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“Yes, but only because he just wants sex.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He only asks me to come over.”
“Okay …” she says slowly, still not getting it.
I give Ava a pointed look. “When no one else is home.”
“Oh.” She nods, registering the meaning.
“Yeah. I’ve only ever had guys look at me and see one thing. Just once, I’d like a guy to offer to take me out, see me as something more.” I turn to Charlie in my arms and start to coo, “Would you take me out?”
Charlie responds by flailing his little arms around awkwardly, and I giggle as Ava asks, “What about that guy you told me your mom set you up with?”
I roll my eyes at the memory of that night. “He hooked up with our waitress before dessert.”
“Eww.”
“And what’s worse is that mom was blaming me,” I say, remembering that damn phone call that makes me wonder why I do this to myself. Better the devil you know, I guess.
Ava raises a brow. “Did you expect anything else? We both know how she can be.”
Yes, we do. Ava may not see everything, but she's seen enough in our childhood to know. She was there on prom night when mom had forced me to go with a family friends' rich son who also happened to be on the football team and liked to be extra handsy. Hunter knew and she knew. My heart aches at all I've had to put up with over the years and knowing that there is possibly no escape for me now. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t know how to do anything else. I shrug, looking down at Charlie with sad eyes, knowing this child will have a different life. He has great parents, and I will make sure he has all the choices in the world. I shrug. “Maybe it’s just not in the cards for me.”
“Don’t say that-”
The moment is shattered, thankfully, as we hear the heavy thumping of footsteps coming through the front door and raucous laughter, signalling the arrival of what I could assume was Conner.
We both turn as Conner enters the living room, with his brother Riley stomping in behind him, dressed in a plain white shirt and blue jeans that hug his thighs in just the right way.
I inwardly slap myself for thinking that, knowing I would never go there because if something went wrong, he would always be around and there would be no escape. I don’t need that drama in my life.
“Thanks for coming, bro, I really appreciate it,” Conner says over his shoulder as they enter the living room, seeing us sitting there staring up at them.
“You promised me beer and I better get it,” Riley commented, slapping Conner on the shoulder playfully.
“You will,” Conner says as he regards me with his son in my arms and gives Ava an amused smile before looking back at me. “Hey! I see you’ve stolen my son.”
“He came to me,” I lie, all of us knowing that I greedily snatched him up upon arrival.
Riley grins, raising a brow in challenge. “Not for long.”
He only takes one step towards us, in an attempt to steal the bundle from my arms, and I quickly hold one finger up to him in warning, my eyes narrowing as is scold, “You stay away from him with your big brooding self.”
He freezes but chuckles at my reaction, happy to have gotten one as he perches himself against the doorframe.
“What are you guys doing here?” Ava asks Conner, amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Back fence collapsed in the storm the other night. We’re going out back to fix it,” Conner explains and Ava nods, remembering the said storm, calling out after them, “Be careful.”
They take themselves through the house, Riley chuckling as he passes, and I can’t help but call out, “Yes, don’t trip on a spike or anything.”
This only brings more chuckles as he closes the sliding door. It may be better if I don’t say anything to this guy. I groan in annoyance as I hold Charlie closer to me, looking back at an amused Ava, her eyes dancing as they look down at me. “What was that about?”
“That smug smile,” I groan again, this time making Charlie jump in surprise in my arms, but he recovers quickly, continuing to just look at me.
“Is that good or bad?”
