Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,72
four, always feel. I say, “You just reminded me that I have to call Persy.”
“Do it while I make us some dinner. Soup or sandwich?” he asks.
I glance at my phone and then at him, asking, “You’re not making anything fancy?”
“Nah, I’m trying to see if a light dinner and maybe a late snack will help you,” he replies. “I’ve been reading that the less processed the foods—”
“Wait, you’ve been reading about morning sickness?” I ask, and my heart makes a double flip.
He smiles, kisses the top of my head and leaves. Instead of staying in the room, I head to the terrace. Brock is laying on the couch until I call him. He comes running toward me with a huge grin and fast strides.
“I missed you, boy,” I say, petting him and giving him a hug, and I swear he hugs me back. This dog is so much like Nate. When they are around, they make you feel like the world isn’t a scary place.
“Let’s call Aunt Persy, boy,” I suggest, giving him one last pat before I dial her number.
“Finally,” she answers. “How are you doing?”
“Better,” I reply with a steady voice that doesn’t give away my worries, the fear of the uncertainty, and the doubts that are plaguing my heart.
“Really? You’re going for better. I’ve been worried sick, and Nathaniel isn’t helping,” she says snapping.
I fight the frustration building inside me because I told her to give me space and she was contacting Nate? I breathe and give her a chance to explain herself.
“Why would you need help from Nate?”
“I keep telling Ford to ask him how you’re doing, and Nate doesn’t give him a good answer,” she protests. “It’s not any different from your, better.”
“So much for giving me space,” I remark trying to hide the annoyance.
“I’m trying, but it’s hard not to worry about you,” she explains. “There’re too many things going on with you, and what if tomorrow I find out that you’re working for some Joe Schmo on the other side of the country. You’re pretty independent, but I want to be there for you and the baby. Plus, you’re living with a stranger.”
“Your boyfriend’s brother,” I remind her.
“Still, you don’t know who he really is,” she presses.
“My brother is trustworthy, Persephone,” I hear Ford objecting. “Take your drama down a notch, babe.”
“We spent a week with Nate,” I recall. “Then he came to visit for a weekend—I’m impressed that he didn’t run away after the parents’ incident.”
“That has some merit,” she agrees.
“Listen, Persy, I’m a pretty good judge of character,” I continue. “I wouldn’t just accept an invite from some weird guy while I’m hitchhiking by the highway.”
She huffs and then asks, “When are you coming back?”
I tell her everything that happened with Pierce and what I decided. That I’ll become her official agent but charge her less than what Sheila was making. We settle for fifteen percent of her earnings instead of twenty.
“Hearing that you have a plan makes me feel better because now you can relax a little. I’ll talk Ford into visiting his brother next week. Make sure you send me your calendar so I know when you’ll be in Seattle or New York. If you need anything—”
“I’ll reach out,” I promise.
“This feels weird. You’re always here for me, and now that I feel like you need me, you just disappeared,” she says with a worried voice.
“It was the timing, Persy. If this had happened a week before or a week later maybe you would’ve been there for me instead of Nate.”
“Are you two…?” she didn’t finish speaking but her boyfriend did. “Fucking. It’s called fucking, Persy. I told you they are not.”
“Having hot, dirty sex at night while I’m puking? Oh yes, we are,” I assure her. “We can’t get enough of each other.”
“Sorry, I’m just… This is new to me, Nyx.”
“Having a pregnant sister, feeling like you need to help me but not being here, or…fill in the blank here, because I can only have one person mothering me,” I say and add, “I need my sister and my best friend to be her usual self.”
“Well, then you should let me blog your pregnancy,” she laughs. “What? That’s what I would always ask, Langford. Don’t judge me, grump.”
“I’m trying to get Edward to give up his parental rights,” I explain. “I’m not sure how he’d use this against me, but…I can’t.”
“What if I keep your name under wraps and just call it a friend?”