Page 38 of Biker Orc Baby Daddy

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And now— Now everything's different.

My phone illuminates in my pocket. I pull it out.

Colum:Hey. You okay?

I read the message.

Type:Fine.

Delete it.

Type:Need a minute.

Delete that too.

Finally:Talk later.

Send.

Another buzz. Immediate.

Colum:Gunther's freaking out. Just FYI.

I don't respond.

Just shove the phone back in my pocket and start walking again.

This time, I head for Sparkle Beauty.

The shop'sexactly how I left it.

Glitter on the floor. Beard oil boxes stacked in the corner. Displays half-finished.

I lock the door behind me. Flip the sign to CLOSED.

Then I sink onto the floor, back against the counter, and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

Orry wakes up. Blinks at me with those impossibly green eyes.

"Hey, baby."

He grins. Dimple. Right cheek. Just like his father.His father.The words feel surreal.

For nine months, Orry's father has been a ghost. A what-if. A man I invented in my head to fill the gaps.

Now he's— Real. Solid. Wearing a pocket protector.

I start laughing. Can't help it. It's absurd. All of it.

The one-night stand. The fake names. The nine-month gap. Themuffins.I brought muffins to my son's father and didn't even know it.

Orry watches me, solemn. Then he laughs too. Not because he understands. Just because I'm laughing and that's enough.

I pull him out of the carrier, settle him in my lap. He grabs my nose. Squeezes.

"Ow."

He giggles.

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