Page 19 of Fated Secret Baby

I turn. I don’t know why, but I reassure her. “It’s okay,” I say softly.

Calista shakes her head. “I guess it isn’t a good time. I’ll just go,” she murmurs.

No. She’s going to run.

The fury that I usually manage to keep carefully contained about my mother’s meddling boils over.

I turn on her, blocking Calista from her view. “Mom. That was incredibly rude.”

“Rude? Rude is disappearing on you five years ago....”

“Mother!” I shout, shutting off the tirade I can see coming.

My mom’s jaw snaps shut.

I clench my teeth. “Calista is a guest. She is a friend. Mostly, she is someone who I want in my house, and in my life, right now. You don’t get to be rude to my guest. And driving by my house? Coming over when you saw someone’s car here? It’s creepy,” I snap.

My mother blinks. “Orion, this is no way to speak…”

“I am not a child. I am a grown man. Leave me alone,” I bark.

Her eyes narrow, then start to water. “How dare…”

Nope. I am not falling for it this time. “Get. Out,” I snap.

I can see my mother squirming. Her eyes scour my face, darting over me. I can see that she’s genuinely upset and searching for something to say.

Normally, I’d cave and try to make her feel better. It’s the best option, because otherwise she’ll sulk for days.

But not today. Today, she crossed a line.

My mother will absolutely not be the reason Calista runs from me.

“We’ll talk about your behavior later,” she seethes.

She turns, and I wait until I see her drive away before I shut the door.

I turn back, take a deep breath, and then paste a smile on my face.

“That was weird. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave,” I say.

Calista’s eyes widen slightly. She seems to think, looking at me, then at the door.

Finally, she nods. “I think you were in the middle of making me a drink.”

I want to sag with relief. “I think I was.”

“Let’s get two, and then we’ll talk?”

My smile widens. “I’d like nothing more.”

Chapter 5

Calista

I’m on my third whisky sour, and while I definitely feel confident enough to tell Orion about Juniper, I don’t want to. Because I forgot how much fun being around him is.

He’s easy to talk to. Easy to laugh with. He gets all of my jokes and has a really subtle sense of humor that makes him interesting to engage with.

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