Best Laid Plans (The Best Girls 4)

“What are you talking about? She wouldn’t do that. Are you trying to trick me into marrying you again?”

“It turns out I don’t need to get married to adopt Jace and Chloe, so she dropped me.”

“Wait a minute. How did you find out you didn’t need to get married to get custody?”

“We found out yesterday afternoon at our meeting with the Parsons. And she decided to end it.”

“So you found out you didn’t need to get married? But you asked her to marry you anyway, and she turned you down?”

“No, I was trying to talk to her about it, but she ran off before I got the chance. It doesn’t matter—she doesn’t love me. She was only marrying me for the sake of the kids. She won’t even talk to me. I tried to call her last night. Today, too. It goes straight to voicemail.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Look how many times I called her. And see, I texted her, too. No response.”

She studied the phone. Apparently he’d reported accurately about his attempts to contact Charlie. Then she got the shock of her life. “Josh? Why do you have a picture of some woman’s boobs on your phone?”

He glanced at the phone with a bored expression. “Oh, that? It’s just some crazy nurse from the hospital in Colorado. She’s been sexting me. I delete them when they come in. What a freak.”

“Can’t you block her texts?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how she got my cell number.”

“Couldn’t she lose her job for doing something like this?”

“Probably, so. But I hate to be that vindictive.”

“Well, I think you should keep this text and file a complaint about her.”

He sighed. “Whatever. I don’t have the motivation to do anything since Charlie’s left me.”

“So that’s it? You’re giving up?”

“She doesn’t love me.” He slumped in his chair.

“You just need to talk to her and straighten things out.”

“She won’t talk to me.”

“She’ll be at the New Year’s Eve party tonight, won’t she? You can talk to her there.”

“She probably won’t go. I don’t know if I can stand to see her, anyway.” He dropped his face into his hands and moaned.

She stood and put her hands on her hips. “Stop being so tragic and melodramatic. Do you love her or not?”

“I do. But she doesn’t believe me.”

“Go to the party. Make her listen.”

“I already told her I love her, but she won’t believe me. There’s no reasoning with her.”

“She’s a girl. You don’t reason with a girl. You have to appeal to her emotions. Let her see you’re devastated without her.”

“How can I do that? She won’t believe that either. Nothing will work. It’s hopeless!”

“Good grief! Just go and be like this. She can’t help but see how messed up you are. You’re ridiculous.”

“You think so?” He blinked rapidly, his eyes brimming with tears.

“That you’re undeniably ridiculous?” Olivia asked. “Absolutely.”

“AND THEN YOU BROKE up with him?” asked Emily.