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“For starters, it seems you have my car, and I have yours.” He smiled at me, revealing the dimple on his cheek. Myles had his brown hair in a military buzz cut with deep green eyes. Years in the army had his arms full of muscles.
“Oh, right.” I reached next to the register to grab his car keys. “Here. Sorry about that. I was in a rush and…” I didn’t bother finishing my sentence. My actions spoke for themselves. “So can I get you anything, or is this just a transactional visit?”
“Just the keys for now. I’m sure I’ll be back later with the guys. I figured you’d need your car, though, since there’s a car seat in the back and I wasn’t sure when you’d need it, but there isn’t one in mine. It was a shot in the dark that you’d be here.”
“Thanks. It was cool of you to be so thoughtful. I, uh, should get back to working.” I turned and waited on the couple that had just sat down across the bar. Saying nothing else, Myles left.
Twenty-One
Now:
Sergio interrupted. “Timeline. How far out from our little rendezvous was this?”
“He’d moved in with me about a month before when Mish had to move out abruptly because she was caught fucking Connor in a club. This was shortly after that.” When the media swarmed Mish after she and Connor were caught hooking up in a club, she moved out to make sure the press was kept away from Wyatt and me.
“Got it.”
* * *
Then:
Anyway, Mish had been living with Wyatt and me in exchange for babysitting and a bit of help with rent. Things with Mish and Connor escalated quickly, and she moved out. That’s when my best friend rode up like a fairy-tale knight in shining armor and offered to fill in until I could come up with a plan.
Unfortunately, that meant he was more aware of my extracurricular activities, and it could be exhausting having him that close to my destructive behavior. Eli was a recovering addict, and he would get worried that I had a drinking problem. I won’t say I didn’t make questionable choices, but it wasn’t quite as serious as he made it out to be.
And of course, as I now understand, it was because Eli was in love with me.
I was a hot mess, and he deserved so much better. The problem was, the longer we lived with each other, the harder it was for me to keep my distance.
I got home from work later that night, knowing my argument with Eli wasn’t quite over. I knew I was about to walk into that house, and he was going to express how displeased he was with my behavior, but then he’d do something sweet, and I’d feel like shit all over again.
It was our routine.
I took a deep, fortifying breath and walked in the door. Making a straight line for my room to take off my disgusting clothes, I pulled on my robe so I could check on Wyatt before I showered. Normally, I wouldn’t bother changing first, but I was genuinely concerned the smell would wake him, and I was far too tired to chase a freshly energized toddler.
My sweet baby was fast asleep in his toddler bed. I brushed a couple of fingers over his adorably chubby cheeks before planting a light kiss and heading back toward the bathroom.
Eli popped his head out of his room as I passed by. “Hey,” he whispered.
I waved for him to follow me to a place where we could speak at a normal volume. “How was he?”
“Spirited,” he chuckled. “The entire way home from your mom’s, he was telling me about the movie they watched. Half the words he said I didn’t quite catch, but from what I understood, it involved trains.”
I smiled. “Sounds riveting. Thanks so much for picking him up.”
“Look.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry about this morning. It’s none of my business. I just worry about you.”
“It’s okay. I know you worry. I just wish you wouldn’t. But I get it. And I’m so thankful you’re here with us. I don’t know how I’d manage without you, and I should be a little less… in your face with my shenanigans.”
“Did you eat? I left you dinner in the fridge.”
Cue the guilt. “Really, Eli. You don’t have to do that for me. You already do too much.”
“It’s no more work to save you some of whatever I make for myself, Katie.” His tone was soft. It hit me in the feels every fucking time he called me Katie.
“Thank you. I’ll heat it up after I shower. I’m a fucking mess.”
Walking into the bathroom, I shut the door behind myself before I heard him say, “A beautiful mess.”
