I caress the back of her hand with one index finger. “Relax. I know he has bad dreams. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sleep so peacefully.” I pause, unsure I want to say it, but in the end, I do. “Thank you,” I say honestly.
Lola lets out a long breath, clearly relieved. “Why are you thanking me?”
I lead her toward the kitchen because I don’t want to risk Adrian hearing us through the door. “For soothing him,” I answer her. “For being there for him. He’s a good buddy. Probably my closest friend when it comes to the band. He’s always had my back.”
“Thank you for trusting me and not reading into this,” she says, her eyes searching mine.
“I trust both of you,” I say honestly.
Lola crosses her arms. “Don’t you mean all three of us?”
“Three?”
“Did you not see your daughter with him too?”
I chuckle as she starts making our coffee. “Yeah. Talk about a betrayal,” I say, thinking of Pixel still with Adrian, protecting him from the monsters under his bed.
* * *
Lola’s cellis on the counter as she makes breakfast for us. I sit at the island and watch her, making a lesson plan for the day.
“I’m going to head out,” Adrian says, making his way to the elevator. “Thanks for dinner, Lola.”
Lola spins around, spatula in hand. “Oh, you’re not staying for breakfast?”
Adrian shakes his head. “After that huge dinner, I’m not really hungry yet.”
“Okay. Come back anytime you want to hang out with us.”
“Thank you. But Fritz gets back in tonight; I’ll let you two lovebirds have privacy.”
“See ya, man,” I say just before he leaves.
Lola turns her attention back to the tomato sauce she was in the middle of simmering down to pair with eggs and doesn’t notice when her phone lights up on the counter. I glance at it, grabbing it to hand to her, but my hand freezes when I see the name displayed on the screen.
Ethan.
Is she still talking to him? Even after everything that happened? My shoulder blades constrict tightly as my nostrils flare. “You have a call,” I say coolly. “Would you like me to pick up?”
“Who is it?” she asks, and I relax a little, realizing she’s not hiding anything.
“Ethan.”
Her entire frame freezes. “No. Send him to voicemail, please.”
“Lola.” I try to grab her attention, but she only keeps stirring. “Lo. Look at me, please.”
She turns around slowly, and the hurt is billboard-sized in her eyes. I lick my lips, my heart racing. Does she still have feelings for him? She wouldn’t be so hurt if she didn’t. Of course she has feelings for the scumbag. They were together for four years.
“Are you talking to him?”
Lola shakes her head. “No. He’s called a few times since my name was released and the photos of our date night went viral.”
“What has he said?”
She bites the inside of her cheek, then turns to keep stirring the pot. “I haven’t picked up, though . . .”
“Though what,” I ask?