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“Yup.”
“Fuck man, you’re an asshole.”
“Yup.” He drank his whiskey as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Okay, then. Later.” I rushed after Birdie. When I caught up to her, I swept her off her feet and carried her the rest of the way to my Jeep.
“Thanks, Little D. He knows how to be a royal jerk.”
“Asshole is more like it.”
She giggled and tossed her head back. “Be nice. He’s been through a lot, y’know.”
“Doesn’t give him a right to do whatever he did to you.”
“He was drunk. I took advantage of him.”
Snorting, I opened the passenger side door. “I doubt that.”
“No, it’s true. I caught him at a weak moment in Florida.” Her smile vanished and her eyes shimmered with emotion. “I crossed the line, and I will regret it for the rest of my life.”
I leaned in and kissed her head. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Maybe what you need is to talk it out with Ray.” Which was the exact same thing I needed to do with Ember. Talk everything out like mature adults.
“I would if he would, but he won’t.” She shrugged, and I shut the door and got into my seat. I honestly didn’t know what to say to her and felt horrible about it. There’d been a time when I always knew how to comfort Birdie, but nothing came to me now.
My steps froze when I sensed someone watching me. I scanned the area in front of me. We’d parked in the back parking lot where spots were reserved for the Knight’s Legion family. I slowly continued toward my car door. Maybe I was hearing nothing. It was dark out. Critters ran amok in our area. Quite possibly, my military training was coming through, except I wasn’t in hostile territory. At least I didn’t think Bastion had been infiltrated.
What happened to Birdie’s car could’ve been harmless. We’d just have to be vigilant and trust our gut instincts.
I hopped into my Jeep.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just thought I heard something.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” She smiled and rubbed her hands together in front of the vents, blasting warm air. She was always the optimist.
I grunted and pulled out of the parking lot. Something felt off to me. The horrors I’d seen could be fucking with me.
Calm down, man.
On the ride home, the roads were a bit icy, so I went slow, keeping my eyes peeled for any deer with a death wish. Naturally, Ember was on my mind. Now was my chance to ask the question, driving me crazy.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, so long as it’s not about Raymond.”
“It’s not. Which one of you is trying to get pregnant without a man? I’m pretty sure it’s not Tara.”
“It could be.” She grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
“Birrrdieee.” I drew out her name like when we were young.
“Why would you ask me such a strange question? Did my dad put you up to it?”
“I saw you all at the fertility clinic.”
“How? You just got home.”
