Chapter One
Ash
Is it awful that I never wanted babies?
They’re loud, they carry every germ known to man, and they drain you of every last drop of energy.
I pinch the bridge of my nose between two fingers and blow out a breath, trying to imagine what my life was like before this beach ball of a belly took over.
Truthfully, it wasn’t that great. I was stripping at a club in Colorado Springs for gross men who’d rather spend their money on naked women than the wives they had at home. Granted, I made way more money taking my clothes off than I do as a hairdresser, but I feel better about myself when I go home at night…most of the time.
Some nights, I miss the production of it all. A darkly lit room, a captive audience, my favorite song blaring, and money raining on the stage.
“Are you seriously considering meeting up with Mark? He’s the biggest asshole on planet Earth. I’m pretty sure this baby would be better off with a ficus for a father.” My best friend Portia laughs at her own joke. “I hear that monstera plants are flexible and strong.”
“Well, Mark definitely has some holes where his soul should be.” I twist at the end of my hair as I lean my phone against my shoulder. “When are you coming to visit? I need a friend!”
“Which is why you should be dating and not messing around with the past.”
“He’s the father. What should I do? I don’t want this crotch goblin to hate me because I kept him from his dad.”
“Right.” Portia’s voice is sarcastic, and I already know what she’s thinking. It’s probably because she’s told me eighty times before. Though, I feel it coming again for another round. “Last I checked, cutting toxic people from your life is a good thing.”
I should retort with some fantastic response that will make sense of all the decisions I’ve made lately, but the well is dry. I glance toward the door of the diner. Mark just walked in. I haven’t seen him in nearly nine months, but he hasn’t changed as much as I have.
“Gotta go.” I sip from my teacup as I fumble through the menu like I’m not waiting on Mark.
“Oh God. He’s there?” Portia’s tone is annoyed. If I’m honest with myself, she’s not wrong in her assessment. I guess you’d say Mark is the human equivalent of a hornet. He looks like a bee, so you believe he has a purpose, but really, he’s just an aggressive ass. “Call me the second you leave!”
I agree and ditch my phone in my bag before sliding out of the booth to greet the wasp in question. He’s wearing a three-piece suit, his hair is gelled back carefully, and his shoes probably cost more than my car. He was one of my biggest tippers, and that’s probably what I saw in him. God, my state of mind over the past few years is embarrassing to think about.
“You’re looking… swollen.” Mark’s voice is low and laced with mockery. I should punch him in the dick, sohe’snever swollen again… but I’m a changed woman and I’m going to play nice for the sake of the baby.
“Yeah, I figure you’ve seen a pregnant woman before.”
He laughs. “Not this close. I think I could roll you out of here. You’re like that blue girl onWilly Wonka.” He pauses like the asshole he is. “What was her name again?”
I bite my bottom lip to keep myself from exploding, though it’s not helping much. The worst things a man has ever heard are stuck in my throat, desperate to crawl out.
I tip my head to the side. “And you’re like an Oompa-Loompa. What are you, five foot four?”
My gaze draws up to a man that stands from the booth behind us. He’s towering over the buzzing insect in front of me, and his attire is much more relaxed. You can’t go wrong with jeans and a flannel shirt.
It’s Dodge, and I wasn’t sure I would see him again. We would run into each other in Whiskey Falls from time to time, but since we had an‘odd’camping trip a while back, we haven’t spoken.
“The girl,” Dodge says, “fromWilly Wonkawas named Violet, and Ash looks nothing like her.”
Mark whips around in the booth and stands, squaring his shoulders with my new favorite man. “Were we talking to you?”
I try not to laugh at Mark’s strange, archaic display of dominance. He’s a blowhard with nothing to back it up, and it’s easy to see. The man’s hands are shaking, though he’s tucked them into his pocket as to not draw attention to them.
Thankfully, Dodge does the laughing for both of us. “I’d say you made it my business when you started talking shit to my friend.”
His friend?We haven’t talked in months. I didn’t realize he’d still consider me a friend.
“Let’s hear it, big boy. If you think you’re special, then do something.” Mark postures wider. He looks ridiculous.
Meanwhile, the diner quiets into an eerie silence, where clanking dishes and hushed chatter are a thing of the past.
