Chapter 180
“Tomorrow?” Curtis’ right hand slipped into his trouser pocket, feigning contemplation, as if he were a man besieged by a thousand duties. “I’ve got business in Manhattan. Last weekend, I postponed a few things just to hang out with you at the Hot Spring Hotel.”
As if he’d done her a favor. It was his idea to go in the first place.
Leanne waited for her Uber outside the hospital, shivering slightly in the brisk chill. Her left hand was tucked into her sleeve for warmth, her other hand gripping her phone, fingers stiff from the biting wind.
“So when will you be back?”
Truth be told, there wasn’t anything in Manhattan that required his urgent presence. An old friend had just celebrated the birth of twins, and he was supposed to go and congratulate him last week. But upon hearing that Leanne was heading to Hot Spring Hotel, he changed his plans on a whim.
The congratulatory gift had already been sent by a proxy. His presence was hardly necessary. After all, those kids weren’t his.
“Hard to say,” Curtis said, pretending to replace the question difficult. “If all goes well, I’ll be back the same day. But if not, it could take anywhere from a few days to a year.”
Leanne’s brow furrowed at the mention of a year. She could wait, but the city hall wouldn’t hold off for her.
“What time is your flight? Maybe we could head to city hall early in the morning, get the paperwork done, and then you can…”
Curtis cut her off, “Five A.M.”
She felt like he was making it difficult on purpose. As she got into the car, she couldn’t help but retort, “Is it really necessary to travel at the crack of dawn on your private jet?”
The driver glanced at her with a mix of curiosity and disdain, clearly thinking: Damn rich folks.
“The private jet needs flight plans filed in advance. Caleb’s been slacking off, forgot to file it.” Curtis explained, feigning sincerity.
Had he not blamed Caleb for being lazy, Leanne might have believed him.
Caleb might be lazy, but he never dropped the ball.
“Are you lying to me?”
Curtis, a seasoned businessman, was adept at handling someone as innocent yet vigilant as Leanne. “Why don’t you come with me and see for yourself?”
As if she could actually go with him, “Just make sure you come back soon.”
Perhaps because of the cold, all her energy was focused on staying warm, leaving none for giving Curtis the cold shoulder. His response, so casual it was as though he could
the sky, was, “What’s the rush? City hall isn’t going anywhere.”
hold up
The next day, Curtis did indeed fly to Manhattan and stayed there for two days, handling work remotely. It was a hassle, but that’s the price of weaving tales. Once you tell a lie, you have to see it through, or everything could come crashing down.
In Manhattan, he visited his old friend, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and took a glance. at the twins who bore no relation to him.
Because honestly, one glance was more than enough.
His friend might be well-off, but when it came to looks, well, let’s just say that not-so-great genes were dominant. Even a beauty queen with the perfect ratio of features couldn’t alter the inevitable. The twins were, to put it mildly, uniquely unattractive.
Curtis offered diplomatic praise, “They’re clearly the spitting image of you.”
The babies’ father, basking in the warmth of his wife and children, wasn’t offended. He clapped Curtis on the back and teased, “I’ve been married half a year and already have two bundles of joy. You and your lady have been together for years, where’s your little one?”
“You’ve only been married for 6 months, man” Curtis quipped.
His friend laughed heartily, “I’m just efficient.”
As the babies woke and began to cry, the friend hurried to soothe them, clumsy but full love. His raspy voice cooed, “You wanting some milk, huh? No? A kiss from daddy then? Mwah, mwah… Oh man, did you just… Honey, help me!”
Curtis wasn’t fond of kids, but standing there, witnessing this tender, if somewhat inept, display of fatherhood, he felt a pang of something akin to envy.
Had he not messed things up, he and Leanne might have had a child by now, one probably learning to be potty trained.
With Leanne’s genes and his own not being too shabby, the fruits of their love would surely outshine these two little tykes in the looks department.
Suddenly, Curtis felt a strange affection for the child he had never had.
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