Dragging out the celebration one more day, #1lineWed’s theme over on Twitter is all things having to do with **LOVE** and that includes heart, romance, etc. I haven’t hit any of that in SEAL MOON yet, but the subject has been mentioned in Tucker’s story. I should explain, briefly, that Tucker picked up the heroine, whose Firebird Trans Am had broken down. She is wearing a wedding dress and, much to his dismay, he discovers that she’s…well…you’ll see. FYI, her would-be groom and in-laws are hot on their trail. And this is a first draft, so ignore how rough it is.

***
“So anyway, it was a one-night deal. Their lead singer came down with something and couldn’t perform. Mr. Jake introduced me to ’em, I sang a few bars, and there I was, front’n center on the stage,” Zoe explained.

“Okay?” Tucker wondered if maybe one of the band members was responsible for her current condition.

“That night I was singin’ my heart out and there was a guy sittin’ there at a table. He was down-right purty, if you know what I mean.” She cut her eyes toward him. “Not as purty as you, but dang close. Anyway, he bought me a drink. And then another. And so on, until I found myself in his buddy’s pickup banging away with the dude.” She paused and waggled her finger in his direction. “Now, I might not be a good girl, but I ain’t normally stupid, even if I’ve drunk way more booze than is good for me. I made sure that sucker was suited up right proper. But, like I mentioned, the thing just didn’t hold up. We didn’t realize it at the time. Come mornin’, he went his way and I went mine.”

“Uh huh.” Tucker was fascinated, despite his better judgment.

“Well, after not gettin’ my…monthly, I went down to the CVS and got me a pregnancy test.” She patted her belly.

Tucker had the insane urge to thump it to see if it would echo like a ripe watermelon. Yeah, he was one sick puppy. “And it was obviously positive.”

“Yup. So, I went lookin’ for Mr. Redmond Smithee. I figured he had the right to know, seein’ as he was the daddy and all. Took me two months t’track him down again and by then, it was a little late to be doin’ anything about the situation.” Her chin rose in a stubborn jut. “Not that I would have, even if that’s what he wanted. That solution is fine for some people, but not me.”

“So…” Tuck stretched out the word. “You wanted him to marry you?”

“Oh to the hell no! I mean really, it’s not like love had a thing to do with it. Just a bunch of hormones. But dang if that man couldn’t chip in some child support. He had a lot of fun gettin’ his rocks off that night. I didn’t find out until it was too late that I shoulda just high-tailed it outta Georgia and left him none the wiser. I made the mistake of tellin’ Red he was gonna be a daddy, once I tracked down his sorry ass. Son of a gun called his mama, all puffed up prouder than a bantam rooster. But did he pay me child support? Nope. That hillbilly dragged me all over the south, stallin’ me every step of the way.” She dropped her voice and her accent thickened as she mimicked . “Just one more job, baby girl, then I’ll give you some money. Just one more ride, baby girl. Not like you can get any more pregnant.” She rolled her eyes and grimaced. “I plead pregnancy hormones because if I’d been in my right mind, I would have ditched that man way before I did.”

“Uh huh.”
***
Poor Tucker. The man doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance. 😆 And I have to admit, Zoe Parker might just be one of my favorite heroines. What about y’all? Got any heartfelt words to share?