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“Jesse. I thought you might call your mother, but after a couple of months, I figured if I wanted to speak to my only child, I better do it myself.”
I cleared my throat. After I was sent to Texas, she hadn’t spoken to me for six whole months. Talking to me was too painful, she’d said. She didn’t get to be on her high horse now, but I let it go.
“Sorry, I’ve been really busy.”
She snorted. “Riding your motorbike and having no responsibilities?”
I looked skyward, hoping I could make it through this conversation without saying something I’d regret. “No, I bought the house next to mine, and I’ve been doing renovations on it. I’m almost done, actually.” I paused. “And I got a girlfriend, so I haven’t been traveling as much.”
The silence at the other end of the line was long. “Oh? What’s her name, this new girlfriend? Anyone I’d know?”
I didn’t know how my mom would possibly know her, unless she was in her fundraising circle or the lead actress on her daytime soap opera, but I still answered. “Unlikely. Her name is Tally. She’s a friend of Hayes.”
“Oh,” she sniffed. “I see.” Yeah, my mom wasn’t a huge fan of Hayes. She thought he was a bad influence—like he was the reason I was a loner who didn’t want to move back to DC. Hayes told me I had mommy issues. He was probably right.
You know what? In for a penny, in for a pound. “Actually, both Hayes and I are seeing her. We’re in a polyamorous relationship, and she just had a baby, which I’m beginning to love like my own.”
Mom snorted. “Very funny, Jesse. I don’t know why every time I call, you have to be so flippant. I wanted to invite you home for Christmas, but I think I might just go with the girls to Cabo.”
I would bet my entire fortune that had been her intention the entire time and she was just guilt-tripping me. “I couldn’t have made it out there anyway. Enjoy Cabo, Mom.”
I expected her to hang up, but she paused a little, then asked, “Are you really dating the same girl as your friend?”
Well, shit. I’d been kind of hoping she’d just continue to believe I was kidding and let it go. Might as well rip off the bandaid. “Yes.”
“And she has a baby?”
“Three weeks old, yesterday.”
There was a long silence. “Is the baby yours?”
“Not legally. Or biologically.” But that baby had already become the center of all our worlds, and hopefully one day, that wouldn’t matter at all.
She let out a long breath. “Thank goodness for that. I thought some girl was baby-trapping you,” she snapped. “I think I might need to come out there and ensure that you aren’t blinded by a pair of perky breasts and your best friend. You’re financially well-off, Jesse. You need to be careful of people’s intentions.”
Anger washed over me. This woman, who hadn’t even seen me in five years, had the nerve to lecture me about people’s intentions? Plus, I was hardly generationally wealthy. I had a couple of houses and enough money in the bank that if my place fell down around my ears, I could rebuild it without stress. I wasn’t on the Forbes rich list, for fuck’s sake.
“Don’t bother, Mom. Have a great time in Mexico.” Then I hung up, hissing out a breath through my teeth. “Come on, Norton. Let’s go get a pup cup and go to the hardware store.” The dog stared up at me, his head cocked. “What? Coffee and power tools are cheaper than the therapy I so desperately need after that conversation.” He still stared. “Fine, we’ll get fries on the way home.”
Norton barked and sat near his leash. I’d been hustled.
TWENTY-SIX
TALLY
Bobbi-June was a huge time waster. Not just for me, either. Everyone at VANT Racing had stopped to coo over her in her tiny little knit cap and booties. Alphonso had looked all sparkly-eyed when he saw her wrapped in the baby blanket and booties he’d gifted me, and had taken a photo for his wife. He told me that the baby was going to have so many knitted blankets soon, I wouldn’t know what to do with them.
Even Antony had held her, making baby talk, asking if she would come and race for them in sixteen years’ time, which made me laugh. I loved racing, but the idea of my baby flinging herself around a race track at over two hundred miles per hour filled me with terror. I had no idea how my dad had ever let me race.
True to Antony’s word, VANT had set aside a little room off the office with a recliner that I could use for nursing, as well as a baby monitor and bassinet if I needed it. Their thoughtfulness made my chest feel full. But the baby mostly just stayed in her stroller, sleeping or playing with the mobile that hung across the top.
I was halfway through the day when I finally made it to the simulations room. I brought Bobbi-June in with me, and she was thankfully sound asleep.
Stephie looked panicked when I parked the stroller beside her desk. “What do I do if she wakes up?”
I shrugged. “Just rock her with your foot. She’s just been fed, so she should sleep for a little while. Unless you don’t think you can do math and jiggle your extremities at the same time?”
Stephie huffed. “I could drink tequila shots and juggle, and still do the math needed for this.” She might be timid, but no one second-guessed her mathematical talent.
