“And that would be the breakfast bell,” I say, stopping two inches shy of her lips.
Lara sighs. “I have to go anyway.”
“I know.”
I go to pick up Fia, who has the biggest saggy diaper I’ve ever seen. “Oh, my poor girl. I bet your bootie is cold.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m gonna get you all dry and make some of that warm nasty formula for your belly. Yum!”
“Dean?”
“Yeah?” I grab a fresh diaper from my dresser along with the changing pad.
“We still don’t have a plan. What happens if the police figure out we were at the motel? What if Tony comes after us? What if he’s never implicated? He can’t go free again.”
I’m the guy who believes in plans and in making them happen, but I don’t have the answers.
“I’m not sure what the plan is. Tony saw both our faces, but it was dark, and he took off before we did. If he didn’t follow us home, it’s going to be hard to track either of us down.” Unless the police figure out we were there somehow. That would change everything because our faces and names will be all over the news.
I refrain from telling Lara this because she can probably figure it out on her own. If she hasn’t, I don’t want her to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. “Just be careful, okay? Any sign of Tony, you call the police.”
“I wish I could skip work today and hide out at a friend’s house.”
“Don’t be afraid. Everything’s going to work out. Okay?” I’m guessing the police will process Marli’s crime scene and get her DNA. Maybe Tony’s, too, if he touched the ladle. Either way, it’s only a question of time before they find out who she was. Once they do, the first person they’ll suspect is Tony—the guy who’s a known murderer. “All we have to do is wait it out. The police will figure out who killed Marli.”
“If they don’t?”
“Then there are two witnesses who’ll have to consider stepping forward, but I don’t see a reason to do it until we have to.” I exhale, feeling relieved.
“Why do you look happy all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. I think because I just came up with a plan and it didn’t stress me out.” I smile at her. “See, you’re good for me.”
“We’re good for each other.” She smiles weakly, trying to be upbeat. Not so easy to do at the moment. “So I guess it’s business as usual until further notice?”
“Yes.” If business as usual means my life is turning into the plot of a Riverdale episode.
I lay Fia down on my bed, over the changing pad, and she smiles up at me with her cute little lips. My heart tingles with joy, and I realize that despite the chaos, this is the happiest I’ve ever been.
I don’t have everything I want, but maybe I have everything I need.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I spend the rest of the morning cleaning up the apartment. I take Fia to the gym in her carrier and almost complete an entire hour of weights. Our first game is on Sunday against our biggest rival, the California Turkeys. (Really the Thunderbirds, but we hate them, so yeah. Turkeys.)
Now I’m driving home to shower, change, and eat before tonight’s practice. I try not to think about Marli and the fact I haven’t heard any news about her death. It doesn’t mean the police aren’t investigating, but I’d feel better if I knew where things stood. Have they ID’d her? Linked her to Tony?
There’s nothing to do but wait now, and that includes waiting for Lara, who, in the midst of all this insanity, makes me feel happy. I just hope she’s ready soon to take things to the next level. Not sure how much more buildup I can take.
By Sunday morning, I’m about to explode. Lara’s stayed over the last few nights, and her warm soft body next to mine is torture. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to kiss her, touch her, make love to her. I haven’t jerked off this much since I was sixteen. But all this is worth it because I know she’s working through stuff, and she’s doing it for us—me and Fia.
As for all the other things in my life, there haven’t been any real developments other than Larry the lawyer released a press statement, making it clear that any news outlets reporting false information about me will be held liable and that we plan to make a big announcement in a few days. I’m guessing he means the paternity test.
I have to call and let him know I didn’t go in for the blood work appointment. I just won’t be able to tell him why. Linking this baby to Marli, and possibly Tony (I hope not), puts Fia at risk. Puts me and Lara at risk, too.