My Ex's Baby (Crescent Cove 8)

re actually doing a…project.” There, that sounded nice and tidy.

One where my legs hook over my ears.

“Oh, yeah, like what? And why didn’t you tell me about it, you hussy?” She smacked my thigh, and I guess my guilt decided to hop in the driver’s seat and steer us off a cliff.

“Well, I have to do something with my time now that you have a husband and a baby.” Somehow those words sounded like a vile accusation. Which was so not my intention.

Or was it?

More like I was lonely and out of sorts and on the edge of drunk. Unfortunately, I’d skipped the happy, excitable part and shot right into confusion and woe.

Seemed like an accurate depiction of my life at the moment.

Without warning, Ivy swerved to the side of the road. At first, I thought she’d tried to avoid a cat, but nope, she did it intentionally. She shifted toward me on the seat, her face serious. “Are we okay?”

“Um, yes?”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“Of course we’re okay. Why wouldn’t we be? You know I’m happy for you. I love you. I just…”

“What?”

“I just miss you,” I whispered, feeling about three inches tall.

Her eyes welled up. “I miss you too. I didn’t plan on the baby or the husband.”

“I know.” And now I was full-blown sniffling, like a complete fool.

“It was all unplanned. But you’re still my favorite. You’re still my sister.”

I undid my seatbelt and lurched across the seat to hug it out. “I am. We are. You’re my favorite too.”

“And sisters tell each other everything.”

I stopped sniffling and patting her back and probably did crazy eyes that she thankfully could not see because her head was on my shoulder.

“Right. So does having a baby make you more horny?”

Ivy’s head reared up so fast, it was a miracle she didn’t bang it against the roof. She frowned and yanked her coat into place before sliding back into her seat. “If you are referring to last week, Rory had been gone for a while. We needed to reconnect.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. I get that.”

“Then why are you asking?”

Like I knew. It was as if for one crazy moment I’d thought—maybe even hoped—I was pregnant and so maybe my jumbled mindset toward August had something to do with that, even though I wasn’t. Perhaps my libido had been momentarily fooled into thinking he was my baby daddy, so I couldn’t help wanting to jump his very fine bones.

It was a theory.

“Just wondering for someday.”

It took Ivy grabbing my arm for me to replay what I’d said. Uh oh. “Do you want to have a baby?”

“Um, sure, maybe someday.” Someday was the best answer.

“Really? Like you’re planning to have one? I didn’t know you were even considering it.”

“No,” I said slowly. So slowly I made it into a many-syllabled word. “Just that you know, it’s what everyone usually does. Baby and then,” I swallowed hard, “well, at least a baby.”