Page 17 of Lollipop

My hand drops to my stomach and I start talking to my baby. Whatever comes, we’ll get through it together because I’m not alone. I have my friends…and I have my baby. We’ll make it work. And I won’t ever let the kid question whether they are loved or not. My baby will never feel like they can't come to me for anything. I’ll be a good parent because my parents showed me what not to be with how they treated me. And with Candy and Bonbon preggers too we can all raise our babies together.

The only thing missing...is Ander. The smile melts off my face and I go lay on the bed, too worn out to even cry.

I only knew him for a matter of days, but he changed my life. I’ll never be the same. He gave me a baby and took my heart in return. I lay and think of all the things I want to do for my baby, all the things I want to give him or her. It might hurt like hell, but it’ll be worth it. This little baby is worth the pain.

But how the hell am I going to tell the man when I deleted his number and ran away from him? And will he try to take the baby like he took my heart? The thought has my heart thudding hard in my chest. Would Ander be that cruel? Would he try to use the baby to hurt me? Mom used to do that with Cammie against Dad all the time. And I don't really know the man.

Maybe…maybe waiting until after I’ve had the baby is smarter. Or after the baby is a little older. Or never.

No! I need to at least give Ander a chance and give my baby the opportunity to have a father in their life. But how? Make an appointment? Call his office?

I snarl my nose at the thought of telling his secretary before I tell anyone else. Shouldn’t he be the first one I tell and then my besties? Not his assistant. Maybe I could write him a letter or an email. No matter how I do it, at least I have time to make sure it’s the right decision.

Chapter Sixteen

Ander

I stomp my way down the hall of the church. I know exactly where I’m going. I don’t wait for her to come out, I just kick the door open.

“Holy shit!” Her friend, who I recognize from the pictures I took from Lilly’s parents’ house, subtly puts herself in front of the other girls.

I’m going to give that woman whatever she wants because of that little motion too. The other friend, the redhead holds onto my girl like she isn’t going to let go of her no matter what. She gets whatever she wants too. Lilly has good friends. I like them just because of how they take care of my angel.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing, buddy?”

“And who the hell do you think you are?”

Both of the girls’ men step in front of me. I meet both of their glares with one of my own. “I’m here for Lilly. She’s mine!”

They search my face before moving aside to let me in. One of them slaps me on the back before pulling the brunette friend away. I go straight for Lilly. The other man pulls his girl into his arms as I reach for mine. I sweep her up in my arms and turn to leave.

“You better be good to her and fix this. Lolly is too sweet to have a broken heart.”

Broken heart? She isn’t the only one with a case of broken heart, I have one too. And I’m sick and tired of doing things Lilly’s way. I gave her space to figure shit out. I gave her time. Now, time is up. We’re going to sit down and figure all this shit out. And I’m not letting her go until we have it worked out.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Home.”

She starts stiffening in my arms. “I can’t leave. I’m a bride’s maid. Bonny needs me!”

I compromise and step into an empty room in the church. Fine. I’ll let her be a bride’s maid but then she’ll be leaving with me. But first, I’m going to make that clear.

I step inside the quiet room and kick the door shut with my foot. I sit her down on her feet and take her shoulders in my hands. We stare at one another, and I see the tiredness in her eyes, the dark circles that she’s tried to cover up with makeup.

I thought so long and hard about what I would say to her when I saw her again… face to face. Just because I gave her space doesn’t mean I just abandoned her. I’ve had a bodyguard on her for weeks now and I drive by her house at least once a day. All she had to do was step outside and ask for me and I would have been there in a heartbeat.

She just never asked for me.

“I…,”

She opens and closes her mouth like she is trying to figure out what to say to me. I look just as tired as she does. I’ve not slept well since I left the morning after we spent the night making love. I left to grab breakfast for us so we wouldn’t have to worryabout getting out of bed since I was pretty sure she was going to be sore from all the nighttime activity. When I came back, she wasn’t there. I know she wasn’t there because I had the manager of the buildings open the door for me. The apartment was empty.

I spent all Thanksgiving Day outside her building waiting for her to come back, wondering what I did, calling and texting until I was mad with worry and fear for her. Did I hurt her? Was I too rough? Is that why she ran from me? I spent days searching for where she might have gone, where she ran to, only to find she was moving out of the apartment and into a house.

“Why are you here, Ander?” There’s a hint of fear in her eyes. Is she afraid of me?

I give her a question back, “Why the hell do you think I’m here, Lilly?”