“Your old daddy looked at me like I was trash, but honey, we can start all over now and be a family. The girls are at an age when they need a mother,” she whispered seductively.

He pushed the chair back and stood up. “The girls have always needed a mother.”

“Then let’s put the past behind us and concentrate on the future. After the girls come with me to the wedding, I’ll file for divorce,” she said.

“Whoa!” He held up both palms. “There is no future for us, Rita. I don’t make the same mistakes twice. And I won’t ever hear you put down my folks again. They were there when you weren’t.”

She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder, slipped her small feet back into her shoes, and picked up her purse. Instantly the cigarette case was back in her hands. “I’ve always gotten what I want. You know that, Graham.” Her mouth turned up in a smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I want a baby. I’m not too old to have one.” She fumbled with the cigarette case, turning it over and over in her hands, as if it were her security blanket. “I even planned on giving up smoking for a baby, but when we went to a fertility clinic, we found out that my husband, Derrick, is sterile.”

Karma is a bitch on steroids, Graham thought.

“Aren’t you going to say it serves me right?” Rita asked.

“No, I’m truly sorry. Have you thought of adoption?”

“I don’t want to adopt. I want the pregnancy, the birthing, and the whole nine yards again.” She nodded. “How are the girls going to feel about having a brother or sister that they only get to see once a year?”

He thought of how excited they were the previous night about Paula’s new baby. “You’ll have to ask them about that, not me. I can’t imagine why you’re even telling me this. It’s none of my business.”

“I would like to . . . hell, Graham, you never make anything easy. I want to build a relationship with them and with you, and like I said, I’m not giving up. We can rekindle what we had,” Rita said.

“It’s a little late to build something now. Besides, they think you’re ashamed of them, Rita. They told me that the way you looked at them made them feel like they were fat and ugly. Their words, not mine.”

She jumped up so fast that she dropped the cigarette case on the floor. “It was just a surprise, that’s all. With your size, I wasn’t expecting them to be able to wear my jeans, but God almighty, Graham, they’re huge.”

“Not huge.” Graham glared at her. “They’re big, but they’re not fat, and they’re beautiful. Why would you even want to be around them when you feel like that?”

“They should know their siblings even if I have to adopt, don’t you think?” She bent to pick up the case and shoved it in her purse.

“Like I said before, that’s up to them, but in my opinion, building even a friendship with them will take a long time, and a baby won’t be the glue that binds them to you as a family.” He crossed the floor and opened the door. “Don’t pop by my office again. What we had died years ago.”

She looked up into his eyes as she passed by. “I guess you wouldn’t be willing to donate a little sperm so my child would be their full brother or sister? We can go to a clinic or we can do it the old-fashioned way.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Graham gasped. “Are you crazy? Does Derrick know you asked such an insane thing? And think about it, the next child would most likely be a larger person, too.”

“If you don’t want to help me, I’ve got a short list of guys who’ve been flirting with me for a year or more. If you are willing, like I said, it can be through the clinic or through the bedroom. We were pretty good in that area until I got pregnant.”

Graham was speechless.

Rita went on. “Derrick and I’ve been . . . well, let’s just say that I’ve fallen out of love with him. Or maybe I never did love him. Maybe he was just an escape from bawling babies and a husband who didn’t make enough money to get me what I wanted.” Her tone was as flat as if she’d just said that it was raining outside.

Graham shook his head emphatically. “You didn’t like bawling babies and not having money when we first met. What’s changed?”

“I’ve changed a lot, Graham. Now I want to be married for the right reasons. I’ll make someone a good wife, and I’ll be a good mother this time,” she answered. “Give that some thought when you get into a cold bed alone tonight.”

He motioned toward the door. “Goodbye, Rita.”

“Never hurts to ask and test the waters, does it?” She tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. “My biological clock is ticking. Bye, Graham.”

He shut the door behind her and slumped down into the nearest chair. She’d been there less than fifteen minutes but it had seemed like hours. He knuckled his eyes to ease the pain in his head, but it didn’t work. Maybe it was the smoke on her breath when she kissed him that caused his headache. He went to the cabinet, took out some air freshener, and gave the room a thorough spraying.

Had she changed? Could they be a family at this point? Should he give her one more chance? Questions floated through his mind, but there didn’t seem to be any answers. Pulling out a drawer, he took out a bottle of Advil and checked the date. They’d expired two years ago, but he swallowed two with a sip of cold coffee anyway.