dealing with the many dog dramas to worry about what her mother and I are gossiping about. Violet pretends not to listen. She wants to be a kid most of the time, but I catch her eavesdropping when the gossip is good. Tonight, she reads a book from a tablet and hides in her head.
“Only a few more weeks,” I say and rub Maude’s belly as we sit with our feet up on a table and pretend to watch “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”
“Carina and Kirby will be best friends.”
“Or worst enemies,” I say, dramatically.
“Maybe they’ll fall in love.”
Gasping, I grab her hand. “We’ll be mothers-in-law together.”
Maude snickers at the thought as her gaze lingers on Desi sitting in her PJs. “I feel like I missed a lot of her childhood. Though I was there, I felt checked out. It makes me guilty to know I’ll be more involved with Carina’s childhood than I was with Desi’s.”
Hearing her name, the girl grins at her mother and shows off how the dogs are lined up. Once we applaud her efforts, Desi returns to telling the dogs a story they’ve probably heard before.
“I’ve been thinking about this baby’s father,” Maude says, and I try not to get too excited over her mentioning the mystery man. I must fail because she laughs at my expression. “I didn’t think I should tell him. He won’t want to be a part of the baby’s life, and I don’t want to share Carina with a stranger. Still, I see how much Shane and River love their kids. Then I saw the look on Goliath’s face when he was rubbing your belly the other day. I think maybe I’m stealing something from Carina’s father. That she’ll miss out, and he might too.”
“I thought you didn’t know him.”
Maude’s blue eyes flash with worry. “I don’t. He doesn’t live here. I think I could find him, though. You’re smart about tracking people down, but I don’t know if I should stir up trouble. Like what if my wanting to find him is just hormonal sentimentality. What if I regret contacting him? Once I open that door, I can’t close it.”
“What’s the worst that can happen if you contact him?”
“He’ll turn out to be a monster and also want to be in her life,” Maude says and then lowers her voice, “I already have to deal with her dad.”
I look at Desi and think of Kenny Tappan. What a useless twat! I still don’t get how he landed a hottie like Maude or didn’t fuck up Desi’s genetics.
“But if Carina’s daddy is an asshole, why can’t you ask your nice biker friends to get rid of him? At the very least, we can get him to back off. You know, if you feel like killing his ass is a step too far.”
Maude studies me while rubbing her belly. I fear she’s so worried that she’ll stop talking. Then she says, “But he’s a biker too. What if him knowing about the baby will cause trouble for the Reapers?”
Though nearly peeing myself with excitement over finding out who the baby daddy is, I pretend to be super calm. Again, Maude sees through my stone-cold exterior.
“I feel like telling you is a mistake.”
“Then keep your secrets, bitch,” I mutter, throwing a fit and even flipping a few pillows off the couch.
Maude laughs at my theatrics. Desi applauds, probably thinking I’m putting on a play about a psycho fapsock unable to control her emotions. Violet barely reacts, and I know she won’t sleep well tonight. I’ll need to bring her to my place where she can crash on the couch.
Still pouting, I tell Maude, “It’s okay if you keep it to yourself. However, telling me doesn’t mean he’ll find out. I mean, I can try to track him down, and we’ll investigate his situation. If he looks dicey, it’ll be easier for you to decide if you want him in your life.”
Maude looks at her belly and then at Desi. “I want them to be happy. My mom made bad decisions with men, and that fucked us all. But I have more options now than she did. I don’t want a bad man in my baby’s life, even if he is her father.”
Calm again, I whisper, “If you need more time to decide, there’s no rush. The baby isn’t here for a few weeks.”
Nodding, Maude rubs her belly again. “How about you try to find him, and then we’ll figure out if telling him