Page 77 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

Lucy blinked. ‘Over here!’

‘Should we all go grab some brunch?’ Mason paused a few feet away from them and looked between the women. ‘Everything okay?’

Jade cleared her throat and pushed herself from the wall. ‘Um yep. I’ve gotta get back to the salon. Great job all of you.’

Without a kiss, hug, or another word, she left.

And Lucy held back the sob choking in her throat.

Chapter 29

Jade

Jade stared at the screen of her phone with the same hesitation she’d felt these last two weeks. She and Lucy did not have a co-dependent relationship, which she valued. But at this point, their relationship was on the extreme end of the non-co-dependent side and had crossed the line into full-on avoidance.

For the past two weeks, since the incident outside Drew and Mason’s place, they’d seen each other only a handful of times, skipping dinner dates because one of them was tired, or working late, or sifting through piled-up paperwork. Jade knew it was bullshit, and Lucy most certainly did, too. But neither one called it out.

As the sound of the salon springing to life echoed behind her closed office door, Jade’s fingers lingered over the screen. She took a deep breath.

Jade: Have a great day at work!

Good God. Could the message be any more impersonal? If she swapped the exclamation with a period, it would fall directly into the ‘friends-only’ category.

Jade had zero doubt that she wanted to be with Lucy. But just because she wanted to be with Lucy didn’t mean that was the healthiest choice. A future existed, she was pretty sure, and in ten more weeks they could figure out what that future looked like. Until then, these sterile messages would need to keep them afloat.

Lucy: You too!

Yep, like clockwork. This sad little message string summed up the last fourteen days of their relationship.

Jade had let go of her jealousy over the attention the media had showered on Lucy, who at this point was probably in the running for People magazine’s next cover. The sting of her nomination being overshadowed by Lucy had faded, and she’d genuinely loved watching Lucy get interviewed by the morning show. The world saw Lucy’s charming, selfless self, and during the interview, Jade wanted to scream her pride at being with such an amazing woman.

But when Lucy said that Jade wasn’t interested in her world, and she wasn’t considered as a partner in the birth, Jade’s heart cracked. Did Lucy think Jade was unreliable? Unstable? Or maybe this was Lucy’s way of showing she wasn’t as invested in their relationship.

Jade reached into her mini fridge for oat milk creamer, added it to her coffee, and stirred. After pulling in a hefty, earthy sip, she leaned back and focused on the ceiling tiles. Besides the moment she’d first learned about Lucy’s plan to get pregnant, Jade had supported Lucy. Choosing to be in a relationship with a pregnant woman should have demonstrated Jade’s level of investment, right? But an obvious disconnect existed, and as much as Jade hated it, she had to confront it.

‘Screw it.’ She grabbed her phone and punched out a message before she lost her nerve.

Jade: I think we need to talk tonight.

Her pulse pounded in her neck as the three bubbles appeared.

Lucy: Ok.

Oof. Well, Jade had ripped the proverbial band-aid. Just like she’d done with Shayna.

Tonight, she and Lucy needed the mother of all heart-to-hearts to make sure they were on the same page, which required some vulnerability from Jade. She hated opening up. But Lucy was worth it, their relationship was worth it, and it was time.

Three clients later, Jade rinsed out the bleach bowl in the back room and flopped on a chair. She pushed her fist into her chin to crack her neck and let out a deep exhale along with the satisfying pops. Nerves over the impending conversation with Lucy had burrowed into her cells, and Jade bounced out of the chair and started organising backstock. Too bad her next client had cancelled, because now she had an hour to sit here and stew without the distraction of a complicated balayage.

The back-room door flung open, and Amanda gripped her hand against the door frame. ‘Hey, lady, you have a visitor.’

Jade’s eyebrows twitched. ‘Lucy?’ She checked her watch. It was around her lunch time, but she rarely made surprise visits.

Amanda shook her head, her Afro puff bouncing with the movement. ‘Nope. Not sure who she is. Didn’t give a name and I don’t recognise her as a client.’

The phone rang and Amanda scooted away.

Jade washed her hands, balled the paper towel into the trash, and moved up front. Rounding the corner, her footsteps halted before her brain could process the scene.