Solid: 2 1/2 (Twin Duo Book 3) by Jettie Woodruff

reason.”
    “Don’t you watch NCIS? Law and order, CSI? Nothing?”
    “No, not really. I either watch Nickelodeon, Disney, or football. That’s about it.”
    “I gotta go, chica. I’ll see you when you get here. Don’t worry about anything. Just take care of that baby. No stress.”
    “Yeah, that’s easy with my life. I’ll see you later.”
    I breathed a deep breath, realizing how I must have sounded to Tatiana. Like an immature idiot, telling her to call back when my husband wasn’t home. I didn’t jump with next ring. I prepared myself with a straight spine and a strong voice.
    “Hello, this is Gabriella Pierce.”
    “Um yes, this is Tatiana Gibson. You wanted to speak with me. Is Rowan okay?”
    “Yes, of course. It was nothing like that.” For whatever reason, the sound of her voice relaxed me a little, and we talked, and talked, and talked. That was unexpected, and way out in left field. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
    Tatiana confessed her mistakes to me, telling me how lucky I was to have Paxton. She’d been through two other divorces since him, expecting them to be like him. Work hard and love her the way that he once did. Of course, I never disclosed the aftermath of her cyclone had caused, or that I was what it had collided with. I took the blunt of her betrayal. I, however, wasn’t about to tell her that part. I was okay with her thinking we had this magical thing between us, and in some sort of fucked up way, we did.
    “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. That doesn’t make me very proud of myself, but it’s the truth. I was so young when I met Paxton, at the top of the world, partying with my friends, and cheering in front of thousands of people. I tried to tell him that I wasn’t ready. We actually made it to the abortion clinic, before I finally caved, and gave into him, knowing before I did, that it would never work. I tried. I swear I did. It just wasn’t for me.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t do that to Rowan, but I don’t understand how you could just walk away from her. I would die if someone took Rowan from me, and I’m not even her blood.” I would have done the same thing for Vander, too. They were all mine. All three of them and I loved them so much, and so did their daddy. Whoever said DNA made a daddy was crazy. It didn’t. Not at all.
    “Oh, I knew she would be better off with Paxton. He was an amazing daddy to her from the moment she came out, squeaking like a little mouse. While he was busy with his grandfather’s house, and that development that would give him his fresh start, I was busy, losing my baby fat. By the time Rowan was three months old, I was back to running five miles a day, and practicing for four hours to be the best cheerleader I could be. I cared about the Dallas Cowboys, not being a mommy.”
    As crazy as it sounded, I sort of felt her pain. Paxton could no doubt be overbearing, and I could see him trapping her. Maybe not in the same way that he trapped me, but nonetheless, he did. “Do you have other kids?” I don’t know why that mattered to me, but for whatever reason, that answer was important to me.
    Her tone became quiet and level. “No, I always thought that would be unfair to Rowan.”
    I understood what she meant, knowing she felt too much shame to ever do that. “You’re still young enough to have another baby. They’re amazing little people, and you don’t have to worry about Rowan. She’s loved very much.”
    The smile in her voice was heard through her words. “Thank you for saying that. I have been dating a super guy who would make an excellent father. If you don’t mind me asking, how is she? Does she still have bleach blonde hair?”
    “Yes, and it’s okay. You can ask. She’s a dancer. Ballet, and she’s so smart. She skipped the first grade because she was so bored in Kindergarten. She’s only been a second grader for a month and she’s already read seven chapter books. She’s a lot like you.”
    “She is?