Hayden bristles. “Pip, Riley and I?—”
She lifts her hand to shut him up then presses it to her cheek, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
I know this reaction all too well. She’s pissed, but she’s also terrified…for me. She meets my eye, the look full of words unspoken. It lands hard, and I almost hear her voice in my head:I knew he’d end up hurting you.
A sense of clarity washes over me. I don’t want to stay here anymore. I’m tired of being his almost. I’m tired of being his distraction, his never enough to take the risk.
She shakes her head. “What does this mean? Are you together?”
He opens his mouth, but I beat him to it.
“No. We’re just friends.” I hold my head high, ignoring the slicing pain in my heart. It’s true, and it’s time to accept that. “We’ll be co-parents. Not a big deal.”
Hayden looks at me, his scrutiny like a brand, but I keep my focus on the screen. He has no right to argue, and thankfully, he knows it. Last night was our breaking point.
“Are you living together?” Piper asks.
No matter how tempting it is to sayI’m moving out, I keep that to myself for now.
“Yeah.” Hayden clears his throat and scoots forward a fraction. “After the news leaked, I asked Ry to move in with me. This way, I can keep her safe, take care of her.”
Hunter snickers. “I’m afraid we need to discuss what it means to take care of someone. Despite what you may think, it does not include knocking them up.”
“Shut up. And lose the smug look.” Hayden crosses his arms, glowering at his brother.
“After the shit you gave us when Piper and I got together, you deserve a little clapback.”
Hayden is still annoyed, glaring at the phone screen, but I feel better. Hunter’s humor has relieved some of the pressure in my chest. With the way Piper keeps studying me, I know she’ll hound me later, when it’s only the two of us. I’m fine with it. I’m tired of hiding things from my sister.
I end the call and send a quick text to Nastya, asking her to meet me at our favorite pastry shop. Before I even stand from the couch, she responds, telling me she’ll be there in thirty.
“Can we talk?” Hayden asks. His voice is quiet, almost uncertain.
“Sorry.” I take a deep breath, centering myself. “I’m meeting Nastya in a half hour.”
He braces his elbows on his knees, his jaw tight.
“Bo, Jimmy and I are recording a podcast today, but I’ll be free later. Want to order in and watch a movie?”
I lift my chin. “No. I’ll be busy.”
“Busy?” He cocks an eyebrow.
“I’m going back to my place. It’s time.”
When he jumps to his feet, his knee bangs the coffee table, spilling coffee all over it.
Rather than give in to the urge to help him clean, I stand and back away. “I’ll ask Nastya to help me pack. You don’t need to worry about anything.”
With that, I head to the guest room to get ready, but his bare feet thunder across the floor behind me.
“Riley, wait.” He grabs my elbow, stopping me in my tracks. “Can we please talk?”
“About what?” I turn to him, shaking free of his hold.
“About us…about the baby.”
I take a deep breath. “There’s nous. We’re just friends. We’re going to co-parent, like we agreed. I’m not shutting you out. You’re always welcome at my appointments, and you’ll always have a place in our baby’s life. I’d never take that away from you.”
