Baz was also more subdued than usual, his attention continuously going to the phone in front of him. The one that continued to buzz every so often.
Reese also noticed the way Luca was watching Baz, as though he knew a secret and desperately wanted to tell the man. However, if it looked as though he was going to say something, Holly would reach over and poke her brother in the arm, shaking her head firmly when he would look her way. Reese was curious but not enough that he was willing to interrupt Brantley to get the details.
“I want everyone on the road by nine,” Brantley instructed the team. “That should put you in Dallas no later than one. Grab lunch when you can and we’ll meet at the simulation building no later than two. Baz? You and JJ ridin’ together?”
“That’s the plan,” Baz answered, hitting the button on his phone to silence it.
“I’ve got room,” Trey announced, “if anyone wants to ride with me.”
“If you don’t mind the company, I’ll take you up on that,” Evan replied.
“Me, too,” Jay added.
“I’ll drive,” Slade offered. “So I’ve got some room, too.”
Luca looked over, raised a finger as though signing up. Darius also took him up on the offer.
Reese observed while Elana, Holly, Becs, and Charlie figured out their travel arrangements. They were still hashing it out when Baz’s phone buzzed again.
“Take the goddamn call,” Brantley snapped at him, drawing everyone’s attention.
Baz looked both traumatized and furious as he grabbed the phone and stood. A second later he was marching out of the barn.
Needless to say, this was going to be an interesting weekend.
And Reese was sure it was only going to get worse from here.
*
Baz stepped outside the barn, trading oneform of chaos for another.
To be honest, he would’ve much preferred to listen to the ruckus inside the barn than the overly emotional woman on the phone. Of course, ignoring her hadn’t done any good.
“What do you need, Molly?” he ground out through clenched teeth when he finally answered.
“Where are you?” she pleaded, her voice dripping with tears. “I need to see you. Where are you?”
Baz had gotten familiar with this conversation because it now took place two to three times a day. Every. Single. Fucking. Day.
Now that she was nearing her due date, she’d become more emotional than usual, and Baz knew her to be unstable on a good day. Problem was, he didn’t know how to solve the problem. At the same time, he couldn’t very well ignore her since she was having his baby.
“I’m at work,” he answered, keeping his tone light, easy. “Where I am every day.”
“I thought you were going to come by,” she said with a sob.
“I did come by. Last Saturday.”
“You didn’t stay.”
“No. And I don’t plan to stay, Molly. We’ve talked about this.”
“No,you’vetalked about this.”
There was an awkward silence that followed, and Baz paced the yard, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to come up with the best way to tell Molly that he intended to limit his time with her because this was getting them nowhere. Before he could speak, she did.
“You just don’t get it. You’re supposed to spend more time with me. That’s how this works, Sebastian.”
Baz rolled his eyes. She was the only person in the world who called him by his full name. Not even his parents called him Sebastian. He wasn’t sure they ever had.
