I shook my head, scattering the thoughts. The bottom line was that none of this was about the relationship between Stuart and Eric. Those two were going to have to figure that out on theirown. But if Eric was having some sort of demon disposal issue, that wasn’t something that I could avoid.
By the time I got to the door, Timmy, thankfully, had turned his attention back to the screen. “Is there a problem?” I asked.
“There’s no problem. The bodies are in my trunk.” He frowned. “I really need to get a new car. That was a tight squeeze.”
“Okay. Well, thanks.” I shifted from foot to foot, not sure why we need this conversation if he had the bodies. “And sorry to make you come all the way back from Los Angeles.”
He moved his shoulders in the casual shrug. “Yeah, well, about that. I never left San Diablo.”
“What?”
“I was still in San Diablo when Allie called.”
“Oh. Well, that was convenient. Why?” I realized as I asked the question that I was asking it with a hint of jealously, wondering if he’d decided to stay because he was seeing someone. Which, of course was insane. The last woman he was with was a demon who had pretty much taken control of his mind. Right after that, we’d bopped to Rome. I sincerely doubted he’d started up with the dating thing.
“Why?” he repeated.
“Yeah. Why didn’t you head home? You know, down to Los Angeles where you moved when you decided you had to get away from me?” That probably came out with a bit more angry-hurt than I’d intended. “What happened to needing to be away? To having time for yourself? Healing and all that stuff?”
All legitimate questions. What I didn’t ask was what I was supposed to tell my husband who’d been very happy to learn that Eric had decided to move to Los Angeles in order to give my family unit a little time to heal. A decision I’d both supported and loathed.
“None of that has changed,” he said. “I do need the time. But at the end of the day what I need isn’t really what matters, is it?”
“Allie.”
He nodded. “She needs me.”
“Eric—”
He held up a hand, cutting me off. “I’m sorry if it complicates things for you, but this isn’t about you or Stuart. It’s about me and my daughter. Maybe before, I could have justified being over an hour away. But not anymore. Not knowing what we know now.”
I nodded, because he was right.
“It’s aboutourdaughter, and I get it,” I admitted. “But I need the truth, Eric. Is it only about Allie? Or is it about me, too?” I knew I was being bold, but I didn’t care. I needed the truth, because without it, I couldn’t navigate these murky relationship waters.
His shoulders dropped with a sigh. And though he reached out a hand for me, I didn’t take it. “Yeah, it is,” he said, pulling his hand back and shoving it into his pocket. “But it shouldn’t be.”
CHAPTER 8
“At the risk of pissing off your husband,” Eric said, “you and I need to go patrolling tonight.”
“Why do I not believe that you care about pissing off Stuart?”
I’d invited him in and now we were sitting at the kitchen table. Timmy, who had given his “uncle” one big hug, was back on the couch with his puppies.
To his credit, Eric chuckled. “Good point. I don’t. But I do care about you and about seeing you happy. And I know that it will make you unhappy to go behind Stuart’s back.”
“It will. Especially since it’s our first night home.”
“True. But I have two demons in my trunk, remember? And there’s another one running around out there who attacked the girls.”
“I know.” And, honestly, it’s not like Stuart was home anyway. I sat back, meeting Eric’s eyes. “About these attacks today—Eddie and Allie both think that the demon population probably expanded significantly while we were in Rome. They have a point.”
“Makes sense. You and I weren’t here keeping the beasties at bay.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, pulling out my phone. “I’ll send Stuart an FYI text, and then one to Laura to please come play babysitter until we get back or Eddie comes home.”
I concentrated on my phone, grateful for the temporary distraction. Once the messages whooshed away, I looked up at him again. “It really would be easier if you’d just go back to Los Angeles,” I said. “But even so, you should know that I’m glad you still have my back.”
