All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) by A.D. Justice (electric book reader txt) 📕

I called Tracy last night to bring her up to date and get her advice. She’s off the hook with the whole pregnancy charade, so she’s glad that part is over. She asked how Rod took the news, then exploded when I described the aftermath. When my phone rang early this morning, I thought maybe Rod was calling, but it was Tracy checking in on me.

“Daisy, none of my anger is aimed at you, so I’m sorry you’re catching the brunt of it. That man just infuriates me sometimes. Is he so self-centered he thinks he’s the only one who’s had a hard time with this plot twist? It’s not as if you did this on purpose—or alone. Even with technology advancements, it still takes two to cattle prod the old oyster ditch.”

She holds the phone away from her mouth, but I can still hear her clear as a bell.

“Kevin, your best friend is an asshole and I want you to tell him I said that next time you talk to him. He’s a selfish, spoiled, asshole of a man. I’d like to string him up by his balls and dunk him in a bed of fire ants.”

“Calm down, Tracy. We both knew telling him the whole truth would most likely be an ugly event. He needs time to come to terms with it, the same as I did. I’m not judging him based on his initial reaction. I’ll reserve that for how he handles it once he has calmed down and had time to digest what this means for all of us. The implications for Juliana are profound. She’s almost as much his daughter as she is his sister.”

“If my math is correct, you’re about fourteen weeks pregnant now. Is that right?”

“Yes, as far as I can tell. I have an appointment next week with the obstetrician. I’ll know more then. They’ve already scheduled an ultrasound since I haven’t actually had a real period in a while.”

“I’ve been thinking about this entire situation so much, Daisy. It’s a miracle you got pregnant at all. You’re a tissue match for Juliana. What if your baby is also a match? You could donate cord blood instead of bone marrow, which is better for everyone. You have decided to keep the baby, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I’m keeping it—whether Rod wants to be involved or not. I never told you this before, but when I found out I was pregnant with Landen, I went to the abortion clinic alone. For the first few weeks after I took the test, I couldn’t imagine keeping a child that was conceived under those circumstances. I thought he’d be a constant reminder of the worst night of my life. But when I reached for the door handle that day, I couldn’t open it. I couldn’t go through with it. I felt the little butterfly flurries of him moving inside me.

“I went back and home and accepted I’d be a single parent. Though I didn’t know when or how I’d explain his conception to him one day, I knew I wanted him and already loved him enough to cover several parents. This baby won’t be loved one bit less, and if he or she can help save Juliana’s live and give Isa more time with her mom, I consider that to be a double blessing.”

“I’m glad you finally told me what happened to you. You know I’ve questioned the details for years, but I knew you had a reason for not telling me. So much more makes sense now that I have the full picture. Never keep secrets from me again though. Ever. Back to the transplant, when would you know if they can use the cord blood?”

“I read they can do an amniocentesis between fifteen and twenty weeks. They’d be able to tell me after that if the cord blood is a match. I’m going to ask the doctor about it when I go in next week. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to share with Juliana very soon.

“Even though it’s been a very long night, I need to go get ready for another long day of work. I’ll talk to you later, Tracy. Don’t get the Rod voodoo doll out just yet.”

We disconnect, and I turn around to find Rod leaned against the doorframe. His eyes are bloodshot, his clothes are disheveled, and his eyes are brimming with pain and regret. I gasp audibly from the surprise and drop my phone on the bed. Before I can utter a word, he steps toward me with his hands up in mock surrender.

“Daisy, I’m so sorry about last night. I’m sorry about how I reacted and how I handled the news. All of it. I’m sorry I rushed out of here and left you to deal with everything alone. But most of all, I’m sorry for not being the man you deserve when you needed me… when you trusted me to be.”

“Where have you been?” I said I’d reserve judgment, but now that he’s here, I have questions that need answers. “You were gone all night. Who did you run to see?”

“When I left, I intended to go for a drive alone and clear my head. I ended up in my old neighborhood. I went back to where we lived when my parents were still together, my sister wasn’t sick, and I could enjoy being a kid. No job, no responsibilities, no world on my shoulders. After I walked around for a while, reliving my childhood, I met a man who knows my father.

“At first, I basically dismissed the good things he said about Chris because I’ve never gotten over how he betrayed us. Chris walked out and left us to fend for ourselves when Juliana was sick. Then my mom got sick, and I blamed Chris for her death. There’s no way he could win with me. I even refused to find him when