Free Food for the Soul by Ceri Grenelle Page A

to talk about it if you don’t want to…”
    Flynn shrugged, his mouth turned down. “We had a fling. It was sex, nothing more. Two months after our final…encounter, she came to me and told me she was pregnant and she wanted me to pay for an abortion. I asked her if she would have the baby because I wanted to raise it. She agreed.”
    “It couldn’t have been that simple,” Theo said doubtfully.
    “On top of paying for all the medical care…I gave her a sizeable donation.”
    “You paid for him?” Harper asked, an ill feeling like acid churning in her gut at the thought of the woman bargaining away her kid. “Did you have a DNA test done?”
    “The methods for prenatal paternity tests are extremely invasive and have a risk of miscarriage. I would recommend waiting.”
    “Thank you, Doc,” Flynn said sarcastically, sliding down in his chair to kick the good doctor underneath the table. “Yes, I paid for him; no, I didn’t have a paternity test done. It didn’t matter. The second I heard I was having a child, something inside me switched. I wanted that baby so much, I paid for everything—doctors’ appointments, housing for her, vitamins, the birth, everything.”
    “Did you make some sort of court agreement?”
    “Oh, fuck yes,” Flynn said around his sandwich. “We did that soon after she gave me the deal. Good thing, too, because she fought me for him in the end.”
    Harper couldn’t help but gasp. This was straight out of a soap opera. “She wanted him?”
    “She thought she did. Halfway through the custody battle, she gave up, changed her mind. She was a flighty, inconsistent person. She never knew who she wanted or what she wanted to do with her life. I’m glad she came to me, though there’s a chance he’s not mine. She wouldn’t have been a good mother. Too selfish.”
    “You still don’t know if he’s yours?”
    “Nope, but does that stuff matter? Blood may be thick, but love and care are the foundations of parenting. I love him with all of my heart. I won’t ever abandon or give him up. He’s my life.” Flynn swallowed hard, looking them both square on.
    “He’s my life,” he said again. “He’s my main priority. If you both have an issue with me having a kid, then we should pay the check and leave. You two can continue this if you want, but I can’t, I won’t put others before my kid.”
    Flynn looked defensive, prepared to battle or argue about how important his son was. Harper could only imagine conversations he might have had with past relationships. Why couldn’t he spend more time with them? Why did Ben have to come? Can’t he find a babysitter? Such inconsiderate requests set Harper aflame. Ben was a beautiful and funny little boy. She would never dare to take away or claim control of the affections of a father who would clearly give his life for his son. Contrary to making her want to run away, his capacity to love made her want him more.
    “Whoever asked you to put them before your kid was an asshole. We wouldn’t do that, and I can’t wait to get to know Ben.” As she spoke, Harper reached across the table, past half-empty plates, and placed her hand over his.
    They both looked to Theo.
    “Your kid is funny; I’d like to hang out with him as well. I have no problem dating someone with a kid. But can we just, for a second, talk about what is happening here?”
    “We can talk, or we can go somewhere and do what we want to do.”
    Theo made a sound similar to a growl. Harper couldn’t decide whether it was funny or sexy, but when she heard how deep Theo’s voice had become after Flynn’s offer, she decided definitely sexy. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t know if I’m ready for it.” He huffed. “I don’t know half of what we’re talking about.”
    “Yes, you do,” she said gently, placing her hand on his knee. “The three of us together, in a monogamous relationship.”
    “Can three people be in a monogamous relationship?”
    “Yes,”