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Oliver was suing to have his parental rights taken away.
The anguish eclipsed anything he’d felt prior. It took over every cell in his body until he couldn’t think, couldn’t feel anything beyond pain.
Nothing mattered anymore. The pain had won, and he’d sell his soul for relief.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BRENNA FROWNED AT her phone as it sent her straight to Lock’s voicemail for the third time. It didn’t make sense. If he’d gotten stuck at work, wouldn’t the phone ring a few times first? Maybe he’d forgotten to charge it, but he didn’t typically make that mistake when someone else had Caleb. He made sure the sitter could always reach him.
They’d made plans for four in the afternoon. Lock had promised to swing by her place and pick her up. She’d held out until four thirty before sending a text. A simple, everything okay that went unanswered. At five, the unease in her gut had her calling him, even if it made her appear needy. That was the first time she’d heard his voicemail. Now, at five thirty and three calls in, she’d reached the point of genuine worry.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered as she called Brooke. It seemed like such an insecure girlfriend move to call a friend and ask if they’d heard from him. Not to mention, it’d be humiliating if he’d merely decided to ghost her.
Could he have? Was he finished and too chickenshit to face her?
What an asshole.
No.
Lock wasn’t like that. Sure, she’d heard all about the messiness of his recent past, but since she’d met him, Lock had been nothing but responsible and genuine. If he wanted to end their whatever, she had no doubt he’d be bold enough to tell her.
Her stomach clenched as she realized how crushed she’d be in that scenario.
Dammit, she really had gone and done it. Despite all her confidence in her powers of resistance, she’d caught feelings. The sick sensation in her chest at the thought of him dumping her obliterated any chance she’d had of continuing to live in denial.
“Hey, girl, aren’t you supposed to be on a hot date with a hot biker right now?” Brooke said by way of greeting.
“Uh, yeah.” Brenna grimaced at her own awkward chuckle and squeezed her eyes shut tights. “This is a little embarrassing, but Lock was supposed to pick me up an hour and a half ago, and, um… he never showed.” Kill me now. “I was wondering if you’ve spoken to him?”
“Oh.” Brooke’s confusion could be heard through the phone. “Um, let me think. He dropped Caleb off here around noon, and I know he had a work appointment at two, but he said it wouldn’t take long. Have you tried calling him? Maybe the job ended up more involved than he’d anticipated.”
“Yeah, I did.” Brenna pinched the bridge of her nose as she paced across her living room. Humiliation warred with worry. “I texted a few times with no response, and his phone goes straight to voice mail.”
The unsaid maybe he’s avoiding me hung heavy in the air.
Mortifying.
“Really?” Brook made a hum of surprise. “That’s not like him. He is always super careful to ensure we can reach him while watching Caleb. Hold on, let me check with Curly.”
The line went quiet for about thirty torturous seconds.
“He hasn’t heard anything either.”
A lump lodged itself in Brenna’s throat.
“No!” Brooke’s sharp voice cut through her pity party. “I know what you’re thinking, and you better stop it right now. He did not ditch you.”
“I don’t know. We’re not official or—”
“It doesn’t matter if you have defined anything or that you’ve both buried your heads in the sand regarding your feelings.”
Ouch. Way to lay a truth bomb on me.
“Lock cares about you, Brenna. I see it clear as day every time you are together. He can’t keep his eyes off you. He gravitates toward you like Curly does to me. Like I do to him. And don’t even try to lie about your feelings for him. You’re smitten, and it’s more than obvious.”
Brenna sighed. “Fine. I won’t deny it. I’m… oh, for fuck’s sake, I’m crazy about him. If it turns out he’s ghosting me, I’ll be crushed.”
“He’s not ghosting you,” Brooke said slowly as though talking to a stubborn child. “Why don’t you drive over to his house? Hell, maybe he fell asleep. It’s exhausting raising an infant.”
