I nod and wait to see what’s coming.
Frankee opens her robe, and she’s wearing a red sexy gown thing with her tits tied up in a huge red bow. “This is one of your first gifts to open.”
“Happy fucking birthday to me.”
I wake to Frankee’s naked body nestled against me. “This is what I want. Waking like this with you beside me every morning.”
“According to you, there’s a way to make that happen.”
“We’re going to make that happen.” Soon. Like springtime-or-early-summer soon. Just got to wait on this winter storm to pass.
“What kind of engagement ring would you want?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. All girls know what kind of ring they want.”
She touches the diamond pendant at her neck. “I love this. The cushion cut with a halo around it.”
“I looked at engagement rings when I was in the store buying your necklace. I held one in my fingers and thought about buying it but we hadn’t talked that much about getting married at the time. I wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”
Frankee turns and wraps her arms and legs around me. “You think I’d say yes now?”
“I know you would. Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t get any more of this.” I open my mouth and roll my tongue in a wave.
“Then I had better say yes. Because I cannot go the rest of my life without that magic mouth.”
I’m giving Frankee a little bit of my magic when a tap on the bedroom door interrupts. “Porter? You have a phone call.”
My parents are the only people I know who still have a landline in their house. “Who is it?”
“She didn’t say. I brought the cordless for you.”
She. “I’ll give you one guess as to who she is.”
“I don’t think either of us has to guess.”
I come up from between Frankee’s legs, wiping my mouth. “Just a minute, Mom.”
I pull on my sleep pants and Frankee wraps her robe around her body. I open the door and my mom covers the lower part of the phone. “Porter… I think it may be that Charlotte woman.”
“I’m certain it is.”
“Is there something going on? More than her being pregnant?”
I see the worry in my mom’s eyes. “Mom, it’s gone far beyond her being pregnant. You wouldn’t believe the things she’s done to Frankee and me.”
“Oh, Porter.”
“It’s bad, Mom. So bad.”
“And Frankee hasn’t left your side.”
“Not for a minute. And trust me, she should have. Many times.”
“She’s a keeper.”
“No doubt about it.”
My mom grins. “You need to put a ring on her finger before she wises up.”
“I’m working on it. Promise.”
“Good. But work faster.”
My mom hands the phone to me. “Sure you want to have this conversation in front of Frankee?”
“Frankee knows everything. I’m completely transparent about all things with this woman.”
“That’s a necessity for a strong marriage. You’re doing right.”
“Hello.”
“You’re such a lying piece of shit.”
“Good morning to you, too, Charlotte.”
“You are not in Nashville.”
“How would you know where I am?”
“People make public posts. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
I’ve not posted anything. And I know Frankee hasn’t either. That can only mean that Charlotte is watching one of my family members’ social accounts. Which means I’m going to have to have every one of them block her.
“Did you turn off your phone, or are you just not responding to my texts?”
“I turned off my phone. I didn’t want you disturbing my family time. And yet here you are… disturbing my family time.”
“Is she there with you?”
“Of course, she’s with me. Not that that is any of your business.”
“I can’t believe it’s your birthday and you took a whore to see your family over the mother of your child. I should be there getting to know your family. What part of that don’t you get?”
“You’re not meeting my family until I know that kid is mine.”
“Katherine is your daughter. The test will prove it. And we will be a family.”
“It doesn’t matter what that test shows; we will never be a family.”
“If you insist on having your little whore then that means she’ll be a part of my child’s life. How do I know that she’s fit to be a stepmother?”
“Look, I’m visiting my family. I don’t have time to have these useless conversations with you right now.”
“Well, I think it’s time I pay Scott and Tara Dawson a little visit. I think they should know what kind of man their little girl is dating.”
No. No. No.
That would ruin everything.
“Don’t do that, Charlotte.”
“I think I should.”
“Please don’t.” Fuck, I hate pleading with this bitch. But I will. “I’m begging you not to do that.”
“How badly do you not want me to?”
What is she asking for? Money?
“Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to leave her. I want you to never see her again. And if you don’t do this for me, I’ll go to her parents and tell them you got me pregnant and abandoned me when you started fucking their daughter.”
“That would be a lie.”
“I’ll also tell them she knows about my pregnancy, and the two of you flaunt your relationship in my face, which ultimately sent me into preterm labor.”
“You’re such a liar and manipulator.”
“Well, even if they don’t believe me, the proof of what you’ve done is growing in my belly right now. And that’s a fact. You’re not getting out of that one. So tell me, Porter. How do you think all of this is going to look to Pollyanna’s parents? Think they’ll go along with her marrying you? Becoming an instant stepmother?”
I don’t reply because I know she isn’t wrong. Scott and Tara will not want that for Frankee.
“They’ll hate you, and she’ll have to choose between you and her family. Do you really want your precious angel to have to do that?”
“If I do this, you’ll never bother her again? Or her family?”
“If you leave her, there’ll be no reason to.”
I can fix this by going to Scott and Tara and telling them the truth. But I’ll still be that guy—the one who knocked up a woman on a one-night stand. The one who has a kid with someone who isn’t their daughter. They are not going to want her to be with a man like that.
Charlotte happened before Frankee, and I can tell them that, but I will still have to pay the price for my mistake. My huge fucking mistake.
How do I leave Frankee? How do I walk away from the thing I love most?
“I’ll come see you this evening, and we’ll talk. Don’t do anything in the meantime.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I end the call and look at Frankee. “We have a huge problem.”
“What’s new?”
“You don’t understand. This time is different. She has one-upped me—us—in a major fucking way. It’s serious.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“She threatened to go to your parents. Tell them all kinds of shit—enough to make certain that they hate me enough to never go along with us being together. Which ruins any chance you and I have at being happy together since I know you’d be miserable if there were trouble between your parents and me.”
“I hate her so much.”
“Scott isn’t going to be okay with your being in the middle of this situation with her. Hell, I’m not even okay with it. I feel like I should be shielding you from her shit, and instead it’s raining down on your head because of me.”
“Charlotte can fuck with you. Charlotte can fuck with m
e. But I’m not okay with her fucking with my family.”
“She says the only way she’ll keep quiet is if I leave you. Never see you again.”
“This is the thing. The pregnancy is her ammunition against us. But her power is temporary and won’t last forever. In four months, this will either be over with forever, or she’ll become a whole new beast entirely.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to be smarter.”