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“But…what—”
An object flies into my lap, cutting off my question as Lucy reappears.
“You reallydoonly focus on one thing in life. Are you actually confused right now?” she asks with a lightness to her voice, clearly mocking me.
I look down at the screen in my hand as it comes to life and Katie calls out again. A fucking monitor. I know what they are.God, I’m a dumbass.
“Apparently so,” I joke as Lucy laughs again before jumping off her bed and pulling on her panties and a silk robe.
“I’ll be right back,” she says, motioning to the hallway. “There’s an ensuite through there if you need it.” She looks down at my junk as she points over her shoulder toward the door she’s referring to, and it’s my turn to laugh.At myself.Because I’m a fucking mess. What a way to end a beautiful moment.
I’m just walking back into the room, half-dressed, as Lucy gently pulls the door closed behind her and moves to my side.
“I’m sorry.” She sighs. “I wish you could stay.” She runs a finger up and down my chest, following the motion with her eyes until I lift her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze before giving her a chaste kiss.
“I completely understand. We need to figure out what this is before getting Katie involved. We didn’t wake her, did we?”
Lucy giggles. “No, not at all. She wasn’t even awake; she calls out in her sleep sometimes. And thank you. You’re right about needing to figure all this out, but I do want to say that I’m—”
“Can I take you on a date?” I rush out, cutting her off. “Just the two of us. Before you say what you were about to say.”
A shocked expression briefly crosses her face, but she recovers and nods again. “I’d love that. I’ll just need to arrange someone to watch Katie.”
“Take all the time you need. Any nonwork time I have is yours.”
I brush a kiss across her forehead and then step back, reaching for my tee.
Lucy watches my every move with her finger between her teeth, making it very difficult for me to depart.
We say our goodbyes and I head to my truck, taking my time as I do. It’s not until I’m seated inside that I realize I still have unanswered questions about her. Her surname for one, and whether or not the asshole supports her. Working full-time can’t be easy on her and Katie, so my guess is he doesn’t. All questions that will have to wait for our date.
But if she thinks I’m keeping my distance at work until then, she’s absolutely mistaken. I’ve waited too long for this; staying away is not an option.
Chapter Thirty
Lucy
IbarelysleepafterWes leaves, with my mind too wired after everything that happened during the last few hours. Wes’s confession and honesty completely threw me. I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but I definitely didn’t think he’d open himself up like that and leave himself so vulnerable. My heart broke for him. To lose your girlfriend and then be harassed like that. To be moving through life knowing your mind works differently to others but never being given the tools to deal with it. I mean, he’s coping. He’s an amazing man. But would his life be easier if he’d had help?
Then there was my confession and Wes’s reaction to it. The emotion in his voice made me feel like he wanted to take on some of the responsibility of what happened, even though I didn’t know him back then. The protective vibe he threw out had my heart racing, and when he handed me the reins… God, I almost died. He’s nothing like any of the guys I’ve been with, and I have to wonder why that is. I can’t help questioning what I did to attract all the wrong men when I was younger. And how I managed to finally attract the right one, only for it to be the wrong time.
We have a second chance, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I actually want to take that leap of faith, to risk my heart being broken just because if I don’t, I may end up worse off. But at the same time, I’m terrified to bring him into my mess with Greg.
When Monday comes, I’m slammed with work and don’t get to see Wes at all, which seems to be happening too often for my liking. But short of hunting him down on the field, there’s not much I can do.
On my drive home, I call Dylan with a giddy nervousness running through me, but when he answers, all that subsides.
“Brother from the same mother, how are you?”
He laughs and I picture him shaking his head. “Sometimes I worry about you, Luce.”
“Aww, I love you too, baby bro.”
“Alright, what do you want?”
I knew he’d be on to me, but having him ask makes it harder for me to chicken out.
“I was wondering if you and Summer wanted to try an overnighter with a child before your little one comes along.”
