“Just us? No work, no cell phones and no . . .” Her words trailed off.
Carter was frustrated. “C’mon, Elaina. I’m trying. I can’t be completely inaccessible.”
“You mean, you can’t go anywhere Harlem can’t reach you.”
“You know what. Fuck it. I’m going to work.” Carter turned and started to walk off.
“Wait!” Elaina called after him.
His own guilt stopped him from walking out the door. However, he didn’t turn around. “What, Elaina.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting, and I won’t be late.”
She spoke to the back of his head. “I can be ready to leave by three on Friday.”
He nodded. “Good, I’ll set it up.” Without a backward glance, Carter strode out of the door.
Elaina had a lot of work to do between then and now. The first item on her agenda was to make sure to grab an ovulation kit. She sipped her orange juice and mumbled to herself. “One way or another, I will even the playing field.”
Chapter 26
Harlem was just about to get ready for bed. However, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She turned to her side and stared at her body. A smile began to tug at the corners of her lips. She was barely showing, but there was a small baby bump.
Her phone rang, and she picked it up from the dresser. It was Carter. The past couple of months, he made a habit of calling her multiple times throughout the day and before bed. “What do you want, Carter?” Harlem tried to sound as if he was on her last nerve, but the truth was that she had grown fond of his phone calls.
He was working late. “You’re such a great actress. But not good enough to act like you don’t want to talk to me.”
“You’re so full of yourself.” Harlem’s grin widened as she got into bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m doing what most people are doing at this time of night. I’m winding down.”
“You mean slackers?” He laughed.
“Are you calling me a slacker? The woman who is incubating a whole human inside of her body?”
“You’re pulling that card, huh?”
“Until you can carry a baby, I will always pull it.”
“We need to set-up some rules. Otherwise, you’re going to win every damn argument.” Carter enjoyed their banter. Over the past couple of months, they had fallen into a comfortable place. Surprisingly, Harlem had been really easy to talk to.
“Exactly! Get used to it. Are you still at work?”
“Yeah. We’re prepping for that meeting with our shareholders tomorrow. When I leave, I’ll probably pick up a bite to eat and head home.”
“That’s right. I forgot your meeting is tomorrow. I guess you won’t be able to make it to my doctor’s appointment. I’m getting the ultrasound. Do you want to know the sex of the baby?”
Carter was slow to respond. Even though he was going through all the motions, Carter wasn’t quite sure how he felt about the whole baby thing.
Harlem heard the hesitancy in his voice. She was a little disappointed but understood. He wasn’t connected to the baby in the same way that she was. He was only going to be the father due to a technicality.
“I haven’t really thought much about it.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just play it by ear and see how I feel when I get there.”
“That’s surprising coming from you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“You’re the lady with the plans. Always.”
“Not always.” Her voice softened. “A lot has changed. I’m doing my best not to take everything so seriously and to be present in the moment. You never know . . .”
Harlem didn’t need to finish her sentence. Carter knew it would have ended with something like–you never know if it might be your last. He refused to go to that somber place that’s always just underneath the surface. Instead, he brought the conversation back around to the point of his phone call. “What makes you think I won’t be at the appointment? It’s at one-thirty, right?”
“Mmhmm. I just figured since it’ll be a lot of running around, you might have to cut something out. Plus, you’ve been keeping really late hours. Not quite sure when you sleep. You’ve got to be exhausted.”
“Is that concern? Are you worried about me?”
“Oh, my.” Harlem laughed. “Where on earth would you get a crazy idea like that?”
Carter didn’t want to admit it, but he liked the idea that Harlem might think of him in ways other than just being the sperm donor. “My meeting will be over by ten. I’ll pick you up around a quarter to one, and we can ride over together.”
“You don’t have to pick me up. I can meet you there. It’ll be one less thing you have to do.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Carter, I know the last couple of weeks you’ve been burning it at both ends preparing for this meeting. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself to the doctor. You don’t have to be all things to everyone–especially me. Contrary to what you might think, you’re not Superman. And, isn’t tomorrow Elaina’s birthday?”
“Shit.” He sat up in his chair.
“Oh, God. You didn’t.”
“I did. Do I get points for remembering Valentine’s Day?”
“NO! That’s the day after her birthday. Sheesh. Did I ever tell you that you suck as a boyfriend?”
“I’ve always known that.”
“You still have time to have your assistant arrange something great.”
“Actually, I’m thinking of ending things with Elaina.”
Harlem wasn’t surprised. It had become obvious to anyone with eyes that Carter wasn’t really that into her. Harlem pretended to be blind. “Why? I
