Alex gives me a cocky grin. “With the Fire.”
A wide smile spreads across my face. “No shit? Who are you interviewing with?” I ask, super excited at the prospect of having him in town to stay.
“Cortland McDaniels. We meet tomorrow at nine,” he boasts.
“Well, I’m pulling for you. The Fire would be lucky to have you,” I tell him, holding up my bottle in a toast.
Alex taps his beer against mine. “Thanks, man. Appreciate it. I’m sure the competition is fierce, so I’m trying not to get my hopes up.” Our food is delivered and two fresh beers follow. “It’d almost be too perfect to get this job, you know? You and Ashtyn are both here, and the idea of seeing you two a little more regularly again is appealing.”
I cut into my steak, but suddenly my knife stops moving. Did he just say… “What?”
Alex looks up from cutting his steak. “I mean, I know you’re busy with that huge social calendar, but surely you can squeeze me in now and again, right?” he asks, laughing.
“I’d love it if you lived here, but I was meaning the other part. About Ashtyn.” Just saying her name has my cock half-hard and wanting to play. I focus on cutting my steak and taking a bite to mask the anticipation and shock that’s surely written all over my face.
“Oh, that’s one of the main reasons I started looking. She could use the help, even if she keeps saying she doesn’t. But I’m sure it’s hard, you know? Raising a baby on your own? In a new city with no family to boot. That’s why I’m here for three days. I get to meet my nephew tomorrow after the interview.”
My mind is spinning. “Wow, uh, a baby, huh?” Why does my throat feel like I swallowed glass? “I didn’t realize she was seeing anyone,” I say casually, moving my vegetables around with my fork. I’m suddenly not hungry at all.
Alex seems pissed as he stabs his steak. “She’s not. At least not someone she’s talking about. She dated this guy before she moved here, but I think they broke up a month or two before. I don’t know who he is, but he better hope I don’t fucking ever find out.”
I’m suddenly pissed right along with him. Not only because some douchebag got Ashtyn pregnant and ditched her, but because she was apparently seeing someone when we slept together. I always thought she was this shy, meek woman with a gorgeous smile, but apparently, there’s a little more vixen in her than anticipated.
“I was hoping to talk to her about it again while I’m here. She needs help, and if she won’t force that no-dick asshole into anteing up, then I’ll just do it.”
Somehow, we make it through dinner, but I’m not sure how. I have no recollection of actually eating my food, but when I look down, my plate is empty. My mind, on the other hand, is spinning as I try to put together the info shared. Ashtyn had a baby? A boy, apparently. And to top it off, she’s living in St. Louis. For the last however many months, she’s been here, and I didn’t even know it.
Wait…
Nine months?
I mentally do the math. My knee injury was last August. It’s now early June. Nine and a half months ago…
“Holy shit,” I gasp, my heart pounding like a jackhammer.
“I know,” Alex agrees, not even noticing I’m a second away from a full-blown heart attack. “It’s a mess, but look at this. This makes it better,” he says, pulling his phone out, moving his fingers across the screen, and holds it out for me to see.
There, in the middle of the screen, is Ashtyn, looking a little frazzled and a whole lot of exhausted. But the smile on her face is one of pure elation and love. As if everything she just went through was completely worth it. His face is wrinkled and red, and a little blue and pink striped cap covers the top of his head. The baby has chubby cheeks, but it’s his chin that catches my attention. There in the middle is a dimple.
Like mine.
“…born a little over two weeks ago. My parents came and stayed with her the first week, but then left,” he says, taking the phone back and sliding it into his pocket.
“I’d like to go,” I find myself saying. Alex looks surprised. “I mean, it would be good for her to know she has another friend here, right? I’m surprised she didn’t reach out to me.” Very surprised, actually. And if my suspicions are correct, I’m pissed as fuck about that. But I’m not going to assume a chin dimple means anything.
Even if the timeline is a little fishy.
“Okay, I’m sure she’d be fine with a visitor,” he replies with a shrug.
When the waiter delivers our check and collects the empty plates, I’m quicker than Alex. “I got it.”
“No way,” he argues, reaching for the folder.
I slip my card inside and hand it over. “Consider it a good luck gift for tomorrow, but something tells me, you don’t need luck. That job is as good as yours.”
He grins. “Well, I appreciate it.”
As we head out, a few patrons recognize me, but I keep my head down and make my way to the front door. The hostess thanks me for dining tonight, slipping something in my hand, which I’m a thousand percent certain is her phone number. I stick it in my pocket and push through the door, stopping outside the door. “So, tomorrow?”
“Oh, uh, do you want to meet me at my hotel and hop in with me, or—”
“Why don’t I follow you there?” I interrupt. “This way, if you want to stay longer, you don’t have to worry about taking me home.”
“Makes sense,” Alex agrees, stepping in and giving me a one-arm, back slap hug. “My interview is at nine. I was gonna head over around eleven, grabbing her some lunch on the way.”
“I’ll be there,” I tell him, turning toward the parking lot where my car is.
I have way more questions than answers, and there’s only one woman who can give me what I need. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll know what the hell is going on, and if that baby is mine, why the hell she hasn’t told me about it.
Chapter Two
Ashtyn
Quiet.
I take my cup of coffee to my home library, gingerly sitting down in my favorite wingback chair. Rowan just went down with a full belly and a clean diaper, and now is the one time I allow myself to indulge in a single cup of black coffee. A shower can wait. Breakfast too. Nothing comes before this small cup of dark roast Moroccan coffee.
Except for Rowan.
And maybe sleep.
Since I was able to snatch a solid three hours of sleep before Rowan woke up again, just before five, it felt like the perfect time to get up and moving. Today’s a big day. My brother is coming for a visit after his interview with the St. Louis Fire. I’m excited to see him and for him to meet his nephew for the first time. Video chats aren’t the same as in-person visits, and this’ll be the first one I’ve had with him since I went home for Christmas and shared my big news. It was great having my parents here last week, but there’s this unmatchable bond I share with Alex. He’s not only my brother but one of my best friends.
And he’s going to be here in a few hours.
I sigh and glance out at the quiet neighborhood surrounding me. When I first moved here, I was in a two-bedroom apartment within walking distance of the library where I work. Just after the new year, one of the regular patrons at the library mentioned she was packing up and selling her parents’ house. Even though the apartment would have been comfortable for me and a baby, I went ahead and took her up on the offer to check it out. It’s an older three-bedroom and one-bath ranch-style home in need of a little TLC and updating, but when I saw it, I fell in love. A little paint on all the walls and some area rugs to cover the old marred hardwood floors, and it’s the perfect starter home for us.