Page 37 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

‘You’ve been together that long?’ Incredible. Meeting your soul mate so young and sharing a lifetime of experiences, knowing everything about each other, loving each other … a dream come true. Being a divorcee fresh into your thirties – not a dream come true.

Amanda set a cup of coffee down in front of Mrs Dieterman. Jade mouthed her quiet thanks. She was all Lucy-distracted from the adrenaline-inducing text message and had totally forgotten the drink.

‘Thank you, dear.’ Mrs Dieterman took a small sip. ‘We had this boy in our school. Pretty new, moved from a different county. Kinda different from the other boys. Really shy. The kids picked on him and pushed him around. But not my husband. One day, the boys were really laying into him. My husband has always been a little quiet. I’m the talker. But we were chatting outside of school, and he was real distracted. And then he excuses himself, walks right up to the bully and socks him one, square on the chin. And I knew right then and there he was the guy for me.’

Jade chuckled and divided the next section of hair. ‘You knew he was for you because he could throw a punch?’

‘Oh, heck no. The hit barely fazed the bully, and he got my husband back ten times more. But the bully never bothered that boy again, and it made me realise my husband was a good person. He stuck up for someone who couldn’t stick up for themselves. So, I say, find a mate who’s a good person.’ She adjusted in the seat. ‘Now, last time I was here, I forgot to tell you about my youngest granddaughter. Oh boy, did she get herself into a pickle this week …’

After the final roller was tucked away, Jade moved back to her office to take a break. Mrs Dieterman would be under the dryer for a decent chunk of time, and she could use this time not only to get caught up on paperwork but also to decide what she was going to do about dinner tonight.

She sifted through a stack of mail on her desk when a letter caught her eye and her breath hitched. Elizabeth. Whatever it was, she didn’t want to see it. Besides calling, Elizabeth had sent emails, which Jade used all brute force in the universe to delete without reading. But a letter seemed so formal. Legal.

Thinking of their time together still made her belly thicken, although the pain of the break-up had vanished. She didn’t want to open the envelope. But she had to see what the letter said.

She ripped it open.

Jade, I hope all is well with you. I will keep this quick. I have tried countless methods to get a hold of you and cannot. So, a letter it is! Please. I need to talk to you to discuss an urgent matter. Will you call me? Thank you. -Liz

Shit. Jade closed her eyes. Whatever Elizabeth needed, it must actually be important. Jade had to deal with this, whatever it was. And even though she had lingering bitterness towards Elizabeth, she cared for her former in-laws. If this letter was about them, she wanted to know.

Jade picked up the phone. Elizabeth answered in one ring.

‘Elizabeth.’ Jade held her voice firm, professional, and short.

‘It’s so good to hear your voice,’ Elizabeth said, and Jade could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling. ‘How are you?’

‘Cut the bullshit. You don’t care. What do you want?’ Maybe a little harsh, but pleasantries were the last thing Jade needed right now.

‘That’s unfair and you know it. I will always care about how you’re doing.’

Several long moments passed without another word, and Jade’s chest heated. Why was Elizabeth clamming up now? Was she waiting for Jade to ask probing questions and pull it out of her? Jade didn’t have time for this. She needed to free herself, sage the air, and move back to thinking about Lucy. ‘Just spit it out. What’s so urgent?’ A moment passed, and Jade contemplated actually hanging up the phone this time. But that might lead to more letters, and Jade would rather deal with this now and be done than prolong it.

‘I hate to do this, but I need a favour. A huge one.’

Jade almost laughed. During their marriage, it was painfully obvious that Elizabeth didn’t need one single thing from Jade. After the honeymoon period wore off, Jade felt rejected, useless, dismissed. She was never the top priority – or any priority at all, really. She slumped on the chair and drummed her fingertips on the desk. ‘What do you need?’

‘I need you to write a statement testifying I’ll be a good mother.’ Elizabeth’s powerhouse voice sounded meek and rushed.

‘You’re fucking kidding me.’

‘Please.’ The pleading was a rarity. Jade had only heard it once or twice during their relationship – the last time was when Jade slammed her car door and took off for Minnesota.

She assumed that Elizabeth would have already gotten a kid by now. Sure, Jade had no idea how long the process took. But well over a year and a half had passed since the ‘I filed for adoption knowing that it meant saying goodbye to you’ bombshell.

None of this made sense. Of all the people in the world who could testify on Elizabeth’s behalf, why choose Jade when they didn’t even part amicably? ‘I don’t understand.’

Elizabeth exhaled a long breath. ‘The first adoption agency had some issues. You remember them, right?’

Remember? It’s why they divorced.

‘Without boring you to death on details, I applied with another agency, and our divorce obviously came up in the background check. And my God, they are thorough. I swear they were about ready to ask me for my blood type and previous sexual partners. Remember when we applied for our first mortgage and how much documentation we had to supply? That times ten.’

Jade couldn’t help but flash back to the place where the newlyweds with knotted stomachs and sweaty palms jumped, skipped, and damn near bulldozed through every hoop imaginable to get a first-time home buyer loan. ‘I’m still not tracking. Why me?’

‘The adoption lawyer felt a statement from you – my ex – declaring I’d be a good mom, that I don’t have any anger or substance abuse issues, et cetera, would strengthen my case.’ The silence that followed was long. ‘Please, Jade. I wouldn’t ask this unless it was absolutely critical.’

Jade wanted to yell You destroyed our marriage for this! She didn’t want to help Elizabeth. Jade owed her nothing. But deep down, somewhere low and uncomfortable, Jade knew that if Elizabeth put half as much effort into being a mom as she did becoming a mom, she’d nail it.