Page 111 of Whiskey Wednesdays
Laughing, I grabbed my water glass and took a sip. “No problem. One girlfriend coming up. Really, what are you going to do?”
Titus stared at me. “You could be my fake girlfriend.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“You realize how crazy you sound, right?” I set my water glass down.
“Yeah.”
“What’s Max’s mother like?”
Titus sighed. “She’s a nice woman, but we’ve never been together. She’s a hookup. A puck bunny.”
I gave him the stink eye. “Didn’t you tell me you steered clear of them? I guess that’s better than Connor’s situation.”
Titus smirked. “That’s a pretty low bar.”
“I’m trying to make you feel better, okay?”
“Her name is Trixie. And, yes that’s her real name. She’s from Vancouver, and she’s a hairstylist.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “After my injury, I had a few weak moments.”
“We all have them. If she’s a puck bunny, how do you know Max is your biological son?”
“I didn’t, but she was pretty sure. When she found out, she told me she was pregnant but planned to get an abortion because she couldn’t afford to raise a child on her own. She was crying and pretty broken up. I asked her if she’d be willing to have him, and promised I’d pay child support whether the child was mine or not.”
I stared at Titus. “Wow. I did not see that coming. Did you do a paternity test?”
“Yeah, and he’s mine. I’ve always wanted kids, but I don’t think I’d make good husband material.”
The server brought our food, and I absently grabbed a few of his fries as he forked the tomatoes off my salad and put them on his plate. I hated tomatoes unless they were in ketchup or marinara sauce.
“Is she good with Max?” I asked after a few minutes.
Titus put his half-eaten burger down and sighed. “Yeah, she is. She’s a decent mom, but Max loves me too. I miss him.”
“Huh. That sucks.” I leaned back. “I might have an idea.”
“Thank fuck. Because I don’t want to bring some stranger into this.”
“Well, that’s actually my idea.”
He slid his plate away. “How about if you pretend to be my girlfriend for the day, and I owe you a favor?”
“No way. Connor would freak out. And there’s that article with pictures of Connor and me.”
“Shit, I forgot.”
I pulled his plate toward me. “Aren’t you going to eat this? You shouldn’t waste food.” I plucked his burger up and took a bite.
He watched me eat. “You’re the most frugal person I’ve ever met. Do you have any idea how much Connor is worth?”
I shrugged and stuck a fry in the blob of ketchup on his plate, then shoved it in my mouth.
“Who cares? Even people who are loaded shouldn’t waste food.”
He grinned and watched me eat. “What’s your bright idea,choux?”
