Her lips purse. “That will be a challenge. Do you have childcare lined up for the fall?”
Will I sound like the world’s worst mother if I admit I hadn’t even thought that far? “No. Not yet.”
She digs through her desk drawer and hands me a pamphlet. “The school provides childcare to students, but it’s need-based. I’m not sure you’ll qualify based on your parents’ income, but it’s worth a shot.”
My shoulders slump. “That’s frustrating.”
She gives me a sympathetic smile. “We also have a free parenting class if you’d like to attend.”
I babysat a few kids in high school, but they were all older. “Thanks. Yeah, I probably should.” I jot down the info in my binder.
I’m feeling defeated and unprepared for the next few months when I walk out of her office. By the time I get to the student union, my eyes sting.
Damn it, I will not cry.
I duck into the bathroom to compose myself. After I splash a little cold water on my face and dry it, I step into a stall. Pregnancy seems to have shrunk my bladder to the size of a lima bean because two seconds after I drink anything, I have to pee.
A few people walk in when I’m zipping up my jeans.
“I heard he went out with her last night. Vicky said they slow-danced, and it looked like they were on a date.”
Vicky? As in Billy’s former friend with benefits?They’re not talking about you. Stop being paranoid.
“The day Billy Bigcock actually takes a girl on a date, I’ll be a born-again virgin,” another girl snarks, and I freeze with my hand on the latch. “And even if he did, he’ll be on to his new flavor of the month soon enough. The trick is to bump into him when he’s in between hookups.”
Cringing, I close my eyes and wait for them to leave.
I’ve always had a hard time reconciling the Billy I know, who does sweet things for me and makes me laugh, with the guy who hooks up at every party and leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake.
It’s a good reminder not to let myself get too invested in this game we’re playing. Billy and I are friends. Really good friends who get naked sometimes. But that’s all he’ll probably ever want. There’s no need to get completely wrapped up in him.
As I stand there, waiting for those girls to leave, I realize Billy and I never talked about being monogamous. Although we did last month, we never discussed it when we wrote out our contract.
Can I ask him about it now? He’s already doing so much for me. I feel like I’m getting everything out of this deal we made, but the idea of Billy being with another woman makes my stomach hurt.
Once I’m sure those horrible girls are gone, I head out.
Only to bump into someone.
“I’m sosorry—”
“Oh.Ohhh. Hey!”
I come to a stop and stare at Abigail, who bounces on her toes. “I’m so glad I ran into you, Roxy! Literally!” She laughs nervously as she pushes her glasses up her nose.
“Hey, Abigail. What are you doing here?” I give her a hug.
She gives me the biggest smile and flaps her hands around. “I’m taking classes at Lone Star! It was really last-minute, but I found a few fun courses I wanted to take.”
“That’s great. I bet Ezra issoooexcited.” That asshole is probably shitting his pants right now.
A frown forms on her pretty face. “Actually, he’s been a bit grumpy. I figure he’s just anxious about the draft.”
“Probably. The guys always get freaked out before the big day.” Her being in Charming makes me curious about thelogistics of her situation. “Are you a junior like Ezra?” She nods. “So what’s the plan next fall? Will you just switch colleges to a school in whatever city he’s drafted to?”
“Exactly. Not all of my credits transferred here, unfortunately, but I wanted to be with Ezra to support him and make sure he doesn’t get stressed out.”
This woman is way too good for that dirtbag. “I’m sure he really appreciates that.” Not in a million years.
