“You won’t know until you talk to him.” When I snorted contemptuously, Dee shook his head. “AJ was a lot of things, but a total uncaring bastard wasn’t one of them.”

Deep down, I knew he was right. AJ had too good a heart to ever be an asshole to me if I was pregnant with his child. My mind flashed back to that weekend at the farm—the way he had interacted with Jude and Melody. He was good with kids, and he would be a good father.

With a resigned sigh, I nodded. “Okay, okay, I’ll get in touch with him.”

“Good,” Dee replied.

“But only after I’m through the first trimester.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And why the fuck should you wait?”

“I’ve got to be six weeks along as it is. It won’t hurt to wait to tell him until I know I’m not going to miscarry. That way I’ll know for sure that everything is okay with the baby before I ruin his life with the news.”

“Or make him the happiest man on earth,” Dee countered.

“Yeah, I’m not going to hold my breath on that one.”

Dee crossed his arms over his chest and huffed out a frustrated breath. “Let’s call this what it really is. You’re afraid of becoming your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re afraid that AJ is going to think you’re trying to trap him into marriage just like your gold-digging mother did with Duke.”

I rolled my eyes. “She may have given birth to me, but she’s never been my mother. That role was Mama Sofia’s.”

“Admit it, Mimi.”

I threw up my hands in surrender. “Fine. Yes, of course I’m worried about that. How can I not be? After ignoring his initial text and calls, I show up after not seeing or talking to him for two months to tell him news that financially, if not emotionally, binds him to me for the rest of our lives?’ Yeah, call me crazy for worrying about that!”

Dee’s eyes widened. “You never told me he tried to call or text you.”

Shit. I had shamelessly kept that little tidbit of information to myself. Mainly because I was a bitch and knew it would make AJ appear more sympathetic to Dee. “Yeah, he did.” At Dee’s epically pissed pursed lips, I sighed. “He never came to see me or sent me flowers or anything. Just a few phone calls and texts. In the end, they didn’t change anything about our situation.”

“If it weren’t for your delicate condition, I would spank you right now for being a withholding little cunt!”

Grimacing, I covered my ears. “You know I hate that word.”

Dee snorted. “Which is exactly why I used it.”

“Testa di cazzo,” I grumbled.

“Hey, truth hurts, baby girl.”

“It doesn’t change anything really,” I repeated, more for myself than for him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he sighed. “Fine. But let’s get this straight. I’m going to be on your ass constantly about how far along you are. The instant you hit that second trimester mark, you’re going to find out where in the world AJ is, and we’re going there. ASAP. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Good.”

I smiled at his smug expression. “I’m okay now if you need to get back to your marine.”

“Hmm, maybe I could take him some dinner from Mama Sofia’s. On the house?”

I nodded. “It would be my pleasure.”

Dee rose off the couch. “Good. While I call him and see what he wants, you freshen up.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m going down there with you, so you can tell Duke the joyous news.”

My breath hitched at the thought. “You don’t think I—”

“Nope. You only get one ‘Get out of telling a dude I’m pregnant card’ and that goes to Mr. Baby Daddy.”

I laughed. “Fine then. As long as you’re with me.”

“Of course, I am, baby girl.”

Rising off the couch, I kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

When I pulled away, he grinned. “Now that I think about it, Mr. Marine and I are going to need some Tiramisu to go along with dinner—maybe some Mia’s Moose, too.”

“As long as you don’t plan to tell me what you’re going to do sexually with that dessert, I’ll be happy to get it for you.”

With a wink, Dee replied, “My lips are sealed.”

19

The swarming noise of women’s chattering, shrieking, and giggling like idiots filled my ears. All the while the smell of sweat, cheap perfume, and beer stung my nose, making me nauseated. Somehow I found myself jostling around backstage at a Runaway Train concert. Abby and her brothers were already performing on stage. Her voice was the only soothing sound filling the air around me. “What are all these ho’s doing back here?” Dee asked, as we trailed along behind some random roadie.