“Are you feeling okay?”
She looks up with heavy-lidded eyes. “Oh, this demon baby is draining every last drop of life from me just like a little parasite would. No biggie.”
“Demon baby?” I get out between my laughs. “I can’t believe you called our unborn child that.”
“That’s what I call them whenever I’m unhappy with them.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
She shifts, tucking the blanket tighter around herself. “We could watch a movie or something. I don’t know how long I’ll stay up, though.”
“Would you like some popcorn andLegally Blonde?”
“I would love that.”
I wouldn’t have picked this movie myself, but if it makes her happy and gives her even some comfort she needs, I’ll sit through an hour and a half of pink outfits, cheesy lines, and legal jargon.
I pop a bag of popcorn into the microwave while she scrolls through the streaming services to find the movie. The sound of kernels bursting fills the quiet, along with the occasional soft sigh from the couch.
“You okay there?”
“Yeah. Just thinking.”
I grab a couple of water bottles and set the popcorn on the coffee table. “Thinking about what?”
“I’m watchingLegally Blonde, one of my all-time favorite movies, with you. I don’t know…it feels nice.”
“Yeah, it does.” I settle in beside her and she hits play.
The movie moves quickly, and soon enough, Elle Woods’ asshole ex-boyfriend shows up. I remember this part—not exactly a cinematic masterpiece—but something aboutwatching it with her makes it all feel different. There’s a comfort in the predictability of the plot.
Haisley lets out an annoyed huff. “Ugh. What a terrible excuse for a human being,” she mutters.
“Yeah. I know bad exes too well.”
She turns to me, eyebrows raised. “Oh?”
I could brush it off or change the subject. But we need to have this talk if we’re going to raise a kid together.
“Petra.”
Haisley blinks, confused. “Petra?”
“My last ex,” I clarify. “She worked for the Lynx front office. We dated for a few months, and it got complicated. Real fast.”
“How complicated are we talking?”
“Three months in, she started hinting at moving in together and discussing future plans. To her, it was a done deal: wedding, kids, and all that. I wasn’t ready. Not with her.” Shifting my weight, I rub the back of my neck as the uncomfortable memories surface. “I also started noticing other things. She was more interested in the WAG life than in me. Always looking for more visibility, especially on social media, making sure we were seen at the right places.” I shake my head remembering all those photographs. “I broke up with her. But it didn’t go well.”
Haisley watches me carefully. “She’s giving me major red flag energy.”
“She slashed the tires on my car,” I say bluntly. “Allthe fucking tires.”
Her mouth falls open. “What?”
“Yeah. She got fired from the organization after that, but the media spun it into some poor scorned woman narrative, making me play the role of the asshole.”
“Oh my, I remember hearing about this!”
