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Chuckling to myself, I shake my head. The city is a wildly different place than I’m used to. My smile quickly fades as I stare down at the now-full glass.
What the hell was Eve thinking? Why would she break into a damn pet shop, of all places? I should’ve asked Mary who else knew, but it was probably spread all over Divinity by now.
I pinch between my eyes, trying to breathe through the faint throbbing in my skull. She knows how it looks for the preacher’s stepdaughter to get caught up in trouble. She knows I don’t like the town gossiping about us.
We’re supposed to set the standard for life in Divinity. We can’t do that if she’s traipsing about town, wreaking havoc with Olive.
But her words from the other night come back, hitting me square in the chest.
I’m an adult. I can take care of myself.
She might be an adult, but in so many ways she’s still just a naive little girl who needs my guidance. She needs me to take her by the hand and show her the world. She relies on me as much as I rely on her.
I know she thinks she wants to travel and party and live the life every other twenty-year-old does. But that’s not her. She’s not the party girl type. She’s far too much of a homemaker to live life on the road. It’s a dream she’s clung to since the day I met her, but that’s not who she is. She’s romanticized it in her head to be something that it’s not.
I know what she needs, and what she needs is to be safely home with me, where I can keep an eye on her.
Picking up my phone, I scroll to her number, needing to hear with my own ears that everything’s okay back home.
“Sir. We’re ready for you.” A masculine voice startles me and I nearly drop my phone. My eyes snap up, finding a familiar well-dressed man smiling down at me.
“Hello, Elijah.” I grin, gathering my notebook and briefcase from the table before climbing to my feet. I reach out, and he grips my hand tightly. “How’ve you been, son? Family good?” He chuckles, releasing our shake with a shrug, and guides me toward the restaurant exit.
“Lenette’s pregnant, so—” He trails off, his cheeks reddening. My head tips back with a deep laugh.
“Good Lord, son. What’s that now? Four?”
His cheeks stain even darker. “Five. She’s pregnant with twins.”
Oh, fuck that.
“Well,” I say, shaking my head and keeping my real thoughts buried deep. “Every child is a blessing.” He grunts, not agreeing or denying.
“You’re still young,” he says, eyeing me. “Any more kids in the cards for you?”
My head swings toward him, my eyes so wide I can feel the horror on my face. I almost choke on my tongue at his suggestion.
“No. Definitely not.” I grip my notebook tightly, my palms already sweating at the thought. “One is good for me. I’ve known from a young age that I didn’t want more than that. Got a vasectomy shortly after Roman was born.” Maybe Elijah should get one. The thought passes, but I ignore it. That would be rude.
Elijah pauses, giving me an odd look. “Don’t you have two kids, sir?”
This time, I do choke.
Thoughts of the way I’d been imagining Eve just moments ago penetrate my mind, and I panic. Shaking my head adamantly, I correct him.
“Nope. Just the one boy.”
Because lately, the idea of Evelyn Meyer as anything even resembling my child makes me sick.
Fuck.
“That’s it, man. Keep going. Damn. You look so good right now.”
“Shut the hell up, Chase,” I bark, breathing heavily. He shakes his head, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.
“No can do.”
Idiot.
