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I slide my teeth along my lower lip to disguise a grin. “An ex-wife problem, to be exact, one I don’t really give a fuck about. The part I do care about is getting to see my son sleeping in his own room for the first time in months.”
“Then I’ll go inside so you can go.”
There’s my Evie. Easy. Simple. Caring about others even with her own problems.
As she releases me to cross the parking lot back to the hotel, a new feeling emerges in my gut. One filling me with the thrill of excitement.
With my ex-wife issues finally falling into place, I’m able to make good on my promises.
Starting with helping Evie out of her fucking car.
Convincing her permanently into my bed is a close second.
And finding out what comes next for us is third.
22
Evie
The morning air brings a hint of summer warmth as a breeze tosses my hair. I wrangle the wild strands into a low ponytail as Eric and I walk the hiking trail once more before he leaves. We traveled about half an hour in before deciding to turn back, not having enough time to reach the end. Caiti waits at the hotel under the guise of packing, but I suspect there’s a reason she’s not here. Whatever Eric plans to say, she thinks he can persuade me on his own.
Only one topic remains untouched, and discussing my ex doesn’t bring me happy flutters.
Birds chirp a melodious tune overhead. I tip my face to the sun and bask in the warmth and the song. Each step brings us closer to a goodbye I’m not ready for.
“What happened with Tate?”
The blunt question doesn’t throw me. He and I grew up with a forwardness that frightens most people and the confidence to face confrontation head-on. Except in my case, when I fled across the country when my problems grew too big.
“What has he told you?” What better place to start than discovering what he already knows.
“Not much. When you two broke up, he said he’d let you stay until you could support yourself on your own. Then two months later, I get a call asking if I knew where you were.”
I snort. “And then you blabbed, so I had to keep the secret from you the second time.”
“Maybe if I had the full story, I wouldn’t have felt the need to tell him where you were.”
The leaves and twigs beneath my feet crunch in answer.
“When I was twenty-two, I saw a specialist for my horrible period pains. Remember when I was a kid, after Mom and Dad died, and I was curled in a ball every month? You and Tate did as much internet research as you could to solve the problem and kept coming into my room with heating pads and water bottles and snacks trying to help.”
“I should have taken you to a different doctor.”
He’d taken me to my primary doctor more than on
ce, but I was told period pain is normal and to take some medicine. We were too naïve to know better, and I got tired of racking up medical bills that Eric had to pay when I wasn’t getting any answers.
“We didn’t know what to do back then, but Tate suggested I go after I moved in with him. The specialist suspected I had endometriosis, so I had surgery to confirm.”
“You what?”
I hold my palm up to him. “I’m not going to run to you with my menstrual problems. When you were my parent figure, sure, but not in my twenties. Anyway, it gets better.”
“Go on.” He pushes a leafy branch out of my path.
I duck beneath his arm and wait for him to come out the other side.
“The procedure confirmed the diagnosis. It spread so much that my chances of getting pregnant were slim. So Tate and I decided right then to try to have a baby.”
