Page 20 of The Virgin's Baby
“That was a little too quick,” he said as he looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You do have at least one you like.”
“I don’t like her. She said something kind of shitty to me.” I took another drink to drown the anger that was firing up inside of me. “She called me a playboy and told me I didn’t have any business with a kid all on my own.”
“Ha!” he laughed hard, triggering another coughing spell.
I felt bad for making him laugh like that. I hadn’t meant to. And I was kind of exaggerating what she’d said. Those weren’t her exact words, but they were implied.
Aspen Dell didn’t think I had any depth to me. She didn’t think I should have a kid on my own.
Who the hell is she?
She didn’t know me from Adam. She didn’t know a damn thing about me. Not the real me. Not the man I was. Or could be.
I usually wasn’t into women as gorgeous as her. Women with perfect bodies. Women with smiles that make your heart swell up and feel like it might burst if you don’t kiss those pretty pink lips.
My chest deflated as my grandfather said, “She’s right, you know.”
My jaw dropped. “If she’s right, then why are you demanding that I give you an heir?”
“I told you,” he growled. “For your sake. I don’t want you left here all alone. But you’ve got some changing and growing to do. I’m hoping a baby will help you make those changes. A good woman would help too. What’s this girl’s name and what does she do?”
“Aspen Dell and she’s a grad student in petroleum engineering,” I let him know.
I was braced for the fireworks when he burst out, “What? She sounds perfect for this family, Ransom. What are you waiting for? Woo her, boy. Give her the moon if she wants it.”
“She thinks I’m no good, Grandad. Didn’t you even listen to what I said?” I went to take another drink but found my beer empty. “Damn. I’ll be right back.” Stalking to the fridge that was just inside the door, I mumbled, “He thinks it’s so easy. He hasn’t met the woman. She’s mean. Downright mean. And she thinks she knows it all. She knows nothing. She thinks I’m a playboy. And who even says that word anymore?Playboy.Not me. Not anyone I know. She’s a frigid bitch is what she is. Well, bitch is a bit harsh, and she wasn’t that cold. But she’s something, alright. Something I don’t need or want.” Taking the beer out of the fridge, I slammed the door shut, popped the top and took a long swallow before going back outside to find my grandfather smiling his old ass off at me.
“You like her!”
“No. I kind of hate her as a matter of fact.” I plopped down in the chair and put the bottle to my lips again.
“Tell me what she looks like,” he pushed me.
“Long, dark, spiral curls. They go all the way to her perfect butt. Her eyes are light brown and they sparkle with dark green and gold flecks. She has these high cheekbones that remind me of a painting of an American Indian woman I saw once. Her lips are plump, and there’s the sharpest cupid’s bow at the top that I’ve ever seen. Her teeth are naturally perfect. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” I took another drink.
“She’s the one, Ransom. She’s the mother. If she’s nothing else, she’s that.” He tapped his chin as he pondered the situation. “Offer her more money than a sane woman can refuse. Make sure she knows that she can stay here at the estate with us. Make sure she knows that she gets to be this baby’s mother in every way. That she won’t lose him to you.”
“She won’t?” I had to ask. “What if I find someone I love and want to marry? That partner would become my kid’s mom?”
“You won’t.” He laughed again but stopped before he got all choked up on it. “If you do, then you can figure that out when the time comes. If she’s a good woman, and my bets are that she is, her biggest setback to this whole thing is walking away from a baby.”
“Yeah, I kinda got that vibe too.” I put the beer down to think more clearly. “But, I don’t know, Grandad. She might not ever come around to my way of thinking.”
“Make her.” He gave me a stern look. “I mean it. You’ve got to make her see that this is a great idea, and she will only gain from it. She won’t lose a damn thing. You make a contract that will make her feel secure about this. She’s a smart one if she’s going after that degree, I can tell you that. And frankly, you need a smart girl to be the mother of this baby. Your mother, God rest her soul and love her, wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack. You got a little of that dimness from her. Not all of it. Your daddy was one smart man. But you got some. You need another healthy dose of brains in any child you sire, Ransom. She’s the one. Don’t let her slip away.”
“She hasn’t called me. She may have already slipped away.” I wasn’t about to call her and beg her to be my baby’s momma. No fucking way in hell.
She’d insulted me!
Humiliated me!
Stomped all over my pride and dignity too!
“You have her number, I am sure,” he reminded me.
I did still have it. She was in the contacts list on my cell. As a matter of fact, I had looked up her name a few times each day, wondering if I’d missed a call from her.
But I hadn’t. And I wasn’t entirely sure that I would’ve taken the call if she had made one. Making her sweat might be nice.
