ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: M.V.B. - Most Valuable Baby (Sports Secret Baby Romance) (Contemporary Interracial Pregnancy Romance) by Lexi Ward Page B

brushed her doll’s curls as I brushed hers.
     
    “Is he nice?” I pretended Liam wasn’t there. I ignored his presence. Ignored how sweetly he looked at my child. Ignored any possible recognition he could see of himself in her. I ignored the way he eyed my body and the way he smirked knowing what we did on this very same couch.
     
    “Uh huh.” She repeated.
     
    “Did he feed you breakfast?”
     
    “Uh uh, nope,” she said. “He said we had to wait for you.”
     
    I finally looked at him, watching him eye our affection.
     
    “She wanted pop tarts.”
     
    I chuckled at her childish mischief. Of course, she tried to trick him into that.
     
    “Not before you take your vitamins.”
     
    She ran into our small bathroom to get the Flintstone chewables.
     
    In her absence, I admitted, “we don’t have anything else. I try to make sure she eats vegetables every night for dinner, but we can’t afford much better for breakfast.”
     
    I couldn’t look him in the eye. He stood, moving the dolls to the side and bent to kiss my forehead.
     
    “Last night was amazing.”
     
    He was redressed, his clothes still smelling faintly of alcohol. He probably used the washing machine downstairs.
     
    He leaned down closer and kissed my lips. “I will see you tomorrow. At 7:00. Don’t be late.”
     
    I couldn’t ignore my morning breath or that his lips on mine were enjoyable. As he walked to the door, I yelled out something to stop him.
     
    “Don’t forget to say goodbye to Emmy.”
     
    She came running out of the bathroom. “Done,” she sung.
     
    “Hug your new friend honey,” I said moving towards the kitchen. Emmy liked her pop tarts toasted.
     
    “Bye Mr. Liam!” She sang, swinging from his neck. She was so small in his arms and so trusting.
     
    Why couldn’t I be that way too?
     
    CHAPTER TWELVE
     
    The suit was tailored, dark blue and sharp looking. It was the sort of outfit that a woman would pick out for her man to wear to a formal event. The short man before me held pins in his mouth and a tape measure in his hand. He stretched it and moved with precision. The tailored look was the only way to go. This wasn’t my wedding but I wasn’t going to show up any less spectacular.
     
    I only have one shot at this. Every time I tried, she shut me down…except for last night. Last night she let me in. She let me past the wall in her heart and I was not going to rappel back over. My mind faded. I wasn’t being fitted for a suit. I was with her. Sharing her space. Enjoying her company. Remembering the moments we shared. Her body under my fingers was a dream and the sounds she made were music. Last night made me think about our first time, two nights before graduation. It was almost four years ago.
     
    While we were playing I asked Emmy how old she was. The beautiful little angel held out three fingers. I asked her when her birthday was and she said February 23 rd . I did the math and it was perfect. We graduated May 15…she could be mine. When Maddie and I made love, words failed me. I never felt so connected with a person as I did with her in my entire life. We were in sync, we were breathing the same air, she was within my soul and I was within hers. Out of all the women I have had sex with, she was the only one I couldn’t forget. She touched me. She gave me purpose. She gave me reason and I just knew no one could replace her. I thought we were inseparable. I thought we would make a difference, no matter where we were or what we wanted to do. But she didn’t agree.
     
    She said the distance would kill us. She said we should just be friends and then the next day she told me being friends with me would infringe on her friendship with Cara. None of it made sense and the more I tried to make her stay, the more she wanted to leave. Now, in hindsight, it still didn’t make any sense. Did she quit school just for Emmy? Did she know she was pregnant when she broke up with me? Had she cheated on me?