Page 79 of The Troublemaker
Lila sinks back in her chair.“Well, sorry to tell you, I got pregnant from another one-night stand.”She eyes Mike.“One month after us.”
Mike lifts the carrier, and okay, upon closer inspection, the baby is a tad younger than Tanner.
“I won this lottery,” Mike says, putting the carrier back down.
“And we got married before she was born.So, I am not the mother of your baby.”She takes the lid off her tea and puts in the sugar and milk, stirring it.
Easton looks deflated, finishing off his coffee, and his gaze falls to me.I offer him a comforting smile.Lila catches it and follows his line of vision.
“That’s his wife,” Mike says.
“How do you know so much about him?”Lila’s clearly annoyed.
“Well, I didn’t know you slept with Easton Bailey until two days ago.I can’t unknow things that I read online.”
Lila crosses her arms and huffs.
I’m not sure why she’s so mad, honestly.Maybe she was hoping for something more after their hookup and Easton didn’t deliver?But it wouldn’t be like him to promise her a future he knew he wasn’t ready to give.Besides, she’s married now with another man’s child.
“Hi.”I wave like an idiot.
Easton stands and pushes in his chair.He tosses some money on the table.“Thanks for coming and being straight with me.And I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you hate me.This should cover the coffees.”
He moves to walk over to me, and I hurry to get Tanner out of the high chair and pack up so we can make a quick getaway.
“Sorry,” Lila says.“I don’t know why I’m mad.I just… I was scared when you called and wanted to meet that maybe you did have something sexually, and… the what-ifs.But…” She looks at her husband, who offers her a smile, and his hand rests on her forearm.“I do hope you find his mother, and I’m glad you finally found someone you love.”Her eyes meet mine.
My heart drops to the depth of my stomach.
Easton doesn’t smile.“I’m happy for you too.”
He doesn’t confirm us, and he doesn’t touch me.
Because we’re not real.
Lila Mercer doesn’t know that he doesn’t love me.
And I shouldn’t be upset because I definitely don’t love him.
Right?
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Easton
Hadley puts the key in the door and walks to the back of the store to turn off the alarm.Meanwhile, I take Tanner out of the stroller and walk around the space.
I’m embarrassed to say I’ve only been here twice.The one time she had me meet her here when we were just hooking up, and then the time I proposed to her.
The first time I didn’t have a kid to appreciate the space, and the second time I was so concerned I was going to fuck up the proposal that I had tunnel vision.
“I’ll just grab some things and then we can get out of here,” Hadley says.
Every one of my off days, we try to do something public to keep up appearances, so we’re supposed to go to this food truck festival at Daley Plaza today.I never mind going out in public with her, it’s an excuse to touch her—something I’ve come to like a little too much.I’ve convinced myself that my body just knows what it’s like to have her, so that’s why our hands gravitate to each other a little too easily.
“Take your time.”I sit under the big tree in the reading area and place Tanner on the mat.
He’s been doing so much better holding himself up, so I put him in the sitting position with his hands between his legs on the floor.Since there isn’t anything to really hold him up, I go to pick him up before he falls.
