Andy snorted. “Man, that’s only because we told you she could come back at any time. I wasn’t about to lease her apartment if this”—he waved his beer in the air—“wasn’t going to be a permanent thing.”
“I think we can all see that this is very much a permanent thing. They’ll work out the rest.” Hunter left us to go into the kitchen calling out, “Who wants a burger and ribs? I’m hungry.” And hopefully that meant the conversation was over for now.
“I could eat.” David reached for the chips and dip.
I mulled over the conversation fully, sticking my foot up my own ass. “You know, none of this would have happened if you two”—I pointed at Andy and David—“hadn’t told me I had to stay away from her.”
“Whoa.” Andy huffed, sitting up.
“Is that really the sword you want to die on today?” Whit commented from his seat in t
he peanut gallery.
“Well? You tell me. You bicker about how she’s off limits,” I rebuked. I was angry about the time wasted between us with everyone being nosy.
“Still off limits,” David muttered.
But I didn’t stop there. “And the next thing I know, she’s going out with Mr. Football-dick-face and then she needs a blood transfusion from Demon.”
Hunter stuck his head back into the living room, playing referee. “Hey, man, not even Damien would throw that in your face. Let’s walk this back to some important facts. She’s a grown-up and made a grown-up decision of which you don’t have to like, but since you do care about her, you have to accept.”
I grumbled, hating his logic.
“Your man card is officially revoked.” Whit nodded, saluting me with his beer from my recliner. Jerk.
“Careful, Whit, you’ve got a girlfriend. Just wait until you lock that shit down and knock her up.” I said, as if Whit was one to talk when we all helped him move shit around in his house to make a dark room for Lia’s photography studio.
Whit chuckled. “Evan, you have a girl and a baby living with you. I think you’ve got most of us beat here.” A few more laughs exchanged and I brushed them off.
These were good guys I could count on to talk me off the ledge when I needed it. Now I needed to take a chance and see if Remi truly felt the way I did. Clearly, I was one hundred percent invested.
27
Remi
Ethan was finally down for a nap. Poor guy cried for the last hour, and I felt exhausted trying to keep up. I had laundry to fold, food to prepare, and a list that felt a mile long in the making with a never-ending tally of chores to do. Mom worries plagued me and it showed in my face and saggy imperfect body.
I had my moments where I was all tiger strong, see my stripes and hear me roar, but most days I felt like a bag of roly-poly potatoes nobody would want. My self-confidence had taken a nosedive and wasn’t returning anytime soon. The girls invited me to join them at a yoga class and I wanted to, I really did, but mom guilt ate at me, and I didn’t want to take advantage of the times I needed someone to watch Ethan. They’d already taken me for a mini spa day, which I appreciated but felt undeserving of.
I stopped in the hallway to collect myself. I needed to drop this basket of clothes off outside of Evan’s room, and I wanted to make sure I washed the kitchen floor because when I snuck the cat inside, I thought he might have tracked something in I didn’t want Ethan crawling over.
“That’s a very serious look on a very beautiful face.” Evan leaned against the wall, blocking my way.
I glanced up. “Huh?”
“I’ll take that.” Evan slipped the laundry basket from my hands and set it down on the ground. I swore he looked thicker in his tight gray T-shirt with his department logo on it. Suddenly my skin felt hot and the hallway too tight.
“Remi, can I kiss you?” Evan slipped locks of hair behind my ears, leaning in. We’d had weeks of this strange sexual tension that was growing by leaps and bounds the more I stayed with him. As my son made his own developmental milestones, Evan pushed me to make my own emotional ones.
I was speechless as he cupped my face in his much larger hands. He had always been respectful and kind, but this took on something else. Reverence I had never experienced before, like we were finally doing the right thing. Correction, I was doing the right thing. I didn’t have words to express what my heart had been fighting against all logic.
“What’s wrong, sweet girl?” There he was making my insides quiver with sweet talk.
“I don’t know. I feel, my body and well… I’m a mess,” I blurted out.
Evan chuckled and pulled me close, hugging me instead of the kiss he asked for. His hands traveled down my back, soothing me.
I thought about the last kiss we shared. He hadn’t really asked. It sort of evolved in a dark hallway at the bar on a late night, except this was the light of day, and neither of us were under the influence of alcohol.