“Well,” she muttered. “I’m sure there are some girls at the race who would be more than willing to help you forget me.”
“Not gonna lie, Del. There sure are girls there who would be willing to do that, but I’m telling you right now, the only woman I am interested in is standing in front of me and carrying my baby.” I slid a hand between us and placed it over the small bulge of her stomach.
“I guess I really am the only person that fits that description,” she muttered.
“When’s the appointment?” I asked.
“For the baby?”
I nodded.
“Uh, the sixth at ten o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.”
She smiled and laid her head on my shoulder. “Perfect.”
Things were finally getting to be perfect.
It had been close to two weeks since she had told me she was pregnant, but as soon as she told me, I was drawn to her. I needed to be with her.
Everything was right when Delaney was with me.
*
Chapter Fifteen
Delaney
“Wanna go out after shift?”
I looked up at Mave from the chart I was reading over.
It was Saturday afternoon, and I was missing Jay something fierce. He had called me before I headed off to make up some clinical hours from having off last week. I told him, again, that decaf coffee sucked and I was running out of ice cream. He agreed he wouldn’t come back without his bags full of snacks to keep the baby and me happy.
“Um, I was actually going to watch the drag race when I got off.” I had set it to record because Jay had said there might be a chance I could see him working on the car. I had never watched a single drag race in my life before but you can bet your butt I set the timer on the TV faster than you could say fried chicken.
Mave looked at me like I had suddenly grown two heads. “Did you just say you are going home to watch the drag race?”
I nodded and looked back down at the chart. “Um, yeah.”
“Is there a reason you’ve taken up a sudden interest is racing?” she questioned.
“You know, seems like something good to watch.”
Mave grabbed the chart from my hands. “Girl, you better cut to the chase right now. I’ve never heard talk around a subject so much in my life.”
I made a grab to get the chart back, but Mave held it behind her back. If anyone was watching us, we looked like two doctors playing a game of keep away with each other. “I’m watching the race to try to catch a glance of Jay.”
“I thought you said he was on the pit crew. Why would he be on TV?”
I rolled my eyes. “Jay told me.”
“Jay?” she sighed. “Are we actually talking to the baby daddy?”
“Yes,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Spending time with the baby daddy?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”
“Getting to know the baby daddy?”
“Mave. Are you serious right now?”
“Answer the question, Delaney,” she hissed.
“If by getting to know him you mean sleeping with him and spending all of our time together, then yes, that is exactly what we are doing. Okay?” I hissed back. “My God, Mave. We need to find you a boyfriend or something.”
She wagged her finger in my face. “I am coming over after work, and we are watching those race cars together. I wanna see just who this guy is.”
I grabbed the clipboard back from her and tucked it under my arm. “Fine, but first I need to stop for ice cream and queso.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Pregnancy cravings?”
“You have no idea.”
*
Chapter Sixteen
Jay
“This was the worst idea I have ever had in my life.” Remy flopped down in a lawn chair next to me. “Look at this.”
He held his phone up in my face, and all I could do was laugh. “You’re really surprised by that, bro?” His mom, Meg, was standing in front of a huge red and white tent with a shit-ton of sparklers in her arms. There was a huge sign behind her that boasted half-price fireworks.
“Did you read what she wrote?” he scoffed.
“Just bought out the whole stand,” I read out loud.
“She just bought everything the roadside fireworks place had. Everything. She bought it.” Remy dropped his phone on the ground. “She’s going to blow us all up.”
I laughed and took a swig of my beer. “She’s bringing Lo and Rigid with her, right?”
Remy nodded. “Thank God. Otherwise, I would need to invite the fire department.”
Frankie scurried over to the circle of chairs we were sitting in. “Guys! You are not going to believe what Meg just sent me.”
“We know,” Remy and I said in unison.
“Classic Meg,” Frankie laughed. “It’s really too bad Christy and Susan went to Florida. They would have a hoot with her.”
“I would appreciate if you didn’t bring people around that would encourage my mother to act even crazier than she normally does. She’s in her fifties, for God’s sake.” Remy was miserable, and I thought it was hilarious.
“Excuse me. You did not just insinuate that fifty is too old to be having fun and living your best life.” Frankie folded her arms over her chest and glared at Remy.
“No. She’s my mom, though,” he explained as if that made sense. “I have to live with all the crazy shit she does.”
“You don’t even live in the same state as her. I don’t know why you aren’t more excited about her coming. This is going to be the best party ever.” Frankie pointed at me. “Even better than the one you got Delaney pregnant at.”
“Har, har, fucker.” I flipped off Frankie and sunk lower in my chair. “I’ve made up for that with her so you can stop throwing it in my face, yeah?”
Frankie sat down in the chair across from me. “I don’t know how the hell you managed to make up for completely forgetting a woman you slept with.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t like I knew I was going to sleep with Delaney and get her pregnant that night. I was having fun and happened to meet Delaney.”
“Who you are now going to have a baby with and spend the rest of your life with?” Frankie guessed.
“If she’ll have me for that long.”
Remy choked and sputtered. “Are you kidding me right now? Did you really just admit you found a chick you want to spend the rest of your life with? What in the hell happened to the Jay Perez I used to know?”
I finished my beer and tossed the empty on the ground. “I guess I grew the fuck up, bro.”
Frankie whistled. “I am still entirely impressed by the past week and a half. Who would have thought all it was going to take for Jay to get his act together was to get a chick pregnant?”
Remy busted out laughing, and even I chuckled.
“I think we would have been surprised if he hadn’t gotten his act together after that.” Remy pointed his finger at me. “I better be that kid’s godfather.”
“What?” Frankie laughed “You probably just want to be the godfather so you can tell people you’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse.”