“When you say it like that… Yeah, maybe. It certainly came out of left field. Though I get that it’s just the means to an end to you.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it fucking isn’t. Okay, maybe it started that way, and maybe I never noticed you had tits before, but—”
She huffed out a laugh. “See? And they’ve been here all along.”
“I just never saw you that way. Intentionally. Not because you aren’t hot. You’re just—”
“Not your type. Yeah, yeah, Hamilton, I know it and I’m cool with it. We stay in our lanes. You’re the one who’s suddenly swerving all over the place. Maybe this is just the male version of a ticking hormonal clock. I didn’t know it happened to dudes, but possibly something went off inside you and you panicked. It’s no big. We can just move on from here and forget we ever brought up the subject.”
“Wrong answer. It is big, and if you ever stopped freaking out at the mere idea I could want to fuck you, you’d find that out for yourself.”
“You want to fuck me to make a baby with me. A baby you can then raise as a storied Hamilton child without my involvement to taint him or her.”
Her words stole the breath from my chest. “You honestly believe I’d view your involvement that way?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who told me I could run off and be a free bird as soon as I gave birth. Didn’t really seem like you wanted my input. And for that matter, I wouldn’t do it anyway, so why are we still talking about it?”
“Because you can’t seem to talk about anything else. Which is pretty damn funny considering you supposedly find the idea so off-putting. Me thinks the lady doth protesth too much.”
“Oh, fuck right off.”
“I’d love to. When can I expect you?”
She growled at me and the tight band around my chest loosened for the first time since I’d walked into the diner during her shift on Thursday. That sound was pure Ally. She might be annoyed and questioning my mental balance, but she didn’t hate me. And I wasn’t entirely convinced she hated the idea of us making a baby either.
I could work with both of those things.
“Look, we’ll just hang out. Laurie’s been asking for you.”
“She has?” Ally cleared her throat. “Again, using your child is a dick move, Hamilton.”
“I’m not using her. Just saying I’m not the only one who misses you.” All right, so I hadn’t intended to phrase things quite like that.
I didn’t miss her. Did I? That would be nuts. It had only been a few days since we’d seen each other. You couldn’t miss someone in that time.
Even if the tightness was back in my chest at the possibility she wouldn’t come.
“Now you’re sweet talking. Pulling out the big guns, huh?”
“Nah. I haven’t pulled out the biggest gun yet. But if you’d like me to…”
“Hear that sound? It’s me not being amused by your sexual innuendoes.”
“Who mentioned sex?” I used my most innocent voice as she audibly swallowed a laugh. “You filthy-minded pervert.”
“Yeah, it’s all—”
“Daddy!” Laurie screamed from upstairs.
I didn’t think. I barely held on to the phone as I rushed down the hall and up the stairs, my only thought my little girl.
“Seth? Seth, what was that? Did I hear a scream? Oh my God, was that Laurie? Is she okay?”
Turning the phone against my shoulder, I hit the top of the stairs and booked toward Laurie’s room. She wasn’t in there, but the door to her en suite bathroom was open. And water was running.