe he just went out and bought a house.”
“I know.” I laugh. “Must be the life.”
June eyes me cautiously.
“Stop. I know what you’re thinking. This is different.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
“But what if you fall back into that comfort zone again?”
“I won’t. I’m staying in his house with him for six weeks. Outside of him paying the mortgage, I’m going to make it very clear that I pay for things too.”
My best friend’s face wrinkles up.
“Say whatever you’re thinking, June.”
“I just . . . I don’t want you to get sucked into his way of life, because that’s not who you are. But he does have the money. Maybe take the next six weeks to get ahead. I know you don’t want to let him pay for everything, but you easily could. It would take a lot of stress off you.”
I sigh and snuggle more into my cozy spot on the couch. “I get what you’re saying. It would make things a lot easier on me, but I had that relationship with someone before. As nice as it was, emotionally, I was miserable. Right now isn’t the time to play with my emotions. I need to be strong and stable.”
This time, it’s June who lets out a heavy breath.
“I’m nervous for you, but I do think this will be good.”
“Me too. Mark and I need a foundation to build on, and this is the right move.”
“If you think so, so do I, but promise me you’ll look into all the paperwork or whatever for child support.”
“Child support? Mark has made it clear he’ll be around.”
“Men change their minds. I’m not saying Mark will, but he’s rich, Sydney. He comes from wealth, and I guarantee someone will convince him to have you do a paternity test at some point. It’ll be a match, but I just . . . rich people can be unpredictable. You should cover all your bases.”
I study her for a moment. I don’t think Mark would ever not support this baby, but I get where she’s coming from.
“I’ll look into it,” I say for her peace of mind.
“Thank you.” The doorbell rings and June jumps up. “Finally. I was beginning to think the Uber Eats driver got lost.”
I laugh, heading into the kitchen to get us some plates.
Does Mark cook, or does he order delivery food like I do? Chicken Lo Mien is my weakness right now, and vegetable egg rolls and yum yum sauce? Yes, please.
I can smell it already as June steps into the kitchen.
I should learn to cook. That would definitely save me money. Oh, I should invest in an air fryer. I could eat all the egg rolls I want and spend a lot less.
“Why do you look so serious?” June asks, dishing up our dinner.
“I was thinking about learning to cook more.”
She snorts.
“Hey, I can cook.”
“Right. And I can pass the bar without studying.”
