“Go. I’ve got things here.”
I hug her again. “I owe you.”
“Any time. You did the same for me when Ken and I hit that rough patch.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“Truth, sister.” She releases me with a smile. “Call me later, and let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” I say, grabbing my purse as I exit my office, feeling less burdened than I did when I arrived at work today.
5
Saint
“Where are the kids?” I ask when I return from the gym, finding the house eerily quiet. Lo is working, but the guys aren’t, so the place should be messy and noisy, and it’s not. I step out onto the patio where Galen, Theo, and Caz are currently lounging by the pool.
“Freya took them out for ice cream.” Freya is one of the neighbor’s kids. She’s sixteen and she recently began babysitting for us, but we generally only hire her at night, when we’re taking Lo out to dinner, so this is unusual.
I dump my gym bag on the ground, running a hand through my freshly-washed hair. “Is there a reason we needed to offload the rugrats?”
The guys trade looks, and I’m instantly on guard.
“Yeah.” Galen stands. “We need to talk to you, and we didn’t want the kids around.”
My hackles are instantly raised, and I fold my arms across my chest, leveling them with a dark look. “You know how I feel about being ambushed,” I snarl.
“And you know how we feel about Lo,” Theo coolly replies, rising to stand beside Galen.
“Let’s talk inside,” Caz says. “We don’t want anything carrying on the wind.”
I follow them inside, my heart heavy with the knowledge of what’s about to be said. For the first time in a long time, I find myself in isolation, and it’s not a good place to be. Theo and Caz drop down on one of the couches in the living room while Galen flops onto the other one. I stand, crossing my arms over my chest again, bracing myself for it.
“Sit down, man,” Galen says.
“I’d rather stand.”
“We just want to talk this out like civilized adults,” Theo says. “There’s no need to raise proverbial fists. We’re family, and we need to discuss this. Just sit down and relax.”
“That’s not how we roll,” Caz adds. “It seems we’ve all forgotten that.”
Reluctantly, I sit down, still eyeing them warily. “I know what you’re going to say, and you shouldn’t get involved. This is between Lo and me.”
Galen sits up straighter. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. This affects all of us, and it’s gone on too long. You’re being a dick, and if you don’t stop hurting her, we have a big problem.”
I clench my fists into balls. “I know things are a little strained, but you can’t accuse me of hurting her. I wouldneverhurt her. You all know that.”
“We know it’s not intentional,” Theo says, always the peacemaker. “But youarehurting her, Saint. We all see it.”
I drag a hand through my hair. “You don’t understand because it wasn’t like this for any of you. She got pregnant like that all the previous times”—I snap my fingers—“and we weren’t concerned with who the father was, because it didn’t matter back then.”
“Does it really matter now?” Caz asks, softening his tone as he leans his elbows on his knees. “The kids adore you, man. Who cares which blood flows through their veins? They are ours in all the ways that count. We are all Westbrooks.”
“It matters to me.Ifucking care.” I thump a hand over my heart, swallowing thickly over the painful lump in my throat. “I love Bishop, Luna, and Rora with my whole heart, but I want my own kid with Lo. Are you telling me you wouldn’t feel the same way in my shoes?”
The silence is deafening.
“Exactly.” I slump back on the couch.
