Page 78 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

Standing in the salon entryway, next to the blur of shampoo bottles and take-home conditioning treatments, was Elizabeth. And a baby.

Ringing filled Jade’s ears, and the lights seemed to dim. What in God’s name was Elizabeth doing here? With a kid? The moisture in Jade’s mouth evaporated on the spot, leaving her tongue heavy and raw. She pulled in a breath, withheld a few choice words since it was her place of business, after all, and marched up front. ‘What are you doing here?’

Jade’s tone was sharp. Her look even sharper. But her insides were anything but. Here was a woman Jade loved for years. Committed her life to, and – in the beginning at least – she just knew that they’d grow old together and be that couple that died days apart from each other because they couldn’t bear the idea of not being with the other person.

Elizabeth looked both the same and different. The blond pixie cut she’d been wearing for years remained untouched. Jade recognised the dark denim jean jacket. A memory flashed of them buying matching ones, which was the first – and only – time they ever wore anything remotely similar. Elizabeth was always a fan of power suits and sharp lines, whereas Jade was drawn to anything black and grunge.

But Elizabeth also looked different. The determined rigidity in her eyes was softer, and she had more lines creasing the edges. Dark circles rimmed her lower eyes, and yet, she looked refreshed. And it all suited her. Incredibly well. She bounced the baby in the front backpack thing strapped to her chest, and her hands patted the outside of the carrier.

‘Hey, Jade.’ Her voice was sheepish, quiet, and an atypical blush rose to her cheeks. Which for some unknown reason got Jade right in the heart. ‘Can we talk?’

Nope. She peeked at Amanda, who was doing a terrible job pretending to type on the computer. Jade’s face burned so hot she was sure she might pass out. ‘Uh, sure. Yeah. Outside?’

She didn’t wait for an answer and moved to the door, holding it open for her ex. A vacant city park bench provided the spot. Jade sat at the farthest edge and scratched the back of her neck. Elizabeth dug a pacifier from her diaper bag and clipped it to the side of the carrier.

Neither said a word. For way too many moments.

‘How did you get a kid so fast?’ Jade cut the excruciating silence, even though there was so much more to say.

Elizabeth popped the pacifier into the baby’s mouth. ‘Funny how things work out, huh? I’d been waiting for so long. A birth mom changed her mind last minute and selected me instead of a different family after an icky interaction with the dad. We met a few times and clicked, and well … she chose me.’

Jade peeked at the baby, at the smattering of black wispy hair poking out on its head, at the brown eyes and deep black eyelashes flicking its round, chunky cheeks.

She waited to feel something. She didn’t.

‘The kid’s cute.’ Jade was officially at a loss for words, and Elizabeth was being quiet and vague. She needed to spit out the reason she was here, or leave. Jade really couldn’t handle this. Not now, probably not ever. She had a business to run, a girlfriend she needed to resync with, and probably some backstock that needed reordering.

‘I named her Jayden,’ Elizabeth said with a smile, while focusing on the baby’s head.

Jayden? Was she seriously naming the kid something that close to her own name? A sickly bubble rose in her throat. ‘Why the hell would you do that?’

Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide, then narrowed. Then, her mouth cracked, and she laughed. ‘Jesus Christ, your face. My God. I’m just kidding, but that reaction was priceless. Her name is Amber. Thank you very much.’

Against her better intentions, Jade let out a giggle. ‘God, don’t do that to me.’ She slapped her hand against her heart. The baby fussed and Elizabeth bounced her knee.

‘Why are you here, Liz?’

Elizabeth slowed her rocking and straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m visiting my brother. He moved to Minneapolis, if you can believe it. Took a job at Target headquarters.’

‘Wow. Good for him.’ Jade could hardly believe it. Elizabeth’s brother had talked about doing this very thing for over a decade. After declaring that half his paycheque went to the store anyway, he told everyone he wanted to leave Chicago to work at Target. He’d been saying that since Jade met the guy. Wow … so he made the leap. Good for him.

When she and Elizabeth divorced, Jade cut off contact with Elizabeth’s family. But every now and then, she missed her former in-laws. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud that her former brother-in-law had finally got up the nerve to follow his dreams.

Time was dragging by at glacier-speed, and Jade needed to move this along. Being next to Elizabeth, Jade’s insides were tightening, moment by moment, and she didn’t like it. There was a pressure in the air, like clouds rolling in during a bright summer day, and you weren’t sure if they were going to turn into a vicious storm, or a needed rain reprieve. Jade folded her arms and strummed her fingers against her skin. ‘Look. I don’t mean to sound like a total dick, but what do you want?’

Elizabeth’s eyes shifted, and she patted the baby. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. ‘I miss you. And … I should have never let you go.’

Jade’s heart leapt.

Well, shit.

Chapter 30

Lucy

Lucy’s insides begged her to pace the house, but her swollen ankles had very different ideas. So, she sludged to the patio bench in the backyard to enjoy the last of the afternoon sun and pressed her toes into the floor to swing while Chucky chased a bird.

A car door slammed and her heartbeat picked up speed. Earlier today, when Jade said she wanted to talk, Lucy didn’t know what to expect. But it probably wasn’t good. She and Jade had been misfiring for weeks now, but Lucy didn’t want to call attention to it, hoping it would all magically fix itself. She assumed these were typical fluctuations in a relationship, but deep down she knew something was off.