I shook my head, laughing. “I always mix them up, so now I’m going to remember that.”
“Good, well, there’s probably too much food, and I don’t know what you’re keeping down. And, honestly, I wasn’t sure if you could do too much spicy food, but most of the jalapeño and srirachas are on the side.”
My stomach rumbled then, and I put my hand over my belly, wondering if the baby, however quiet they were for now, would like spicy food.
“I don’t know if I should do spicy.”
“Everything else is mild. You can add on the spices if you want. Now, if I were to bring over Indian food, that might be a problem.”
“You and I love hot Indian food, but only like medium-hot. The hot-hot just burns off my tongue, and I can’t taste any of the actual dishes.”
He smiled at me, his dimple peeking out. He was truly too handsome for his own good. He was also too big for my house. Yes, I had a decent-sized two-story home with plenty of room for the baby when it was time to build the nursery, but Lee took up so much space with his mere presence.
Or maybe I saw too much when it came to him, and I needed to rein in my emotions and desires.
“See, this is why we get along. And why we’re going to be perfect partners for this. I’m going to make sure that we won’t get anything too spicy. However, Iamcraving guacamole.”
I pressed my lips together, ignoring how tears threatened. Why was I crying? There was nothing to cry about just then, and yet all I wanted to do was weep in joy that he was here. Screw doing this alone. Lee was just a good person. I could do this. I could lean on him. I would not freak out. And yet, here I was, doing exactly what I said I wouldn’t.
Relying on a man. And thinking that I couldn’t do this on my own.
“Stop looking like that.”
I shook my head at his gruff tone, yet grateful that his words had pulled me out of my spiral. “What?”
“You’re going through about a thousand different emotions right now, and I’m not even going to touch on the whole hormonal aspect of things because I don’t want you to knee me in the balls.”
“Seriously?” I asked, deadpan.
“What? Our friends have been through pregnancies before. Annabelle with twins. Twice the emotions. I know that look. You’re asking yourself if you should kick me out right now because you can do this on your own. Because you’re a strong, confident woman.”
“Now you’re just quoting Chandler fromFriends,” I grumbled.
“You know, you weren’t even old enough to watch that show when it came out, but thanks to streaming, you can probably quote every single line from the entire ten seasons.”
“Of course, I can. Phoebe’s the best.”
“She is,” he teased. “And, seriously, you’re allowed to rely on me. And while you haven’t truly questioned why I’m doing this, I’ll tell you. Because I like you, Paige. We’re friends. I like being your friend. And, hell, I’m so fucking pissed off at Colton right now that I want to fly to New York and beat the shit out of him and make sure he doesn’t think that he can just come back here and pretend nothing happened. So, in lieu of doing that, I will be your best friend ever and help you through this. In addition to all that…” he began, raising his chin.
I began to laugh, so confused and yet happy at the same time. Something I didn’t think I would feel for a while.
“In addition,” he repeated, “I know that your brothers and your sister want to be here right now and take care of you. And if they can’t hurt Colton, then they want to make all of your plans for you and make sure that you’re never left wanting. I get it. Because that is what they do. That is what you do. You guys are such a tight unit, and I love it. But I also know you want to prove that you can do this on your own. So, you will. And so will I.”
I stood there in front of him, feeling as if I were bare to the world as he read me so easily. This wasLee. The man I had crushed on and yet hadn’t let myself want for more than a moment because he wasn’t right for me. I knew he didn’t want a future, a family. And yet, here he was, saying he’d help me start mine even in the oddest of senses. The two of us had always been on each other’s periphery in our group of friends, connected and yet not. But he’d always been there.
And it seemed as though he’d seen me far easier than I ever thought.
It would be hard to be near him and not wonderwhat if, but then again, I’d only wondered when it came to Colton, and look at what I’d become there.
“I’m so utterly confused that you can read me so well. Everything you just said made sense and yet no sense at the same time.”
“Welcome to my brain. It is terrifying in here. However, I don’t want these tortillas to get cold, and they are the fresh ones. Not store-bought. They made them right there with that little machine that presses them together and cooks them over the open fire. Oh my God, my stomach is growling.”
“Are you on some type of drug?” I asked, laughing as I helped him put everything out on plates.
“No, I just don’t know how to handle a pregnant Paige. A pregnant Paige who was crying. And, frankly, I’ve had a shitty day, so I want to laugh and hang out. Okay?”
“I didn’t even ask you how your day went,” I whispered. “Now I’m the shitty friend.”