Page 236 of This Woman Forever
“In the heat of the moment, yes.” He rolls his shoulder, pouting moodily. “I wasn’t thinking straight, I’m sorry.”
Don’t lose your shit.
“What did you expect her to say?” Sam asks, laughing. “Oh, yes, baby daddy,” he squeaks in a pathetic female tone. “It was me, it was me.”
“For fuck’s sake, Drew.”
“I’m sorry.” He shrugs. “Is it bad I want to fuck?”
“Why would you think it’s bad? It’s your go-to.”
“But I’m possibly going to be a dad.” He flinches at the very words. “Best-case, it was Coral, mystery solved, she gets banged up, and I get the kid,” Drew says.
“Best-case?” Sam asks.
“I’ll get a nanny. It’ll be fine.” He puffs out his chest. “How hard can it be?”
“You won’t be able to fuck willy-nilly,” I say.
“Who’s willy-nilly?” Sam asks, and Drew and I burst into laughter, bending at the waist. “What?” Sam asks. “What did I say?”
“Nothing.” I chuckle, the laughter feeling good. A brief reprieve from the nightmare. But... back to the nightmare.
I sigh, turning and heading back inside. “Jesus, who would have thought, eh? Me, married with twins on the way, Sam settling down and departing from The Manor, and Drew being used as a sperm donor.”
“I’m not changing,” Drew grunts. “It’s who I am. What I do.”
I believe it. I poke my head around the bar door, seeing Sarah still holding court with the table of guys, so I head to my office and wait for Cook, calling John.
“You didn’t listen to me, did you?” he grumbles. “I could see Ava from across the road at her desk trembling.”
I grimace. I’m not proud. “Cook’s coming over now. Ava’s in a meeting with Peterson, then she’s leaving. Can you take her home? I won’t be far behind.”
“Sure. Listen, I took her to that meeting earlier.”
“At Lansdowne Crescent?”
“That’s it. A woman.”
“Ruth Quinn?”
“I don’t know. Ava mentioned something about being admired.”
Fuck me, don’t tell me I’ve got to fend off women as well as men? I’ve known John a long time. He doesn’t make somethings out of nothings. He’s not wired that way. Ava’s mentioned this Ruth Quinn is hard work, but she never mentioned she might have the hots for her. “Do you think I need to step in?” My wife’s going to have no clients left at all.
“Look, she was familiar. And I got chills. I haven’t had chills for years. Not since . . .”
I frown. “Not since what?”
“Since Lauren was in your life,” he says softly.
I laugh, a little uncomfortable. “Lauren?”
“Yeah.”
“But she’s dead.”
“Yeah.” He huffs, slightly amused, slightly uncomfortable. “I’m just. I don’t know. She looked like Lauren.”