The Secret Baby

by Harper, Leddy

  It didn’t take a brain surgeon to know what your best friend needed.

  Chapter 4

  Kelsey

  I’d stared at the screen so long that the letters and numbers had turned into black blobs that didn’t translate to anything I understood. Honestly, I had no idea what I was even looking at anymore. Or why I continued to sit in front of the computer. It wasn’t like I was doing anything.

  “Did you find a sofa for the Huntington model?” Brent caught my attention with his snapping fingers and flapping lips. That man never shut up. “You’ve been looking online for, like, an hour, and I’m trying to get the inventory spreadsheet finalized.”

  Turning my back to him, I frantically searched the top of my desk, then the drawer that held my pens. After finding what I was looking for, I spun in my chair and held it out. “Here. I think you might need this.”

  He took it from me and then promptly narrowed his very confused gaze on me. “Why would I need your business card?”

  “Because I think you forgot who owns this company.”

  Brent being Brent, the disgruntled asshole in the office, he mumbled under his breath and walked away. If he weren’t such a hard worker and capable of lifting heavy furniture, he would’ve been fired years ago. Unfortunately, he saved me the additional payroll expense—it’d take two people to cover his job.

  “Wow.” Tatum dropped her purse on my desk, earning my attention. “What was that?”

  “Assholes.”

  She moved the keyboard aside and leaned against the edge, her disappointment thick between us. “Just because you hate men doesn’t mean you should treat everyone with a penis like shit.”

  “Oh, don’t let that fool you.” I rolled my wrist over my shoulder, as if shooing someone away. “I treat all my employees like that, regardless of which crotch accessory they have. I’m an equal opportunity employer.”

  “I think your company is by far your biggest accomplishment.”

  I beamed, sitting up straighter, filled with pride. “You think? Thanks, Tater.”

  “You’re so welcome. The fact that you still have people willing to work for you is truly a remarkable achievement.”

  This heifer better watch it—the last thing a bride should do is piss off her maid of honor. “What do you want? Why did you come here? I don’t have time for this.”

  “Why not?” Brent asked, literally coming out of nowhere like an annoying genie who stole wishes instead of granting them. “It’s not like you’re doing anything else around here.”

  After glaring at him for a few moments, I rolled my seat back to my computer and furiously searched for the biggest, heaviest couch that man had ever seen. That’d show him. And I would’ve purchased one, too, had Tatum not removed my hand from the mouse.

  “Back away from the keyboard . . . nice and slow.” She regarded me like an irrational toddler. “A twelve-thousand-dollar couch is a bit much, don’t you think? I mean . . . you make good money, but that’s a lot to spend on a sofa that’ll sit in a warehouse.”

  “Get to the point of your visit, hash brown.”

  She rolled her eyes, though that didn’t stop the smirk curling the corner of her mouth. She secretly loved it when I called her potato-related names. It made her feel special—she didn’t have to admit it. “Okay . . . so you know Jay’s best friend, Aaron, right?”

  “I know of him. Why?”

  “You’ve met him before, haven’t you?” She was up to something; I could tell.

  Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my chair. “Technically, but it’s been years. What’s with all the questions?”

  “All the questions? Kelsey . . .” Her laughter gave her away—it was the dramatic giggle, head slightly tilted back, and hand waving through the air like she was some character in The Great Gatsby. Not that I’d seen it, but that wasn’t the point. “I asked two; you make it sound like I’ve interrogated you.”

  “Fine. It was only two. But there’s a third coming. Possibly more.”

  “Whatever. You know him, though. Don’t you? He’s the best man in our wedding; you’re going to have to walk up and down the aisle with him. Jay went to high school with him, and apparently, he used to hang out with Marlena, too.”

  “Thanks for that refresher course on Aaron. Unfortunately, I wasn’t taking notes, so I hope there won’t be a quiz.” I lifted one brow in a silent challenge for her to get on with it or give up. I wasn’t in the mood to play guessing games.

  “You’re mighty snappy today,” she said, squinting as though she were examining me. “Are you on your period?”

  “No. I get that in two days.”

  “Remind me to stay away from you for the next week.” Taking a deep breath, she readied herself to finally get to her purpose for coming. “Anyway, he needs a place to stay for a couple of months.”

  “Nope. Sorry. No vacancy.” I slapped my hand on the top of my desk and carried on as if I were too busy to finish the conversation. All I was missing was a see-through green visor, and I could’ve passed as a hardworking stock market broker.

  “You have the spare room just sitting empty.”

  “It’s not empty. It’s full of your old furniture.”

  “Perfect. See? It’s all set up for him to stay there until he can find his own place.”

  “What about nope do you not understand? The no or the puh? And I use that room.”

  “Oh yeah? For what?”

  She should’ve known not to challenge me. I always won. “It’s where I keep my Tatum shrine.”

  “Fine, but can you at least consider it? Please? For me?”

  Damn all the things. I hated it when she asked me to do something for her, knowing I couldn’t tell her no. “Okay. I’ll consider it—but only under one condition.”

  A full, heavy sigh rushed past her lips. “What’s the condition?”

  “You let me name your baby.”

  “No.” Well, that was fast. “Not for considering letting someone move into your spare room for a couple of months.”

  “Then if I agree, you’ll let me name it.”

  “Again . . . no.”

  “It must not be that important to you.”

  She stared at me for a full minute, the seconds long and dragged out. “Why do you want to name the baby so badly? What’s going through your head, Kels? Like . . . what kind of name are you thinking of?”

  It couldn’t have been that easy. “I don’t really care what you call the bambino, to be honest with you. I just know you won’t agree to it, which gets me out of allowing Jason’s friend to live with me.”

  “Why are you so opposed to it? He’s a really nice guy—smart and funny.”

  “Whoa.” I sat forward and held a hand up to silence her. “Are you trying to find him a place to stay or a wife? I’m not interested in either. And I’m really not interested in dating the guy.”

  “Good. Because I’m not trying to hook you two up. I’m simply pointing out what a great roommate he could be for a few months.”

  “Few? You said a couple last time. What’s it gonna be next . . . a year?”

  She laughed—though I didn’t know what was funny. “He’s looking to buy a house, so he doesn’t want to sign a lease, and the house he’s in right now has sold. He only needs somewhere to sleep until he can get his own place. You have a spare room, and you have an in with most of the Realtors in the area. He’d pay you, obviously. He’s not looking for free room and board. And from what I know of the guy, he’s not a slob.”

  “Well, that’s comforting. After living with you, I don’t think I could handle another slob.”

  The smile vanished, yet I could see through her phony aggravation.

  I huffed, and my shoulders fell forward. “Tatum . . . I don’t know how I feel about a guy living with me. I get that he’s my cousin’s best friend, and that I kinda sorta knew of him years and years ago, so he’s not entirely a stranger. But he’s a man nonetheless.”

  Regardless of ho
w I felt about the situation, Aaron didn’t deserve to hang in limbo just because I hesitated to have a man move in. It wasn’t fair to him. And technically, he wasn’t the reason I believed all men were liars with shady ulterior motives. Yet for whatever reason, I blamed the entire male population anyway. It was just easier that way.

  The list of their useful qualities was short.

  And roommate wasn’t on it.

  “Can you just tell me why it’s so important that I let him move in?”

  She was quiet for a moment, which was unlike her. Normally, she talked—or rambled—and half of what she said never made any sense. But then she cleared her throat, which was a good indication that she was about to get real with me. “I feel bad for him, Kels.”

  “You also feel bad for the old dogs at the shelter who never get picked because they aren’t puppies. Do you want me to house them, too? What about the kids on that commercial who could eat for only pennies a day . . . I should move them all in?”

  “That’s not what I mean.” Hmm . . . feisty Tatum was on the verge of sneaking in. This ought to be good. “He’s a psychologist, owns his own practice, and has spent the last however many years taking care of others. And now, he needs a place to stay just long enough to find and buy a house, and no one’s willing to help.”

  I lasered my narrowed gaze on her. “You have a spare room.”

  “And I’m pregnant—not news we really care for others to learn just yet. Having someone live with us makes that a rather difficult feat, don’t you think? Not to mention, we’ll be newlyweds. If worse comes to worse and you say no, then I guess we’ll offer him the extra room. But we were kinda hoping it wouldn’t come to that.”

  “If you don’t want him living with you, then why would I?”

  A groan ripped through her throat that sounded far more like a growl than anything I’d ever heard come from her. “I just explained why him living with us wasn’t ideal. It has nothing to do with him per se and everything to do with the timing and our situation.”

  “Damn, Tatum . . . I was just giving you a hard time.”

  “I know.” She didn’t, but I’d let her pretend she could fool me.

  “Okay, fine,” I conceded. “I’ll consider it. But that doesn’t mean I’ll say yes.”

  She beamed and pushed off the desk. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

  “When do you need an answer?”

  Pulling her purse strap up her shoulder, she twisted her lips in thought. “He has to move out in a little over two weeks—the weekend after the wedding. So the sooner the better, especially if the answer’s no. He’ll need time to figure something out.”

  I nodded. More like my head bobbed while I became lost down the rabbit hole of concerns and what-ifs. “I’ll let you know either way by tomorrow. Is that doable?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She stepped away with a smile so wide I wondered if her face would split in half. “Thank you, Kels.”

  “I didn’t say yes,” I called after her, but she was halfway out the door, so she might not have heard.

  Chapter 5

  Aaron

  “Morning, boss.” Noel beamed at me from her desk when I walked into the office.

  No matter what day of the week it was or what our schedule looked like, she always wore an infectious smile and spoke with such cheerfulness—as if those two things had been part of her job description.

  They weren’t, but if she ever left my practice, I sure as hell planned to make them mandatory. Truth be told, I prayed she’d never leave. I doubted I’d ever find another receptionist capable of filling her shoes.

  Thinking of that, I glanced down and took note of how small her feet were; then I shook off the irony. “Whatever’s in your coffee, I would like some in mine.”

  “Having a bad day already?” She finished getting her desk set up—computer turned on, schedule open, files set out—and then moved to the waiting area to open the blinds and organize the magazines. “What was it . . . overslept? Stubbed your toe getting out of bed? Hot water not working?”

  I collapsed into a seat and watched as she ran through her morning setup procedures, not bothering to help. Granted, that was because she didn’t want it—a man could be told only so many times that he was in the way before he gave up. If she chose to handle everything on her own, then so be it.

  Yet another reason I prayed she’d never leave.

  “It’s Friday,” I grumbled. “Isn’t that reason enough to be in a bad mood?”

  Noel stopped what she was doing and placed her hand on her cocked hip, regarding me with quirked, pursed lips the color of strawberry Starbursts. “I always thought the end of the week is when everyone’s in a good mood. Last day before the weekend and all. Mondays are usually the moody ones.”

  “Maybe. But looking forward to time passing doesn’t help me much. It stresses me out instead of exciting me. Next weekend is Jason’s wedding, and then I’ll only have one more week before I have to move.” It’d been almost two weeks since my wild night with the faux bachelorette; remembering the way her body felt against mine was the only thing keeping me somewhat sane these days.

  She offered a small smile while checking the water station along the far wall of the waiting room. “You still haven’t found anywhere to stay?”

  One thing my parents always nagged me about was my extreme level of procrastination when it came to things I didn’t want to accept. And this time, it had really bitten me in the ass.

  “I think so, but I haven’t heard back yet. Jason said he’d ask his cousin. Hopefully, he’ll give me an answer sometime today. If that doesn’t work out, I’m officially screwed.” I closed my eyes and ran my hands over my face, not caring if I messed up my hair as I pushed my fingers through the overgrown strands.

  “And there’s no place that offers month to month instead of signing a lease?”

  “I found one, but as of right now, they don’t have any available units. And once they get notice of a tenant leaving, it’ll still be thirty days before I can get in. So that’s not even an option.”

  “Wow, I so don’t envy you right now.”

  I groaned as she strolled back to her computer and sat, continuing our conversation while staying on track with her morning routine. Perching myself on the corner of her desk, I entertained her while she worked on organizing the patient charts for the day.

  “In all seriousness, what will happen if his cousin says no?”

  “I guess I’ll have to stay here. It’s not ideal, but if worse comes to worse, sleeping on the floor and bathing in the sink will be my only choice. At least I won’t have to live out of my car.” I’d joked about it ever since finding out that my parents had sold their house and I needed to find somewhere to go. But the closer I got to the deadline, the less I found it funny. It was more or less my reality, and it was about time I started to accept it.

  Her sad eyes met mine, the sympathetic stare only making my day worse. “I don’t understand why Jason can’t let you stay with him. Obviously he wouldn’t be the first option, but I can’t imagine he’d let you sleep on your office floor.”

  “I doubt they’d want anyone living with them a week after they get married, regardless of how temporary it would be. But on the other hand, if I don’t have anywhere to go and have to resort to living in my office, I’m sure he’d offer his place. I just don’t want it to get to that point. I know I wouldn’t want another man moving in with me and my wife as soon as we get back from our honeymoon.”

  “Well, hopefully, you’ll get good news about his cousin’s place.”

  I nodded and slipped off the corner of her desk, leaving her to finish setting up the office. Honestly, I was surprised no one had come in yet. We usually had at least one person sitting in the waiting room as soon as we opened.

  I checked my phone after my last patient and noticed a text from Jason. It was exactly what I needed to boost my mood for the day and ease the stress that had been eating at me for weeks. Kelsey h
ad agreed to let me stay at her place. His message said there were conditions, but I didn’t care what they were. It kept me from sleeping under my desk and cleaning myself in a sink that many others used on a daily basis.

  Noel peeked her head into my office and paused, assessing me with curious eyes and a hint of a smile. There was no way she knew about my text, other than some odd intuition she seemed to have when it came to me. She always joked that we’d been siblings in a past life, possibly twins, and if I actually believed in multiple lives, I would agree.

  “Jason heard back from his cousin.”

  Her grin widened, excitement brightening her entire face. “Based on your expression, I’m going to assume it’s good news. I bet you’re relieved.” She entered my office and took a seat across from me. “So, have you met him before?”

  It took me a second to figure out she wasn’t referring to Jason, because that would make no sense. “His cousin’s a girl. I used to see her around years ago, back when we were in high school and she’d bug the ever-loving fuck out of Jason and Marlena. But other than that, no, I haven’t seen her since I graduated high school and Jason left to go to college.”

  “How old is she?” Skepticism rolled off Noel like a ball on a downward hill.

  I had to stop and think about it, do a little mental calculation. “She’s Tatum’s age, so midtwenties, I think. Twenty-five or twenty-six. I’m not sure exactly, just that she’s quite a bit younger than Jason and me. She was only a kid the last time I saw her.”

  “Well, is she nice at least?”

  “Couldn’t tell you, to be honest with you.” I shrugged and began to tidy up my desk, preparing to leave for the weekend. “I hear she has issues with men, but I’m hoping that it’ll be different with me—I’m not looking to date her.”

  She pinned me with a stare that promised lectures. “Is she pretty?”

  “Hell if I know. Like I said, Noel . . . it’s been years since I last saw her. And back then, she was awkward. She had frizzy red hair, braces, and glasses, and we called her Inspector Gadget because her arms and legs were long and super skinny. I doubt she’s changed much, though.”