Page 19 of Sparks Still Fly

“I hope so. I can’t let her go into the foster system. I can’t.” I shake my head, knowing that’s simply not an option. I wasn’t planning on kids right now, but it doesn’t matter. She’s as good as mine.

“Of course, not. We’re here to help you, okay? Tell us what you need. What she needs. Anything.”

“Thanks, Lainey. Honestly, I don’t even know yet. Julia will be here at the hospital until she gets placed in an emergency foster home. The goal is for that to be very short term, just until I can take her home. I’m gonna have to come back here in a few days. I have to get some documents from home for the lawyer, and then we can get the ball rolling. I just needed to tell you two what’s going on.” The weight feels a little lighter now that I’ve told my mom and sister.

“Anything you need, my boy.”

“Thanks, Ma. I’ll keep you updated as things happen. I don’t really want to tell anyone else about this just yet. Raf knows, so it’s fine if you tell Adam but no one else, okay Lainey? Not yet?” The thought of Maeve hearing about this... Fuck. I’ve been trying so hard to get her to stop giving me the cold shoulder, and this definitely isn’t going to help.

How am I supposed to convince her to give us a chance when I’m about to have a baby to take care of?

“Yeah, of course, Owen.”

“Thanks. I love you both. I’m gonna head back now but I’ll call you soon, all right?”

“Love you, big brother.”

“I love you, moro mou.”

I hang up the call and sit, staring at the trees lining the street I’m parked on. A million thoughts circling through my mind, and yet not a single particular one stands out. Everything I know is about to be turned upside down. At least I have a house to take this baby girl back to. A house I had bought with another intention, for another girl, for another kind of life, but this is my reality now.

I don’t remember much from the drive back to Ojai. I think I went into autopilot and let my brain focus on the road instead of all the jumbled thoughts inside my head. As soon as I step into my house, I’m heading for the shower. And once the hot water rushes over my skin, I feel my muscles relax for the first time all day.

I stumble into bed, letting my physical exhaustion from the driving and being so damn tense all day take over, dragging me into a restless sleep.

12/

the icing on this insane cake.

maeve

Something is definitely wrong with him. He walked in and grunted—actually grunted—at me. Owen is a pretty stoic guy. He’s not smiley like Raf or even-keeled and generally nice like Adam. He’s a little rougher around the edges with most people, but he’s never been that way with me. Not once. Not until today.

He’s only here because I texted him about the security system. Something started beeping and wouldn’t stop, and he was adamant that I call him directly for these things, so I did. Well, I didn’t call. It felt too personal, somehow. Too much like something we used to be, something we used to do. So, I texted. And now he’s here in all of his grumpy glory.

“Can I do anything?” I ask his back, not at all watching how his muscles tense and ripple under his gray T-shirt. No. I would never.

He grunts a response, and my jaw drops in sheer disbelief. Maybe I made a mistake texting him. I thought we could handle this.

“I can call someone else, Owen. It’s obvious you don’t want to be here, so don’t worry about it.” That gets his attention. He turns his head to glare at me over his shoulder, then immediately goes back to the security panel on the wall. The beeping stops, and he huffs out a loud breath, turning his body around to face me.

Neither of us speaks for several seconds, but I keep my stone face firmly in place.

“You will not be calling anyone else, Maeve. This is my responsibility, and I take care of my responsibilities. Got it?”

Oh, hell no, he did not just speak to me like this.

“No. I don’t got it. This is not your responsibility. And I am certainly not your responsibility, so you can kindly see yourself out and not come back, thank you very much!”

He pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, shaking his head like he’s the one who’s pissed off. “Not today, Maevey. Please.”

“You come into my house and speak to me like this, and now you want to make it seem like I’m the unreasonable one? I think not. I’ve tried, Owen. I’ve tried to be civil and nonchalant around you for over a year now, but you’ve just pushed me too far.” I walk to the front door, noticing that he immediately follows me.

“And stop calling me Maevey. We’re not friends anymore.” I look up to see his shoulders have slumped, and I take in his face for the first time. He has dark circles under his normally bright green eyes. Today they’re dull, devoid of their usual brightness.

“Do you mean that?”

Yes! No, of course not! Yes, absolutely. I can’t stand to be around you and not have what we used to have, but I also can’t do this. I can’t not know what you’re thinking and also not be able to ask you.

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