Good Girls Have Secrets

Chapter 23

Not bothering to check how I look before Facetime Will, I think through what I'll say to him. He doesn't answer. I keep calling over and over.

Finally, after about the twentieth time, his furious face appears on the screen, "What!" He shouts into the phone. Noticing that his shirt is barely buttoned, it appears he just got out of bed.

Riddled with jealousy, I accuse him, "You were in bed with someone. You don't sleep in. It's 11 there."

"That's none of your business." He gives me a smug smile.

Hearing a familiar voice, I'm going out of my mind. "Is Allie at your house? I know that's her voice."

"You're insane. No one is at my house." His sly smile gives him away. He'll never admit she's there, but I'll find a way to prove it.

"Why do you look like you just got up?"

"Again, none of your business."

Wondering if Allie and Xavier broke up, or if she's cheating on him with Will. Trying to get information, I ask, "What have you been up to since you got home? Have you had any bonfires at the beach with everyone? I miss those."

When he shifts, I notice a pink lipstick stain on the collar of his shirt. "No. The weather hasn't been great, so we've been going to my parents place instead."

Looking at the chair he's sitting in, I realize he's at the beach house now. I whine, "Show me the ocean. I haven't seen it in months."

As he walks to the deck, over his shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Allie's purse on the kitchen counter. Flipping the phone around, the sound of the wind and the view of the sand makes me homesick. I miss my life.

When his face appears again, he's flipped to a cold businesslike expression. "The DNA test is underway. I expect the results in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. My mother paid to expedite the process."

The way he says mother makes my skin crawl. I snap, "Caris is sick. It has to do with low blood pressure or something. The doctors are running tests, so we'll know more this afternoon."

His expression hardens. "I didn't agree to that name."

"I don't care. You're not here, so I'll decide" I want to add that I'm the one doing all the work, while he's hooking up with one of my best friends.

"That's not how it works, but I'll let our lawyers sort it out." His tone is cold. "My mother wants her to live full time at the estate. She said she'll set you up in an apartment, so you have a suitable place to live, and you can have the baby every other weekend."

"I don't care what your mother wants. CARIS. MY. BABY. will be with me."

"We'll see." His tone tells me he thinks he'll get his way. Paying my living expenses will mean I have to play by his rules.

Inspiration hits me. "Who says I'm coming back? I have a job lined up at an amazing company this summer. You'll have to come here to see her."

"That won't happen. She'll live here in California."

Part of me knows he's right. His family can give her everything, from the best care to schools, everything I can't. I have a little bit of savings and school loans. What do I have to offer?

"You don't seem to grasp the level of her health issues. Her low blood pressure is harming her organs. She might not live through it." The words catch in my throat.

Pacing around the room, he waves me off. "I'll call the hospital and get an update myself."

"Not if I tell them they can't release information to you. You aren't on the birth certificate yet. She has my last name." I didn't plan on telling him, but he deserves it.