Hendrix - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,7
stir the batter?”
“Of course, munchkin.”
We make it a point to stay really quiet as we get everything together, but it all goes to hell when the front door opens and a loud, familiar voice booms through the house.
“Where is my favorite little peanut?” Maddie shouts.
“Aunt Maddie!”
Brenna jumps down off her stool and runs for the door. Topher gives me the dirtiest look, and I just smile apologetically as he storms out of the room. Maddie slips past him on his way out while carrying Brenna. She watches me intently and I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.
“What's up his ass?”
I shake my head. “You know how he gets when he's on a work call.”
She chuckles. “Because his life is just so hard, with all the people he has waiting on him hand and foot all the time.”
Throwing my hand over her mouth, the rest of her sentence is muffled, and it makes Brenna laugh. I don't know where he disappeared to, but if he hears Maddie talking about him like that, he won't be happy. Topher is a great guy, don't get me wrong. He just doesn't have the best sense of humor.
Ten minutes later, I'm pouring the batter onto the skillet when Topher finally makes an appearance. He comes up behind me and kisses my cheek, brushing everything that just happened under the rug like a professional. Maddie makes faces behind his back, and I need to train my expression to keep from giving it away.
“That smells good,” he tells me.
I smile. “You can have some if you want. I made plenty of batter.”
“Thanks, but no. I have to stay in shape for this movie or they'll cut my part.” He reaches forward and grabs a handful of the chocolate chips, like that's any better than eating the pancakes. “Besides, I have to get going.”
“Oh.” Like I said, so much for getting to see him before he leaves. “Well, have a good trip. Let me know when you get there. Maybe we can FaceTime tonight?”
He makes a face that tells me the answer I already expected. “You know how it is when I go on these trips, babe. They always want me to go out with them, but I'll text you.”
With a chaste kiss to my lips, and one to Brenna's forehead, he salutes Maddie and leaves through the front door. Once he's gone, Maddie groans.
“He's such a dildo.”
Brenna giggles. “What's a dildo?”
My eyes widen as I turn to glare at my best friend. She bites her lip to contain her laughter and tickles Brenna's side.
“How about you don't repeat everything I say, okay?”
She pouts. “But what is it?”
I jump in before Maddie can make matters worse. “It's someone who's in a bad mood all the time.”
Maddie snorts, but, thankfully, Brenna accepts that answer. She tilts her head to the side and nods.
“Yeah, he kind of is a dildo.”
My best friend breaks into hysterics and tries to high-five my sweet, innocent daughter. Brenna smiles proudly, like she did something right, and I pick her up.
“All right. Enough you two.” I take three plates from the cabinet and hand them to Maddie. “Go set the table.”
She rolls her eyes. “Formal breakfast for dinner. How you of you.”
THE THREE OF US eat dinner together and then watch a movie. When it's over, Brenna insists that Maddie put her to bed instead of me. A part of me wonders if I should be offended, but I know it's only because she loves her aunt. When Maddie finally comes back downstairs, she sits down on the couch across from me.
“So, how'd the interview go the other night?” she asks.
My brows furrow. “I thought you watched it.”
“I did, but that doesn't mean I know how it went.”
I shrug. “It went all right, I guess.”
To be honest, the only reason I agreed to do the interview in the first place was for Topher. I'm not great with being the center of attention, and all of it makes me really uncomfortable. But, his publicist said that doing an interview about our recent engagement would make his fans feel more connected to us, and that's important to him.
“You're worried,” she says, reading my mind.
I nod. “What if he saw it? What if he knows about her?”
I don't even need to say who I'm talking about for her to know. She was there. She watched how broken he left me.
I pace back and forth across my dorm, freaking out as Maddie holds the positive pregnancy test in