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“I brought us here because the security is the best. I’ll get something worked out for us soon.”
I nod so I don’t say something bratty again. I am in a freaking penthouse condo and bitching about it.
“Did you say that we are finding out the sex of the baby soon?” I hadn’t said “we” but a warm feeling settles in my belly that he assumes he’s coming to the doctor with me. I want to tell him that I want him there not only because it’s his baby but because he wants to experience this with me and for us to be a real family. I yearn for him to say that he loves me and wants me to be his forever but I don’t say any of those things.
“Yes” is the only reply I can manage as I keep staring out the window wondering where we go from here.
Chapter Ten
Oliver
The atmosphere in my penthouse is tense. For the first time, I notice that when Maddie is unhappy her mouth turns upside down. I’ve only seen her in states of happiness, crazed lust and post-orgasmic satisfaction.
I don’t like unhappy Maddie face. I want to wipe that away but she’s not telling me much. Not only am I not good at appeasing women, I’ve never dealt with a pregnant woman before. Every time I ask her a question, she deflects. It may be that she wants to be left alone but given that she has a tendency to run away that’s not an option for her.
“No matter what you do, I’m not letting you go,” I warn.
She scrunches her nose in distaste. “What is that supposed to mean? No matter what I do?”
“It means no matter how many times you run away, or how hard you try to hide from me, I will always find you and bring you back.”
This does not sit well with Maddie. Her face grows darker and her unhappiness is even more pronounced. To my panic, her lower lip starts to tremble. Is she going to cry? What do I do if she cries? I try to think of what my dad would do for my mother. I think he bought her things. I whip out my phone. Chocolate? Jewelry? Purses? Fuck it, I don’t know. I’ll get it all.
Before I get anything ordered, a short melody chimes through the apartment, alerting me to a new visitor. As I’m walking toward the security panel, I see Maddie swipe at her eyes. Something hot like shame stirs in my gut. I’ve already made her cry and we haven’t even been together for 24 hours. I really suck at this. Maddie confuses me. She’s not like numbers on a balance sheet and there’s no analyst research paper on her that I can read. I could probably make her come in under five minutes, but I’m not supposed to touch her. Frustrated and angry at myself, I’m in no mood to let anyone into my penthouse.
“What?” I bark into the intercom.
Blossom’s smiley face appears on screen. “Did you find her?”
“I found her,” I snap. Does everyone think I’m incompetent?
“Why are you so irritable then? I thought if you found her you’d be in a much better mood. Is it someone else’s baby? Wait, just let me in. I don’t wanna talk to you through the door.”
Because Blossom will not go away until I let her in, I unlock the door. My sister bounces in, pushes me aside and rushes over to Maddie.
“I’m Blossom,” she cries, throwing her arms out wide.
Maddie forces a smile to her face. “Nice to meet you. I’m Maddie.”
“This is so awesome. As you might have guessed, I’m the nice one in the family. Oliver got all the brains, but I have the beauty.” She flutters her fingers underneath her chin. “And the good personality,” she adds. “So how far along are you?”
“Five months.” The smile is looking less forced.
“No way,” Blossom gasps. “You look tiny. I hope I look like you if I get pregnant.”
That thought terrifies me. “You better not get pregnant.”
Blossom sticks her tongue out at me. “Do you have any older brothers?”
Maddie shakes her head no.
“You are so lucky. Older brothers are terrible. I have two of them. Oliver, of course, and then Gunner. Between the two of them, I never had a moment’s peace. They went from tormenting me to taking my toys, to bossing me around.”
“Did you come over to meet Maddie or to engage in character assassination?”
“Why can’t I do both?” She perches herself on the side of the armchair Maddie has settled into. “I’m kidding,” she says after I glare at her for a long moment. “Oliver is pretty good, but he’s kind of awkward with people. If you were a report or maybe the financial news, Oliver could interact with you really great. But since you’re a person, he’s probably screwing things up, which is why I’m here.” She points to the door. “Oliver, there’s a bunch of stuff coming up in the freight elevator. Can you go get it?”
