Page 18 of Enemy Ex's Secret Baby

I scoff. “She’s at mine too.”

“And when I’m with her, I let her know how much I don’t like that! But right now I’m with you, so I’m going to give you shit for it.”

Jeremiah looks across the restaurant, squinting his eyes, sun too bright. “What happened anyway? You guys used to be friends.”

I open my mouth to reply, but Lola cuts me off. “We’ve been over this. They haven’t gotten along for years.”

“But why?”

Lola looks at me.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Well, what’d you do?”

“Me? Nothing! We just–can’t people not get along?!” I’m trying desperately to control the flush in my cheeks. I’m being cornered by the guilt, not just of betraying Lola last week, but seven years ago. That’s when everything fell to shit between me and Gillian.

Lola looks to Jeremiah for sympathy. “It’s been so hard on me, Jerry.”

“I know, I can’t even imagine,” he replies. He puts a hand on her back and rubs it. Then, Jeremiah’s eyes find mine. We all have the signature, matching green Hitchins eyes, just like Mom. “You know Axel’s in a tough spot. This is the family’s livelihood, Lola.”

I smile at him gratefully.

“And Dad’s not easy to please.”

Lola huffs. “Tell me about it. He’s starting to tell me my eggs are freezing up.”

The three of us go quiet for a moment and look at each other with mournful eyes. Dad has never been easy to please, but things were better before Mom died. At least he smiled then.

“Lola, I’ll handle it, okay?” I say encouragingly. “Whatever you can do to distract Gillian or get her to back off, great, but if not, I’m going to take care of it.” Gillian’s name nearly catches in my throat. My cover would be blown for sure if I started tripping over the consonants in her name. “And then we can all be done with this and go back to how things were.”

Lola smiles at me. “You’re the best, Axel.”

My heart sinks into my stomach. I’m not the best. I’m the kind of guy who fucks his sister’s best friend. And if she’d let me, I’d do it as often as I could, because I can’t get enough of her, even all these years later, apparently, but that is my cross to bear.

For now, I’m done with the guilt trip over my job. Fuck it. I’m going to get this condo built once and for all. Be done with this feud. Be done with Gillian.

And though I know that’s the right thing to do, the idea of being done with Gillian feels like a knife to my heart.

7

GILLIAN

“Just one more question, if you don’t mind,” the reporter asks, tucking a sprig of red hair into her messy bun.

“Perfect. Then I’ll go take the brownies out of the oven,” I say with a smile.

I’m being interviewed at the bakery by a local reporter trying to cover both sides of the issue over the Seton lot. She’s trying to take a bipartisan approach and her questions have been tough but fair. I wasn’t able to resist plying her with some free baked goods. A half-eaten vegan donut sits on a plate in front of her.

“Is your protesting making relations with your business partner, Lola Hitchins, difficult?”

I suck in my cheeks and glance at Lola who is working the counter, talking with a mother who is picking up a birthday cake.

“She is the younger sister of Axel Hitchins, who is helming this development, correct?”

At the sound of Axel’s name, I snap my attention back to the reporter. “Yes. Yes, she is.” I’ve got Axel on the brain morning, noon, and night. Nobody ever says the aftershocks of an orgasm can last days, but mine have lasted a whole week and change. I find myself daydreaming about him filling me, our lips fighting for dominance. On more than one occasion, Stella has had to snap me out of a trance. She’s learned the best way to get my attention in times like those is to call me “Gillian” instead of “Mommy”. Needless to say, I don’t like how fast she’s growing up.

I clear my throat. “It’s funny to hear you call her a business partner. Lola and I were born a month a part. Our families were neighbors. Are still neighbors. We’re best friends.”

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