Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Yes,” she answers honestly, “but it’s a part of the job.” I hear the sheets rustle from her side of the phone as I walk over to the couch. “Are you home or have you been arrested?”
“I am home,” I tell her and the tears come. “There was an accident and my sister died.”
Even saying the words are surreal.
Alice hisses, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Shit.”
“I have a nine-month-old niece,” I inform her. “What would it take for me to get custody of her?”
“Does she have a will?” is the first question she asks me.
“Probably, she was on top of things,” I tell her. “There was a lawyer card on the fridge. I’m assuming she left it there in case of…” I close my eyes and lean back on the couch.
“We have to see what it says in the will,” she advises. “Where is the child now?”
“CPS has her,” I tell her, and this is when Alice groans.
“Fuck,” she curses. “She’s going to be in the system now, no matter what.”
“What?” I say, sitting up shocked. “She didn’t tell me that.”
“Well, of course she isn’t going to tell you that,” Alice says. “They have to look at the will and see what that says, but…” She trails off. “Now that she’s with the State, there will be follow-up and spot visits to make sure the child is okay. Listen.” Her voice goes lower. “I love you. You know that, right?” I don’t say anything as I wait for her to finish because nothing good can come from a “you know I love you but” chat. “Off the record, and this is not me talking, but
it would sure look better if you were married on paper.”
I sit up and shriek, “What?”
“Listen, I know it’s the twentieth century and all that, but you go into this married, it’s just easier.” I put my hand on my head.
“She went to a sperm bank!” I yell. “She was able to do it all alone, and now you’re telling me that if I was married, it would be easier for me to get my niece from the State? Even though there is no other family?” I shake my head. “This makes no sense. That’s crazy, there are single moms out there. Trust me, I know, half of them come to my spa.”
“There are, but those single moms out there,” she says, “weren’t granted a baby through their family members. They created them with whatever means they chose.” Okay, fine, she has me there. “Just think about it.”
“Think about what?” I ask, shocked that maybe I misunderstood and laugh bitterly.
“Is there an app out there I don’t know of that has a husband for hire?” I don’t know if it’s the booze I drank, the shock of losing my sister, or I’m just going insane.
“Oh, that could be a good idea,” Alice replies. “I bet it would be successful.”
I close my eyes, knowing I might regret asking the next question. “Okay, let’s talk about the husband idea. What does that entail?”
Chapter Four
Levi
As soon as I open the door, my body does a sigh of relief. I toss my keys and wallet onto the glass table by the door before I kick off my running shoes. I dump my gym bag at the door before turning to walk into the kitchen. After tossing and turning all night, I got up. It’s Saturday and I still went in to work today. I’ve been gone a couple of weeks, so it was easier to get in there when no one else was there and do some paperwork. After I spent five hours in the office, I decided I would hit up the gym. Big mistake there since it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve stepped in the gym, every single part of my body is now screaming at me. Even though I took a shower at the gym, I know I’m going to take another hot one before going to bed.
I go straight for the fridge, expecting by some miracle there is something in there I can eat. Opening it, I let out a huge breath seeing that there is, in fact, nothing for me to eat in there. Instead, I grab a bottle of beer from the door before reaching for the freezer door to see if maybe there is something in there I can put in the oven and doesn’t take a million years. It isn’t much better in there.
Pulling a box of frozen pizza from the shelf, I make my way over to start the oven. I tear open the paper box before grabbing a knife to slide through the plastic wrapper and placing it on a rack. Shutting the door, I then set the timer to twenty-three minutes.
Twisting off the cap to the beer and taking a pull of it, I grab the phone out of my pocket. I go immediately to my text thread with Eva, pulling it up.