Porter

  I turn my head when the doctor pulls back the sheet to examine Charlotte. She squeezes my hand and looks up at me. It’s real fear I see there.

  “Your cervix is soft and dilated about a fingertip. That’s not okay for someone at twenty weeks’ gestation. I’m going to admit you to the hospital and monitor you to see what’s going on.”

  “Am I losing the baby?”

  “A lot more would need to happen for you to deliver. That’s why I’m putting you in to be monitored. I want to make sure nothing further happens. And if it does, we’ll need to stop it.”

  Charlotte bursts into tears. “I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew she was going to upset me so much that something was going to go wrong.”

  “Who upset you?”

  “Frankee.”

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. “You’ve had no contact with her in almost two months. How could she possibly have upset you?”

  “She won’t let you take my calls.”

  “That has nothing to do with her.”

  “She’s trying to keep you from being a part of the baby’s life.”

  She has no idea that the only reason I’m here is because of Frankee. “I didn’t want to come today, but she told me I needed to.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you believe it or not.”

  “Seriously? I’m lying here pregnant with your baby, and I may be in preterm labor and you’re talking to me like that?”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “I want you. I want you to want me. And I want you to want our baby so we can be a family. The family I never had.”

  She is delusional.

  “I’ve already told you that I love Frankee. She’s the one thing I want and love most in this world. That isn’t going to change because you’re pregnant with my baby.”

  Charlotte releases my hand as though it’s burned her. “You are such an asshole.”

  We fucked once. I didn’t even know her name when she came to tell me about the baby. Why does she believe I’m going to drop everything in my life to be with her?

  A nurse comes into the exam room. “Honey, I’m going to move you to a room in labor and delivery.”

  Charlotte is sobbing and wailing the whole way to the room. Everybody we pass is looking at her. And then at me.

  Several nurses come into her room, each doing something different to her—which causes even more sobbing and wailing.

  What a shit show.

  Porter: Not sure what’s going on.

  Porter: They’ve admitted Charlotte to the hospital because she may be in preterm labor.

  Frankee immediately calls. “What’s happening?”

  “The doctor admitted her to the hospital because her cervix was dilated a little bit.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “They want to monitor her to make sure she isn’t in preterm labor. And if she is, they’ll need to stop it.”

  A pillow slams against the side of my head, causing me to drop my phone. “You’re seriously talking to her while I’m over here going through all of this? When it’s all her fault?” She’s shouting so loudly they can probably hear her in the waiting room.

  “Stop it, Charlotte.”

  I see the nurses looking at one another. Wondering. Assuming. Judging.

  Presuming I’m a cheating asshole. And it fucking bugs me.

  I pick up my phone and walk toward the door. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I say nothing as I step into the hallway. “Porter, are you still there?”

  “Baby, this is a fucking mess up in here.”

  “I heard what she said. What is she talking about?”

  I was hoping she hadn’t heard that. “She’s blaming you for putting her into preterm labor.”

  “What the actual fuck? I haven’t seen or spoken to her in two months.”

  “We’re not dealing with a reasonable person.”

  “That’s becoming more and more apparent. So what happens now?”

  “I guess we see if she’s in preterm labor and go from there.”

  “Does that mean you have to stay with her?”

  “I don’t know. What is my responsibility to her in this situation?”

  “You may be her baby’s father, but you’re basically a stranger. I would think she’d want her family and friends to be with her.”

  “Under normal circumstances, I would think so too, but I’m not sure with her.”

  “I guess you’re not coming back to work right now. What do you want me to tell people?”

  “Let’s just say I went home sick.” That’s not entirely a lie. I feel like I want to puke.

  I’m beginning to see this for what it really is. A situation that is far more fucked up than I originally thought.

  Frankee is sitting on my living room couch when I come home. I go to her without saying a word and wrap my arms around her. We stay like that for at least five minutes, and I enjoy the calm she instills in me.

  So different from the yelling and bellowing I’ve listened to all day.

  “I’m so fucked, Frankee.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I think something is wrong with that woman.”

  “Like what?”

  “It’s as though everything she does is to gain attention and put on a show for someone. Every reaction is over-the-top extreme. And I’m having a baby with her. I’m stuck with that for the rest of my fucking life.”

  It nearly sends me into a state of panic when I consider the reality of it.

  “Do you think she has some kind of personality disorder or something like that?”

  “Odds are good, but I’ve figured out one thing for sure today. She’s obsessed with having me and obsessed with needing you to be out of the picture.”

  “That’s not new.”

  I haven’t told Frankee all the crazy, bizarre, extreme things she has said. “It’s new in that I had no idea how severe it was. It’s not rational. It’s disturbing. Like a Lifetime movie kind of disturbing.”

  “One conversation and I knew. She’s going to be a huge problem whether we allow it or not.”

  “I can’t believe I was with her. Fuck, I could kick myself in the ass.” I squeeze Frankee. “Baby, I am so sorry that I have brought this woman into our lives.”

  “What’s done is done. Now we have to figure out how to deal with her.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “Have they determined if she’s having preterm labor or not?”

  “She was having some irregular contractions, and they gave her medicine to stop them. The doctor says that if they get it under control, she’ll be discharged from the hospital but could be on bed rest until she reaches full term. You don’t even want to know what she said about that.”

  “You can’t say that and then not tell me.”

  “Her claim is that if she’s on bed rest, then she can’t work, and if she can’t work, she can’t pay her rent.”

  “Does that mean she wants money from you?”

  “No.” Frankee is going to blow her top. “She wants to move in with me.”

  “Ohhh… fuck that! She can get that idea out of her head right now.”

  “She’s going to milk this for everything she can. I’m going to have a huge problem on my hands when she’s discharged from the hospital.” This truly is a clusterfuck.

  “There’s no way she’s moving in here.”

  “I told her I would pay her rent if she went on bed rest. Which sucks because I don’t even know for sure that this baby is mine. But that’s not enough for her. She says she’s going to need me to take care of her.”

  “Like how?”

  “Making sure she’s entertained and comfortable and well-fed and stress-free. Oh, and helping her shower and change clothes.”

  “Did she ask you to give her orgasms as well?”

  “I don’t think I can go back
up there and deal with her.” It’s too fucking much.

  “You don’t have to. She’s in the hospital where a very capable medical staff is taking care of her and the baby. There’s nothing you can do anyway but sit there.”

  “Which is what I think she expects.”

  “You haven’t told me if it’s a boy or a girl.”

  I know Frankee wants a girl when she has a baby. I sort of hate telling her.

  “A girl.”

  “Does the thought of having a baby girl make you happy?”

  “It would if you were her mother.”

  “But I’m not.”

  She’s definitely not. But I want her to be one day.

  “You cannot leave me here alone.”

  “You don’t have to work; I’m paying your bills. Your refrigerator is full of food. All of your prescriptions have been filled. You’re fine.”

  “I’m on bed rest. I can’t be alone.”

  “You’re on modified bed rest. Your doctor said you can go back and forth between the couch and bed and you’re able to shower every day and go to the bathroom on your own. There is no need for me to be here.”

  “I want to move in with you.”

  She’s beating a dead horse. It’s fucking decapitated because she won’t leave it alone.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Because she’s there!”

  “No. Because I’m there. I don’t want you in my house.”

  “But you want her in your house.”

  “Yes. I want her in my house. I want her in my bed. I want her, period.”

  Charlotte slides to the edge of the bed and pulls her gown up her thighs. “You rather have her when I’ll let you fuck me any way you want? Even if I let you fuck me in the ass like before?”

  I did not fuck her in the ass. That is not my thing. “You have me confused with someone else.”

  “I remember it well.”

  Someone else stretched that one out. It wasn’t me.

  “Doesn’t matter. You have nothing that interests me. Frankee’s the only woman for me.”

  “You weren’t saying that when your cock was buried inside me.”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

  “Why can’t you see that we could be a happy family? You. Me. And Katherine.”

  “Katherine?”

  “Yes. I want to name our daughter Katherine after your mother.”

  “How do you know my mother’s name?”

  “I know lots of things.”

  “You’re creepy as fuck.”

  “Don’t ever call me creepy!” she screams.

  I turn and say nothing else before walking out the door.

  My phone alerts me to another text from Charlotte.

  Charlotte: I need you to come see me.

  Porter: I have a job. I’m working.

  Charlotte: Come after work.

  Porter: No.

  Charlotte: Why not?

  Porter: I don’t want to.

  Charlotte: Because of her.

  Porter: Yes. Because of her.

  Porter: Stop texting me.

  “Is that her again?”

  “Isn’t it always?”

  Charlotte is annoying as fuck, but nothing she’s done is illegal. I can’t file any kind of complaint or restraining order against a pregnant woman on bed rest. Especially when she’s pregnant with my child and dependent upon me to drive her to the doctor because she has no one else who will do it. Not even her low-down, sorry mother.

  “Power off your phone for a little while. If someone needs you, they’ll call the front desk and Molly will transfer them.”

  If I want to keep my sanity, I’m going to have to turn off all communication with her for a while.

  I toss my phone on the desk after the screen goes black. “Done.”

  Frankee comes to me and tugs on my hands. “Come on. Let’s go to the condo and I’ll help you decompress from this pressure and anxiety you’re feeling.”

  “Yeah, let’s do that.”

  Frankee wraps her arms around me from behind while I put the key in the deadbolt. She slides her hand into the front of my jeans and grasps my cock, sliding up and down my length. “Mmm… damn, girl. That feels good.”

  “An all-natural stress reliever.”

  “Ooh, yeah.”

  I push the door open and turn so she’s in my arms. I grab her waist, pulling her hard against me, and we stumble through the doorway. “I want you in my bed right now.”

  “No other place I’d rather be.”

  I walk backward, kissing her the whole way while removing our clothes. We’re both naked by the time we make it to the bed. “I need to be in control, Frankee.”

  My life is spiraling out of control. I need to take charge where I can.

  “Anything you want.”

  “Get up there. Hands and knees.”

  She crawls onto the bed, and I can’t resist smacking her naked ass. “Face the headboard.”

  I crawl over her from behind when she’s in place and press my lips to the back of her neck, scattering kisses on her skin. My teeth graze the skin there, and chills erupt over her body.

  She’s squirming beneath me, rubbing her ass from side to side against my erection. I smack her ass again to remind her. “I’m in control.”

  She giggles. “Yes, sir.”

  Yes, sir. I like that a lot.

  “Who do you belong to?”

  “You. I’m yours, Porter. Always.”

  I place a kiss against her shoulder. “Mmm… you’re so precious to me, Frankee. My treasure. But I’m about to fuck you so hard.”

  “Just what a girl wants to hear.”

  We both simultaneously jolt at the sound of Charlotte’s voice. Frankee dives toward the head of the bed to yank the sheet over both of us. “How the fuck did you get in here?”

  Shock. Disbelief. Fury. Those are the words that come to mind when I try to describe’s Frankee’s expression right now.

  Frankee lies on her back and stares at the ceiling. “I cannot believe this.”

  “I said how the fuck did you get in here?”

  “The door was unlocked.”

  “Why are you at my condo after I’ve told you never to come here again?”

  “You stopped returning my texts. I called the brewery, and Molly told me you’d stepped out. I thought I’d try here. But I wouldn’t have if I’d known you were fucking her.” Charlotte screams the last two words “fucking her” so loudly that I’m sure everyone in the building heard her.

  “You can’t just walk into my house.”

  “You let her.”

  “Because she’s my girlfriend. What part of that do you not understand?” This is dumb. So fucking dumb. I shouldn’t have to keep telling her this over and over.

  “I’m the mother of your child. That trumps girlfriend.”

  “No, it doesn’t, and it never will. You need to leave. Now.”

  “I can’t. I’m so upset now that I’m having contractions. I need to lie down.”

  Frankee lifts her head and looks at Charlotte. Her expression says make one move toward this bed and I will beat the hell out of you, pregnant or not.

  “You’re having contractions because you’re supposed to be at home on the couch and not out running around.”

  “I had no choice. You wouldn’t text me or answer my calls.”

  I’m struggling with deciding if Charlotte is crazy or dumb. Because none of her decisions make sense.

  “How did you get here?”

  “Taxi.”

  “You’re not staying here. We’re taking you home, and you’re going to get on the couch and keep your ass there.”

  “She’s not coming.”

  “She is coming. Because I’m done being alone with you after that last stunt you tried to pull.”

  That gains Frankee’s full attention. “What stunt?”

  I didn’t want to tell her about Charlotte trying to tempt me with s
ex, but we’re approaching a point where I have no choice. I’m not sure what she’ll try with me. “You and I will talk about that after we drop her off.”

  Charlotte laughs. “Porter loved fucking me in the ass. He said he’d never had his cock squeezed so tight before. I told him he could fuck it again if he wanted. Anytime. It’s an open-ended offer.”

  Frankee looks at me and I shake my head. “I swear that did not happen.”

  “Oh, Frankee. Does he not do that with you? Because you’re not much of a girlfriend if you’re not giving him the backdoor action he needs. It’s what he loves.”

  Frankee leaves the bedroom, collecting her clothes from the floor, with me close on her heels. “Stop, baby.”

  I grasp her arms and hold her in place. “Don’t let her get to you. You know she’s crazy.”

  “She may be crazy. But at this rate I may very well be crazy too by the time this baby is born.”

  “She sees you get upset and she interprets that as a weakness in our relationship. I know you’re pissed off, but we have to show her that she hasn’t found a way to breach our walls. That our love is as strong as it’s ever been.”

  “I know. I know. You’re right.”

  Frankee yanks her clothes on while walking to the bedroom door. “Hey clusterfuck. Get your ass in the truck. We’re taking you back to tu casa.”

  It’s Ava and Dillyn’s last weekend in Tuscaloosa before they move to Austin. There’s no way I’d let my besties leave without spending time with them, but I feel so guilty for leaving Porter behind to deal with clusterfuck.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?”

  “I like Ava and Dillyn but this should be a girls’ weekend.”

  “They won’t mind if you come. I promise.”

  “It’s okay. I haven’t done anything with Tap and Stout in a while. Maybe I’ll get together with them.”

  It’s been two weeks since Charlotte’s last stunt. We’re due for another shenanigan at any time. “I’m a little afraid of what clusterfuck will try to pull while I’m gone.”

  “Don’t worry. I can handle anything she throws my way.”