Page 24 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
“Reid, you’re not even listening to me!”
“I’m sorry, what?” I try to focus. Thinking about banging Willow is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. It can never happen.
“Plug in your iron,” she demands, dumping the bags out on my bed. “I’m not sending you to your first date looking like you slept in your clothes.”
Exhaling dramatically, I get up and pull an ironing board from the back of my closet. “Okay, Mom.”
“Are your nice jeans clean? The dark ones without any rips?”
I set up the board and grab the iron off the she
lf in my closet. “I think so.”
“Good. Can you find them and make sure? If not, wear the charcoal pants.”
I cock a brow at her over one shoulder. “Jeez Louise, you’re bossy today, even for you. And why are you in such a bad mood?”
“I’m not,” she snaps, shaking out a white button-up.
“Yes, you are. What’s wrong?” I walk over to her, take the shirt from her hands and toss it on the bed. “Talk to me.”
Sighing, she drops onto the bed and hangs her head. “I don’t know. I’ve just been in a weird mood this week.”
I sit down next to her. “Is it that time of the month?”
She gives me a searing look. “Fuck off.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry. Bad joke.” I hold up my hands. “But it’s got to be something. I know you.” I brush her hair back behind her shoulder. “Talk to me.”
For a moment, she’s silent, her eyes on the floor. “It’s … it’s just … it’s the baby thing.” She looks up at me like she just remembered why she’d been upset. “That’s what it is. I saw something, um, a friend of mine posted. She’s pregnant.”
“Your friend is pregnant?”
“Yes. And it really bothered me, because, you know, I want to have a baby.” She nods, like it makes perfect sense. “Yep, that’s what’s wrong.” She tries to get up, but I put a hand on her leg and keep her where she is.
“Hey. Look at me.”
Reluctantly, she meets my eyes. “What?”
“Is that really what’s going on with you?”
She nods, pressing her lips together like she’s scared words will escape.
“You’re really serious about this baby thing, huh?”
Another nod.
I feel guilty all of a sudden that I haven’t been more supportive. She does so much for me, and there’s not much I can do for her. For fuck’s sake, she’s planning to make me godfather to her child. Me! I still can’t believe it. It really means something that she has that kind of trust in me. In my judgment. Couldn’t I offer her the same?
“I’ll go with you to the clinic.”
Her jaw drops. “What?”
“I’ll go with you. To the basting place.” I can’t keep the grimace off my face, but I try to sound upbeat. “Maybe if I go and learn about the process, I’ll feel better about it.”
“Reid, do you mean it? Really?” The look on her face is pure joy. I feel kind of amazing I put it there.
“Sure.”
