his background was with the government, and his passport was pretty full.”
“Let me get this straight. You meet some random guy who may or may not be a mercenary or worse,” he sneered. “Shack up, get knocked up, and then he vanishes, but you’re not freaking out because you have a feeling,” he drawled with taunting air quotes.
It sounded ridiculous but was more or less spot-on.
“What did I tell you about not judging me?” She arched a brow and gave him a fierce glare.
He blew her off with more direct questions.
“What are your plans? Where are you with school? Do you need any money?”
“First of all, I literally just found out. Did the pee stick this morning. When this semester ends, I have another after plus some loose ends. Counting on my fingers, I don’t see a way to continue the fall semester. Not with a new baby. Maybe the winter term but I’ll have to wait and see. I’m okay financially, but I still have to work.”
“When are you due?”
“Going by a due date calculator I found online, sometime around the first week of October. A Libra baby,” she murmured.
Knowing her baby’s star sign made everything way too real. Without any warning, she fell apart in Reed’s arms.
“How could he leave me?” she wailed. “We talked about a future. I can’t do this alone.”
“We’ll figure it out, okay?”
“Oh god, Reed. What if I’m like Mom? Or what if the baby doesn’t like me?”
“Don’t be silly. You’re gonna be a great mom, and your kid will love the shit out of you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. No doubt whatsoever, so dry those tears and stay positive. You just took the test, so it’s early days, and you never know what might happen.”
She had no idea when she was blowing her nose, but the saying anything might happen turned out to be the grandmother of all understatements.
A month and a half later, Summer could frame her little baby bump with both hands.
It was mid-April, and she had several work shifts lined up. When the waist of her uniform skirt got too tight for comfort, she was forced to devise an elaborate network of safety pins to give her tummy room to breathe.
Her athletic build and tendency to be on the thin side didn’t give her any duck and cover whatsoever. Anyone with a discerning eye could figure out she was expecting. Not that she was hiding her baby bump. Not at all. She was just weary of the baby daddy questions and comments. Whatever happened to the notion that an empowered, determined woman was capable of handling anything? Why didn’t the concept apply to her?
“Party of two, table nine, chica!” one of the other waitresses called out as she breezed by on her way into the bustling kitchen.
“Thanks! I’m on it.” Summer grabbed a pen and her order pad, took a quick slug of ice water from the thermal bottle she took everywhere, and then stashed it at the waitress station.
“Showtime.”
She made her way across the dining room and started down the walkway between two rows of booths. Retrieving a small baby toy from the foot of a highchair, she handed it to the grateful mom before she continued. Up ahead, she targeted table nine. A man sat in the booth facing her.
Summer’s steps slowed. He seemed familiar.
A strong feeling of distress filled her with dread the closer she got. When she was within twenty feet, she recognized him. It was the Brooks Brothers suit man from the Four Seasons.
Why was he here, and what did he want?
It wasn’t until she was at the edge of the booth that her mind registered the presence of someone else. Someone whose back had been to her as she approached the table.
Maleficent.
A harsh blaring of air horns and alarm bells inside her head robbed Summer of everything except fear. Soul-stabbing fear.
“What do you want?” she hissed. Her hand automatically covered her tummy protectively.
Maleficent sneered. She also gazed pointedly at Summer’s stomach.
“How nice to see you again, Miss Warren,” the evil witch said.
A trickle of unease seeped into her system. Miss Warren? Summer didn’t remember offering up her last name.
“This is my legal advisor, Mr. Wells.”
She barely glanced at the Brooks Brothers guy. He wasn’t the person in control.
In what she surmised was an orchestrated attack, Maleficent wasted no time spelling out her agenda. Too shocked to move away, Summer froze and listened with unfolding horror.
The so-called legal advisor tapped on an iPad and placed