He probably saw a broken man; bearded and skinny with black circles around his eyes.
But the thought of Lila with that British prick filled my mind and I nodded. He lifted his brows at my expression, but I got the job.
So here I was.
Exhaustion seeped into my bones as I walked the perimeter again, the wind whipping around me, knowing there wasn’t a soul in sight. I knew this because it was as silent as the grave; I’d have heard a pin drop.
But I had to do it, part of the job and all.
It was just me and the blinding floodlights that hung from the unfinished building. I checked the same padlocks I’d checked probably three hundred times before, and sighed.
I wassofucking tired. My eyes felt like they had sandbags inside my lower lids, stretching the skin down my aching cheeks. The cold stung too, which didn’t help. Even with my thick coat on, it felt like shards of glass pinching my skin when the sharp wind blew.
Fucking marvellous, only another three hours to go until the day shift guy turned up. After a deep restful sleep probably, beside his wife, no doubt.
My thoughts were twisted and bitter, but working all day, then all night, to pay for two places to live, was hard.
No, it wasbeyondhard.
But Lila needed that house, especially now. Truth be told, I didn’t want her to move out of it at all—we’d both always loved our home. Especially now she was pregnant, that place was ideal to bring up a kid. We’d said as much when we’d bought it, it just had never happened for us.
I’d always wanted kids with Lila, and I couldn’t believe that it was happening in this bag of bullshit situation.
I stared at the dirt still awaiting to be pressed firmly beneath fresh cement, wondering if anyone would notice if I fell down and slept.
But they would—that’s why they had cameras recording from all angles. Well, not just to catch me falling asleep on the job, but to record any trespassers.
My eyes moved to the building, which would eventually be filled with luxurious apartments when it was complete. I had to go inside and check the rooms sporadically, not that anyone had come in on my watch.
But some people would sleep anywhere, depending how desperate they were.
At this point I’d probably make a fucking pact with them, anything to sleep.
My phone battery had gotten so low I couldn’t even sit and scroll endlessly. I decided to turn it on—I’d been here for hours already and had turned it off way before this shift started.
The screen lit up, the battery flashing at me like I had access to a charger.
“I know,” I muttered. “I’ll charge you when I get back.”
Great, I’m talking to inanimate objects.
It was crazy what I was doing. Working until 4pm at my day job, then starting here at 9pm. By the time I got back to my apartment, had a shower and some food, it left me an hour or two to sleep.
But needs must, right?
That’s what dads do. They sacrifice everything for their kids.
I still couldn’t believe I was going to be a dad. It was like the universe had taken pity on me and given me a piece of Lila to love forever.
The aching in my heart made me clutch my chest, punching it until it went away. It never did, but it got easier.
My phone alerted me to a text, and my heart leaped when I saw it was from Lila.
“Please stay on,” I begged my phone, no longer caring that I was talking to it, eagerly trying to open the message.
Lila: I don’t think we can afford to live separately right now. Can we talk?
I stared at the text message until my phone cut out, dying indefinitely. Raindrops had fallen on the screen, warping her words. But still, I didn’t move, my fingers still curled around the phone, gripping it.
