So Toxic(Bad Boy Next Door Book 4)(200)

SIXTEEN





Mom’s right.

Ronnie’s pregnant.

My chest tightens, but I don’t know whether it’s excitement or stress.

It has to be my baby. Doesn’t it? It hasn’t been long enough for her to know she’s pregnant, if it’s Dave’s. Has it?

Fucking Dave.

No. She has to be carrying my baby.

While Bianca dabs my face with powder so I don’t wash out under the lights, I hold my phone to the side and search online. Mom said she met Ronnie in the bathroom right after Ronnie vomited.

I type into the search bar: How far along in a pregnancy does morning sickness start?

I scroll through the first few of the six-hundred and ten thousand results. All four of the ones I read say six weeks.

That would put conception at sometime the week before New Years. “Ha! I knew it.”

I grab Bianca and give her a big kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, but that’s enough for today. I have to go.”

I pull away from Bianca, snatching the little tissue tucked into my collar and tossing it in the bin. As I head out the door, energy fills me. I take a couple of punches at the air before I go for the knockout swing. My chest puffs out, and suddenly the world is a better place.

I can fix this. I have to make this right. She has to know that baby’s mine. That the baby is ours. Together.

God, please let me make this right.

I go straight for the greenroom, but Cindy catches me. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you. You’re on in two. C’mon. I’ve got Ronnie all queued up and waiting in the wings.”

My elation grows. “Good. Perfect. I’ll see her on-set then.”

With a spring in my step, I pull my note cards from my jacket pocket. Good. This is excellent. What makes a good partner? That he’s the father of your child. Check.

The studio audience claps and whistles as I take the stage. A couple of good jokes with a badum-ching at the punch lines. The house band plays a song, while I work the crowd. Finally, I take the seat at my desk.

My heart races like it hasn’t done since the first time I took the stage in front of live spectators. I tug at my collar.

“Well, here we are, folks. The week before Valentine’s Day. If you recall, I had a guest duo on not long before Christmas, one of which is a love expert who’s written this fantastic book titled Decoding the Man in Your Life.” I hold up a copy of the book. “Ms. Ronnie Fitz, whom I dubbed Love ‘Em, is a brilliant young woman, and we’re very lucky to have her with us again this evening.”

I move to the edge of the curtain. Offstage, Ronnie wrings her hands. Her hair curls wildly about her head. The red dress compliments her skin. And she’s carrying our baby. She’s fucking gorgeous.

My breath catches. I can imagine how beautiful she’ll look carrying our child. How amazing her tits will be when she’s breastfeeding.

I hold out my hand, hoping she’ll take it for more than just a trip to the chair on stage. Ronnie looks at the floor as she comes toward me.

My smile kicks up a notch as she lays her hand in mine. I whisper, “No tripping into my arms this time?”

She bites her lips instead of smiling. I want to bite those lips again too—soon.

I escort Ronnie to her seat and take my own.

I pull out my note cards, tapping them on the desk to straighten them.

I look into the camera positioned in the center aisle. “Now, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when first introduced to Ms. Fitz’s concepts and theories.”

“However, over the last few weeks, I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom within these pages.” I turn to Ronnie as I tap the cover of the book.

Her eyes are wide, her mouth a bit agape. I wink with the eye not facing the camera.

She gives a slight shake of her head and smiles. “Wow, that’s high praise indeed. Thank you for having me on the show.”

I run my finger across her name, where it’s imprinted on the cover of her book. “Since you’re here and we’re so close to the big day for lovers, let’s talk a bit about traits women should look for in their future mates.”

“Jackson, I’m so glad you brought that up.” Her voice is—wrong. She folds her hands together over her knees and looks into the camera on my left. “Actually, I’ve been doing a bit of thinking lately about those positive traits.”

A sense of foreboding sinks into my stomach like an egg settling into an old nest, starting to rot. “And what have you been thinking?”

I want so badly to grab her by her shoulders and kiss those full lips, drag her off stage, and put all of this behind us.

A twinkle comes into her eye—somehow this doesn’t seem like a good thing. “The thing is, women need to not only know what to look for as far as positives, but they also need to be aware of some negatives that they should avoid in a long-term relationship.”