A second later, my phone chimes with a text, and Archer twists his head to grin at me over his shoulder. I glare at him as I retrieve my cell.
ARCHER: You can only run for so long, Len.
My gut clenches, but I refuse to let him see how his words affect me. I let a nonchalant mask slide over my face as I return my cell to my purse. When I lift my gaze, the metal doors slide open, and he strides out without a backward glance.
I wait a beat to gather myself before exiting just in case he’s waiting to ambush me outside the building. There’s no sign of him when I step outside. Thank God. I take a deep breath then make my way to the cab rank up the block and go home. I am so over this day, and it’s only just past noon.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Arch isn’t giving up, and I have no idea what he’s going to do next. But I have a feeling my willpower is about to be tested more than ever.
PRESENT DAY
“You’re having a baby? How did that even happen?” Kinsley, my former roomie, asks. She’s staring wide-eyed at my last remaining roommate, Emory.
I snort at Kins. “Well, you see, a man inserts his penis—”
Her palm slams over my mouth, and her cheeks flame. “I know the mechanics, Len. You don’t have to give me a play-by-play.”
Emory laughs and shakes her head at us as Kins squeals, yanking her hand away. I smirk at her.
“Eww, you licked me! You’re so gross. Who knows where your tongue has been.” Kins groans and pulls a little bottle of hand sanitizer from her purse.
I roll my eyes and mutter, “Drama queen.”
“Alright, you two, back to me,” Em says with a clap of her hands.
Kins and I turn to face her, then my eyes drop to her flat stomach. “You sure there’s a kid in there?”
Em produces a grainy black-and-white photo from her pocket and hands it to me.
I arch a brow as I examine the picture. “What exactly am I looking at?”
“That little blob in the center there.” She points then says, “That’s my baby . . .”
I gape. “It already has arms and legs! Oh my God,” I gasp, taking a closer look at the picture. “Is it sucking its thumb? How far along are you? And why are you only just telling us now?”
“Show me that,” Kins demands, snatching the photo from me.
Em nibbles on her bottom lip before saying, “The doctor told me that it’s really common to miscarry early on in a pregnancy. So, I did a bunch of reading on it, and one in four pregnancies doesn’t make it to term. It freaked me right the hell out. Bash and I talked about it and decided we’d keep it between us until I was past the danger zone.”
“Okay, I get that, but I mean, it’s us, Em. You can tell us anything. What’s said in the apartment stays in the apartment. It’s like the cone of silence up in here,” I say, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I knew you were lying about making a sobriety bet with Sebastian.”
Em grins. “I thought for sure you guys would be onto me when I started drinking sparkling grape juice instead of wine.” She chuckles. “And yeah, bub’s sucking its thumb. How crazy is that?”
I eye her tummy again. “So how big is it then? ‘Cause I can’t tell by looking at you.”
“I’m just over twelve weeks, so it’s about the size of a plum.” She lifts her hand, making a circle with her thumb and pointer finger.
“Wow,” Kins breathes, her gaze going from the picture she’s still holding to Em’s hand.
And that’s when it hits me. Emory is having a baby; she’s going to move out. I’ll be left in this huge apartment on my own. I only see Kins once, sometimes twice a week since she moved out, and she only moved a few floors above me.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Kins asks.
Swallowing, I meet her concerned eyes then shift my gaze to Emory. “So, I guess this means you’re moving out then?”
Understanding washes over her features, and she comes to sit beside me on the big couch then throws her arms around me. Em is a hugger, and despite myself, I love that about her.
“Bash found a place on the fifth floor. We can move in at the end of next month. I’ll only be two floors away,” she says. “We’ll all still be in the same building.”
Well, that’s something, I suppose.
Kinsley joins in on the hugging action, coming in from my other side and curling her arms around both Em and me. Emotion clogs my throat, and I do everything possible to keep it from overflowing from my stupid, stingy eyes.
I am not a touchy-feely person. I’m a hardcore, badass ballbuster. But these girls…they’re like sisters to me. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, and the thought of life pulling us in different directions is too much to even think about.
Instead, I relax into their embrace, resting my head on Em’s shoulder and wrapping an arm around Kins’ back.
The door to our apartment flings open, and my brother strides in. “Whoa,” he says, his eyes widening at the sight of us. “If you guys are about to start making out or something, I’m totally down for that. But, Lenny, you’re gunna have to leave ‘cause I ain’t into incest.”
He’s met with three sets of glaring eyes.
“What’d I say?” he says, holding his palms in front of him.
“You’re disgusting,” Kins tells him as she gets to her feet.
Emory, having like a hundred brothers, doesn’t even flinch.
Kins turns her back on Bates to face Em and me. “I’ve gotta go. Arlo has an awards ceremony tonight.”
“Aww, look at you being stepmom of the year,” I joke.
She just rolls her eyes. “I’ll see you guys later,” she mutters on her way out.
Bringing my attention to my brother, I ask, “What are you even doing here? And who gave you a key?”
He waggles his thick, bushy eyebrows. “I ran into Emmy today, and she said you’re going to be on the hunt for new roomies soon. So, here I am.”
I shoot Em a what-the-fuck look.
She shrugs. “What? You will be.”
“I’ll be fine on my own, thanks,” I tell Bates.
He waves me off and heads for the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Which one is mine?” he calls back.
“None!” I yell at the same time as Em calls, “First on the right.”
I glare at her. “What are you doing? He can’t have Kins’ old room.”
“Why not? She’s been gone for, like, five months.”
Before I can respond, Bates reappears. “I’ll take it,” he declares.
Grinding my teeth together, I scowl between him and Em. “You can’t have it,” I finally say.
Bates smiles widely at me then shoots Em a wink. “Thanks for giving me the heads up. I’ll start moving my stuff in over the weekend.”
Then, the big bastard leaves like he didn’t just drop a massive bomb on me and my carefully structured life.
“Tell me why you’re moving in with Lenny again?” I say to Bates as we sit on his massive couch in his mini-mansion of a bachelor pad, drinking beers and eating chips while watching ESPN.