Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“Eeep!” She held open her arms. “I get to tattoo a virgin and meet your best friend! I’m so excited.”
Mia swamped Billie in a hug. “So am I! I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for taking care of my girl.”
Billie laughed. “It’s been my pleasure. Not that there’s been much for me to do, other than lend an ear.” She locked the front door behind us. “We don’t open until ten, but people tend to wander in off the street if I leave it open. Come on back. I picked us up some coffees on my way in.” She winked at me. “Decaffeinated for you, of course.”
Mia and I followed Billie from the reception area to the studio. Two steps in, Mia gawked wide-eyed at the walls. “Oh my God. This artwork is ah-mazing. Who painted these?”
Billie bit down on her bottom lip. “I did.”
Mia’s eyes bulged. She wandered over for a closer look. “Holy shit. Have you ever shown your work?”
“Only when my mother harasses me. She runs a gallery here in the city.”
“Which one?”
“It’s called The Holland Gallery.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open. “The one owned by Renee Holland?”
“That’s the one.”
“Wow. That’s a prestigious gallery. Though I hear the owner’s a real bitch to work for.”
Billie grinned. “She is. Even more of a bitch to be a daughter for.”
Mia covered her mouth. “Oh my God. Renee Holland is your mother? I’m so sorry. You said she runs the gallery, and I just thought…”
Billie was completely unfazed. She waved Mia off with a chuckle. “Don’t be sorry. You’re not wrong. My mother is a raging bitch.”
“She’s discovered so many up-and-coming artists. She’s legendary in the art world. Artists do one little show with her, and they can add an extra zero to their price tag.”
“She has a good eye. I’ll give her that,” Billie said. “People and parenting skills…not so much.”
Mia shook her head as she stared at the walls. “Well, I’m no Renee Holland, but if you ever want to do a show with me, I’d love to host you. I’m opening a new gallery for The Renshaw Group. Maybe you’ve heard of them?”
“Yeah, of course. They’re big on the West Coast.”
“Hopefully big on the East Coast soon, too. Thanks to me.”
Billie smiled. “So how are you feeling about your first tattoo? Do you want me to get started right away, or do you prefer to have your coffee first? I know some people are anxious and would rather jump right into things.”
“I’d rather hang for a bit. Enjoy the coffee and company, if you have time.”
“Not a problem. There’s no rush. I don’t have my first appointment until noon.” Billie looked at me. “How are you feeling, momma?”
“Pretty good. Thanks.”
“No more issues since the night of the wedding?”
I shook my head and peeled back the plastic tab on my decaf. “No, thank God. It’s been three days now and no cramping or bleeding. I know the doctor said it’s normal to have some light spotting, but it definitely doesn’t feel normal when it happens.”
Billie nodded. “I’ve been keeping in touch with Owen to see how you are. I didn’t want to bug you.”
“I know. He told me. Thank you for checking in. We both really appreciate it.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you talk to the doctor yet about paternity tests?”
I shook my head. “My next appointment is a week from tomorrow. I figured I’d do it then.”
“Mav’s sleep schedule has been off lately. He’s been waking up in the middle of the night. I give him a binky to suck on, and he usually falls back asleep right away, but then it takes me hours. Which means I’ve been watching random TV shows in the middle of the night. One of them was a talk show about a woman who was sleeping with twin brothers and wasn’t sure which was her baby daddy to be.”
“Oh my,” I said. “And I thought my predicament was bad…”
“I know, right? Anyway, I got sucked into the show last night because I needed to know if Brandon or Landon was the daddy. When the host announced the paternity results, he said they were ninety-nine-point-nine-percent accurate, so I assumed the woman had an amnio. But at the end of the show, they did a commercial for their sponsor—the one who had done the paternity test. It said the test was noninvasive. Obviously an amnio is pretty invasive, so I was curious and looked it up. Apparently they can now test for paternity with a blood test and a cotton swab of the inside of the mouth. And it can be done as early as seven weeks.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
Billie nodded. “I wrote down the name of the test. The commercial said it only takes two days to get results, and they’re even approved for use by courts to prove paternity.”