Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“I’m an emotional orphan,” he responded, his voice dismissive and cold. Leaving no doubt that he wouldn’t appreciate any follow-up questions.
“What does that even mean?”
“Lizzy, you’re losing track of the real issue here,” he reminded her, irritation—never far when he spoke with her—rising in his voice.
Realizing how nosy she was being, and how completely off topic she’d gone, Beth shifted her focus back to the beaming couple.
“I’m honored that you chose me, guys. It’s not a responsibility I’ll take lightly.”
“Hold up, what does it mean though?” Gideon asked.
Cat and Cam exchanged looks before Cam shrugged and did the talking.
“Well, essentially, godparents get to spoil the kid and stand up at the christening. Guardians, it’s more formal. Basically, in the unlikely event of both of our deaths, we’d want you guys to raise our kid.”
Gideon paled dramatically and even Beth felt a little lightheaded as the magnitude of the responsibility dawned on her.
“It’s just a formality, guys,” Cam soothed. “I mean, we hope to live long, happy lives and would love to see our grandkids someday. But you know us, we like to be prepared and we have to think about this kind of shit now. We have a child to consider and we have to do what’s best for him, her, or them.”
“And you think Lizzy and I would be best? Both of us? Together? Possibly raising your child.”
Beth felt a little queasy at the thought and wondered if she looked as green around the gills as she felt.
“He doesn’t even have a proper job,” she blurted, then felt like a total bitch when everybody stared at her. Cat in reprimand, Cam in disappointment, and Gideon in absolute loathing.
“Yeah, well, at least I’d raise the kid to know what fun is. To take joy in life and not walk around with a stick up his arse.”
“Children need boundaries, a stable home, they need to be taught responsibility. As far as I can tell you have none of the aforementioned.”
“Christ on a cross, you know fuck all about me, woman. You sit there on your high horse and—”
“I told you this wouldn’t work. We should have asked Cynthia and Zane,” Cat suddenly wailed, stopping Gideon mid-tirade. Cam glared at them both while he tried to comfort his wife.
“We still could,” Cam muttered grimly, his face fully settled into that unfamiliar glower. “Jesus Christ, guys. We love you and trust you enough to do this for us. But think about it and let us know if you can’t commit to it. Both of you would be ideal, one of you would be fine. So work this out. We’re going to update our wills after the birth, but we’ll need a decision before then so that we can ask Cynthia and Duduzane if they’d be willing to stand as our child’s guardians instead.”
Beth and Gideon exchanged glances. He looked confused, panicked, a little shamefaced, and she wondered if those same emotions could be seen as clearly on her face. She turned back to her friends. Cat was watching them, her face swollen and tear-drenched. Beth had never known her friend to cry before this and understood that hormones and strain were doing a number on her emotions. Beth and Gideon’s petty argument hadn’t helped.
“I’m sorry,” Beth whispered. “I’m so sorry. I honestly am so humbled and honored that you trust me enough to be the guardian of your child. Thank you. And I’m really happy for you.”
“Me too,” Gideon murmured, his voice low and rough. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what kind of guardian I’d be, but if it came to that, I would be damned sure to put that kid’s interests before my own. I’d love him and take care of him to the best of my abilities. I’d protect him from all harm.”
“That’s all we ask,” Cat said, composing herself. She rubbed her palms over her face. “But still…think about it. Okay? We didn’t mean to freak you guys out. We were excited to tell you about the baby and we wanted to let you know where our heads were at as far as future guardianship was concerned. It was meant to be a happy announcement. Not this—”
“It is a happy announcement,” Beth leaped in with that reassurance and Gideon nodded in agreement. “Gideon and I may not get along, but we’re both really happy for you guys. Right?” Another agreeable nod from the man on her left. “We have that much in common, we love you guys. And we’re both going to adore your baby.”
“Probably the first time we’ve ever agreed on something, Lizzy-bit,” he said with an amiable grin. She hesitated for a moment, before returning his smile tentatively. Wanting to salvage this evening for her friends.
“So how long have two you been sitting on this news?” Beth asked.
“I suspected right after Christmas. Did a few home pregnancy tests in January which all came back positive. And had it confirmed by my gynie a couple of weeks ago. I was just on three months along at the end of February.”