Twist of Fate (Taking Chances #2) - Tia Louise Page 0,46
bright blue eyes just like his uncle’s—and his dad’s, I guess. I can’t help wondering if our little boy or girl might look like this.
“He’s so sweet. You must love being a mamma.”
“It has its moments.” Ice-blue eyes study me. With her straight, pale-blonde hair and sharp features, she reminds me of a hawk. “So, what’s this about J.R.? You two were never friends.”
Chewing my lip, I figure I should put her suspicious mind to rest. “I wanted to ask his advice about something… About Scout.”
Her eyes cut up and down my body, and she lifts her chin. “He knocked you up, didn’t he?”
It’s not a question. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”
“What do you want John to do about it?” It’s an accusatory jab.
“Nothing!” I exhale a laugh, shaking my head. “I just wanted to talk to him… About what I should do, since… you know. You’ve been through this.”
Her eyes narrow. “You haven’t told him yet?”
“Not yet, but I’m going to. I really want to fly to L.A. and tell him in person. It seems like the best way to handle it, but this afternoon, I kind of heard about something that has me worried…”
“You heard about the porn thing.” Her voice is flat, and she rolls her eyes as she sits in a chair.
It’s like she’s some kind of evil wizard. “Sort of…”
“Don’t do it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you need money?” She crosses her leg and folds long fingers together. “Someone to take care of you? Are you going to L.A. to move in with him or hoping he’ll propose to you?”
She asks it all so fast, my brain spins. “No… None of that. I don’t need any money, and I have a plan for taking care of myself. I just… He needs to know.”
“Why?” Becky steeples her fingers in front of her lips.
“Because it’s his child. He has a right—”
“Don’t. Do. It.” She enunciates each word, and my brow furrows. “You think it’s the right thing to do because that’s what everybody says. But you’re forgetting the Dunne brothers are this town’s shining superheroes. If you show up with Scout’s baby, wreck his dreams of being a Hollywood superstar, they’ll blame you for ruining his chances.”
“I think Scout’s chances might be a little shaky at the moment…”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll take the blame.” She pushes out of the chair, and saunters to the kitchen. “When I told John I was pregnant, they blamed me for everything. When he walked away from his NFL deal to be a dad, it was because of me. When he decided to quit football and work with his dad, it was my fault. I was a gold-digging whore trying to hang onto his fame. Now look where that’s gotten me.”
She exhales a bitter laugh, lifting her chin around the small house.
“But…” Again, my voice feels too quiet, too innocent. “J.R. loves being a dad. He married you because he wanted to marry you. Anyway, it takes two to make a baby.”
“We know that.” She takes Jesse from my arms and holds him against her chest as she glares down at me. “But you know who led the charge against me? Your boyfriend Scout.”
I feel cold and unprotected without Jesse in my arms. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Do you love him?” She takes a step closer, and I edge to the door. “Do you?”
My lip goes between my teeth, and I lie. “No.”
I do love him, but am I a silly little fool? Lord knows, I believe it every single day of every week that passes. Last I heard, he had a dinner date, and for all I know it was with the next Jennifer Lawrence.
“Take my advice. Keep doing what you’re doing and let him keep doing what he’s doing. If he leaves Los Angeles to come back here and marry you, he’ll resent you forever.”
I’m out the house, and she lets the screen door slam in my face. My lips part, but no words come out. Sliding my hand over my stomach, I turn and slowly walk to the car. That was not what I expected to happen when I pulled into this driveway.
I thought Fate was a bitch, but I’m not sure anyone is as wicked as Becky St. John.
“I can’t believe you’re turning down the Southeast region for a baby.” Spencer sits in a leather wingback across his desk from me. He’s angry, but it’s more protective disbelief than disgust.
“It’s not like I’m turning it down for a better offer.”