Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“I have pride, you know. I want to feel like I can support the girls on my own.” Without relying on a man who might one day decide to opt out of her life.
She placed the empty bowl on the table, spoon inside.
Leo shifted so he was facing her. “Not every man is your father, Charlie. Noah’s been rock solid for more than ten years. What makes you think Jared won’t be?” he asked, ever the voice of reason.
But he didn’t know what being abandoned felt like. “I just want to feel like if something changes, I won’t be in a bind with nowhere to go.”
Leo rolled his eyes.
“Don’t do that. I’m serious.”
“So am I. You didn’t make any of these children alone. Their fathers are willing to step up. Swallow your pride and let them.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ll give it serious thought.” Though it hurt her need for independence, she had a hunch that ultimately she’d have to give in so her girls were in a good place.
Which would put her in close proximity with Jared, the man she couldn’t get out of her mind for reasons that had nothing to do with her having his baby.
Chapter Seven
Despite the morning sickness Charlie couldn’t shake, which surfaced on and off all day, she took the girls to the Museum of Natural History, as promised. Dylan loved the Butterfly Vivarium where she saw hundreds of species. Dakota, naturally, flipped over the pupae incubator where she viewed chrysalises and watched butterflies emerge. Thanks to Egypt, Charlie was used to the eighty percent humidity in the enclosure, but it didn’t help her queasy stomach or dizziness.
She sat with the girls while they shared a cheese panini and she sipped on a cup of iced decaffeinated tea. After the space show and movie, which were hits, they toured the dinosaur exhibit, a place Charlie used to frequent with her own mother.
She also used to bring the girls before she left for Egypt. It warmed her heart to be able to share the foundation of her love for archaeology with her children, and it gave them something unique to bond over.
Once their long day ended, she brought the girls back to Noah’s for the night. Charlie had a meeting scheduled with Jared to do a final walk through the available apartment and make a decision, but she wanted to talk to Noah first.
Once at Noah and Fallon’s, Charlie turned to Fallon. “Can you take the girls to get something to eat? I need to discuss a few things with Noah.” She didn’t mean to exclude Fallon but she needed the privacy from the kids.
“Little ears,” Dakota said with an eye roll.
“Yep. The parents need to talk,” Dylan chimed in.
A grin lifted Fallon’s lips at their word play and she glanced at the twins. “Who wants homemade cookies?”
“Me!”
“I do!”
Putting a hand on their backs, Fallon quickly herded the girls into the kitchen, leaving Charlie and Noah alone.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “But I need to tell you something and because you know me better than most, I also need your opinion.”
“Okay. Do you want to sit?” He gestured to the family room.
“I’d rather pace,” she said, and began to walk back and forth in the entryway, keeping an eye on him when she strode his way.
He leaned against the wall, studying her. “Okay, I’m braced. Let’s hear it.”
“I’m pregnant and I’m telling you because you’re the twins’ father and when I’m ready to explain it to them, you’ll need to know.”
His eyes grew wide. “Holy shit, Charlie.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Are you… happy about it?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
She nodded. “I’ve had some time to let it settle and, yes, I’m happy. Thrown and shaken, but excited.”
He treated her to a smile. “Then I’m happy for you. And I can help talk to the girls when the time comes. Or you can handle it yourself. Your decision.” He paused, then said, “You also said you needed my advice?”
She bit down on the inside of her cheek. “When I leave here, I’m meeting Jared to look at the apartment in his building. He gave me a rental amount that was definitely not the going rate. It gives me a financial break, it gives you a break… and he takes the hit. You know how I feel about standing on my own two feet.”
Noah tapped his foot against the floor, obviously in thinking mode. “You should know I spoke to him this morning. I knew about the rent.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Is that all he told you?” she asked warily, wondering if Jared had shared the pregnancy news and Noah was pretending to be surprised.
“What else is there?” Noah asked, genuinely confused.
Without thinking, her hand went to her stomach, partly because she was nauseous and in part in reflex.