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“Yes.”
“So it’s a petri dish party?”
The comment made laugh. “I guess you could put it that way, sure.”
“And none of you will know who the biological father is?”
“Not until after the baby’s born, no.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asked.
I nodded solemnly, remembering how much thought had gone into the decision. “More than okay.”
For a few long moments I just sat there, letting it all soak in. I busied myself watching the bar, its patrons, its many activities. Someone was playing a video poker machine in the corner that paid out actual money. Another pair of couples were throwing darts on the other side of the room, keeping their toes behind a piece of worn duct tape on the beer-splashed floor.
I looked Jordyn over, wondering why she’d picked this place. I wondered if she came here often. I wondered if she played darts…
“Weallthink we have busy lives,” she said simply. “Or at least that’s what we tell each other. But I honestly can’t believe someone like you issobusy, you can’t keep a girlfriend. Much less form a meaningful relationship.”
I cleared my throat. I’d expected this part.
“Ever heard of Triad Realty?” I asked nonchalantly. “Or a man named Elliot—”
“Chase?” she interrupted.
“Yup.”
“Elliot Chase from all those commercials?” She actually looked impressed. “The guy on the billboards? The bus stop benches?”
“On top of the yellow cabs in the City too, yes,” I nodded. “Believe it or not, those marquee ads convert better than all the others. Or at least that’s what they tell me.”
Jordyn put down her beer for a moment and folded her arms. “Youreallyknow Elliot Chase?” she asked skeptically.
“I should hope so,” I shrugged. “The asshole’s been my best friend all my life.”
Instead of staring back at me with the usual amount of incredulity, she somehow kept her poker face. Jordyn met my gaze, picked her beer back up, and swallowed the rest of it without looking away. Then she sighed.
“So you’ll do it?” I asked with a smile.
“Maybe,” she replied. “I mean the terms were strange to begin with. But now…”
“The live-in arrangement,” I acknowledged. “I know. It’s a little unorthodox.”
“Unorthodox is putting it mildly,” she agreed. “But throw in three potential fathers instead of one, and now one of them is Elliot Chase…”
I sat back in silence again, letting her thoughts trail out in whichever direction her mind took them. We already wanted her. Annie’s recommendation went miles toward that decision. Ultimately, it would be up to her.
“I’m going to need to meet all three of you,” she said abruptly, pushing her empty bottle away. “If I’m carrying a child that could be from any of you, that part’s a no-brainer.”
“Of course.”
“And before I say yes to anything,” she added, eyeing me a little more pointedly. “I’m going to need to see the house…”
Three
JORDYN
We rode the Palisades Parkway north along the west bank of the Hudson river, where the still-rising sun glinted off the waterway like shimmering, glimmering diamonds. It was cold outside, even for a New York autumn. But here, on the inside…
