Page 125 of The Defender

I didn’t have baby fever, but I ached for the unconditional love that babies had for their parents. To them, their mom and dad were their whole world.

Sometimes, I secretly resented him for being the apple of our mother’s eye when she hadn’t cared much for me since the day I was born. But when I saw him, all those resentments went away. It wasn’t fair of me to wish the same type of childhood I’d had on him, and I truly hoped he got the best version of her because I hadn’t.

“You should stay with us,” Harry said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “There’s no reason to pay for a hotel when we have room here. Charlie’ll love having you around.”

“Harry, stop pressuring her,” my mother admonished. “She’s already settled into her hotel. Aren’t you, darling?”

“Sure.”

“See? She’ll enjoy the peace and quiet there more than this chaos.” She waved her hand around the foyer. Other than our conversation and Charlie’s babbles, it was utterly silent. “We’llhave people coming in and out all weekend—you know we’re installing new tiles in the guest bathrooms—and Charlie still cries through the night. Brooklyn would sleep so much better at a hotel.”

“Wow. That’s so thoughtful of you,” I deadpanned.

I caught a small smirk on Harry’s face before he covered it up with a cough.

The sarcasm passed over my mother’s head. “Something’s different.” She tilted her head, her blue eyes narrowing into slits. “You have a special glow to you. Are you dating someone?”

My mom was as self-centered as they came, but she had an unparalleled nose for detecting new relationships.

“I am,” I admitted. “It’s pretty new. Really new, actually, but you might’ve heard of?—”

“No, not there!” she snapped. I followed her gaze to where the housekeeper had entered the foyer with a vase of lilies. “Lilies go in the living room. Hydrangeas go in the foyer. Swap them, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The other woman left as quickly as she’d entered.

My mom turned back to me, her smile back in place. “I’m so thrilled you’re dating someone! You have to tell me all about it at brunch tomorrow. It’ll be a girls’ day. So much fun!” She clapped her hands, nearly blinding me with her diamond ring.

“Do you have time for brunch? Don’t you have to prep for your operation?”

“It’ll be fine. My C-section isn’t until Monday afternoon.” She checked her watch. “I do have to leave for the salon soon. Today’s the only day Yvette can squeeze me in all month, and I can’t give birth with grown-out roots. Imagine how awful the pictures would be.”

“I can’t. It’s too terrible a thought,” I said. “I might have nightmares.”

This time, Harry full-on snickered. Lucky for him, my mom was too busy fretting about the time to notice.

“You get it. Anyway, Harry and I have dinner plans tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll text you the address of the restaurant later. Come here, Charlie.” She took my brother back. “How’s my sweet boy doing? Mommy has to leave you for a bit, but you’re going to spend some quality time with Daddy, okay? Then on Monday, you’ll get a sister, and it’ll be so much fun…”

I stood there awkwardly while she fussed over Charlie. Should I stay, or should I go? She seemed to have forgotten I was there.

Harry finally took pity on me. “I’ll have Roy drive you back to the hotel,” he said. Roy was his chauffeur. “It’s a beautiful day. You probably want to hit the beach or pool while the sun’s out.”

“That would be great,” I said, relieved. “Thanks.”

I said goodbye to Charlie and my mom, who gave me the barest of glances when I left. Fifteen minutes of face time and a dismissal summed up most of our interactions. I was used to it, but it stung every time.

When I returned to the hotel—earning myself a strange look from the front desk, probably because I’d been in and out three times in two hours—I sat on my bed and debated what to do.

Ishouldtrawl the job sites again, but staying in my room to sift through Indeed listings was way too depressing.

I peered out the window at the pool. It was packed with kids and what looked like a bachelorette party. Too chaotic.

I called the spa to see if they had any openings, but they were fully booked through Wednesday.

There was nothing good on TV, and I wasn’t hungry.

I could go shopping or hit up the beach like Harry suggested, but leaving the hotel premises required a level of energy that I didn’t have after an eleven-hour flight and a conversation with my mom.

I flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. A wave of loneliness crested through me. Bright sunshine painted the room in gorgeous yellows, but I wished I were back in cold, rainy London instead.