12. Emerald #3
“Thank you.” I stepped up, brushing against him ever so lightly so I could take her shoes off. “I guess she’s worn out from the day. I was going to give her a bath so we could stay up and watch a movie.”
“You got time for that now that she’s here, and it sounds like things are working out for you and her daddy.”
“Yeah. I was surprised by Juke tonight, but . . . he’s not a bad man.
He panicked when I lost my shit, and he was protecting Jury.
I get that. I hate that we had to go through all these legal channels, but hopefully in a few months I can have her living here with me part time too.
” I reached out to stroke some of her sandy brown hair from her face.
When I glanced his way, Ivo was raking his eyes all over me.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it was the first time he’d looked at me like that in a while.
Admiration. The last couple of times we’d seen each other, it was more like I was a distraction or something he was trying to get away from.
“What?” I pried.
“Nothing. You just look good in mommy mode. It’s different. You’re still you . . . just…”
“Her mommy.” I took one last glance at Jury as she turned on her side and snuggled up to her pillow.
I reached down to ease her out of her jean jacket and toss it on a nearby chair before pulling the covers over her little body. “It’s the best job I didn’t know I wanted. I love her more than anything else in this world.”
“I’m about to head out.” Ivo started toward the door.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Pausing, he half turned and looked me up and down.
“Yeah. I got the message from Jordan. I’ll be there. What are you going to do about her?” He nodded to Jury.
“Oh, Sap’s going to watch her for a little bit. I’m trying to figure out the best way to explain this to her. I guess I’ll get it right when the time comes. I won’t be able to hide being pregnant from her.”
“You still got time to back out of this.”
“You said this wasn’t just about you and Jordan.
You also need an heir. So I’m not just doing this for her.
You made it clear where we stand, Ivo, and I’m not going to hold it against you.
The bottom line is we all stand to gain something from this situation.
So, no . . . I’m not backing out. See you tomorrow. ”
Nodding, he backed out of the room, and I faced Jury to watch her sleep.
It’d been a while since I could do that, and I was cherishing every single moment I had with her at this point.
Things were looking up in several aspects of my life, and I didn’t want to continue to dwell on all the bad shit.
My daughter deserved the best version of me at this point, and that’s exactly what she was going to get.
The next day . . .
I was a ball of bad nerves the next morning.
Waking up in bed, I know I laid there with my eyes on the ceiling for a good ten minutes before moving.
The intense rumbling in my stomach left me salivating as if I had to throw up.
Lately, I’d been tired as hell and moody, but I just knew it was all these hormones I’d been taking in preparation for today.
With Ivo being distant, and me keeping Jordan at arm’s length, everything felt so strained.
A bitch was stressed. She’d been putting in an effort for us to spend time together, but I couldn’t get past what I now knew regarding our so-called friendship.
Jordan wasn’t who I thought she was, and I honestly had no desire to be her friend anymore.
On the professional tip, I’d landed a job at Glitter Entertainment, a brand-new media company that just so happened to be local.
They wanted me to be a part of their editing team for their local column.
I’d lived in Oak Bluffs a good portion of my life, so I was still familiar with some of the ins and outs of the local entertainment industry.
Oddly enough, their hottest topic was Brick and Six.
When the CEO found out that I was tight with Six and affiliated with the Marek family, she jumped at the chance to bring me on.
I told her I couldn’t guarantee anything, and if I was going to report anything, it would be facts and not rumors and gossip.
Dallas Glade was a very assertive and direct woman if nothing else.
She didn’t push me to feed her information and made it clear that wasn’t how she operated.
My first few articles were solid, giving anyone who didn’t know a glimpse into Oak Bluffs and what this small town was all about.
She wanted an exclusive with the Mareks regarding their line of whiskey, but I hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask any of them to participate yet.
With the deadline approaching, I thought I might bring it to Ivo’s attention soon.
“Emerald?” Jordan’s voice dragged me from my current thoughts as I stood at the check-in counter for Parent Tree.
It was nine thirty-seven in the morning, and I’d had two cups of coffee that now had me jittery as hell.
Jury and Sapphire were having breakfast when I left.
I told her I had an appointment and that we would talk and hang out when I got back later today.
She was cool with spending time with her uncle though.
Sapphire didn’t talk to her like she was four.
Jury was very intelligent and perceptive for her age too, so she could hold a conversation with the best of them.
It was one of the things I loved most about her.
“Hey,” I greeted her, forcing a smile on my lips.
“How are you doing? I feel like we haven’t seen each other in weeks.”
“That’s because we haven’t,” I countered. “I’ve been so busy with my brother and this new work schedule.”
“That’s right, you started a new job. Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” I nodded as the door swung open.
Ivo paused, glancing between me and his wife, stealing my breath in the process.
I know I’d just seen him last night, but he looked even better today.
Jordan’s gaze volleyed from him to me as we subtly acknowledged one another.
I’d been a mess for weeks before seeing him last night.
At first, I blamed myself, thinking I’d done something wrong, and it eventually went from guilt to anger when I realized he was the one at fault.
Ivo made it obvious where we stood, so there was no turning back.
The only thing we could do was move forward and make this whole surrogacy a thing of the past.
“Oh, so you did get all the messages I left.” Jordan rolled her eyes. “Nice of you to be here.”
“I had a lot going on. I’m here now. Let’s get this over with.”
“If you were going to walk in here with a bad attitude, what even was the point, Ivo? This is supposed to be a happy occasion,” Jordan chimed in.
Keeping quiet, I lowered my eyes to the ground and found myself an empty chair.
I didn’t want to be caught up in the middle of their shit.
My reasons for even being here were purely selfish.
I just had to push through it and remember why I was doing this.
My cell rang and I saw that it was Juke hitting me up just as I settled into one of the waiting chairs.
Sighing, I picked up, prepared to be annoyed by whatever he had to say.
“Hello.”
“Em, what’s up? How’s Jury?”
“She’s fine. With Sapphire while I’m at this appointment.” I sighed. “We got home and she went right to sleep.”
“That’s what’s up. I miss her already, but I made it home. I just wanted to check on her.”
“She’s fine, Juke. Enjoy your kid-free time while you can. I’m going to take advantage of every minute with her.”
“I know you are. I already talked to my lawyer and got some shit in motion. They want to set a hearing here for the week after Jury gets home. You think you can make that so we can modify the agreement?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed.
“Bet. I’ll just hit you later with the details.”
“Okay, thanks for the update.” I quickly hung up and couldn’t hide my excitement.
“What was that about?” Jordan asked nosily as she settled in the chair beside me, and Ivo took the one across from us.
“Oh, just my ex hitting me up about a new court date. He dropped Jury off last night, and we’re already talking about moving back to a joint custody agreement.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. I thought he had concerns . . . about you and your mental health. The fact that you don’t have a decent job.” I’m not sure if her words were meant to be concerning or comforting, but they had me side-eyeing Jordan as I tucked my cell into my purse.
“Not anymore. We talked last night while he was here and came to an understanding. He knows I was in a bad place, and I’m not anymore.
I also have a cool new job, making more money, and my schedule is flexible.
I can work from home most of the time. Only going into the office for staff meetings and whatnot. ”
“Oh, well that’s good!” Jordan sifted through her Birkin bag in her lap until she came across a prescription pill bottle. “My anxiety is through the roof right now!” she said, popping the top to the bottle and taking two of the pills without a drop of water.
It reminded me of when we were kids, and she was on all kinds of antidepressants and other medications. When she went to live with her auntie during high school, she had problems with depression and anxiety. Now she was just a grown ass neurotic woman popping pills.
“I hope this doesn’t take all damn day!” She glanced at the Rolex on her wrist. “I was hoping we could have lunch or something together.”
“I have to get back home to Jury.”
“Well, why don’t I come by and meet her?” Jordan suggested. “She can get to know her auntie Jordan.” She bopped happily in her seat.
“Well, we kind of already have plans. I mean . . . she just got here and we’ve missed a lot of time.”
“Why does it seem like you’re just trying to blow me off?” Jordan’s brows drew together incredulously.
“Pshh, girl?—”