She shook her head. “Nothing’s worked so far. I’m not pregnant. If that’s what you’re asking.”
“I’m sorry.”
She pulled her hands away from his and wrapped them around herself, holding tight. “I’m lucky we have Henry, otherwise Evan might leave me.”
For his sister’s marriage to be crumbling meant that nothing in his life was pure and real any longer. “Don’t say that.” He panicked. “Evan and you love each other.”
“Like you and Jeremy?” she shot back, and he winced. “And we’re fine…I think. But it’s a strain. I can’t lie to you. Both of us want it so badly, but neither wants to say how important it is to us, in case it fails. And now that it has…” She bit back a sob and brushed away the tears. “I should be happy I have Henry. I’m selfish to cry about it when some women can’t even have one child.”
“You’re not.” He held her close. “It’s not selfish to want something so bad, you’d give anything to have it.” He kissed her curls. “And I know you and Evan will work it out. You guys are perfect for each other.”
She gazed up at him, cheeks wet and eyes red. “Nothing and no one is perfect. There’s always a tiny imperfection, a flaw that starts as something invisible to the naked eye but is so profound that one day the beautiful surface shatters to reveal the ugliness at the core.”
Blake knew all about the ugliness of life. His core was damaged and ugly, and that was why he sent Jeremy away.
“I’m going to be fine. And I’m sure Jeremy has moved on as well. He’ll find someone better suited for him. I’m a dull accountant, and he’s a pretty gym guy. We tried to make it work but the truth is, we were too different.”
Liar.
“So you’re contradicting everything you told me when you first met him?” Michelle’s wise eyes assessed him, and he couldn’t hold her gaze. “We’re not done talking about this, but I’ll let you go to sleep and I have to get back. Evan’s waiting up, and he’s had a long day.”
While she called her Lyft, Blake gathered her coat and scarf. “I promise not to cut you out of my life any longer.”
She gripped his arm after slipping on her coat. “What really happened with the job? I know it wasn’t because of your work. It couldn’t be.”
He put an arm around her shoulders, and they walked out of the apartment to wait for the elevator. “Not sure. I told you a long time ago my supervisor never really liked me, and during an audit, I discovered some clients were padding their expenses. When I put it in my reports, they fired me.”
“Bastards.”
He had to grin at her vehemence. Michelle had always been an overprotective mama bear.
“I’m okay about it now. But I’m going to need to make more money than what I’ve been making doing returns in Great Neck.”
“Great Neck? What the hell are you doing all the way out there?”
They reached the lobby, but no car waited outside. Michelle checked her phone. “He’s still three minutes away. Answer me. Why Great Neck?”
“’Cause that’s the first place that offered me a job, and I was desperate.”
She gnawed her lip, and he could almost see her mind working. It was rather terrifying.
“Look, why don’t you talk to Jer—”
“No. If that’s all you have to say, I’m not going to answer you.”
She glared at him. “You’re being a stubborn asshole.”
“Wonder where I learned it from?”
They remained glowering at each other until the black car pulled up. He walked over to the curb and pulled open the door.
“Michelle?” The driver peered through the window. “You don’t look like a Michelle.”
Everyone’s a comedian. “She’s coming,” he answered.
She slid into the back seat and put on her seat belt. “I’m sorry. I only want you to be happy.”
“When you figure out how to achieve that, you’ll make a fortune.”
