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“Yeah, Samantha is turning thirteen. Shit, I almost forgot. I’m supposed to go to San Diego next week for her birthday party.”
She hesitated before replying. “I’m sure she’ll love having her uncle there.”
“I don’t want to skip any days with you. Maybe you could come with me and we’ll get a hotel room? I should be done with the party by early evening and then we could have the night together.”
I knew I’d made a mistake when her entire body went rigid.
“I’m not a brood mare to keep stashed away in a room so you can inseminate me at your convenience.”
“Of course you’re not, but we agreed to be together every day.”
She broke free from my embrace and started gathering her clothes.
“Where the hell are you going?”
“Away from here.”
“What do you want from me, Addy? We already established this isn’t a romantic relationship. You expect me to take you with me to my niece’s birthday party, for me to introduce you to the rest of my family?” Surely she could see such an idea was out of the question.
She turned to stare at me. “I certainly don’t expect to be treated like a secret rendezvous.”
“But—how am I supposed to explain who you are?”
“That’s a very good question.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
I narrowed mine back. “We’ll tell them once you’re pregnant.”
She gaped at me for a moment longer before putting her panties back on. “If I’m going to be the mother to their grandchildren and their nieces and nephews, don’t you think it might make sense to introduce me to them as someone important in your life?”
Clearly I hadn’t thought this through.
“Your brother works for you. So what did you think would happen when you tell the guys at the office? That somehow he wouldn’t hear about it? Or were you not planning to tell the people at the office and expected me to simply show off my belly here and let people whisper about who the father could be?”
I’d put off telling anyone about our arrangement because I didn’t want to deal with the fifty questions and telling my traditional parents about our non-traditional plans, but I now realized I was selfish. I’d been trying to avoid dealing with my family’s judgment when I’d always said I didn’t care.
My mother would be over the moon. My father would be surprised. And my older brother, Gabriel, would give me advice on how to protect myself since he had no trust for women.
“Telling my family introduces some complications.” Namely, me having to answer their questions and be the center of attention.
“I thought you didn’t care what people thought?”
Hypocrisy tasted bitter on my tongue. “I still think we’re probably better off waiting until after you’re pregnant.” It would give me time to figure out the best way to manage things.
She finished straightening her skirt and slipped on her shoes. “Right. So then I can just be some chick you knocked up.”
I winced at the way she put it. Obviously, I’d not thought about matters from her perspective. “Don’t leave.”
“It would be better if I did. I’m not sure where your head is at. And the way this is making me feel isn’t great.”
Panic welled up in my chest. “You could already be pregnant.”
She sighed. “I know, and I’m not changing our agreement if I am, but I need some time to digest this whole secrecy thing. You’re acting like you’re ashamed of me.”
“That’s not it at all.”
Fuck. She was walking toward the door.
“Addy, don’t go.”
