Page 56 of Flawless

He shrugged. “This lifestyle isn’t easy, you know that. Lyla’s tired of it. She gets lonely. And believe me, I get that, because I’m lonely without her too.”

But he was anxious to get back out on the road? That didn’t make sense.

“Easton, I know how much you love music. But maybe you need to take a break, yeah? Spend some quality time with your kids, re-build your marriage. You’ve made more money than your grandkids could ever spend.”

He swallowed repeatedly, staring at me. “But without the music, who the hell am I? That nobody, country bumpkin Lyla’s family thinks I am.” He shook his head. “I can’t be that guy. I won’t give them the satisfaction of⁠—”

I covered his hand with mine and looked into his eyes. “They. Don’t. Matter. What matters is your kids and the woman you love. You’ve gotta fight for them, because if you don’t, you’ll never forgive yourself.”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, shaking his head. “Yeah, I know, you’re right.”

The waitress returned with Easton’s beer and promised our food would be up in a few minutes.

Easton took a long pull from his bottle, before he asked, “So, what’s up with you? I didn’t even see you talking to Eden’s brother at their engagement party, so I’m guessing it’s over?”

“I’m afraid my life is just as complicated as yours, my friend.” I took a sip of water before diving right in. “I’m pregnant… with Cam’s baby.”

His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out. “Seriously?”

“Yup,” I said, popping the p. “He has no idea. I just found out, and I need a little time to process before I tell him, ya know?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get that.” He nodded. “But girl, you have to tell him soon. You’re gonna need him more than you even realize. Believe me, I’ve been around for three pregnancies, and it ain’t easy.”

“I know, but I can do hard.”

Before this happened, I would have believed I could face anything alone.

But this was different. This made me feel scared and vulnerable in a way I never had before, maybe because I knew there’d be another little person counting on me.

“I know you can. But hon, this is huge.”

Like I needed him to tell me that?

“I know, but I can handle it. I have to, right? What choice do I have? I’m gonna be a mama, whether I planned for it or not.”

He hesitated, before saying, “You could always⁠—”

“No, I couldn’t,” I said, flashing my palm to silence him. “Whatever you were going to say, I couldn’t. Having this baby, and raising him or her is the only option for me. I had a crappy childhood. And I don’t want that for my little one. The only way I can assure he or she has the best, is to be there, and give it to them, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. So, how do you think Cam will feel about this?”

I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction, knowing at least I hadn’t chosen a deadbeat to father my child.

“He’s a good guy; he’ll be there for me. I have no doubt about that. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s had baby-fever for awhile now, so he might even be stoked about this.”

“Good,” Easton said. “I’m glad to hear that. ‘Cause if he wasn’t, I’d have to lay into him.”

I smiled, feeling the warmth spread through me. Having friends like him, after doing life alone for so long was a blessing.

“You’re sweet,” I said, smiling at the waitress who delivered our food. “But that won’t be necessary.”

Easton dressed his burger before asking, “You said he’s a great guy, so what happened between y’all? Was it the insecurity you mentioned that night at the bar?”

“Dean happened,” I said, adding ketchup to my fries. “He couldn’t stand to see me happy with Cam so he found a way to sabotage us.”

“How the hell could he do that?” Easton asked, frowning. “No way does that shifty little shit have that kind of power.”

I chuckled over my friend’s apt description of my ex.