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)
“What day is the appointment?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Will you promise to keep me posted?”
“Yes, of course.”
I could hear someone talking to him in the background.
“They’re calling me,” he said. “I have to go.”
“Okay,” I told him, relieved that this conversation was coming to an end. “Good luck on set today.”
“Thanks.”
Vera crept up behind me after I hung up. “You talking to the golden boy?”
I hoped she hadn’t heard anything I’d said to Robert. She’d slept through the kids leaving for school and had now rolled out of bed close to noon. Feeling anxious, I ignored her question and grabbed my purse to head out the door. “I’m leaving. I’ll be home before the kids get back.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Out for some air.” I slammed the door behind me.
As I headed outside, I pulled out my phone to call Mia.
She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Dev.”
“Are you busy for lunch?”
“I’m showing a client around the gallery but should be free soon.”
Weaving through people, I asked, “Can you meet me? I’ll come to you. Headed that direction now.”
“Sure. You sound frazzled. Are you okay?”
“I just need to talk.”
Mia met me at a restaurant down the street from her gallery. She strolled in about ten minutes after I’d grabbed a table. Her ass hadn’t even hit the seat before I blurted it out.
“Owen told me he loved me.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow…really?”
“He also said he wants to be with me, even if the baby isn’t his.”
She leaned her elbows against the table and smiled. “That’s a big move on his part.”
“I know.” I shook my head. “Robert said the same thing, but honestly, coming from him, it’s not the same. I feel like he’d say anything at this point to keep from losing me. He has this...strange attachment to me. Because I’m the one woman who cared about him before he was famous. I think he wants to keep me around because it makes him feel good. But he’s not capable of being true to me.”
She arched a brow. “And Owen? What are his intentions in telling you he loves you?”
I took a deep breath. “Owen thinks he’s in love with me.”
“You don’t think he’s actually in love with you?”
As much as I didn’t want to think about Vera right now, she was the first thing that came to mind when Mia asked that question.
“You know my mother has never once asked how I’m doing since she’s been back?”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Switch the conversation from Owen to your mother.”
“Because she’s the reason I’m afraid to lose people. Someone like Owen could destroy me, Mia. If I let myself fall in love with him, and this baby ends up not being his... I don’t know that he can handle that. He’ll end up leaving. Or maybe I’ll sabotage things because I’ll feel like he’d be better off in a different situation. But loving Owen and letting him love me back is about the scariest thing I can imagine.” I rubbed my stomach. “Scarier than this life growing inside of me.” I exhaled. “So yeah, my mind went to Vera. Because she was my first experience with how much it hurts when love goes bad.”
“I get it, Devyn.” Mia reached her hand out for mine. “But you have one life. You have to find a way not to let what your mother’s done ruin it. You’re dating a man who seems to love you. You could be carrying his child, and he says he wants to be with you no matter what. You have no reason to believe he’s going to hurt you. Look at the facts.”
Despite the logic of her words, I felt panic surging inside of me. “I need to know who the father is. That’s what it comes down to.”
“Why the rush? Because if Owen’s not the dad, you’re gonna walk away?”
“Wouldn’t that be the right thing for his sake?” I cried.
“Not if he loves you, no. The fact that he wants to be with you regardless says a lot. Through his actions, the man’s given you every reason to believe what he says. That’s what you need to go on.”
The waitress came by to ask if we wanted to start off with drinks. I’d never wished I could have a cocktail more than today. But alas, it would be plain seltzer for me.
After we were alone again, Mia smacked her hand on the table. “You know what I think you need?”
“What?”
“A break from all this analyzing. Try to put it out of your mind until the doctor’s appointment. Enjoy some time with Owen. Let him love on you. Try to accept it instead of pushing it away. Because you know what happens if you push hard enough?”
“What?”
“Eventually it works.”
I shut my eyes. “Thank you for taking time out of your day to meet me, Mia. I owe you for all of the times you’ve had to listen to my shit.”