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“Yeah, except for the fact that they manipulated his mother into keepin’ him a secret from his father,” I replied flatly. “I’m sure they were a fuckin’ joy to be around.”
“I’m just sayin’—” He put his hands up in surrender. “He has happy memories of them. That’s a good thing. Wouldn’t want to have to dig ’em up just to piss on ’em, you know?”
“You’re a fuckin’ nutcase.”
“Yeah, well, guilty.” Rumi shrugged, unconcerned. He looked at me over his beer bottle. “Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room.”
“There’s no elephant.”
“What are you gonna do about Em?” he asked, talking over me.
“Nothin’.”
“She’s just gonna live with you platonically?”
“She’s not livin’ with me,” I snapped. “She’s staying the night. One night.”
“You’re gonna kick her out tomorrow then?”
“Of course not.”
“So she’s stayin’?”
“For now.”
“Bullshit.”
“Until she gets a place, she and Rhett can stay here,” I said, grinding my teeth. “Why are you pushin’ this?”
“So,” Rumi said thoughtfully. By his tone, I knew he was just going to irritate me further. “She’s gonna stay until she finds a job and saves up enough to pay first and last on a rental somewhere? She lives here, brother. Just lean into it.”
“She’s not fuckin’ livin’ here,” I snapped. “Would you leave it alone?”
“Just tryin’ to figure out if you’re about to make a big fuckin’ mistake or not. You gonna keep it civil and let her stay until she can find a place or are you gonna see if you can get back in there and play house with the only chick you’ve ever looked twice at and never gotten over?”
“I’m not makin’ any fuckin’ mistake,” I shot back. “She can stay until she’s on her feet. My son lives with her. It’s not like I’m gonna let her be homeless.”
Rumi just watched me like he knew something I didn’t. “Never said which scenario I thought was a mistake,” he said finally.
“And I’ve looked twice at plenty of women,” I barked. “It’s not like I’ve been waitin’ around for Emilia to show up. I get laid plenty. I’m sure she’s been fuckin’ other people too. It’s been three fuckin’ years.”
“Actually, I’ve been a little busy,” Emilia said from behind me. “Raising a kid and working doesn’t leave a lot of time toget laid.”
I closed my eyes and held back a groan.
“Hey Em,” Rumi said in amusement.
“Hey, Rum.” She walked into the kitchen as I opened my eyes again. “Sorry, Rhett woke up thirsty, and I didn’t think anyone would be down here.”
“Right of the sink,” I told her as she opened up the wrong cabinet looking for a glass.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“You know,” Rumi said, turning around in his chair to watch her. “I bet Mom would watch Rhett if you’re plannin’ on findin’ a job.”
Emilia laughed. “What the hell else would I do? We have to eat.” She filled the glass halfway with tap water. “But thanks, that’s actually a good idea. I’ll ask your mom about it. It would be fucking awesome if I didn’t have to pay for daycare.”
“When did you start swearing?” Rumi asked in surprise.
