Page 89 of Accidental Baby Daddy

“You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not here, and not about this baby,” I snapped. “You’ve never been there for me. Never. When Oliver and I broke up and I cried myself to sleep every night, all you could talk about was how I wasn’t doing as well as Gillian.”

“Lexie…”

“Stop it, Mom. You don’t even know me. You shouldn’t even call me by my nickname. I reserve that right for friends.”

“Oh, really? I’m the one who named you, aren’t I?”

“That’s about all you did.” I sneered and stalked out of the diner, walking quickly to the bus stop.

Mom didn’t bother to follow me. Typical.

I closed my eyes tightly against the tears but they started to fall anyway. I called the only person I could think of that might help me. I couldn’t get on the bus while sobbing.

“Hello?” Tristan answered, and I choked back a sob.

“Can you come pick me up from the bus stop near Joe’s?” I managed, my voice shaking and thick.

“Lex, of course. What’s wrong?”

“Just please come get me,” I pleaded.

“Of course. Be there in a minute.”

Tristan hung up the phone and I broke down, putting my head in my hands and sobbing into them.

He arrived within ten minutes. He ushered me to the car, opening the door for me.

“What happened?” he asked when he got into the driver’s seat.

“I had lunch with my mother,” I deadpanned, and Tristan snorted.

“That’ll do it.”

He knew how much my mother and I had fought when I was a teenager. At least my dad mostly ignored me. Mymother was always criticizing me. God, when I thought about it, Dick was the same way.

Everything I did was always under scrutiny.

“How are your parents?” I asked, trying to change the subject. But I already knew that Tristan and his parents didn’t get along, either.

He shrugged. “I guess they’re doing okay. I don’t speak to them anymore.”

I took in a shaking breath. “I’m beginning to think I never should have started talking to Mom again.”

He nodded. “I can understand that.”

“Could you take me to the Pig? I need to pick up my check.”

“Of course,” he said easily, smiling at me. “You know, Oliver called me.”

My eyes widened. “He did?”

“Yeah. We had a beer together. He apologized to me,” he admitted.

“That’s... that’s crazy,” I murmured. I didn’t think Oliver had it in him to admit he was wrong, to Tristan, of all people.

“I forgave him,” he said quietly. “And I think you should, too.”

“Tristan,” I started just as we arrived at the Pig. I put the rest of it on hold because he wanted to come in with me to order food. I realized I was starving since I had left Joe’s before my food came.

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