Excerpt of Baby Stetson by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Avery woke to the sound of a phone ringing. She cracked an eyelid open. Slivers of sunlight broke through the blinds from the window. What time was it now? Yawning, she reached for the phone. Lucas lay sprawled across the bed, still asleep.

When she attempted to answer her phone and heard it still ring, reality struck. It wasn't her phone going off. It must be Lucas's. It laid in plain sight on top of Lucas's pants on the floor by the bed. Avery squinted to see the caller ID, but the number was blocked. The ringing and blocked number only made her more curious and before she could think things through, Avery reached for his phone and hit the answer button. Then she freaked, not sure what to do. She couldn't even muster up the nerve to say hello, but the person on the other end of the phone started talking frantically. It was a woman. Not a young one. She sounded older.

"Lucas, are you there? Hello? Look, I know you're mad at me, but I wanted to explain things. I know I've put you in a horrible position. Come on, Lucas–"

Then the phone was snatched from her hands. Avery gasped, startled. She turned to face Lucas, who put the phone up to his ear and snapped, "I'll call you back." After he ended the call and tossed the phone to the bed, he shot Avery an angry look. His eyes narrowed, his lips set into a thin line. Shit. He was mad.

"I–. I don't know what came over me. At first, I thought it was my phone. Then I just, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, Lucas."

The woman's voice on the other end of that call echoed in Avery's mind. Who was she? Why was Lucas mad at her? Oh, she should have never done that. Now it only confused Avery even more.