AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I mean,” John’s voice is as condescending as his chortle. “I’m in Sun Valley.”
The knife in my hand halts halfway through an apple, my dreams of a breakfast smoothie momentarily put on pause. “Right now?”
“God, pregnancy has made you a little slow, huh?”
Willow growls; I roll my eyes. Our first time talking since he tried to kidnap my child and he insults me—smooth, yet entirely expected.
“Dinner,” John suggests, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “Just the three of us. I wanna see y’all.”
“I don’t—”
“Tomorrow night.”
“We can’t tomorrow.” Tomorrow is the baby shower. Something I’m actually looking forward to, despite the occasional tinge of dread, and would prefer to keep John very, very far away from.
Undeterred, John persists, “Tonight, then.”
“We have plans tonight too.” August is sleeping over at Izzy’s, my guilt-driven consolation prize for having to spend half his weekend celebrating the sibling he’s still not entirely thrilled about. I have no plans to do anything but lie in bed satisfying my latest craving—popcorn, ice, and bell peppers—but he doesn’t have to know that.
“That boyfriend of yours is keeping you busy, huh?”
And there it is—the petty bite. So freaking unnecessary, so unreasonable, so unsurprising because unnecessarily unreasonable? John’s middle names. As predictable as he is, he still has the power to piss me off. To inspire some petty bite of my own. “Yeah,” I agree, knowing he expects the opposite. “He is.Helikes spending time with August.”
Hook, line, and freaking sinker.
John reads into my comment exactly the way I knew he would, exactly the way I meant it, and he reacts exactly as expected too; snappily. “Heis not his father. I am.”
According to the laws of biology, sure. According to everyone else? Not so much.
“I just wanna see my family.”
“Then go back to Texas.”
“Don’t be like that. Don’t get ugly with me ‘cause I swear to God, Sunday, I’ll get ugly back.”
Glancing over my shoulder to check August is still safely in his room and out of earshot, I snatch my phone up, taking it off speaker before hissing into the receiver. “Are you threatening me?”
“You’ll meet me for dinner or I’ll come get you myself. I’m sure the paparazzi following you around would love that.”
Fucking littlerat.
That’s the last thing we need. The Internet is already abuzz with rumors of our alleged break-up, thanks to our week apart and some ‘anonymous sources.’ I imagine a visit from my first baby daddy will go down like a lead balloon.
Swallowing my frustration, I reluctantly agree to the last thing I feel like doing. “You get one hour.”
Willow’s enraged objection almost drowns out John as he names a diner in town, but the smug pride in his voice? Unmissable. “I’ll see you at seven.”
I don’t bother bidding him goodbye before hanging up.
Tossing my phone aside, I bury my face in my hands, massaging my temples while contemplating whether or not my sister is really a good enough lawyer to nix a murder conviction.
Unsurprisingly, Willow is thinking the same thing. “Don’t tell me anything.” Coming up beside me, she eases the knife I’m still clutching out of grip and sets it on the counter. “I can’t defend you if I’m complicit.”
“I hate him.”
“Shhh. That’s motive, Sunny. Work with me here.”
“What’s wrong?”
