Free A Life Unplanned by Rose Von Barnsley Page B

was walking around, and if I laughed, I was almost guaranteed one.
    "Are you alright? I noticed you've been rubbing your back a lot today. Is it hurting more than usual?"
    "No, I'm fine. It was just sleeping in a strange bed, and Katie doesn't like me shaking her around when I laugh."
    He kept a close eye on me as we walked back to his house. I didn't have another contraction, so I think that helped him relax. It was hard to reconcile this new nice Trent with the old asshole one from before. Of course, having several women come after you fraudulently would be enough to make anyone nervous.
    I looked down at my oversized belly and frowned. He had originally thought I was a big fat liar, literally. I wasn't sure if I was happy about him accepting my kids as his, though. He smiled sweetly, as he took my hand in his warm one to help me up his porch steps. I didn't know what to make of the kind stranger before me. I just knew being close to him made me nervous, and I wasn't sure in what way.

Chapter 9 - Stuck in a Jam
     
    Trent helped me get settled on his couch and went as far as fetching me an extra throw pillow. I was starting to believe he wanted me to be comfortable. That was…until he opened his mouth.
    "Can you tell me a little about yourself?" he asked. I hated talking about myself.
    "Well, I went to college and was able to graduate with my BA in business management. I was only a couple of months along with Tyler by graduation, but I was too sick to walk with my graduating class." He frowned a little when I said that. "I've pretty much been a mom ever since. I work at Dr. Coust's office and spend my free time with Tyler."
    "What do you two do together?"
    "We go to the library and the park, sometimes the zoo. I've read to him a lot lately, because I can do that sitting down with my feet up."
    "Are they swelling? Have you had a problem with that?"
    I could see how he was a good doctor. "No, I'm just on my feet a lot at work. I get tired out." He nodded, like he was filing that information away somewhere. "What do you do in your spare time?" I asked.
    He looked around his house. "Well, I do yardwork, and the bridge club keeps me busy with all the little things they need help with." He shrugged. "I spend a lot of time hanging out with my mom. My dad is away on business a lot. She's also the one who helped me get through dealing with the three other girls claiming to have my babies."
    "Three?"
    He rubbed his face and nodded yes. "Can you see why I was skeptical now?"
    "Why would they do that?"
    "I don't know. I think maybe someone put them up to it. I'm not sure. They were trying to ruin my reputation as a doctor. They were going to blackmail me, wanting me to pay them to keep their mouths shut, or they would say I'd impregnated them while they were patients, but none of them ever were. There was one I hadn't ever even met before."
    "I'm sorry," I whispered. That must have been a mess for him.
    He shook his head. "It's nice living in a small town. I thought they'd turn against me when the girls came out, but they did the opposite. They rallied for me. I don't think the girls thought that'd happen. My mom got our lawyer on them, and they ran for the hills." I reached over and squeezed his hand. "I've been hiding here ever since, not wanting to go anywhere and risk it happening again."
    "Do you think they'll come after you in Waco?"
    He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping they won't realize I moved back. Those kinds of allegations in a large city wouldn't be easily dismissed, but I don't want to be away from the kids."
    I grimaced. I knew he wanted to be around the kids more. I just wasn't sure how much more. This obviously wasn't something he'd get tired of, if he was willing to risk his livelihood to be there for the children.
    He was looking a little worried. "Can I get you something, a drink or snack?"
    "Maybe a snack, if that's alright."
    "It's definitely alright, Clara. Please, don't hesitate to ask for anything you