Page 36 of Fought and Freed

Amber and her mom laughed until tears ran down their faces, and the longer they laughed, the more pissed off Skylar became.

“I’ve always loved Jace,” Skylar barked out. “I was too scared to admit it until recently, though, and I’m still with Maddy.”

Amber’s mom gave him an evil grin. “Not for long.”

Maddy’s eyes narrowed at Amber. “What are you up to now?”

“Just getting what I deserve.” She grinned at Maddy. “Hey, Skylar, tell Ryder that Jackie’s sorry she missed their date the other night, but she’ll reschedule.”

“Nice try, bitch, but I trust my guys, and I have no problem giving you what you deserve.” Maddy pulled back and socked Amber in the mouth.

Amber fell on her ass, her hands flying up to cover her busted lip.

Skylar put his arm around Maddy’s shoulders. “Let’s go home, Princess.”

“I’m pregnant, Skylar!” Amber yelled as her mother helped her up.

At those words, Maddy stumbled, and Jace caught her.

“Mom, call the cops on this bitch! She could have hurt the baby,” Amber said to her mom.

“Did she just say she’s pregnant?” Jace repeated what they all hoped they’d heard wrong.

She peeked up at Skylar.

He was pale as his jaw worked back and forth. “So, you’re trying to pawn some poor schmucks kid off on me? We haven’t had sex since…”

“Five months ago, in the first week of August.” Amber smoothed her hand over her loose shirt to reveal a small bump. “You left to go home for a few weeks before you moved here.”

“And you expect him to just take your word for it?” Jace demanded. “It’s not like you’re a pathological liar or anything.”

“Once the child is born, I’ll have a paternity test done,” Amber said.

“Fuck that!” Jace slashed a hand through the air. “Get one right now!”

“No, I’m not putting our baby at risk when I already know who the father is.” Amber fixed her eyes imploringly on Skylar. “I just thought you would like to be there during the process. I have a doctor’s appointment coming up in two days, and I want to invite you to it.”

“That’s the day we leave for California.” Jace turned his back to her.

“You heard him.” Skylar turned away. “We have plans.”

“This is your child, son,” Amber’s mom said after she hung up the phone. “Whatever plans you have, you can cancel them for your baby.”

“First, I’m not your son. Second, I don’t for a second believe this is my child. Not with everything Amber has done to me.” Venom dripped from his voice. “Third, I know for a fact I used a condom every time.”

“Condoms aren’t a guarantee.” Amber rubbed her stomach again. “This is your baby, Skylar.”

Skylar stiffened. “If you want me there, move the appointment back a week. There are things I want to talk to the doctor about.”

“Fine, I’ll move it a week from Friday, and I’ll text you the address.” Satisfied she got what she wanted, she turned to her mother. “Come on, let’s go.”

“We’re not going anywhere, honey, and neither are they.” Amber’s mom stepped between Amber and Maddy. “The cops are on the way.”

“Oh, yeah.” Amber lifted her chin with an evil smile. “The bitch needs to pay for what she did to me.”

“If you want me at that doctor’s appointment, then tell the cops your mom was wrong.” Skylar turned Maddy away from the women and hustled her toward the Jeep.

Amber obviously wasn’t hurt, and if she wanted any hope of winning him over —not happening—she’ll tell the cops it was a mistake.

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