“Did you have a sleepover with Mommy?”
Do not answer that.
“When me and Sophia have a sleepover, we stay in the same room,” she said, as though it was normal for her to find a strange man in her mother’s bed. “Mommy said that grown-ups only do that sometimes. She said it’s polite to let your friend sleep in your bed while you sleep on the couch. Mommy likes the couch. She says it’s comfortable.”
“Where is your mom?” he asked, growing increasingly more uncomfortable by the second.
“In the shower. She has to get ready for work. Are you goin’ to work today?”
“Yes,” he answered, discreetly checking beneath the blanket to ensure he was dressed.
He was.
Thank God.
“Because it’s almost seven,” Carly continued. “Mommy takes me to school at seven-fifteen. We can’t be late. The bell rings at seven twenty.”
“Carly!”
“Oops.” Carly giggled, hopping to her feet and running out of the room.
Evan took the opportunity to get up, moving as though he’d just been caught sneaking into his girlfriend’s room by her mom. He grabbed his shoes and socks and hurried to the bathroom, slipping in when he heard Becs talking to Carly about her backpack.
He hurried to use the bathroom, wash his hands and face, and put on his shoes. He didn’t dare look at himself in the mirror. He did not want to face the scrutiny he would undoubtedly see in his own eyes.
He was an idiot.
Coming here last night—while it seemed like a good idea when he was tanked—was a bad idea.
A really fucking bad idea.
A soft knock sounded on the door, followed by, “Evan? I’m taking Carly to school. I can drive you home after. If you want.”
“No,” he called back, staring at the closed door that stood between them. “I’ll call an Uber.”
There was no response for several seconds, and he thought she left.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, blowing every ounce of air out of his lungs.
“Okay. I’ll see you at work then.”
Evan closed his eyes and nodded. “Okay.”
“Just lock the bottom lock when you leave.”
“Sure.”
Her footsteps sounded down the hall, and he waited until he heard the front door open and close.
She hated him.
There was no doubt in his mind that Becs didn’t want anything to do with him. Yeah, she’d been nice last night. Probably because she realized he was three sheets to the wind, and she didn’t want to be rude.
She should’ve been. She should’ve told him to take a hike. After all, he was the jackass who had been seconds away from screwing her in his home office a couple of weeks ago, only for his conscience to come online at the most inopportune time. He managed to stop himself but feared the damage had already been done.
And now this?
Evan wouldn’t pretend he didn’t want Becs with every breath he took. He did. Hell, he had since nearly the day he met her, and he’d found himself pining for her ever since. More so since that first kiss they shared in his kitchen.
