Page 104 of The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand

Billie was completely unfazed. She waved Mia off with a chuckle. “Don’t be sorry. You’re not wrong. My mother is a raging bitch.”

“She’s discovered so many up-and-coming artists. She’s legendary in the art world. Artists do one little show with her, and they can add an extra zero to their price tag.”

“She has a good eye. I’ll give her that,” Billie said. “People and parenting skills…not so much.”

Mia shook her head as she stared at the walls. “Well, I’m no Renee Holland, but if you ever want to do a show with me, I’d love to host you. I’m opening a new gallery for The Renshaw Group. Maybe you’ve heard of them?”

“Yeah, of course. They’re big on the West Coast.”

“Hopefully big on the East Coast soon, too. Thanks to me.”

Billie smiled. “So how are you feeling about your first tattoo? Do you want me to get started right away, or do you prefer to have your coffee first? I know some people are anxious and would rather jump right into things.”

“I’d rather hang for a bit. Enjoy the coffee and company, if you have time.”

“Not a problem. There’s no rush. I don’t have my first appointment until noon.” Billie looked at me. “How are you feeling, momma?”

“Pretty good. Thanks.”

“No more issues since the night of the wedding?”

I shook my head and peeled back the plastic tab on my decaf. “No, thank God. It’s been three days now and no cramping or bleeding. I know the doctor said it’s normal to have some light spotting, but it definitely doesn’t feel normal when it happens.”

Billie nodded. “I’ve been keeping in touch with Owen to see how you are. I didn’t want to bug you.”

“I know. He told me. Thank you for checking in. We both really appreciate it.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you talk to the doctor yet about paternity tests?”

I shook my head. “My next appointment is a week from tomorrow. I figured I’d do it then.”

“Mav’s sleep schedule has been off lately. He’s been waking up in the middle of the night. I give him a binky to suck on, and he usually falls back asleep right away, but then it takes me hours. Which means I’ve been watching random TV shows in the middle of the night. One of them was a talk show about a woman who was sleeping with twin brothers and wasn’t sure which was her baby daddy to be.”

“Oh my,” I said. “And I thought my predicament was bad…”

“I know, right? Anyway, I got sucked into the show last night because I needed to know if Brandon or Landon was the daddy. When the host announced the paternity results, he said they were ninety-nine-point-nine-percent accurate, so I assumed the woman had an amnio. But at the end of the show, they did a commercial for their sponsor—the one who had done the paternity test. It said the test was noninvasive. Obviously an amnio is pretty invasive, so I was curious and looked it up. Apparently they can now test for paternity with a blood test and a cotton swab of the inside of the mouth. And it can be done as early as seven weeks.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

Billie nodded. “I wrote down the name of the test. The commercial said it only takes two days to get results, and they’re even approved for use by courts to prove paternity.”

“Holy crap. I had no idea.”

“Neither did I. I saved the link to the website. If you want, I’ll text it to you.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

After that, Billie took out the drawings she’d done last night based on what Mia had told her. Miaoohed andahhed and let out a few squeals, but I had to force a smile on my face. I was too busy thinking about the fact that I might not have to wait seven months to find out the father of my baby. It should’ve made me ecstatic, yet I felt nothing but anxiety. Luckily, Billie started Mia’s tattoo, and I got to sit and try to sort out my feelings to the peaceful sound of the needle humming.

Two hours later, Mia’s wrist had some artwork. Neither Mia nor I had wanted to see the tattoo until it was finished.

Billie peeled the rubber gloves from her hands. “All done. Are you ready to view your ink?”

Mia nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. She’d been facing the other direction the entire time Billie was working, but now she turned and opened her eyes. “Oh my God! It’s gorgeous!”

I peered over for a look. “Wow. It really is. It pops off her arm.”

Mia had gotten a tattoo of a tiny bumblebee with a flower on the inside of her right wrist. The colors were so vibrant, and the bee looked almost 3D. Her eyes welled up. “Granny Bea would’ve loved it. It’s perfect, Billie.”

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