“Serena, by the time the baby comes, the three of us are going to be under the same roof.”
I can’t answer.
As much as I want to believe him, and as much as my heart wants to be with Gray twenty-four seven, my brain refuses to stop flashing a yellow caution light.
Chapter Ten
Grinder
That didn’t go quite as well as I’d hoped it would. But better than it could have. I want Serena with me. Want my eyes and hands on her every second of the day.
But I also need to give her space. If I pressure her, it’ll only backfire on me later. That’s one lesson I’ve learned over the years.
“Wait, Gray,” Emily calls out.
I lift my head and spot Emily hurrying around the side of her house and over the lawn.
She catches up to me at the truck and tosses a hasty glance over her shoulder toward the house.
“Is this where you put a bullet in me?” I ask with a wry twist of my mouth.
Her cheeks flame red, but she defiantly pulls her shoulders back. “Not yet.”
“Good to know.” I lift my chin. “What’s on your mind?”
“I heard some of what you said to Serena.”
I figured she was probably listening in and don’t give a fuck. I don’t have anything to hide.
“You said all the right things and so much more.” She glances at the pavement. “Serena and I haven’t been friends for long. But she was there for me and Libby during a dark time. I love her like a sister. I don’t want to see her get hurt. If she wants this baby—and I know she does—I’ll do everything I can to make sure they’re both safe.”
She doesn’t say “including shoot you, if you hurt her” but it’s definitely implied.
Anger threatens to boil through my veins, but my rational side understands she’s not attacking me personally. She’s trying to protect Serena. How could I ever argue with that?
Her expression hardens. “She’s a good person with a good heart. She’ll be a wonderful mother.”
“I know,” I say gently.
“Your words and promises were a nice start—”
“But you need more than words from me to stop answering the door with a gun?”
She snorts. “Nah, I do that all the time.”
All this courage seems to be new to her. She’s fidgety but determined. Takes a damn strong woman to confront a man like me on a shadowy, empty street all by herself.
Honesty will go a long way with Emily. Even if it’s the ugly truth. “I don’t know how much Serena’s told you about me. But I just got out on parole. Spent the last fifteen years locked up with some of the worst men society ever produced. I understand the situations you’re worried about better than you think.”
Her eyes widen. “Serena mentioned parole but…”
Maybe Serena didn’t say how long I’d been inside. Fifteen years isn’t a simple stretch. Time like that changes a man and not for the better. A smart woman like Emily would realize that. “You’re worried I want to use her to get readjusted to society then ditch her and let her raise our child alone, or that I’m a bum who will live off of her, draining her youth and bank account like some ex-con vampire.”
A brief smile flickers over her lips at that last one. “Maybe not quite that vivid, but along those lines, yes,” she admits.
“I’ve heard it all, Emily. The tricks and traps. The cheating, games, lying, and stealing that cons do. And I have nothing in common with those kinds of men.” Maybe a few things in common. But deliberately hurting women isn’t one of them.
“Good. I’m sorry, Gray. You seem nice and all. If you were just dating, I wouldn’t…” She glances at the house again. “But the stakes are so much higher now.”
“Don’t apologize for being a good friend. I respect the hell out of you for having the nerve to say any of this to my face.”
Her anxious frown flips to a hesitant smile. “I really do like you.”
“I appreciate you letting Serena stay here. I wanted to move her into a nicer place months ago but she said no and I didn’t want to push.” I pull out my wallet. “If you’re not charging her rent, I’d at least like to help you with expenses.”
“I can’t take your money.” She studies me with her shrewd eyes. “Please understand, Serena and the baby have a home with me, no matter what. I don’t want Serena forced into a situation where she thinks she has no options.”
Neither do I. I want Serena more than anything. But I also want her to want to be with me. Not feel like she’s obligated to move in with me because I knocked her up.
“I’m glad she has you, Emily.”
She presses her hand against her chest. “Wow. Huh.” She tilts her head to the side, staring at me through narrowed eyes. “I expected you to get defensive.”