The Pickup (Imperfect Love 1)

Reed lets out a wail, and I get up way too quickly to grab him, needing to end this potentially awkward moment. I change his diaper and clothes, and when I come back out, Nick is still sitting on the couch.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Oh yeah.” I wave him off. “Nothing I can’t handle. We’ve been over for a while. Before you and I—well, anyway, I should’ve known, but I was too blinded by trying to find that stupid happily-ever-after. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you get home to your fiancée?”

He looks like he wants to respond but thinks better of it. “Yeah…umm…is it okay if I come by Tuesday to see Reed? It’s my day off from practice. Once you respond to the custody petition we can figure out a set schedule.”

“Sure.” I leave the living room and head to the kitchen to make Reed a bottle, and Nick follows. “Reed has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon. It’s just a routine check-up. I don’t know what your plans are but—”

“I only have practice in the morning. I’ll go.” Nick takes Reed from me so I can make the bottle, and I let him.

“Right…okay.” Nick is standing close to me, our son nestled in his arms. He smiles softly, and I allow myself a minute to check him out. Reed has a lot of his features. From his bright green eyes, to his messy hair, which curls at the ends. His jaw is chiseled with day-old scruff. He’s a handsome man, and my son will most likely look similar to him. He leans over and gives Reed a kiss on his forehead, and the beauty in the moment sends shivers down my spine.

To an outsider, we look like a family. A mother and a father looking down adoringly at their baby. The false illusion has me frowning. All my life I watched my mom and dad live in a fairytale. I imagined one day I would have that. Instead, I’m a single mom with a baby by a man who’s engaged to another woman. It sounds like the making of a Lifetime movie instead of Disney.

I finish making the bottle then take Reed from Nick, situating him into my arms and giving him the bottle. We’re walking out of the kitchen and into the living room when Giselle comes running out from her room, freshly showered and looking like she’s ready to take on the world.

“I got the job! I got it! Lydia emailed me last night! I’m officially employed by one of the most elite interior design firms in New York. I mean, it’s only an internship, so I won’t get paid much, but it’s a start.”

“Fresh Designs?”

“Yes! This is a dream come true. Do you know what this job will do for my resumé?”

“I’m so happy for you! When do you start?”

“Next Monday. They’re off for the holidays. She said to come in early Monday morning to get all the paperwork filled out. We need to celebrate. Let’s go out for lunch.”

I glance down at Reed. “I’m not ready to bring him in public yet.”

“You brought him to the game,” Giselle points out.

“Yeah, but that was only…” My eyes dart to Nick, remembering he’s still here.

“To scare the hell out of Celeste?” he says dryly, and I flinch.

Giselle giggles, and I do my best to hide my grin. If Nick knows, that means Celeste went home and told on me.

When I don’t answer right away, Nick says, “I don’t know all the details, other than the fact that Celeste thinks you should hire a nanny.”

“What?” I screech. That wasn’t my intention!

Nick smirks. “That poor baby was crying and being neglected.”

“He was not! He is perfectly taken care of.” My heart starts racing. Is that why he’s here? Does he think I’m incapable of taking care of our son? “I just let him cry for a few minutes. I was hoping she would freak out and run back to you, and you would go away!”

Nick’s grin widens. “Nice try. I’ll give you credit, though. Your plan worked…partially. She wants nothing to do with a baby unless it comes with someone else to handle the crying, but you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” He taps my nose with his pointer finger and chuckles. Then he says goodbye to Giselle and gives Reed another kiss. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yep,” I say, watching him walk to the door.

“Well, well, well,” Giselle says slowly, once Nick is out the door. “I must admit, I didn’t see these change of events coming, but now it makes sense.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Nick.” She nods slowly.

“I wasn’t trying to break them up. I was hoping to scare her, so she would convince Nick not to seek custody. I was desperate. It was stupid.” I sit on the couch and continue to feed Reed his bottle.