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I reset my glasses on my nose.
“Good morning. Yes. Emma should be here soon. What are your plans?”
“I wanted to swim in your pool, but it seems it has turned into a pond. Did you see the lilies and toads?” He popped a croissant in his mouth.
Yup. Five years of neglect turned pools into swamps.
“You’re going to clean it?”
“I should be done by the evening, so it’s nice of Emma to keep you company.”
Perfect.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. Maybe we can go for a swim this evening?”
He looked at me but didn’t ask a question, and I wanted to know what was passing through his mind. Was he thinking about all the times we’d splashed around only to end up fucking on the pool steps underneath the moon? Because I was.
He finished half his coffee, changed into his swim trunks, and gathered the tools from the pool house. Ten minutes later, Emma drove past the front gate in her Jeep. I held the door open and hurried her inside.
“Where’s the fire?”
“In my uterus. You should have warned me he’s back.”
“You wouldn’t have seen him if I had. And isn’t he the perfect solution for your burning uterus?”
I grabbed my purse. “I don’t have time, Ems. Hunter’s cleaning the pool. If he stays there, that will buy me the time I need.”
“Let me guess. You’re sneaking out. Did you know your neighborhood’s having an annual pool party this weekend? I chatted with Bev on my way in.”
Shit.
With Hunter’s return, I’d forgotten about the girls down the street. While the party started at Bev’s pool, it extended down her driveway and into the court, where she would set up a wet obstacle course. And I had signed up to bring buttered lobster rolls. I had to place an order with Oliver at the Marina.
“When Hunter finishes his work and comes inside, tell him I drew myself a bubble bath and I’m listening to an audiobook. That should buy me another hour.”
“Maybe you should take the Hartley threat seriously. I should come with you.”
“That’s the investigator in you talking. What you should do is cover for me, Emma. It’s what best friends do, and you owe me.”
Her shoulders hunched forward. Emma wasn’t the only one who got her way.
“All right. Just be safe. Can I know where you’re going and how you’re getting there?”
“I’m getting my eggs retrieved, and you’re ordering me an Uber.”
* * *
I saton the plush couch in the clinic’s waiting area, fidgeting like a fish out of water. A couple cuddled on the couch next to mine. He was older than she was by at least a decade, and she seemed young. Early twenties was a push. He was hiding behind a pair of aviator sunglasses and was dressed like Maverick. The man gripped the young woman’s hand. Sadness squeezed my throat. I had wished to go on this journey with a partner, but Hunter was more concerned about lilies and toads. Across from me, the woman whispered in the man’s ear, and his grip tightened. His possessive hold gave me the chills.
Single parenting for the win.
A few weeks from now, my life wouldn’t be the only one on the line. Once I found a donor, I could be carrying a baby, and I would decide his or her path. Lorelei or Lucas, or both, would be my babies. Controlling men weren’t my thing.
I checked my watch. We were fifteen minutes behind schedule. I’d called Dr. Riley and asked for an earlier appointment in the day. My egg retrieval would happen, and there was nothing Hunter could do to stop me. I’d left the phone he gave me in the bathroom so he couldn’t track me.
My knees bounced and my heart beat so hard I could hear it in my ears. I fixed my gaze on the door, certain Hunter would walk through and ruin everything. Again.
“Nervous?” the man asked.
