Page 23 of The B!tch List

Suddenly feeling hot, I loosened my tie and undid the top button of my shirt. “I can promise you, Mrs. Devonshire, that kid isn’t mine. We always used protection, besides which I had mid-terms so was real busy studying and had no time to…” I paused trying to choose a suitable way to tell a mother I hadn’t been having sex with her now dead daughter. “Spend time with Monique around then.”

“Condoms break young man, and Monique said Tia was a month early. She’s a petite child so we didn’t question it. That, young man,” she said sharply, “means, thequalitytime you spent with my daughter before you became busy studying has resulted in Tia being yours.”

It was at that point not only did my heart drop to my stomach, again, but the ass fell out of my world too.

* * *

Walking into the office, I ignored Evie’s morning greeting and headed straight for Tate’s office. I wasn’t sure I could speak without breaking into a scream.

I didn’t want or need a kid at this point in my life. In fact, I would have rather gotten a dick piercing and I hated needles. Coming off the phone from Monique’s mom, my mouth was as dry as a bone and my heart was beating so loud, I was sure my mom would hear it inside the house. Speaking of, I hadn’t even considered going back inside and talking to my folks about the call. I knew my mom and after giving me a lecture about safe sex she’d be ordering a crib online. As for my dad, well I wasn’t sure I could stand to see his disappointment. They’d been great about the wholeBronte getting knocked up before she was marriedthing, but I wasn’t sure they’d be so cool with me. Dad had always drilled it into me to be sure I was covered,literally, where birth control was concerned.

‘Son, respect yourself and the woman by ensuring you’re both protected,’, he’d said and then slapped me on the back and handed me a packet of condoms. ‘And if you can’t then be sure to abstain.’

No, I didn’t need his discourse, what I needed was good solid advice, so who better than Tate.

“Hey, Tate,” I said, wrapping on the door jamb with my knuckles. “You got a minute please?”

Tate looked up from a document he was reading through and smiled. “Sure. Come on in.”

Closing the door behind me, I went over to the visitor’s chair at his desk and dropped down into it.

“What wrong?” Tate asked, frowning. “You don’t look so good. You’re a little pale.”

“I had some news this morning and I’m not sure what to do with it.”

“Okay.” He pushed his chair back and stood up, made his way to my side of the desk, and sat on the edge of it. “I’m guessing it’s bad news.” He placed a firm hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

Blowing out my cheeks, I stared up at him wishing that it was just a fucking nightmare and I’d wake up soon. The noise of the street outside, along with my blood pounding in my ears, told me it most definitely wasn’t.

“I got a call from the mom of an ex-girlfriend about a half hour ago.” Tate crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “And well, shit…”

Tate’s desk phone trilled out and he turned to pick it up. “Sorry not now, Evie. Hold all my calls please.” He replaced the handset to the cradle and gave me a smile. “Sorry, Shaw. Carry on.”

“According to the woman—Monique’s, mom. Well, according to her I have a baby and she wants me to take custody of it.”

Tate’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yeah. So, well, shit.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Apparently Monique died and the baby who I thought she was having with our history professor wasn’t his. They’ve done a DNA test, so the only other person it could be is me.” I stabbed at my chest with my thumb. “It’s my baby, Tate and Mrs. Devonshire wants me to take her because she’s getting married again and doesn’t want to bring up another kid.”

“Wow, way to go Grandma,” Tate remarked, shaking his head. “Do you think the child is yours?”

I shrugged. “I have no clue. I mean the dates would work, but I always, always used a condom.”

“She cheated on you with the professor?” I nodded. “Any chance she could have been seeing someone else, as well as him?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. I never thought she’d cheat on me with one person, never mind two.”

Tate sighed and scratched his ear. “Yeah, well, people we trust can often surprise us.”

“I certainly never thought it of Monique.” I sighed.

“Okay,” Tate said. “Let’s consider the facts. You say you always used protection and she said the baby was the professor’s?”

“Yep, to both. She told me that she was pregnant, and it was Professor Ritter’s. I didn’t question it because I always used a condom. I mean, we would have known if one had ever broken, right.” I sighed. “I don’t get it, she told me Ritter didn’t use protection. We weren’t exactly sexually active around that time, so it added up.”

“But he’s done a DNA test and it’s not his?”

I nodded. “Mrs. Devonshire is sending me the results. She also said that Monique must’ve lied that the baby was a month early, which kinda puts me back in the frame.”

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