I have a lot to di

R

ould just be too cruel for words and fate can't be that vindictive a bi

me, and decided to fuck with my head like he u

nd deities tend to pursue their own twist

akes me sound like Elmer Fudd. "Did I miss something in t

re?" he interru

.. meetin

slides into the table I was just a

uncertainly. "I

ickers over my chest. "Red is eye-cat

ach for my empty glass, wishing that it was full of something other than vi

: Fate? Yeah, she

, she's not do

saying the words out loud to Dmitri. It

ble and clasps his hands together. Why do I feel like I'm being judged? "I'm no donor, Ms.

to hold onto. Stop fidgeting, for Christ's sake! Act cool! "I

d I just

ud, no

into a half-sneer. "And I didn't peg you for the

s down my back. That piercing gaze of his skewe

m not gonna give h

y long. Compared to that, a ba

at, but if there's anything I've learned about Dmitri Egorov in the last fo

irty-six by being nice and deferential. At this point, I'm startin

sn't done me a

s way into your womb, Ms. Turner, doesn't make you any

hes. "I'm of

is second job you've decided to take on." He tilts his chin toward my bel

l. I've got a breakdown percolating in the center of my chest and the pres

the world, why did

e we goi

m for vulnerability. "Let me make one thing clear, Ms. Turner: ther

e even a fraction of all the emotions bound up in this little bundle insid

s twitc

that a real

hat sorry excuse for a doctor made a stupid mistake. This is not the route

confirmed, my hand lands on my stomach. "B

Rose and Jared's deaths. It was always their baby, never mine. There was never a moment when I

n those days, I w

were st

have

me, and now, it's happened twice in one day. "Be reasonable. You can have another baby

clinic as me, you wanted to have a baby, too." He says nothing apart from flattening his lips into a thin line. I take that as a yes but with caveats

le with one finger. In the quiet of the cafe, it fe

to carry your baby?"

f carrying my baby, I'd tolerate-" Tolerate, jeez, what a gentleman. "-having you as

p forcefull

it might be simpler to just end things here. So that

rent

g with Dmi

stuff of

breath. "Where's the wait

es towards the bar, a waitress mate

a smile that doesn't quite touc

Coke. Hol

ment. If his mouth relaxes any more, he might be in danger of smiling. And that's s

-eye at Dmitri as she leaves. But I'm pretty sure

riety, though. It feels more of the how-am-I-gonn

"If that's why you thought I wanted to meet, it's not. I gue

reiterate: I am not a sperm donor; I am the father. You don't get

never wanted, Dmitri is still the bosshole from hell. And somehow, fate h

right over what would have been the fun part. Which is what I'm sure would have been hot, sweaty, passion

is with an unblinking gaze of