Page 53 of Cruel Love

“How are you doing?”

I turn to find Fox lingering behind me. “Oh, you know. I drift in and out. You?”

He looks around at the strangers scattered on my living room furniture. “I can think of a few places I’d rather be,” he says.

“Speaking of…” I stare at the phone in my hand. “I told Caleb I’d call when we got here.”

Fox nods slowly.

“Are you going to call Dani?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“It’d just be a distraction,” he says. “I can’t focus on the job with her voice in my head.”

I squint. “Dude, that’s cold.”

“That’s the truth. It’ll make you question your instincts. Also, if you call Caleb now, she’ll just think something is wrong.”

I study his face as his eyes turn a little darker. Fox has experienced more heartache than most of us even touch in a lifetime and he lived to tell the story. I should probably take his advice, but I made a promise to my wife.

I hold up the phone. “I’ll tell her you said hi.”

He nods and walks back into the living room to sit with the others.

It only rings once.

“Box?”

I smile. “Hey, Cal—”

“What’s wrong?” she asks. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. We’re fine. Everyone’s fine.” I glance over my shoulder into the living room, making eye contact with Fox.

He smiles.

Cocky bastard.

“We’re all just…” I turn away from him. “We just made it to Boston, so I wanted to call and check-in. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she says. “Though, it’d be nice if people stopped asking me that.”

“Sorry.”

“Seriously, I’m barely pregnant,” she adds. “I probably won’t feel symptoms for another week or so, if these books are to be believed.”

My lips twitch. “You’re reading the baby books?”

“I’m skimming them while Dani drives. Mostly just trying not to look at the pictures.”

I laugh. “It’s not that bad.”

“Tell that to your wallet.”

My smile drops. “What?”

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