“There’s a woman,” I say.
Baden’s expression morphs to pure shock, and then he busts out laughing. “You’re kidding.”
Frowning, I demand, “Why is that so surprising?”
Baden’s laugh ends in a snicker before he shakes his head. “It’s just… you’re a loner. I never saw you as the type to want a relationship.”
“It’s not a relationship,” I clarify. “We’re just screwing around.”
“Yet,” Baden drawls with a sly smile. “I’m getting this is more than you’ve ever committed to anyone in your adult life, with the exception of your sister.”
“Pretty much.” That’s not a hard admission to make. It’s fact.
Baden leans forward again, indicating he has my full attention. “You’ve never had a girlfriend?”
“Well, yeah… in high school, you know. When I was younger and it was never going to amount to anything permanent.”
Baden smirks. “Are you truly against monogamy?”
“I’m against marriage and commitment.”
“Want to tell me why? Let me shrink you up.”
“Maybe one day,” I say, knowing there might come a time when I would tell Baden about my past, which goes deeper than having a terrible role model for a mom, an absent father and a shithead stepfather, which paints the picture of why I am the way I am.
He redirects the conversation slightly, accepting my reticence to disclose my history. “So, what’s the problem with this woman? Are you going to tell me who she is?”
I could pull a standard Riggs attitude and say it’s none of his fucking business. But I don’t mind sharing with him. “It’s Veronica. And the problem is that this is nothing but sex. There is no commitment. But I’m wondering if it should be something more. It’s the first time I’ve ever considered such a thing, but then I think, no… I don’t want the complications.”
“You’re assuming she’d make it complicated.” Baden looks at me intently. “Want my advice?”
My tone is dry. “I wouldn’t have started this conversation if I didn’t.”
“If you like her, you should make something with her.”
I stare at him. “That’s it? That’s your advice? Make something.”
“It’s solid advice,” Baden insists.
My eyes drop to the salt shaker as I fiddle around with it. When I look up to my friend, I admit, “I had the worst role models when it came to showing me what a healthy relationship looks like. There is never a happily ever after in my world. In fact, it was about as opposite of that as you can imagine. Much of it was a horror show. I’ve seen the nature of people who proclaim to love each other, and it’s never genuine.”
“You don’t believe in true love? That you can be in a happy relationship?”
I hold his gaze and confidently shake my head. I don’t believe that at all.
Baden looks disappointed. “Really? You don’t believe what Bishop and Brooke have is real? Erik and Blue? Legend and Pepper? Dax and Reagan? Dominik and Willow? Tacker and Nora? Kane and Mollie?”
“I get your point,” I mutter. “But those relationships are all new. Plenty of time still to fail.”
“Bullshit.” Baden laughs, and he’s on a roll as he continues. “At Aaron and Clarke’s engagement party, are you going to be genuinely happy for them? Will you toast to their joy and mean it? Or will it be hollow?”
I open my mouth to deny his veiled allegations. Aaron and Clarke’s engagement party is the day after next, and of course, I want nothing but the best for them.
But Baden’s phone rings, interrupting my attempt to defend myself. He holds up an index finger, quieting me as he pulls his phone from the side pocket of his cargo shorts. “Hello?”
For the longest time, he doesn’t say anything but listens intently to whoever is on the other end. His expression is bland but quickly hardens. It puts me on edge as I watch him take in the information being presented to him.
“I understand,” he finally says. “I can be there around 4:00 p.m. if that works?”
He listens for a minute more and then says goodbye.
Baden seems lost in thought as he puts his phone on the table facedown before finally looking up to me. “That was one of the detectives investigating the case against the men who attacked me. They have a suspect in custody, and they want me to come down to the police station to see if I can identify him.”
Holy shit. That’s huge. “Only one suspect?”
He nods. “They’re also going to send his picture to the Pittsburgh Police for Sophie to do an identification.”
“The woman you saved—she’s not local?”
Baden shakes his head. “She does medical sales and was only here for work. Her hometown is Pittsburgh, or at least that’s what the detective told me. She never told me that when she visited that one time, but then again, I wasn’t exactly communicating then.”
“Do you keep in touch with her?”
“Nah,” he says with a faint smile. “It was in my darkest days when she visited me, and it wasn’t pleasant for her. She was so grateful, and I was in one of those regretting moods. I was pretty antisocial, and it was awkward, so she didn’t stay long. Just enough to thank me and leave a plant she’d brought.”
He doesn’t say it, but I can tell by his tone he’s regretting the way he treated her during that visit.
“Do you want me to go with you to the police station?” I can imagine that while there might be some relief in knowing justice might occur, this could bring up all kinds of bad memories.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m good. I need to do this on my own, anyway.”
CHAPTER 16
Veronica
The soft whoosh of the elevator doors jar me, and my head whips to the bedside clock.
Shit.
It’s 7:00 p.m., and Riggs is right on time.
I, on the other hand, am not ready for him.
Not the way I wanted to be.
I stepped out of the shower over forty minutes ago, wrapped a towel around my body, another around my hair, and went to my bedroom dresser to find the sexiest pair of panties I owned.
My plan was to rub sweet-smelling lotion all over my body, apply light makeup, and do a quick blowout, and then be waiting on the bed with my hand down the front of my panties when he walked in.
I was going to stage a scene that would make him crazy, and I’d texted him a taunt earlier that he wasn’t going to be able to hold back when he saw what I had planned for him.
Except… as I was rooting around in my drawer, the TV caught my attention. I’d put on a recorded episode of Dateline to half listen to as I got ready, except that old formula of murder, deception, and betrayal hooked me. I first stood at the dresser and when it went to commercial, I moved to my bed to grab the remote so I could fast-forward. I sat on the edge of the mattress and continued to watch. Next commercial, I fast-forwarded through again, and because my position was uncomfortable, I moved to the middle of my bed and propped myself up with pillows, curling my legs underneath me.