Page 56 of Playing With Forever

Dark hair on a fifteen-year-old boy I knew well.

Damn.

“I have to run, sweetheart. Text me what you want for dinner, and I’ll stop by the store on the way home.”

“You’re busy. Dad or I will hit the store. See you after work.”

“You will, Lindy. Have a good day.”

I disconnected the call and quickly found Evan’s contact.

It took four rings for him to answer, which meant he was busy, yet he still took my call.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey, Evan. Sorry to bother you, but Tyler’s outside the center in the parking lot.”

“Where are you?”

“In my office, watching him through the window.”

There was a beat of silence before I heard his muffled voice talking to someone, then he came back to me.

“If I told you to stay in your office and under no circumstances were you to leave the center, would you be pissed?”

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me.

“No, honey. And I won’t go outside.”

He blew out a relieved breath. “An uniformed officer will be there in a few minutes.”

I knew better than to ask him if that was necessary. Evan would do whatever he felt he needed to in order to protect me. And really, for the safety of everyone in the center, I couldn’t have Tyler lurking around outside.

“Okay. I’ll let Phil know. He’ll go out and handle it.”

There was a long stretch of silence, and when he didn’t fill it, I did. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Josie, I’m still here.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, baby, everything is just right.”

In the weeks I’d been with Evan, I didn’t love his rough, velvety voice any less than the first time I’d heard it. The difference was, now I got that voice in and out of bed, and one could say when the rough was laced with sex, it was even more amazing.

“Okay, I’ll see you after work. Lindy decided on your place tonight.”

More silence, then, “I get it’s soon, but the two-house shit is getting old, and you’re at mine more than you’re at yours.”

He was correct, but I wasn’t sure where he was going with this beyond pointing out the obvious.

“Was that a general statement of facts?” I asked.

“No, Josie, it was me saying I want you to think about moving in with us and renting your place out.”

Mamalious.

Her calling me to mock complain.