The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob (Bro Code Book 4) by Pippa Grant

Author:Pippa Grant [Grant, Pippa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Bang Laugh Love LLC
Published: 2021-01-07T05:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

Ingrid

I’m asleep by the time Levi texts that he’s done with his charity event, and when he doesn’t respond to my text in the morning, I assume he’s sleeping now. Night owl, plus jet lag on top of it. I get it.

I’m still disappointed, but I also have a bookstore to run and kids to wrangle.

When he texts back and we try to coordinate schedules to fit something in, it turns out he has a family dinner, then a bachelor party, then business meetings in New York and a commercial to shoot in Germany early next week—and yes, I’m incredibly jealous that he gets to visit Germany, even though he insists his sightseeing time is limited.

But it’s a good reminder to concentrate on the friend part of our arrangement.

My ex traveled all the time too.

So much so that when he left, he barely knew his kids. When he was home, he wanted me to keep them quiet so he could recover from the stress of being gone.

Girl, what are you doing? Portia asked me when I told her I was pregnant with Hudson.

Guilt and shame had washed over me.

I wasn’t taking care of my marriage. I was barely hanging on to taking care of the two kids I already had, and now we had a third on the way.

Daniel was in Ukraine on assignment, and I hadn’t told him yet.

I didn’t want him to know.

I wanted this baby to only know people who loved him and were there for him.

Portia talked me out of the guilt and shame—don’t you ever apologize for loving other people, but you need to start taking care of you too, she’d said.

So when she shows up at Piper’s hockey practice Saturday morning with that no-nonsense, we’re having a talk look, I know what I’m in for.

“Zoe, watch Hudson.” I slip her my phone. “Text Aunt Portia if you need me.”

She takes the phone without looking up from her book.

I just got her started on the Aru Shah series, which means I also look to another mom, who nods and smiles to me.

Universal symbol for if your kid gets distracted from drawing scribble squirrels and his sister doesn’t notice because her head’s buried in a book, I’ll let you know.

“Everything okay?” I ask Portia as I join her in the hallway outside the practice rink.

“Shawn had a birthday party at that game place down the way, and I haven’t seen you much this week.” She pulls a mini-Heath bar from her purse. “Figured I’d bribe you to find out what’s going on.”

“Zoe told Eric I’ve had company?”

“That she did.”

“It’s casual. No strings. I don’t have it in me to take on strings.”

“Plus, he’s Le—”

“Shh.”

“Oh, Ingrid.” Portia clucks her tongue, points me to a small, round café table with blue plastic chairs outside the concession stand, and dumps half a bag of baby Heath bars on the Formica. “Spill.”

I give her the shorthand version of the phone flirting and making out on the roof and in my hallway while we both dive into the candy pile, plus the top secret part.

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