Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26677 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26677 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
I shake my head.
“You’re completely missing the point because it’s not about you and me anymore, Elsa. My relationship with Chelsea is very real, and I want to be with her like a normal couple. I want to be there for your daughter throughout the rest of her pregnancy, and I want to take care of her and the baby once he arrives.”
Elsa stares at her daughter, then to me, and then back to Chelsea.
“Are you serious?”
That’s when I decide to double down. My fists clench as I glare at the older woman.
“Yes. I want to wake up with Chelsea in my arms in the morning, and go to sleep with her in my arms at night. I want us to forget all about this stupid free use arrangement and to start our relationship over from scratch because it isn’t about unlimited access anymore. All that no-strings-attached bullshit is completely meaningless because it’s the real thing now: love. I’m in love with your daughter.”
With that, I hear a small cry from Chelsea’s part of the room, and sure enough, there are tears in her eyes. But right now, I have to deal with her mother.
“Mason, you’ve lost your mind,” Elsa whines, jiggling her tits at me once more. “I mean, look at these girls. You can’t tell me you don’t want this! You can’t tell me–”
I cut her off.
“I absolutely don’t want it. I want Chelsea.”
At that, a loud scream cuts through the room, making both of us stop and stare. My gorgeous girlfriend has a look of horror on her face, and she’s clutching her belly with both hands.
“Is it the baby?” I ask, suddenly alarmed. “Oh shit!”
But Chelsea can’t speak as another pained cry rips from her throat, and suddenly, I know that the pedal’s hit the metal. It’s go-time, and there’s no holding me, or the baby, back.
10
CHELSEA
I groan as an unrelenting beeping sound penetrates the gray fog in my brain. What is that? It becomes louder and louder, and finally with another loud groan, I open my eyes. Where am I? There are bright fluorescents overhead, and everything seems to be white, including the walls, floor, furniture, and the bed.
Then everything starts to come back all at once. One minute I’d been enjoying myself with my latest romance novel, and the next, my mom busted in and took off her clothes while dancing around for Mason. Right in front of me.
Gross.
Bile rises in my throat because maybe Elsa looked better than she has in years, but still, I can’t believe she did that. What kind of mother does a sexy striptease in front of her daughter? And why did she think that she could just suddenly pop in and reclaim Mason like he’s a piece of furniture?
It’s too much for me to think about right now. I moan as I squeeze my eyes shut even tighter, trying to fight off the terrible headache that’s pounding right behind my eyes. Suddenly, a large, rough hand seizes mind and I feel, rather than see, someone leaning over me.
“You okay, baby?” Mason rasps. “You had us worried there for a moment.”
I manage to peek through my lashes even if the bright lights aggravate my headache.
“Mason, what’s going on? The baby–?”
“Shh,” he hushes gently, urging me to relax even as I try to sit up. “It’s fine, sweetheart. The baby’s still in there, and he’s resting peacefully. You just had a bit of a shock, that’s all, which sent us to the emergency room but nothing is wrong. You’re healthy, and so is he.”
I nod somberly, still wincing a bit from the light.
“Good, I’m glad. But where’s my mom? Did she come to the hospital too?”
Mason lets out a bark of laughter.
“Hell no, over my dead body. That woman’s off her rocker, and she’s already done enough damage. I’m not letting her within twenty feet of you while you’re pregnant.”
I wince again.
“But did she accept the end of your free use relationship? Last I remember, she was still dancing. Or is the whole thing still up in the air?”
He shrugs. “It’s not up in the air. I made it clear that anything between her and me is over, but yeah, you’re right, baby. I don’t know if Elsa really digested the rejection. She was obviously really caught up in her seduction scene, not to mention flaunting her new body. I don’t know. Give it time though. My words have to sink in at some point.”
“Yikes,” I mutter. “What a nightmare.”
My boyfriend chuckles low in his throat.
“Yikes is right,” he agrees. “It was an unholy mess, and that’s putting it lightly, of course. But there are more important things,” he adds. “When you started having contractions, we rushed straight to the hospital without a second thought about the free use shit. You were in pain, baby, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop us from getting you into urgent care.”