“Same place?”
“No. I’ll send you the address. Or did you change your number since the last time I saw you?”
He cringed at the bite of her words. “It’s the same.” Pulling out his wallet, he plucked out cash and handed it to his sister. “Order whatever you want. I’ll meet you in the truck.”
Marching toward the exit, he stormed outside and pulled in a large breath of fresh air. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. First his father’s death, leaving him with land he didn’t want. Then a devastating career-ending injury that destroyed his future. Now this.
A freaking baby.
His stomach rolled, and he rushed to his truck and climbed behind the wheel. He turned on the engine and cranked the air conditioner. He tilted the vents so cool air slammed against his face, but it didn’t help the rising heat in his body. He squeezed his eyes closed and prayed to the heavens that when he opened them again, he’d find the last month was nothing but a bad dream. That he’d wake up back in Texas in his little trailer with a ride waiting for him.
The passenger door opened, startling him back to the present. His heart rate went from zero to sixty and he snapped his attention to Suzy as she climbed inside.
“Holy shit, you scared me to death.”
Suzy hooked her seatbelt into place and settled the to-go bags on her lap. “What’s you deal? You acted so weird in there. I mean, I know you and Celine have quite the history but it’s not like you to get so flustered. Especially by something that’s practically ancient history.”
Leaning his elbows against the steering wheel, he scrubbed a hand down his face. He should keep his suspicion to himself. There was a chance he was wrong and getting Suzy all riled up would just add to his own anxiousness.
But damn, if he didn’t say something he’d explode right here in the parking lot.
“I saw her a year ago.” He blurted it out before he could change his mind.
Suzy’s forehead crumpled into a ravine of concern and confusion. “How’s that possible? I haven’t seen you in two years. You didn’t even come back for Dad’s funeral. You left me alone, dealing with everything.”
He winced at the pain in her voice. When his father passed, he’d had no intentions of paying respects to a man he despised. He hadn’t realized his choice left his sister shoveling through a ton of crap. He should have been there for her—his father be damned.
“I’m sorry for that,” he said.
She gave a little shrug like she didn’t exactly believe him.
“But,” he continued before he lost his nerve. “I was on the circuit last year and it brought me close to town. Figured I’d stop in and grab some food then hit the road. I ran into Celine and things went in a different direction.”
Suzy’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Was she still married then?”
He shook his head. “They’d just split. She was upset about something she’d learned and one thing led to another…”
Suzy held up a hand. “Stop. I don’t need to hear any more. There’ve been rumors about Kevin and what led to their divorce, but it’s none of my business. The way he’s always hanging around her, I thought they’d patch things up. Especially after the baby came.”
A wave of anger washed over him. Kevin had never been one of Lane’s favorite people, and his disdain had grown after he’d married Celine. But if that asshat thought he could swoop in to rekindle things with Celine and have a hand in raising his kid, he had another thing coming.
A gentle hand on his arm drew his attention back to Suzy.
Her eyes were impossibly large and her mouth drawn into a small O. “The baby? Is he?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out in,” he glanced at the clock radio. “One hour and thirty-five minutes.”
“Dang. I’d suggest we head back inside for a drink, but you probably don’t want to do that.”
He chuckled. “Not a good idea.”
She slipped her hand into the white bag and pulled out a container. “Fries could help.”
Letting out a long sigh, he accepted her offering and nibbled a fry as he pulled out of the parking lot. “Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime, big brother.”
The vise squeezing his chest loosened a bit. No matter what happened, he had a sister who’d lend an ear and offer support. Maybe he’d been wrong to write off Hillmore. Not everything about this town was bad, and if he had a child here, no way he could just walk away like he’d planned.
