“Why’d you do that?” I finally say.
“Do what?”
“Clean up that mess.” I swallow, thinking about how he took care of the disaster in the boys’ bedroom so I wouldn’t have to.
Matt would never do that. He despised cleaning up vomit and refused to do it.
Maybe I’m an idiot for not seeing the kind of man Duke isuntil now and not considering a relationship. When I look back at everything that’s happened and where we are now, even if he did murder Eden’s baby daddy, I don’t think it would be a deal-breaker. My gut tells me he must’ve had a damn good reason to.
But my instincts aren’t trustworthy. My gut has been extremely wrong before.
On top of that, I don’t even know if I’m capable of loving a man again—ever. That part of me feels broken beyond repair. My heart feels tender and bruised, like it’s barely started to heal.
If it didn’t work out, I couldn’t withstand that heartbreak. It would shatter me.
“I feel like death. Do you know what time it is?”
“Four a.m. I’m gonna head to the pharmacy to get your meds when it opens in two hours. I’ll pick up breakfast.”
“Thank you for your help.”
He nods, studying me.
“What?”
He sighs, shaking his head. “Nothing. Let’s talk more tomorrow before you pass out. Go back to bed.”
“Who is this guy?”
“He’s just my neighbor. He got my meds for me and helped with the boys while I was sick, Dad.”
“I don’t know if I want some stranger around my grandkids.”
“He’s not a stranger. I’ve been friends with his sister-in-law for years now.”
“Just be careful, pumpkin.”
“I will, Dad. I just got to work. I have to go.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hang up the phone, releasing a deep exhale. I’m at work earlier than usual because I have bar prep tonight.
After slicing up the limes and oranges, I start stacking up new glasses.
“Hey, Dallas! You wanna come practice with me? I need to warm up.”
I look over at Steve, the guy who leads the line dancing on Saturdays. It’s a new thing they started implementing recently because of the upcoming spring showdown.
“I’m doing bar prep tonight.”
“Come on. Just a few songs! I’m working on leading.”
I sigh, shoving the cash drawer closed before exiting the bar. “Fine, two songs.”
He claps and runs over to the DJ booth to start the music. He’s a great instructor, so I’m not sure why he thinks he needs to practice.
