Page 38 of Accidental Baby Daddy

“Decaf for me,” she pointed out, putting a hand to her heart. I winced. It reminded me that she had been diagnosed with an arrhythmia that could prove dangerous. My parents were both getting up there in years, and it was scary, all the health issues that had popped up lately.

I made us each a cup of instant, decaf for her, and sat down at the table across from her.

“Something on your mind, son?” she asked, her eyes wrinkling around the corners as she gave me a small frown.

I sighed. “A lot of things, really.” I paused. “I went ahead and bought that tavern downtown.”

“Tess’ place? Oh, that’s wonderful,” she gushed. Tess was Theresa’s nickname. “Your father and I....” she trailed off.

I cleared my throat, not sure if I should push.

“Go on.”

“Your father and I had our first dance there,” she said softly.

“Mom, why don’t you talk to him? I know he’d love to hear from you,” I suggested gently.

Her face hardened. “We’re not here to talk about me and your dad. We’re here to talk about you. What’s going on, Ollie?”

She was right. I was deflecting. There was a lot on my mind.

“Lex is back in town.”

“I know you don’t mean Alexandra Tripp,” she said flatly.

“That’s exactly who I mean,” I said, rubbing a hand across my face. “She’s staying in my cabin.”

My mother looked at me curiously, tilting her head. “How do you feel about that?”

“I...” I paused, trying to find the words. “I don’t know.”

She hummed in the back of her throat, sipping her coffee. “Why is she staying at your cabin? Doesn’t she have family? Her sister still lives in town, from what I remember.”

“They don’t exactly get along,” I mumbled. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on between Lex and Gillian, but I knew that Lexie didn’t want to be a burden to her.

“And it’s your responsibility to take care of her? After everything?” Mom’s voice was only a little icy. She knew the full story, but she had always loved Lex, always wanted the best for her. Even though she’d hurt me, I didn’t think my mother hated her.

“It’s not my responsibility, but it’s... it’s been years. It's over. Water under the bridge.”

“Is that how you really feel, Ollie?”

“Yes,” I said quickly, knowing it was a lie, guilt burning hot at the back of my mind.

She smiled. “Well, you’ve always been a good guy. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

The right thing.

What was that, exactly?

“What if I don’t know what that is, Mom?”

She spread her hands out. “None of us ever really do,” she said. “Most of the time, everything in life is an educated guess.”

I smiled at her. “Rolling the dice over and over, I guess.”

She nodded. “Sometimes you get lucky, is the thing,” she said with a wink.

“Sometimes you don’t,” I said in a sober tone of voice.

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