To Hate Adam Connor

“I should be okay,” I managed to get out before I swiped the screen and said hello to whoever was waiting to speak to me on the other end.

God, please don’t let me have a heart attack. I promise, I’ll be good from now on.

“Hello. Yes, I’m Lucy Meyer.”

I blindly reached for Olive’s hand, and she held it in her tight grasp.

“Yes. Yes, I’d like to know, please.”

I heard the words. Thanked her. Ended the call. Gently placed my phone down, and just stood there.

“Lucy?”

Starting to feel nauseous, I walked over to the couch and sat down. Olive rushed into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water; I assumed I must’ve mumbled something about feeling nauseous.

Kneeling in front of me, she waited for me to speak.

I swallowed, cleared my throat, and then finally spoke as I looked into my friend’s worried eyes.

“I’m not pregnant. I’m…” I flattened my palms against my stomach. “We’re not having a baby.”

“But your period…”

“I don’t know. Maybe it decided to take a vacation?”

“Could be. You were stressed and sad about the break up.”

Seconds ticked by in silence, then Olive got up from the floor and sat down next to me.

“What does it say about me that I’m relieved, Olive? Does that make me a bad person?”

“Oh, Lucy.” She put her arm around me, and we fell back against the couch. “Of course it doesn’t.”

“I still feel like a bad person.”

“Well, you aren’t, so stop thinking like that.”

“I just didn’t want to make the same mistakes they did. That was the whole point.”

“I know, Lucy, and that’s okay. It’s okay to want to be different even though you’re already nothing like them.”

Itching to change the subject, I said, “I’m not pregnant, and you’re rich.” I let that simmer for a while then glanced at my best friend, allowing myself a hint of a smile. “I think this calls for a celebration.”

“Dance party?”

“With singing and everything.”

“Jason is meeting with Tom and…Adam, so I think we should invite your future love interest and his adorable son, too.”

I groaned and got up from the couch. Wait a minute… “Why is he meeting with Jason and Tom?”

“Tom has a script for the two of them. They might end up being costars. So, you see, now you have to marry him so we can travel together while they are shooting on location and even do interviews. We’ll be like Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis.”

“Only they are actresses and we’re not,” I pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but they are married to actors and they’re all friends.”

I thought about it—not the Kristen Bell-Mila Kunis part, of course, and not even the crazy marriage part, but the simple inviting Adam and Aiden part. I’d missed the little human after all, and…and it wouldn’t hurt to have Adam Connor around either; he was good eye candy.

Especially when my stupid little heart pitter-pattered so happily when he was around.

“Fine,” I grumbled. “Fine. Let’s call him too.”

Olive squealed and jumped up, fishing for her phone among the cushions.

Was my guard slipping? Was my heart making another mistake by starting to feel all happy and light around this amazing, hot as hell man who thought he was falling in love with me?

Chapter Twenty-One

Adam

My meeting with Tom had gone well. Actually, it had gone even better than just well. After we discussed my current situation with Sun Down Pictures, Jason joined us, and we further discussed the possibility of working together on a new project. Tom was definitely excited about it, and I thought Jason was too. After scrolling through the pages of the script, I promised them I’d finish reading it as soon as possible; from what I could see, it was going to be a good one.

Unfortunately, what happened after the meeting threw me off completely. We exited the café where we’d had the meeting and parted ways with Tom. After we agreed to meet back at Jason’s house and see what Olive’s surprise was, Jason got another call while we waited for our cars to be brought around.

Ending the call, he turned to me.

“Okay. Here is the deal.” He ran his hand through his hair.

Intrigued, I waited for him to continue. Was I about to be uninvited after being invited by Olive? I wouldn’t have been surprised, especially if it was Lucy’s decision.

“I’m not gonna pretend I know what’s going on between you and Lucy, but I’m assuming there is something going on.”

He paused, waiting for any kind of acknowledgment from me. I nodded for him to go on.

“You know she is pregnant, and still you spent the night with her last night. Again, because of that, I’m going to assume there is something serious going on and she is somehow important to you.”

“Exactly where are you going with this, Jason? Was that Lucy on the phone?”

“No. And to be honest I really don’t want to meddle, but if Lucy leaves, Olive will—”

The valet brought our cars, and we were distracted for a minute or so. Before Jason could go on, my phone started ringing. “What do you mean if Lucy leaves?” Distracted, I checked the screen: my lawyer.

“If she leaves for Pittsburgh.”

Slowly, I raised my eyes and met Jason’s uncomfortable gaze.

“Pittsburgh? Lucy didn’t say anything about leaving for Pittsburgh.” For some reason, I didn’t think she’d lie to me about something as important as moving away. She wouldn’t just disappear.

“I’m not saying she is leaving, but that phone call…” He sighed and shook his head. “I have no idea if you’ll do anything with this, but I’m just giving you a heads-up anyway. Her ex is waiting for me to pick him up.” He raised his phone up. “The call was from him.”

“And…” I prompted, my mind suddenly a very quiet and dangerous place to be in. “They are getting back together.”

He shook his head. “I have no idea what’s going on between them, but I don’t think so. He is here about the pregnancy. I don’t think he handled it that well when he heard it from Lucy, and I’m assuming he is here to make things right. I’m taking him up to the house.”

“He wants her,” I guessed.

Wincing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “From what I hear from Olive, yes. Yes, I think he wants her back.”

“Give me a head start,” I said immediately, rounding my car as Jason stood still in his spot. “Take the long way or something. Give me a head start.”

When I jumped into my car and drove away, Jason was smiling.

***

After I drove through the gates, Olive met me at the door.

“Oh,” she mumbled, looking flustered. “Hi. I thought you were Jason.” Leaning to her right, she looked behind me. “Aiden?”

“Aiden is still at school, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to get him from Adeline, not today.” Not when she was all the media were talking about. Beyond that, I didn’t think she’d let me take Aiden when it wasn’t my time after I pushed the sole custody thing on her.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Come in, come in.”

Closing the door behind me, I followed her inside.