by Marji Spicer
“Why is that?”
“I don’t mean anything bad by saying this. Denver usually goes for the blonde bimbo type. Big boobs, hair, lots of make-up, skimpy clothes. You know the type—all fakeness.” Joy thought back to the night she’d seen him with that blonde wrapped around him at the bar. Had he lied to her? “Anyway, I should get going. I hope I didn’t upset you. That wasn’t my intention. Just be careful with Denver. He jokes around sometimes, but he's not serious.”
Joy had plenty to think about now.
Denver needed a beer. He felt uneasy around Susan. His gut told him she wanted more than friendship. He hadn’t heard one word from Joy.
Susan’s phone rang. He left the room to get a beer while she answered it. “That was my mom. My son’s not feeling good.”
“I hope the little guy feels better soon.”
“Me too. I’ll call you later, and we can make plans.”
Denver groaned after she left. He didn’t want to do anything with Susan. He still wanted Joy.
Chapter Forty Nine
Joy waited until the following Saturday before she worked up the nerve to go back to Denver’s apartment. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He hadn’t responded to her last message she left with Susan. He could have at least called her.
Susan answered the door again.
“Is Denver…”
Susan stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her.
“I need to talk to Denver. It’s very important.”
“He’s sleeping. I’d hate to wake him up.”
“You’re here a lot,” Joy blurted out.
“I’m moving to Bliss. I might be staying with him for a while until I find a place of my own.”
Where would she sleep? It’s a one-bedroom apartment. She wasn’t stupid. She knew where she would end up, and that would be in Denver’s bed.
“Denver and I had a long talk last night. He told me you were a fling, nothing more. Give him some time. Pestering him isn’t going to help you get him back.”
Pestering him? “Don’t worry; I won’t be back.”
Susan was welcome to him. Susan smiled as Joy stormed down the hall.
And I wanted him back. When will I ever learn?
Denver was in the living room when Susan walked back into the apartment. She handed him his newspaper. “Did I hear Joy?”
“No, I was saying hi to your neighbor when I picked up the paper.”
Denver wished she’d go home. He regretted being so friendly at the bar. Susan wouldn’t seem to leave him alone. She showed up unannounced almost every weekend. He couldn’t get rid of her, and he was too nice to tell her to leave.
“Why don’t we go out?” Susan asked
“I’m going to head to bed. I need to be on the road early in the morning,” Denver said. Susan smiled invitingly. “You understand we’re just friends, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“I love Joy. I’m hoping we can work things out.”
“Oh, I almost forgot—I ran into her at the gas station the other day.”
“Did she say anything about me?”
“No. I even brought up your name. She told me she was glad things were over between you two. She mentioned a new guy, but I can’t remember his name. Anyway, call me when you get back into town.” She waved and left.
Joy was seeing someone. He’d held out hope they’d get back together. He sat down on the couch. It was over. He’d lost her. Fuck it! He wasn’t going to beg. He’d work his ass off until he forgot about her. If he weren’t in town, he wouldn’t have to worry about running into her. He realized he hadn’t eaten since lunch. He’d run to the diner and get something to go.
Chapter Fifty
Joy was livid. He was already moving someone in. She rubbed her belly. There was no sense in telling him now. She would be a complication to his new life. She hated all the hormonal changes going on in her now. She wanted to cry. Instead, she would eat. She walked to the diner and took a seat at the counter. “Give me the biggest piece of chocolate cake you have.”
“What’s the matter, honey?” Pearl asked.
“Men! They’re jerks!”
Pearl sat a thick slice of triple fudge cake in front of her. She patted her hand. “They sure can be sweetie.”
Denver walked into the diner as she shoved a big forkful of cake into her mouth. He sat down beside her.
“Go away,” she said after she managed to swallow the huge bite of cake.
“What’s your problem, grouchy? Your new man not putting out? You have to substitute chocolate for sex now.”
“Shut up. Why are you even talking to me?”
“I can’t even talk to you now?’
“It’s kind of funny you won’t respond to any of my messages, and now you want to talk to me about my sex life. Compared to your sex life, I’d say you’re ahead.”
“What the hell are you talking about I won’t talk to you? When have you tried talking to me?”
Joy rolled her eyes. “Never mind, I’ve changed my mind.”
“When did you leave me a message?”
“I’ve tried to get you to talk to me for the last two weeks. When’s your girlfriend moving in? Oh, I’m sorry, am I pestering you by asking that?”
“What in the hell are you talking about? And, what girlfriend?”
“Susan.”
“We’re just friends.”
Joy snorted. “You’re close to your friends, aren’t you? I don’t sleep with my friends.”
“Where are you coming up with this shit?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t discuss me with her.”
“I don’t discuss our relationship with her.”
“Former,” she said.
“What?”
“Our former relationship. We aren’t in one now, nor will we ever be again.”
“When did you talk to her? Oh, that’s right, at the gas station.”
“I’ve never talked to her at a gas station. I came to your place to try and talk to you. But, once again, Susan was there. She didn’t want to wake you up. Probably because of your long busy nights.”
So, he had heard Joy that day. Why had Susan lied to him?
“I’ve lost my appetite. Pearl, can you wrap this up?”
“Sure, honey.” Pearl left to get a take-out container.
“I didn’t get any of your messages. I thought things were over between us.”
“They are, and it’s nice you can move on so quickly. It makes me feel good knowing I meant so little to you. Moving quicker this time, aren’t you? Getting her moved right in.”
Denver was annoyed. He didn’t know what the hell was going on. “What about you? You already have a new guy.”
“A guy is the very last thing I need in my life right now.”
“You’re not seeing anyone then?”
“Hell No!”
Chapter Fifty One
Three weeks later, Denver walked into the diner. He was exhausted. Joy noticed how wore out and tired he looked. He hadn’t noticed her yet. He picked up a menu on the counter and opened it. He hadn’t eaten since lunch. It was now 7:00 p.m.
“What can I get you?” Pearl asked.
Denver noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He froze. Joy stood up. She was leaving because he was there. He was so sick of it all.
“Forget it,” he said. Denver gave Joy an icy glare. “Don’t leave on my account,” he growled. “I’m fucking leaving.” Joy’s eyes widened. He was furious. “I don’t know why I even bother to fucking come home anymore.” He stormed out of the diner.
There was an awkward silence after he left.
Denver drove home. He laid down on the couch and covered his eyes with his arm. His life was shit. He didn’t even know what the hell he’d done, but everyone was treating him like shit. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He had no food at his place, but he was too tired to go anywhere.
Joy felt terrible.
People were turning on Denver because of her.
“Honey, this has gone on long enough,” Pearl said. “You need to talk to him. That poor man is going to work himself to death, and he’s lost weight. Talk to him about the baby. He has the right to be in his baby’s life. He is the father, and he has rights too.”
Joy swallowed. “You’re right. I need to talk to him.” She went home and called his apartment. No answer. She tried his cell.
Who the hell was calling him? Probably Susan. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He let the phone ring.
Denver heard a soft knock on his door. He ignored it. Probably Pearl or Eunice was coming to check on him. He was so pissed off. His head was killing him. The door opened. Shit, he hadn’t locked it. He didn’t know who it was or even care. “Go away,” he growled. He just wanted to be left the hell alone.
“Denver,” Joy said softly.
“I’m too damn tired to move. I’ll leave in the fucking morning.”
“We need to talk.”
“Can you please just fucking leave?” Uh, oh, he even angrier than she first thought. “Sorry I ruined your fucking life. Other than that, I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Please listen to me.”
“I’m exhausted. I haven’t eaten in hours, and my head is killing me. I’m fucking pissed off. Now isn’t a good time to talk to me. So, can you please give it a fucking rest and leave me the hell alone.”
“I have something I need to tell you.”
He got up and stalked down the hallway. His bedroom door slammed shut. Joy let herself out of his apartment and locked the door behind her.
Chapter Fifty Two
The next night, Susan showed up at his apartment again. This time he wanted to see her.
“I ran into Joy at the diner last night.”
“Did she say anything?”
“About what?”
“About you getting back together.” She held her breath.
“She’s got some messed up idea about us dating and you moving in.”
“Really? That’s odd. Maybe she misunderstood me because I’m here so much. Sometimes us women get crazy ideas about things. We think we see things going on that aren’t.”
“She also said she didn’t talk to you at the gas station, and she’s not seeing anyone.”
“Are you sure? I could have sworn I talked to her. Last week was crazy with James being sick.” Susan hit the side of her head with her palm. “God, I’m so sorry. It was my friend Amanda. I feel so bad now. I hope I didn’t cause any problems.” She needed to change the subject before she dug herself into a deeper hole. Joy must not have said anything to him about being pregnant. “Joy’s jealous. That’s a good thing.”
“What?”
The sudden change in topic threw him off.
“If she’s upset about me being here, she must still have feelings for you. I could talk to her for you.”
Denver wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Something about Susan still bothered him. He did remember John joking about Susan being an airhead at times. Maybe it had been a mistake. But why had she lied about Joy coming over?
“I think I could help her understand we’re just friends. Let me at least try. I didn’t realize how bad things would look to her. If I were in her shoes, I’d probably feel the same way.”
Denver’s cell phone rang. Now’s the time to get out of here, Susan thought. She didn’t want him asking any more questions.
She looked at her phone. “I have an appointment I need to get to.”
Denver waved as he answered the phone. Next time he saw her, he’d find out why she hadn’t told him Joy had come over.
Joy was outside, pulling weeds out of her flowerbed. Susan crossed the street.
“What do you want?” Joy asked. She was irritated and didn’t feel like talking to Denver’s newest fling.
“I want to apologize. I overheard something, and I’m afraid I may have overstepped my bounds.”
“You’re not making any sense. What did you hear?”
Susan hesitated. “I know you’re pregnant.”
“You told him?”
Susan nodded. “I thought Denver knew already. I didn’t realize you hadn’t talked to him yet. I offered him my congratulations. He asked me why I was congratulating him. That’s when I slipped up and told him.”
So, Denver knew and had nothing to say to her. “How did he react?”
“Denver doesn’t want the baby. He thinks you’re just trying to get money out of him.” Joy sucked in a sharp breath. “He said you’ll be a single mother now. It’s what you wanted.” Fine, I’ll do it on my own. “What else did the bastard say?”
“I shouldn’t be getting involved in this; it’s between you two.”
“Just tell me.”
“He uhm—remember these are his words. He’s worried you’ll get a lot bigger and stay that way after the baby is born.”
“He thinks I’m fat? I’ve gained twelve pounds in four months.”
“I know that’s hardly any weight at all. You do not look fat. Men want babies, but some of them want their women to look like supermodels right afterward.”
“I have never looked like a supermodel. That liar told me he liked my curves.”
“I explained to him that sometimes, baby weight takes a while to lose. It doesn’t just disappear.”
“I haven’t even given birth yet, and he wants me to diet?” Joy thought about his reaction to her eating a doughnut. What am I supposed to do? Survive on carrot sticks?
“He’s just like my ex.”
“I don’t want to turn you against him. That’s why I hesitated to say anything.”
“I knew, anyway. Past experience proved it to me. Denver can forget about our baby and me. Tell him to go to a bar and pick up a hot, young chick. Just tell him to make sure he doesn’t knock her up and bash her over it. Like most men, he can’t keep his dick in his pants. Thanks for telling me how he feels. Tell him if he’s smart, he’ll leave town. He’ll be safer that way.” Joy walked into her house and slammed the door.
Susan stood on the sidewalk and smiled. That went well. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Chapter Fifty Three
The next night after work, Denver sat on his couch and drank a beer. There was a knock on the door. He smiled. Maybe it was Joy. He opened the door and lost his smile. It was Susan again.
“Did you talk to her?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What did she say?”
“She had a lot to say. You might not want to hear it, though.” He sighed. What now? “Joy’s pregnant.”
“What? She’s having my baby and hasn’t told me?” he said angrily.
“It’s not your baby.”
“Who’s is it?”
“She doesn’t know.”
He closed his eyes. “Joy didn’t…”
“She went to a sperm bank.”
Denver was pissed. He’d offered to give her his baby. Joy wouldn’t have his baby, but she was willing to have one with a stranger. “I never thought she’d go through with that.”
“She said she never really trusted you to be faithful. Maybe that’s why she didn’t want to have your baby. She was always worried that you hung out in bars when you worked out of town. She said if a good-looking woman is around, you can’t keep your dick in your pants.”
“She fucking said what?” he roared. “I’ve never given her a reason to believe I’d cheat on her. I busted my ass working sixteen fucking hour days and then went back to the motel to sleep so I could do it again the next day. I quit going to bars after I met her. I never cheated on her. I love her.”
“Relax. You’re getting all worked up over something that’s over.”
“That woman is all kinds of crazy.”
“Speaking of that, she said you should probably leave town. You’d be safer that way.”
“She did, did she?” he smiled. It’s about time I take some vacation time.
Denver was worked up. It was a good time to leave. This time Susan was thankful her mother called her to come home.
Chapter Fifty Four
Later that night, Denver was at the diner when Joy walked in. He could tell she was pregnant now. He could see her rounded belly. That could have been his baby, he thought angrily.
Joy was done trying to hide her shape. She wore a dress that showed off her belly and increasing curves. Denver already knew she was pregnant and thought she was fat. Joy drove him insane. She looked hot pregnant. He had a hard time keeping his hands off her. He wanted to grab her curvy ass as she walked by him.
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in looser clothes?” he asked.
Denver shifted in his seat. He was as hard as a rock.
Joy practically spilled out of her top. She had every man’s attention in the diner. She sat down and crossed her arms, plumping her breasts up even more. She glared at him and then turned to the man next to her. “Do you see a problem with my clothes?”
“No, I think pregnant women are sexy as hell. And you are one fine looking, little mama.”
Joy smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you.”
Denver wanted to deck the guy.
“Too bad you weren’t single,” the man said jokingly.
“I am,” she said. “The father of my baby wants nothing to do with us.”
Denver snorted. The father. Some guy who jerked off into a cup. He bet the guy would want something to do with her if he saw her. Even if it was to wring her neck like he felt like doing.
“It was stupid of you to get knocked up the way you did and then expect the father to be involved. Especially knowing he wouldn’t want anything to do with the baby,” Denver said.
“You’re right,” she said. Joy surprised him when she agreed with him. “It was pretty stupid of me. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She wished he would get up and leave. “Don’t you have somewhere to go?”
“Any suggestions?”
