28. London #2
“It will be okay, Eva,” Mona said. “God, I didn’t think you’d get this emotional.”
“I… I love this dog, Mona. I am sorry, but it is hitting hard. I appreciate you ringing me.”
“Of course. I feel like… it’s the least I could do, darling.”
We sat in awkward silence as the dog slept in my lap. The flutters continued.
“So, are we going to talk about the obvious thing you did behind my back?” Mona sighed.
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
She nodded towards my stomach. “You aren’t going to explain that? Was that your last order of business? How did you manage it?”
“I didn’t do it behind your back,” I said, angry she felt control over my body like that. “I was free-and-clear. You don’t own me, sweetheart. You broke it off. I was the one who had to move out. You insisted on keeping Carter, too. Don’t rewrite history.”
She furrowed her brow. “Did you not use the last straw?”
It took me awhile to figure out what she meant. “You mean the sperm bank straw?”
“The one we said you wouldn’t use.”
“The one you accused me of wanting to use,” I clapped back. “No. I would never do that without your consent.”
“Good, because it was my money—”
I set my jaw. It was the same argument every time—her money, her time, her place.
“It was our money. I paid for half the treatments, Mona. And I’m not arguing about it. This wasn’t the straw.”
“How… how are you so pregnant? When did this happen?”
“After I moved back. I’m having twins,” I answered.
“You found a sperm bank that fast?”
“It’s really none of your business,” I said. “They aren’t your problem.”
“That is irresponsible, Eva. You aren’t in a place—”
“Mona, save your condescension for someone who gives a fuck,” I said, even more hurt. “I didn’t come here for your verbal abuse and judgement.”
She fell silent. I pet Carter, silently wishing I could steal her away and let her spend the last couple of months of her life in my office at work sleeping on a bed fit for a princess—the way I had when in London on Fridays.
Davey would love her, right? We’d have an apartment dog. Mona would never allow it.
“You moved on, too,” I was salty and unwilling to give up the argument before winning. “I saw the coat in the hall.”
Mona looked down. “Look, I’m seeing someone, yeah. But that is very different—”
“So am I,” I said. “This was… unexpected and unplanned, but a blessing for us both, okay? We’re doing our best and I don’t need your judgement on top of Brooke’s blatant slut-shaming and homophobia.”
Mona looked up, sympathetic. “Oh, she finally made it there? I’m sorry, Eva. Fuck Ian.”
“Indeed. I’m not speaking with her right now. I didn’t go to her stupid baby sprinkle. Now, I cannot talk to my parents.”
“They love you, Eva.”
“They do. They also didn’t stop her from calling me a whore and accusing me of being someone’s beard.”
“So… he’s a guy? I shouldn’t assume, I suppose—”
“He’s a dude, yes,” I answered. “Make all the jokes you want to your girlfriend. I don’t want to hear about it.”
“I’m not going to poke fun, Eva. I’m just surprised you’d trust someone. That’s got to be a good sign.”
No thanks to you! She saw this as a way to alleviate her own guilt about dumping me in the middle of a miscarriage.
“When are you due?”
“January.”
“And your job?”
“They are understanding. You know Daphne will take care of me. She’s about to have her baby,” I said. “She gets it.”
“And her boss?”
“He doesn’t have a choice but to accept it.”
“Can I ask who he is?”
“Can I ask who she is?” I clapped back. I knew the answer was no.
She looked down. “Well, as long as you are happy and healthy, that’s what matters.”
I nodded. “Same.”
“I’m glad for you. Relieved, even. It’s selfish, but I know you wanted so badly to be a mum. Now, you will be. That is good, Eva.”
“Do you ever regret not being a mum?” I asked.
“No. But I knew you would. That was the issue, darling. Do you think it will work out with the dad?”
“I hope so,” I said. “He’s been there for every appointment. He did all this research and even made a labor and birth prep checklist. It’s annoying.”
“But sweet,” Mona giggled. “That’s adorable.”
I shrugged. “He was a bit of a man-child. I needed him to prove he was going to show up more than once or twice. And ever since what happened with Brooke, he’s been there for me.”
“So, you’re living with him?”
“Are you living with her?”
Mona sighed. “Do you have a comeback to everything, Eva?”
“Are we both attorneys?”
She snickered. “Your spark is back. Good for you. I hope it works out. I’m sorry about Carter. I wish I had better news, but I am glad I got to see you. You’re glowing. I hope the babies cook a long time and come out looking just like their mum.”
“Oh, we already have side profiles. They have my nose and his chin.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good,” I said. “They’re beautiful. And even if they were hideous, I’d be head-over-heels, you know?”
Davey
“I am looking out the window and I have no idea where the navy Rolls is,” Eva sighed. “It’s pouring and I’m dressed to the nines. My hair will—”
“I know. I can bring an umbrella, baby, but I don’t want to upset you.”
I needed to pick Eva up for dinner. She’d been at Mona’s place in a very posh part of London. We were parked on her street in a downpour, but Eva didn’t want to leave until she spotted the car.
“It’s okay,” Eva agreed to my surprise. “Just come to the door and I’ll meet you.”
“Sure.”
I hung up, proceeding to the door. We were a block off the last remaining space during the evening rush home. I suspected all these houses were owned by high-ranking professionals. It was an idyllic little street. Even Mum would approve.
At the door, I didn’t know what to expect. I rang the bell and Eva answered. A dog rushed up, tail wagging. Out of habit, I bent down.
“Are you Carter? Oh, you’re sweet,” I cooed, then looked at Eva.
“I knew you liked dogs,” Eva said. “This is Carter. She’s the sweetest girl.”
“She is,” I agreed. “I actually love dogs, even if Mum hated them and refused to own one.”
As another woman with a trendy haircut approached, I stood. This must have been Eva’s ex. She was and wasn’t what I expected. She was taller than Eva, but far more feminine than I first assumed. The woman was very pretty, about my age, and sported a serious look.
“Well, Eva, can you introduce me?” She asked.
“Sure,” Eva looked nervous. “This is David Delphine. My boss’s boss.”
Her boss’s boss?
“Oh, shit,” Mona said. “I thought this was… the guy?”
“He is,” Eva said. “But we’re here on business and I’m never sure how to answer.”
Mona did a double-take. “That is not like you, Eva.”
“I mean, you and I met through work,” Eva said. “But… David and I weren’t together when we met. It was a freak coincidence.”
“How did you—”
“As you would say, Mona, I lived under a rock and became a hermit. I never met him. Yes, he’s Daphne’s brother, but I never put together that her brother David was a man named Davey who sometimes hung out in Wrigleyville saving women from gropey straight dudes.”
“They were out for Ellie’s hen party,” I said. “And she was… flailing. Men threw themselves at her. She was there with her friend’s sibling, and it was not their scene.”
“Straight women drinking beyond their capacity,” Eva giggled. “And Davey stuck around.”
“Because I was also throwing myself at her,” I admitted, unashamed.
That caught Mona off-guard. “And you clearly wasted no time.”
I sensed a competitive side to Mona’s retort.
“Yeah, well, this wasn’t planned. We tried to prevent it… but life is wild.” I smiled. “Eva is wonderful, as you well know. And clever, which is why she’s along for the ride while Daphne is out.”
“Good to know.”
“Now, Eva, I think we have a deal to close?”
“Correct,” Eva hugged and kissed the dog. “I love you, baby. Be good for Mummy. I am sorry to leave you.”
It hit me in the feels. She’d never spoken to anything with such sweetness in my presence. The dog meant so much to her.
Eva left, holding my hand as if for support. I rushed us to the car where the driver stood holding the door. Eva slid in indelicately—we were beyond that point in the pregnancy—and settled in.
“Thanks for coming to get me,” she said as the driver headed towards Shoreditch.
“Of course. I’m sorry about your dog, Eva. If I couldn’t be there for her…it would be hard.”
“It’s awful. Mona took everything—she needed to win. It was always her money, her house, her plans, and her priorities. Speaking with her today, it rang louder than ever. We were pleasant, but she initially accused me of stealing the straws she believes she paid for.”
“Straws?”
“Sperm. We had one last straw left in our arsenal from our donor when I miscarried. The first thing she told me when we met post-breakup to divvy things up was she didn’t want me to use that straw.
It hurt— a lot. It’s gross to think I had such a good five years with her. Was it even the truth or just control?”
I squeezed Eva’s hand. “I think she still cares about you, but breakups are messy, Eva. They bring out the worst in us. Even the best people can sink to new lows during a divorce. I watched my sister lose herself while Chandler dug in low enough to leak a sex tape. He was never my favorite person, but I didn’t see that coming. ”
“Sadly, it didn’t surprise me,” Eva sighed, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I think you can love the good parts as much as you feel the pain of being blindsided,” I admitted.
“When Dad died, I struggled to deal with any of the good memories. I was so broken over the loss and taking over the responsibilities of the family that I reacted erratically and with anger. People saw me as the villain—especially Daphne. I don’t blame her, but that wasn’t the goal. ”
“What do you mean?”
“I hid all the pictures in my office of the family because I couldn’t see Dad smiling and us all happy without crying. I hate to admit that, but it’s the truth.”
“Davey, that’s heartbreaking, but understandable.”
I loved the sweetness in her face now.
“Grieving something… it’s not linear. I wanted to hurt everyone around me to feel anything,” I said. “And I regret it now. I even tried to kick Cal’s ass.”
“What?” Eva laughed.
“Daphne ended up injured after falling off his sister’s horse.
Cal brought her home, and I found out not only were they fucking but that Dad wanted him to take over the company instead of me.
I was a third choice—Daphne, then Cal, and finally me.
I saw red. In the end, we worked it out.
I’m still a little salty. We’ve always been competitors, you know? There’s no way around it.”
“I hate my brother-in-law, so I have no place to talk. Now, fill me in. I’ve been so distracted. I apologize. What is going on with this company?”
“In my attempts to expand our sustainable development empire,” I explained, “we’re courting a company developing a unique insulation solution. I want it so we can control its use in the U.S. Market. It’s a nice feather in the cap, but the owner is a fucking narcissist.”
“So, what, I’m here to be a buffer?”
“You’ll be a lovely help. He’s a techie. You’ll do great, baby.”
“You really think that?”
“I know that,” I said. “Eva, you’re my partner in crime if you want to be.”