their boy’s life.
“If you move to Ohio, Ashley, you’ll see him even less than you already do. That’ll make things worse. I can’t tell you what to do, but you’re going to create irreparable damage if you go through with this. You need to reconsider.”
“Your father left you all that money. He’ll be fine.” She sniffed and her eyes shifted. Surely, she didn’t believe the trash spewing out of her mouth.
“What the hell does money have to do with this? Money can’t replace love and—”
“Oh, save me the feel-good song lyrics, Aries. You’re awfully chipper and upbeat tonight, and hell, don’t get me wrong, good for you – but not all of us reside on Planet Happy Go Lucky right now. My life has turned to shit!” Her eyes sheened over as she raised her voice, causing others to turn their way. “My relationship with Jeffrey is in the garbage, I have no money, my car is barely running, my job cut my hours, my kid hates me despite what you say, my family is either dead, jailed or strung out, my ex-husband thinks I’m a piece of shit, and I got served with a lawsuit from some asshole saying I scratched her car during a fender bender. Look.” She swallowed, then lowered her voice. “I have to be able to support myself. I need a new start. I can’t go on this way.”
“Oh… I see what’s going on here. You almost had me.” He shook his head. “You want money from me so you don’t move, right? You’re basically bending me over a barrel, knowing that even though our son is angry with you, it will break him if you leave and you expect me to bail you out so that he doesn’t hurt. You just can’t stop being selfish for two seconds. Jesus!” He got to his feet and glared at her. “Unbelievable, Ashley. There’s no low that you won’t go, is there?”
All she did was slowly turn away, pick up her liquor, and take a hard swallow.
“Are you going to help me or not?”
“How about I just ask our son what he thinks of all of this?” Her eyes grew large. “Yeah, I’m going to ask Aiden, after I play back everything you said here,” he pulled out his phone and waved it at her, showing he’d recorded the entire exchange. “I’m curious if he’ll agree or disagree that I should give in to his egg donor’s demands.”
“You taped me?! YOU FUCKIN’ TAPED ME?!” He stormed toward the exit. “That’s illegal, asshole! You can’t tape people without their permission!” she shouted.
“And you can’t fuck my son over without my permission. Access denied.”
“Ohhh, girl! Yes! I like that one better,” Darlene one of her college buddies, exclaimed. The woman sat back in the plush white satin seat, daintily holding a glass of sparkling wine. Lauren spun around, showcasing choice number two. It was a bit shorter and tighter than what she’d had in mind initially, but boy was it sexy.
“Y’all, I just don’t know! This might be a bit too risqué.”
She’d been at Gold Couture Bridal Salon for the past hour giving her friends, mother, and several female cousins a fashion show. They’d tried on their burgundy satin dresses, and decisions regarding accompanying jewelry were discussed in great depth. It had been a long, exhausting month. She and Aries were looking into properties to possibly purchase, but in the interim, she planned to move in with him and Aiden since the idea of land and building an entirely new structure appealed to both of them. The date was fast approaching and she had begun to get the jitters… in a good way.
“We need to re-measure you.” One of the seamstresses approached her.
Lauren went to the dressing room, slipped out of the gown, then returned with a form-fitting cream tank top and high-waisted tummy control tights. She stood on a pedestal like some ballerina in a music box, unable to wipe the smile off her face as two tailors surrounded her with measuring tapes and showered her with compliments. Mama was looking especially proud, her feet kicked up and thoroughly enjoying herself. The woman took tender sips of wine while occasionally tasting a nibble from her plate of cheese and grapes. The front door bell chimed, and she assumed it was simply another customer. As she watched the tailors take their time with her through the mirror in front of her, she heard the sound of familiar steps.
Her smile