“No. I’m trying to help Rachel. I can’t let a little girl go homeless. Just like if you and Emily needed my help. I’d do everything I could for you.”
She softened. A little. “I know, Reggie. That’s who you are.” She looked at him, seeing the mixture of misery and confusion hurting him. “But Amy isn’t telling you everything, and you obviously know that. I think maybe you’re willing to overlook it because you want to help Rachel. And maybe if you know the truth, you won’t.”
“Maybe.” He groaned. “I didn’t want to let her stay.”
“Then she used Rachel against you.”
“I don’t think she meant to.”
I do.Mack’s words came rushing back about the woman. “Reggie, I love you, but I can’t make your decisions for you. If you feel having her at your house is the right thing to do, then it’s the right thing to do.”
He sagged, relieved. “You’re not leaving me?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Hell, no. I love you.”
“And I love you. I don’t like her being there. She’s taking advantage of you. But you are who you are. And your generosity is one of the things I love about you.” Yet she worried for him.
“Thanks, Maggie. You don’t know how worried I’ve been. It’s only for a week that she’s going to be there. She asked for a few months, and I said no. Trust me. I’m over her. I loveyou.You don’t need to worry about anything happening with her. I did this for Rachel, not Amy.” He snorted. “She’s still pining for Devon anyway.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Huh? No way.”
Maggie saw a hint of uncertainty, and it hurt. A lot. But Reggie had a right to his feelings, and only he could process them. She couldn’t do it for him. “Okay. Let’s spend today together. But maybe we’ll wait on announcing our dating status to Emily until after things settle down.”
He agreed too quickly for her peace of mind, but then, what choice did she have?
***
A week later, Maggie had seen Reggie a total of once. He’d come to dinner Monday night and they’d had a wonderful time playing with Emily and going for a walk together, the three of them trying to see who could make Frank fetch.
Reggie worked Tuesday, and she didn’t hear from him. But that wasn’t unusual. She knew how busy work could get and didn’t want to distract him. She didn’t hear from him on Wednesday or Thursday either. And she started to worry, but she didn’t want to come across as needy or mistrustful.
By Friday though, she started to fear the worst. She texted Mack, having gotten his number at the pet adoption. He confirmed Reggie was physically okay and added,HE’S ALSO A FUCKING IDIOT. All in caps.Then he wished her good luck.
Troubled, Maggie called Reggie once more. This time, a woman answered.
Maggie frowned. “Hello?”
“Hi. Who’s this?” The woman sounded pleasant, her voice husky.
“This is Maggie. Can I please speak with Reggie?”
A pause. “Oh, you’re Reggie’s girlfriend. Hi. I’m Amy.”
Her tone sounded friendly, but Maggie sensed not to trust it and, in a superpolite voice, said, “Hello. I’ve heard about you as well.”Ha. I can be bitchy nice too.“Can I talk to Reggie, please?”
“He’s in the shower. But I can leave him a message.”
The shower?“Thanks. Have him call me back if you would.”
“He has your number, right? Oh, of course he does.” Amy gave a light laugh. “You guys are dating. Never mind me.”
“Thanks.”
“Right. Bye.”
