Midlife Baby (Small Town Lovers)

“Yeah, that’s pretty fucking clear by your silence,” I told her through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she began, but I was done listening to her bullshit.

“I don’t need you to explain it to me Margot. You’ve made your disdain of me clear for months now, and you might think you’re better than me or you’re ashamed you got knocked up by a guy like me, but guess what? None of that matters anymore. That baby in your belly is mine, and I damn well will be taking care of him or her.”

She gasped and the sound was equal parts outrage and erotic. “I never said you couldn’t, I said you didn’t have to.”

“I don’t give a damn what you said, because you don’t run things, not anymore. Be ashamed all you want, keep it a secret, but don’t expect me to do the same.”

“It’s not necessary,” she whined.

I smiled even though I felt like throttling the damn woman. “You’re not listening. Your words mean nothing to me, because you’ve shown your true colors. You can still think you’re above me, but you’re not, you are a reckless and cruel woman.”

“Cruel? I am not,” she insisted angrily.

“What would you call letting the whole damn town gossip without coming to me and telling me you were pregnant? Did you think you could hide it indefinitely, and I’d be too stupid to put two and two together? That I wouldn’t care? Or was it just that you got what you wanted from me and now you expect me to disappear?”

She gasped again in faux outrage. “None of that makes any sense,” she whispered. “How could I have possibly planned for that night?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. What’s done is done, and I will be there every step of the way, and if you try to stop me in any way, I promise you won’t like what I do next.”

“Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?”

“Yeah, it is, because that’s the only thing you understand isn’t it?” I shook my head. “Your secret is out now Margot, learn to deal with it or not, it’s not my problem. Just know that I won’t abandon a child of mine. Not ever.”

She notched her chin high in the air, eyes lit with defiance. “And you’re so sure the child is yours?”

I smiled again. “I’m not the one image obsessed here Margot, which means I have no problem getting into a very public paternity claim. Can you say the same?” My lips curled into a bitter grin as I soaked up the fear in her eyes and the way it vibrated her frame, and then I walked away.

This wasn’t how I planned to become a father, and definitely not with the woman I pictured, but this was how it happened, and I wouldn’t let my kid down.

Not ever.

Chapter 13

Margot

I hated uncertainty.

Not knowing what came next was its own special brand of torture as far as I was concerned, and not knowing when—or if—Grady would show up again after our Fourth of July blowout was causing my body to react in a myriad of ways. My stomach twisted in constant knots, my heartburn was off the charts, and worse than all of that, my anxiety combined with nausea meant eating was pretty much impossible.

I mean, how I felt was Grady’s fault. He wasn’t the type of guy to growl a bunch of promises at a woman and then go back on them. No, he was the type who faced his problems head on, which meant that he was biding his time, lulling me into a false sense of security so he could strike when I expected him least. He was looking for the perfect time to strike, I just knew it.

And since there was nothing I could do about it other than drive myself crazy wondering when he would show up next, and what he would say, I busied myself with work. I had a few tours scheduled for The Old Country House with prospective clients who were interested in booking the property for a variety of events, so I pasted a smile on my face and greeted them like any good southern hostess would.

“Welcome to The Old Country House, I’m Margot Devereaux-Blanchard and this gorgeous property is all mine. Are you folks ready to take a look around today?”

I went through the spiel three times, first with two soon-to-be married couples, and then one couple in search of the perfect anniversary venue to renew their vows, with a wooden smile on my face. I showed off every inch of the property and recited its storied history before I pulled out my trusty, oversized calendar with a hopeful smile.

Three solid bookings later and I sat inside my office, exhausted and hungry while I waited for Valona to show up for her appointment. I was tempted to ask her to bring me lunch, but that felt like taking advantage of our friendship, so I abstained and waited patiently as I ignored my hunger pangs.