Page 54 of Jeremy
Heends up eating less than an ounce, but the nurse assures me the first try wentreally well. “He’ll get better and better at it. Before you know it, he’ll bescreaming bloody murder when he’s hungry and you’ll be racing to plug it upwith a bottle.”
Leahand I laugh. “I look forward to that day.”
Itkills me to leave him a few hours later, as it always does, but I know he’s ingood hands. I can’t wait to tell Jeremy that I got to hold Calvin, but I won’tsee him until late tonight. Zoe and Leah decide I need a night out now thatI’ve recovered. Since I’m not pumping milk anymore, I can actually have adrink.
“Caffeine,”I moan, gulping down a latte, and they laugh at me.
“Ithink we can do better than that,” Zoe remarks, grinning at Leah.
“Margaritas?”Leah suggests.
“Youread my mind.”
#
Thebar and grill we end up at must be popular because it’s crowded for aweeknight. “Justus is going to be so pissed when he finds out he missed out onmargaritas,” Zoe says with a giggle. She turns to me. “He loves the girlydrinks, and the guys always give him shit about it.”
“Iknow. That’s kind of how I met Jeremy the first time,” I laugh, sipping mydrink. Either they make them strong here, or my tolerance is way down aftermonths of abstaining because I feel the warm glow spread through me, and thisis only my second drink.
“Oh,we need to hear this story,” Leah exclaims.
Welaugh and talk about my early experiences with the In Safe Hands guys,especially Jeremy. When I get to the part where he threw the money at me,Leah’s eyes widen. “He did not.”
“Hedid. Our next encounter wasn’t much better, but the asshole grew on me.”
Zoecalls the waitress over to order some snacks. When she leaves, Leah says, “Hewas pretty messed up. You know about Frannie, don’t you?”
Ididn’t know her name until now, but I nod. “Justus told me Jeremy’s lastgirlfriend died. I don’t know the story, but I know he was grieving. I’ve lostpeople, and I couldn’t hold any of that early stuff against him. Did you twoknow her well?”
Zoeguzzles the rest of her drink. “She was my best friend.”
Ohno. I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “I’m so sorry. Doesit…bother you that I’m with him?”
Asoft smile inches across her face. “No. Frannie would want Jeremy to be happy.And she’d be thrilled he settled down and has a family. He was a bit wild. Theyboth were. They never could get their shit together, but I always hoped.” Hereyes glass over, and she stares into the distance for a moment. “She’d be happyfor you both,” she adds.
MaybeI shouldn’t be fishing for information from his friends, but he’s told me solittle. “Was it cancer or something? That took her?”
Zoe’sjaw tightens. “No, not cancer.”
Leahwaits for our waitress to set our platter of chicken strips and cheese stickson the table and leave before she continues, “She was murdered. Shot.”
“Ohmy god. No wonder he was so devastated.” I lay my hand over Zoe’s arm, and shegives me a little smile. “I’m so sorry. I hope the guy is in jail.”
“He’sdead,” Zoe says, satisfaction clear in her voice.
“Good.”
“Doyou remember last year when a mall got shot up in Indianapolis? It madenational news so you probably saw it. Twenty-two people died. We were all there,inside. Frannie was the only one who got hit. She survived until we got out andto the hospital, but she’d lost too much blood to be saved.”
Anumbing sensation starts at the top of my head and works its way down to myfeet. My hands tremble, knocking my glass against the platter.
Dillon.
Dillonwas one of those shooters.
Thebiological father of my baby killed Jeremy’s girlfriend.
He’sgoing to hate me. These women, who have done so much for me and Calvin, willdespise me too. All the hope of being a part of this family was just destroyed.What man would want to raise the offspring of his girlfriend’s murderer?
