“I’m sorry,” I tell him once we’re in the SUV. “I left out a different door and completely forgot. David was outside waiting for me and… I’m so sorry.”
He nods once. “I can’t do my job if I’m not with you. Please remember that.”
The ride home is quiet. I had planned to meet Camden at the studio, but I need to do something first. I have Simon wait for me in the vehicle while I run into the house and grab what I need. He takes me to the pharmacy I use, and once it’s my turn, I hand the pharmacist the pills.
“Can you please confirm these are the pills for my birth control?”
A few minutes later, my suspicions are confirmed. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but these are placebo. They are not your birth control. Were you given these? I can investigate…”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s okay. Thank you.”
There’s nothing to investigate because I know exactly what happened. My ex-husband switched out my pills, not once but twice, to ensure I would get pregnant.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CAMDEN
“I love you. You’re the best mom ever. I hope you have chocolate cake.”
The guys and I hold back our laughter while Felix sings the song he wrote for his mom. When we arrived at the studio, he was fascinated with the music equipment, so I told him if he wrote a song, he could sing it, and I’d record it for him. Since Layla’s birthday is in a few days, he said he wanted to sing her a birthday song. The kid is completely tone deaf, but he’s cute as hell.
“You’re the best mom ever ’cause you let me stay up late and watch movies. Happy Birthday.”
When he finishes singing, he takes off his headphones and grins at us. “Did I do good?”
“You fucking rocked it,” Gage says.
“Watch your mouth.” I punch him in the arm. “The last thing I need is him going home and using words like that around his mom. She’ll never trust me with him again.”
Gage ignores me, walking into the sound booth and fist-bumping Felix.
“Can I hear it?” Felix asks, hopping up onto the stool.
Earl snorts out a laugh, and I glare at the asshole.
“Soon,” I tell him. “First, we have to edit it.” And add a shit ton of Auto-Tune to it so it doesn’t break his mother’s eardrums.
“Okay, I’m hungry,” Felix says.
“Let me see where your mom is at.” I grab my phone and find several missed calls and texts from Layla. Shit, my phone’s been on silent. The last one asks if Felix and I are okay, so I call her back.
“Hey,” she breathes. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Sorry, my phone was on silent. We’re still at the studio.”
“Okay, will you be home soon?” Something in her voice has my hackles rising.
“Yeah. Everything okay?” She hesitates, and I know something is wrong. “Layles…”
“I just need you to come home, please.”
After we hang up, Felix and I say bye to the guys and head home, stopping at Layla’s favorite restaurant to pick up food on the way—and then a drive-through for Felix since it’s his least favorite.
When we get home, she pulls Felix into a tight hug, making him screech in surprise. “Mom, you’re going to choke me to death,” he says dramatically.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I just love you so much.”
“I brought food.” I hold up the bag.
“Thanks.” A fake smile stretches across her face, making my stomach sink.
“Can I go watch TV?” Felix asks. “I ate chicken nuggets.”
“Yeah,” Layla chokes out. “Go ahead.”
Felix hightails it up the stairs, leaving Layla and me alone.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” I ask, laying the food out on the table.
Layla doesn’t say anything right away, so I give her time and focus on my food even though I’ve pretty much lost my appetite. Layla pushes her food around her plate but doesn’t actually take a bite.
Finally, she sets her fork down and speaks. “Our freshman year of college, David cheated on me.” I set down my fork, giving her my full attention.
“We were living in separate dorms, and I was spending a lot of time with Kaylee. She was a mess after… everything. David was always complaining I wasn’t paying enough attention to him. We were fighting all the time. He got drunk at a party one night and messed around with another girl. He swears they didn’t have sex, but I didn’t care. I broke up with him the second I found out.”
She releases a harsh breath and shakes her head. “A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t understand how it happened. I was on birth control and never missed a day. I was eighteen and scared, and David begged me to stay with him. I took him back, and we got married, moved off campus into our own apartment his parents helped him pay for, and I never looked back.”