She listened, her eyes widening. “What? No fucking way. Are you… at the house? Jesus. Okay. We’ll head there.”
Every part of my body felt wrong from her tone. My skin was too tight, my shoes were too small, pressing against my toes like my feet were going to explode out of them. My tongue was too big, my mouth uncomfortable as I gripped the sides of my dress. Lo’s tone was curt, angry, and worried.
Is he okay? Please be okay.
She hung up, her mouth hanging open as she stared at me like she saw a ghost. “We need to go to the house.”
“Okay.”
“The girl who fucked him up?”
“Jessica?”
Lo swallowed. “She showed up with a kid today tospeakwith him. No one knows what she said, but he’s been a mess since and won’t talk to them.”
My heart fell into my stomach, aching so much I wanted to throw up. “We have to go help him. He’s been doing so well—is the baby his? God, he has to be freaking out.”
“Don’t know. Come on. Let’s… fuck.” Lo’s hand shook. “I’m so angry I can’t even drive.”
“I can.” I took her hand. “Let me take care of the Romanos tonight. It’s something I’m getting pretty good at.”
This wasnotthe night I imagined, but it was reality, and if I knew anything right now, my feelings didn’t matter. Dean had to be freaking out after he’d made so much progress. He might not love me back, but I loved him enough to help him right now. Because that’s what love was—sacrifice.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Dean
Iregretted the shots.
Taking four of them seemed like the right thing to do when the woman who fucked you up showed up with a baby that wasn’t yours. She wanted toapologizeandmake amendsnow that she was a mother. She wanted to live as an example for her son, and that meant going on a forgiveness tour of everyone she screwed with.
It had the opposite effect on me.
Hence the shots.
It might’ve been more than four.
“S-what time is it?” I asked Callum, staring up into the summer sky. It was dusk now, the sun setting and turning into night. There were stars, and I bet Mack would’ve found this romantic. Ugh, Mack. It was a punch to the gut, a smack to the sternum. A tackle to the chest. That woman was incredible, but we’d never work. Not… now. Maybe that morning, but Jessica reminded me feelings weren’t worth it.
“It’s seven.” Callum handed me a water bottle. “You should drink this.”
“Nah, I’m not trying to sober up. I want to feel this.”
“Drunk? Bro, you’re gonna feel like shit tomorrow. I don’t want that for you even though it seems like that chick messed you up.”
I burped. “Yeah. She told me I was going to be a dad, lied about losing the baby, then told me she cheated on me and was pregnant with someone else’s.” I hiccupped and took another swig of the vodka Sprite, which was really more vodka. “How fucked is that? I thought I was going to be a father, then thought I lost a kid, then none of it was real.”
“Holy shit.” Callum’s mouth fell open, and he sat in silence. That never happened.That’s right, Cally Boy.
“You look stupid with that face, but I like how quiet you are,” I said, pointing at him and laughing. “Yeah, now you see why I’m drunk? It’s the right choice. Even though Mack and I were gonna be together for real. Not now. I’d be foolish to do that now. You saw Jessica and the baby. And me.”
“You are not making a bit of sense, but I see why Luca took your phone.” Callum ran a hand over his face, groaning loudly before hitting my knee.
“Ow.” I covered it, wincing. “Don’t injure your QB. Football is the only thing I have going for me. Fuck, where is the bottle?”
“I love you, man, I do, but you’re a fucking mess, and I don’t like it. Yeah, seeing Jessica fucked you up after what she did. I don’t condone violence against women, but I kind have the urge to punch her. I’m sure Lo could handle that for us. But you are acting like you deserved this or some weird shit. You didn’t. No one does.”
