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Damn, two lectures in a week was going to be a new record for me. “‘Lo?”
“Fuck me, Tally. Are you trying to age me two decades this year or what? Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
I grimaced. “I had a nap. I must’ve overslept.” Okay, understatement.
“Your friends went full detective, tracked me down on LinkedOut and called me. Said you were meant to meet them three hours ago, but never turned up. They thought you were dead.” The subtext there may as well have been shouted. He’d thought I was dead. “They asked for your address, and they were closer, so I gave it to them. But Colin and I are on our way over.”
“Willy, you really don’t have to. I’m fine. Go take Colin out for ice cream or tacos or something. I didn’t mean to ruin your night.”
There was a long silence at the other end. “Are you sure?” It was Colin this time. “If you need us, Tally, you know we’re here.”
“No, I’m fine. I swear, guys. It was just a nap. Have some shrimp tacos for me, because I’m not supposed to eat seafood anymore. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Another long silence. “First thing, Tally. If you don’t call by nine a.m., I’m calling the cops to do a welfare check,” Willy grumbled. I had a feeling that last line might’ve been for Hayes and Jesse.
“Before nine, I promise. Love you guys.”
Hanging up Hayes’s phone, I handed it back and looked at them kinda sheepishly. “Whoops?” I stepped back into my apartment. “I guess you guys better come in.”
My mother would have said something about letting two men into my apartment after ten o’clock, but she’d been gone for a decade, so the little voice inside my head that was hers was disappearing. And god, that made me so freaking sad.
Before I could tear up at the thought that my baby wouldn’t have grandparents, I searched my fridge. “Would you like something to drink? Uh, I have water or… milk?”
“I’m good,” Jesse replied, the first words he’d said at all. He looked around the tiny studio apartment. The whole place was one room, essentially. It was well decorated, and the Murphy bed also became the couch when it was pushed up. I mean, it was a cheap hovel, but at one point or another, someone had clearly had big aspirations to make affordable housing actually nice. I’d done my best to make it my own, even when I didn’t want to do anything but lie on the couch and stare at the ceiling.
I dragged my eyes from Jesse to Hayes. His blue eyes looked at me like he was trying to decide how to save me, and honestly, it felt like too much. I cleared my throat, and he dragged his eyes away. “Water is fine. Thanks, Tally.”
I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured him some from the filtered jug in the fridge, taking a moment to cool my face. When I turned back around, I felt calmer. “I’m so sorry I missed dinner. Though, I guess now I don’t have to worry about crossing town in a cab with forty grand.”
Jesse’s face was impassive. “Keep the money. I gave it to you for a reason.”
Well, at least he didn’t beat around the fucking bush. “And what reason is that?”
“Babies are expensive.”
I went to the nightstand and pulled out the envelope. “Then donate it to a charity or a women’s refuge or something. You won the money; it’s yours. I don’t need it.” Lie, lie, lie.
Could eyes actually smolder? I felt like they were barely banked coals, and I was about to fall into the fire. “Yes, you do. You live in a room smaller than my living room. You have no baby stuff. No crib, no bassinet. No baby clothes or change mats or anything that would even hint that you’re about to have a child. So either you don’t have the money for it, or you don’t plan on keeping it.”
I couldn’t help but snarl at his words. Who was he to judge me? I was keeping the baby, but he didn’t have any right to an opinion either way. “That’s none of your fucking business. I’m not your business, and this baby definitely isn’t.”
He shrugged. “Didn’t say it was. But that money is my business, and I want you to have it. So stop being a stubborn asshole about it and get out of this fucking roach motel. Move somewhere safer for you and your baby.”
“Jesse,” Hayes growled in warning.
Huffing out a disgruntled noise, Jesse turned and looked out the window into the night. Well, into the brick wall of the building opposite me. I frowned at him until Hayes’s fingers touched mine.
“Sorry, Tally. Jesse’s missing the part of his personality where he actually has a personality. When they were handing them out, he was still in the brooding asshole line. He got that in abundance,” he said more to his friend than to me.
I made a non-committal noise. He’d got that right. Apparently, Jesse had also spent a little time in the hot line, because he did hot, brooding asshole far too well.
“We’ll head out and leave you in peace. I just wanted to check you were okay,” Hayes said softly, and I realized I didn’t really want him to leave, though I’d never admit that.
I missed having him as a friendly face. I missed the way he made me feel when we talked about cars and life. I missed the chance I might’ve had with him, if I hadn’t been so caught up in Buck and now the baby.
I pushed those feelings right down deep. There was no room to start a relationship in my life right now. None whatsoever. “I’m okay, Hayes. I’ve been doing just fine by myself for a long time. I haven’t met a challenge I didn’t approach head-on, and it’ll be the same now.”
Hayes opened and closed his mouth a few times, and I could see the conflict written all across his face as if it were scrawled in Sharpie. But ultimately, he gave a short nod.
