The Anti-Boyfriend(41)



“That’s too bad. The baby is so young to not have a father around. Especially given her condition. It’s such a shame.”

My body stiffened. Then a rush of adrenaline ran through my veins. “Why a shame?”

“You know…”

My tone was harsh. “No, I don’t. Why is it a shame?”

“The fact that the baby has something wrong with her.”

My blood started to boil. “There’s nothing wrong with her.” I gritted my teeth. “Nothing. Do you understand?”

“Jesus. I didn’t mean any harm.”

“She might look a little different, but there’s nothing wrong with Sunny. It’s time people like you started realizing that. She’s just like any other baby. And happier than most people. There’s no reason she can’t grow up to be just like any other adult. She has an extra chromosome. That’s it.”

“Okay.” She held out her palms. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“You didn’t. I just felt I should educate you on that.”

Her voice softened. ‘Understood.”

Things went quiet for several minutes before Kendra escaped to the bathroom.

I felt a little bad for snapping at her, but I understood Carys’s frustration now. Down’s didn’t have any impact on who Sunny was, only how people saw her.



*



Kendra and I watched a movie in silence, and it was early evening by the time we even spoke to each other again.

After we shut off the TV, she took me by the hand and led me to my bedroom. We hadn’t had sex in a while, and she’d given me every indication earlier today that her expectations were set on getting some. But I didn’t know if I could go through with it. Not only was I not feeling it tonight, but how would I deal with Kendra making noises Carys could hear? No freaking way was I going to put Carys in that position. But if I was serious about moving on, I couldn’t stay celibate forever.

When Kendra and I started kissing, it felt…off.

Then the sound of crying next door killed any last shred of hope. Even though my bed was now on the opposite end of the room, away from Carys’s wall, I was still able to hear Sunny pretty clearly.

After I pushed back, Kendra rolled her eyes. “Well, this is déjà vu.”

I sighed. “Yeah. I suppose it is.”

“What…does that baby have a radar that detects whenever we’re about to have sex?”

“I know. It’s pretty funny,” I said.

She crossed her arms in a huff. “I don’t think it’s funny at all. Glad you do.”

Kendra was probably more pissed that I found the timing amusing than the interruption itself.

“You know what?” She hopped off the bed. “I need to leave.”

“You’re gonna leave because the baby’s crying?”

“No, Deacon. I’m leaving because you find this funny—that our privacy doesn’t really matter to you. I’m also leaving because you reamed me a new asshole earlier for feeling sorry for that poor little baby.”

Remaining silent, I didn’t try to convince her to stay as I followed her out of the room. I watched as she slipped on her shoes.

She threw her coat over her shoulders dramatically. “Call me when you’re ready to stop laughing at me or reprimanding me.” She slammed the door behind her.

I was a dick, because as upset as she was, it didn’t really faze me. In fact, her leaving was a relief. Continuing to see Kendra had been more about trying to move on from Carys than anything else. Kendra was merely a distraction, and she deserved more than that. So let her be mad, and let her find someone else to spend her time with.

I had bigger fish to fry tonight. I really wanted to go next door to see if Carys needed anything. Sunny was still crying, and when I heard the Bee Gees playing and realized that hadn’t calmed her down, I decided that was my cue.

My heart raced as I went next door. I’d use returning the binky as my official excuse.

When she opened, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I had expected Carys to look flustered or disheveled after Sunny’s meltdown. Instead, she wore a black sequin dress and looked like a million bucks.

She’s going out?

Carys was out of breath as she stood there, holding a crying Sunny. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Are you heading out?”

Instead of answering my question, she blew air up toward her forehead. “What do you want, Deacon?”

Nice to see you, too.

I held up the pacifier and wiggled it between my fingers. “I wanted to return this. Found it on my floor. I probably should’ve washed it but figured you’d throw it in the dishwasher. Not sure of the proper way to sanitize these things.”

She nodded once. The fact that she was still cold toward me wasn’t a surprise. I knew seeing me with Kendra the other day must have sucked. But the fact of the matter? That was exactly what I was aiming for. I was trying to get over Carys and hoping she’d see things were “back to normal,” back to the way they were before I’d royally fucked up.

Sunny kicked her legs, seeming to want out of Carys’s arms.

I reached out. “May I?”

Carys looked down at Sunny, then back at me, as if accepting my offer wasn’t an easy decision. But eventually, she handed Sunny over.

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